AGO Art Talks and Tours

Giuseppe Penone was born in Garessio, Italy in 1947. He belonged to Italy's Arte Povera movement of the 1960s. Like many in the group, Penone uses simple materials from daily life to point out the interdependence among all organic life forms. For his installation in Galleria Italia, Penone has carved out the wood to reveal its past, showing the tree that grew inside so that it may "live" in the present. Rather than imposing a form, the artist - in contrast to the architect of this space - draws out an existing form.