Toasting to Jaume Plensa’s Sculpture for Ruinart

Plensa is known for his figurative sculptures that use symbols and letters to silhouette the human form. For this commission, the artist found inspiration in Dom Thierry Ruinart, the monk at the heart of Maison Ruinart. Plensa took stainless steel letters and numbers from eight different languages—Latin, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and Hindi—to form the figure of a person seated, knees tucked into the chest. “Each alphabet is of such extraordinary beauty because I believe it is the most accurate representation of a culture,” said Plensa.

Symbols splay out at the base of the sculpture, perhaps referencing a vine taking root in the soil. There are two dates carved at the bottom connecting the past and the present: 1729 and 2016.

The work took Plensa close to five months to create. “All the letters of the alphabet are there, it’s like I had a palette of colors. You imagine the piece but the piece becomes fantastic when the letter is the body,” he said.

At the debut celebration in Paris, the space’s chapel was transformed into a cabinet of curiosities dedicated to Dom Ruinart. Attendees could find Plensa’s sculpture in a room playfully named palais des études, and further experience the project through two digital experiences.

The collaboration also resulted in a 20-piece limited-edition box for the Ruinart Blanc de Blancs designed by the artist. The cut metal box, just like the work, allows light into its center, both casting complicated shadows and allowing the champagne to sparkle from within.

httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWXZPj_uTow