Giuseppe Penone: Thoughts in the Roots

‘In my opinion, a tree is a prime example of a perfect sculpture.’ Even more than other Arte Povera artists, Giuseppe Penone has devoted himself to highlighting the artistry of nature. He is not the only figure to have taken a root-and-branch approach – Piero Gilardi cheekily evoked arboreal elements through polyurethane foam in his Nature Carpets, while Mario Merz occasionally incorporated real saplings into his igloo-shaped structures – but it is Penone who has spent the last half-century marshalling bronze, terracotta, marble and other materials to explore the artistic potential and quiet majesty of trees. This survey of his work at the Serpentine is the largest Penone retrospective ever mounted in the UK and, appropriately enough, spills out of the gallery and into Kensington Gardens (3 April–7 September).

Find out more from the Serpentine’s website.
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Installation view of A occhi chiusi (With Eyes Closed) (2009) by Giuseppe Penone at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, in 2021. Photo: © Archivio Penone

Installation view of Gesti vegetali (Vegetal Gestures) (1983–85) by Giuseppe Penone at the Galleria Borghese, Rome, in 2023. Photo: © Sebastiano Pellion di Persano

Installation view of Respirare l’ombra (To Breathe the Shadow) (1999) by Giuseppe Penone at the Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea. Photo: © Archivio Penone