A pioneer of the Arte Povera movement in the 1960s, Giuseppe Penone has continued to work with wood, bronze, ceramic and drawing to reflect on the relationship between artistic creation and natural processes of growth and decay. This exhibition at the Galleria Borghese in Rome (14 March–28 May) brings together 37 key works, spanning the 1970s and the early 2000s. Works will be displayed throughout the halls and gardens and gardens of the gallery, setting up intriguing contrasts between the natural materials with which Penone works and the carefully crafted opulence of the 17th-century villa. Penone’s cedar-wood sculpture Albero di 8 metri (8–Metre Tree) (2000) – one of numerous sculptures Penone makes by carefully following the rings of a tree as he strips away the outer wood – can be found within one of the Borghese’s grand frescoed halls, while large-scale metal works are placed among potted plants and vegetation. Find out more on the Borghese’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary
Respirare l’ombra (To Breathe the Shadow) (2000), Giuseppe Penone. Photo: © Archivio Penone
Albero di 8 metri (8–Metre Tree) (2000), Giuseppe Penone. Photo: © Archivio Penone
Sentiero Path (1986), Giuseppe Penone. Photo: © Archivio Penone