One for the Parisians
View Studio 46 Barcelona. Image courtesy of Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
Transmutation of Legacy
The artistic heritage of
JOAN BARBARÀ
STUDIO 46 BARCELONA
Art Basel Paris
OCTOBER 21–26, 2025
Studio 46 Barcelona is the famed intaglio printmaking atelier of Joan Barbarà’. Known as the master behind the masters, this was the studio frequented by Dali, Picasso, Chagall, Miro and for any artist who was searching for excellence in printing on copper plates and using handmade paper.
Joan Barbarà with Salvador Dali. Image courtesy of Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
Under the guidance of his son, Virgili Barbarà, and with the curatorial direction of Martin Sky, the atelier has reopened as a private gallery, residency, and production space in Barcelona. They are bringing their magic to Paris for Art Basel.
Sky’s mission is to “‘redefine the role of galleries’, shifting them from transactional venues into spaces of dialogue, resonance, and impact. With Transmutation of Legacy, Martin brings this philosophy to audiences, inviting them to discover how legacy, when reactivated through contemporary creation, continues to evolve.”
To honor the moment, Sky has curated the work of Joan Barbarà, alsongside the modern work of Juliana Plexxo and Cory James Jacobsen in the spirit of collaboration.
From left to right : Joan Barbarà's self portrait, Juliana Plexxo, Cory James Jacobsen. Images courtesy of Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
NOTES FROM THE ARTISTS
Joan Barbarà
b.1927 - d.2013
Born in Barcelona, Joan returned home in 1972 to found Taller 46, his own workshop. It quickly became a central hub for graphic art in Europe, attracting leading artists drawn to his mastery of intaglio, aquatint, photogravure, and carborundum techniques.
Joan Barbarà, Bodegón 1, 1991. Image courtesy of Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
More than a production space, Studio 46 Barcelona was a site of experimentation, mentorship, and artistic exchange. Barbarà’s own work bridges lyrical abstraction and meditative figuration, marked by his deep connection to Mediterranean landscapes and light. His most emblematic series, La masía, Empúries, and Eivissa, are powerful engraved tributes to his homeland, blending technical virtuosity with poetic resonance. He also collaborated on numerous illustrated books, and his prints are now housed in major collections such as the Library of Catalonia.
Joan Barbarà, Bodegón 2 , 1991. Image courtesy of Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
Named a member of the Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts in 2011, Joan Barbarà is remembered as a visionary craftsman who elevated printmaking into a fully autonomous artistic language. The exhibition Transmutation of Legacy marks his symbolic return to Paris, the city that shaped his early artistic trajectory.
Joan Barbarà, Bodegón al peón, 1960s - 2025. Image courtesy of Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
Through the voices of a new generation of artists, particularly his grandson Om Barbarà, his legacy continues to evolve and inspire.
Joan Barbarà & Om Barbarà, Jarrón con Flores, 2015. Image courtesy of Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
Juliana Plexxo
Juliana Plexxo is a Colombian artist based in Barcelona whose work explores the intersection of spiritual symbolism, ecological consciousness, and experimental engraving. Drawing from Latin American cosmologies and personal mythology,she reimagines ancient forms and rituals through a contemporary lens.
Juliana Plexxo, Nature is our religion, 2025, Acrylic on canvas, 120 x 90 cm. Image courtesy of the artist, Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
Plexxo is the resident artist at Studio 46 Barcelona. She brings a bold new voice to this legacy. Her radical approach sees each copperplate engraving printed only once before the plate is destroyed — turning the process into a reflection on impermanence, creation, and renewal.
Her recent series, Real Gold, draws from Mayan narratives and Indigenous wisdom. Combining engraving with oil and acrylic, these works explore sacred value, memory, and resistance to cultural erasure. They reflect her journeys through Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico, and a deeply personal engagement with land and tradition.
Juliana Plexxo, Ome gompote, 2025, Mixed-media engraving on copper, plate & Acrylic on paper, 88.5 x 68 cm
Image courtesy of the artist, Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
“My art is a ritual, a return to the sacred, where the soul remembers its roots in earth, fire, and spirit.”
Juliana Plexxo, Ome gompote, 2019 - 2025,
Mixed-media engraving on copper plate & enriched acrylic on paper. 76 x 56.6 cm
Image courtesy of the artist, Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
Cory James Jacobsen
Jacobsen is a self-taught contemporary artist based in Los Angeles. The origin of this artist’s creative ventures lie in the vibrant street art landscape of the West Coast of California. For Jacobsen, art is a fingerprint of expression capturing a message and moment in time that will live for eternity.
Cory James Jacobsen, Le Subconscient du Compositeur, 2025
Acrylic and Oil on Wood Panel
76.2 x 101.6 cm
Image courtesy of the artist, Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
His collections emerge at the intersection of the evolving urban zeitgeist and the historical refinement of classic European art. His works explore the tension between opposing forces: chaos and structure, identity and exploration. Each piece invites introspection and reveals the evolving nature of contrasting elements.
Cory James Jacobsen, Eden’s Paradigm, 2025,
Acrylic and Oil on Wood Panel,
76.2 x 101.6 cm
Image courtesy of the artist, Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
His most recent series, Theory of the Subconscious, is an introspective art collection that explores the architecture of the mind, translating emotion, and memory, into visual form. Through layered symbolism and surreal composition, each piece invites the viewer to confront the unseen forces that shape modern perception, identity, and the creative process.
Cory James Jacobsen, Modern Labor, 2025
Acrylic and Oil on Wood Panel
91 x 91 cm
Image courtesy of the artist, Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
Presenting his works in Transmutation of Legacy, Jacobsen brings a transatlantic voice to Studio 46 Barcelona’s vision. His presence reinforces the exhibition’s mission to bridge generations, cultures, and creative languages through deeply personal and culturally relevant art.
Cory James Jacobsen, La Veuve de Guerre, 2025
Oil on canvas
Image courtesy of the artist, Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
The original presses remain active, now animated by a new generation of artists who engage with the past while forging their own visual languages. Studio 46 Barcelona supports practices rooted in process, spirituality, and cultural fusion, fostering experimental printmaking.
The studio’s debut in Paris, marks a symbolic return to the city where Joan Barbarà first trained and found his voice as a printmaker. It is also a declaration of intent: to keep his legacy alive not by preserving it, but by transforming it, one work, one gesture, one generation at a time. Barbara’s legacy is not only that of a master craftsman, but also of a mentor who transformed printmaking into a language of modernity.
Studio 46 Barcelona. Image courtesy of Studio 46 Barcelona & Martin Sky Artist Management
On the eve of publication of our next edition FORM Vol I, we salute the printers of the past that herald in the next generation. Joan Barbarà’s atelier is the perfect place for re-invention. Here are the details of when and where you should be during Art Basel, Paris.
STUDIO 46 BARCELONA
Transmutation of Legacy
An Artistic Evolution
at Studio 46 Barcelona
5 Rue Rouget de Lisle,
75001 Paris
OCTOBER 21–26, 2025
Opening
Tuesday, October 21
As part of Transmutation of Legacy, Plexxo will also present a special live painting performance during the opening night in Paris, an immersive moment bringing her symbolic language to life in real time.
3 pm – Press opening
5 pm – 10 pm – Private opening
11 pm – Afterparty (venue Tba)
very laboratory