JAUME PLENSA. LAURA.

• ARTIST.

  Jaume Plensa
  (Spanish, b. 1955)

• TITLE.

  Laura

• DATE.

  2020

• MATERIALS.

  Stainless steel

• DIMENSIONS.

  275 3/5 x 163 39/100 x 299 21/100 in.
  (700 x 415 x 760 cm)

• Map.

  Century City in front of the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel at 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067

Laura stands nearly 23 feet high.

Laura was installed at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in 2020, creating an instantly iconic work of art in the bustling neighborhood of Century City. The larger-than-life stainless steel sculpture takes the form of a female head and stands nearly 23 feet high (7 m). Emerging from a reflecting pool of water, Plensa describes the sculpture as evoking eternity and weightlessness. 

To create works of art like this one, Plensa creates 3-dimensional, computer-modeled images of his subject. He then works from a foam model, perfecting it until it is ready to be produced at its intended scale. In addition to steel, Plensa has created sculptures using glass, aluminum, and bronze, in addition to working with video and sound elements.

To learn more about Jaume Plensa’s work, his sculpture Endless V is in our Access! guide. The work is located at Beverly Gardens Park.

Laura emerging from a reflecting pool of water.

SPARK A CONVERSATION.

Explore how the inclusion of the water element encourages reflection and calm. Spend time in front of the sculpture, focusing on its design, for 30 seconds. Try to experience Plensa’s Laura without distraction.

Spend 30 seconds in front of the sculpture

• Despite the sights and sounds from the surrounding environment, how does the artwork itself strive to promote a sense of contemplation?

• Laura is based on a model of a young girl between childhood and adulthood. Why did Plensa choose to represent this stage of development in a person’s life for this monumental sculpture?

• Does it change how you experience the sculpture to encounter Plensa’s Laura outside of a stately hotel versus if you came across it inside a museum? How is it similar or different?

• Why might Plensa have chosen to work on such an enormous scale? What is the effect of creating the sculpture at this size?