PENONE, Giuseppe (Garessio, 1947)Giuseppe Penone. Spoglia d'oro su spine d'acacia

Giuseppe Penone is one of the main exponents of the Arte Povera current. He exhibited works made of unconventional materials such as lead, copper, wax, pitch and wood for the first time in 1968 at the Deposito d'Arte Presente. In the forest of Garessio, the artist staged a series of performances aimed at probing the possibilities that man has of interacting with nature and modifying it, intervening, for example, in the process of tree growth (Alpi Marittime, 1968). In 1970, he began to investigate the relationship between the human body and the external environment, this time the city and, in tune with Body Art trends, he produced works such as Rovesciare gli occhi and Svolgere la propria pelle (1971), which identify the human epidermis as the boundary surface and dialogue between the inner 'I' and the world. Hence the use of casts and frottage, which allow the artist to start from an image as automatic as it is unconscious as the imprint, which he then reinforces with drawing (Pressione, 1974).
Major exhibitions include: Documenta in Kassel (1972-87); Venice Biennale, 1978; Kunstmuseum Lucerne, 1977; Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1981; Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris, 1984.  In 1989 he was among the finalists for the prestigious Turner Prize.