Associated with the Arte Povera movement of the 1960s and 1970s, Italian artist Giuseppe Penone is known for incorporating materials from daily life into his practice. The choice of natural materials, such as clay and stone, allows him to examine the relationship between art and nature while encouraging viewers to evaluate their own impact on the environment. Working primarily as a sculptor, Penone’s art ruminates on subjects such as growth, aging, and the change in volume of the human body as it breathes. Exploring these themes in nature, he harvested mature trees and carved the wood along its outer rings to reveal the memories inherently held in living materials.

–Austin Anderson, from the Glenstone Field Guide