DALLAS, TX.- The Nasher Sculpture Center opened an exhibition of the works of contemporary Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa on view through May 2, 2010. Jaume Plensa: Genus and Species represents the Nasher’s first major exhibition of the work of a living artist.

For the past two decades, Plensa has been investigating the intimate interconnection between nature and culture through large-scale sculptures and installations that incorporate light, sound, and text in transparent, often interactive structures, such as the renowned Crown Fountain at Millennium Park in Chicago. Taking many forms and utilizing a variety of modes of production, Plensa’s work offers a visceral experience of the nexus between art, language, biology, and metaphysics.

Jaume Plensa: Genus and Species highlights eight large-scale works, completed between 2004 and 2009, and installations chosen by the artist and curator specifically for the spaces at the Nasher Sculpture Center. Installed both indoors and out, this dynamic exhibition expands our understanding of the work of this important sculptor and provide crucial context for Plensa’s Song of Songs III and IV, one of the last works Raymond Nasher added to the Nasher Collection. The selection of works features several never before seen in public, including Twins I and II and an installation of eleven, six-foot-tall, alabaster heads.

The exhibition was installed throughout the Nasher, engaging a variety of spaces: the entrance, the galleries, the terrace, the garden, and, for the first time at the Nasher Sculpture Center, the city street. The artist has carefully considered the selection and placement of each sculpture, determining an inter-related progression that heightens the viewer’s experience of the work.