Giuseppe Penone

Working with organic materials such as wood, leaves, and stone, Penone investigates processes of growth, transformation, and the passage of time. The exhibition presents significant works from across Penone’s career, including examples from the Alberi (Trees) series, which the artist initiated in 1969 when he was just twenty-two. Overlooking the surrounding forests, Albero di 8 metri, 2002 connects the landscape with the palace’s layered architectural history. Penone carves into wooden beams while preserving knots and traces of branching to reveal a younger tree embedded within the growth rings. By reanimating the timber through delicate carving, Penone forges a link between sculpture and the ways plants grow and articulate themselves in space. The monumental lengths of Albero fiume di 12 metri and Albero fiume di 11 metri, 1987 cut through the ballroom’s Rococo interior. Exhibited alongside three royal portraits by Carl Gustaf Pilo (SE, 1711–93), framed in gilded wood, the installation contrasts painted grandeur against a quieter, elemental force.

In Soffio di foglie, 1979, a pile of myrtle leaves bears the imprint of the artist’s body and breath. Evoking the constant exchange between humans and their environment, the work encapsulates the connection between organic processes, biological energy, and creative expression. Elsewhere, works on paper and rare archival materials situate Penone’s sculptural and performative practice within a broader context. The photographic series Alpi Marittime, 1968 positions the fleeting moments documented by his installations alongside enduring interventions in the landscape.