Guiseppe Penone

Giuseppe Penone is one of the leading figures of Arte Povera, a movement founded in Turin in 1967 which pioneered new forms of sculpture through the use of natural or everyday materials and simple gestures. Originally from an old village in Liguria, Giuseppe Penone is deeply influenced by the natural environment of northern Italy, shaped by human hands over the centuries. From the 1970s onwards, he developed a body of work based on a poetic approach to nature, leading to a reflection on humankind and its power over its environment and, by extension, over the world. Breath, skin, fingernails, fingerprints and growth rings are the paradigms of this exploration, fusing the individual and the universal, with the tree – humanity’s alter ego – as one of its principal motifs. Created using traditional materials (bronze, marble) or natural elements (thorns, stones, water), her works offer a holistic experience that engages the mind, sight, touch and smell.