The Philadelphia Museum of Art opens 'River of Forms: Giuseppe Penone's Drawings'

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Tuesday, March 19, 2024


The Philadelphia Museum of Art opens 'River of Forms: Giuseppe Penone's Drawings'
Breaths, 1977, by Giuseppe Penone. Pencil and watercolor on paper. 10 x 14 3/8 inches. Gift of the artist in honor of Dina Carrara, 2019. Image courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2020.



PHILADELPHIA, PA.- In celebration of an exceptional gift of drawings by one of Italy's leading contemporary artists, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will present a major exhibition examining the poetic vision of Giuseppe Penone, whose artistic production from the late 1960s to the present invites a timely rumination on the relationship between human experience and nature. River of Forms: Giuseppe Penone's Drawings will demonstrate the centrality of drawing in the artist's work through a selection from the important gift and related sculptures. The exhibition will convey Penone's extraordinary range of mark-making techniques and will trace his explorations of drawing as an interface between artist and nature. Visitors arriving at the West Entrance will first encounter Identity, a monumental bronze outdoor sculpture by Penone (collection, the artist) in which two intertwining trees extend toward the sky. Inside, they will discover the artist's Thoughts and Sap, an extended frottage (or rubbing) on linen of an acacia tree that includes an essay by Penone. Stretching laterally about 88 and a half feet, this work will occupy a wall of the corridor approaching the entrance to the Daniel W. Dietrich II Galleries, where the exhibition will be presented. River of Forms: Giuseppe Penone's Drawings is organized by Carlos Basualdo, the Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, with Lara Demori Ph.D., Research Associate, and is accompanied by a major scholarly catalogue.

In 2020, the Philadelphia Museum of Art announced Giuseppe Penone's gift of 309 drawings and five artist books, including many works that have never exhibited or reproduced before. It constitutes a significant portion of the artist's corpus of works on paper, which spans from the late 1960s until today. River of Forms will include nearly 200 of these works, along with 12 sculptures and 21 etchings, and other objects, and will illuminate the central role that drawing plays in his practice and how it has informed many large sculptures throughout the years. Penone made the gift to the museum in honor of his wife, Dina Carrara.




One of the youngest members of 1960s Arte Povera movement in Italy, Penone (b. 1947) continues to incorporate natural materials in his work, such as wood, stone, and clay. His drawings reflect a range of artistic techniques and processes in pencil, biro, watercolor, coffee, India ink, graphite, charcoal, adhesive tape, and leaves, and other media.

The exhibition will be installed mostly chronologically and in thematic clusters of works on paper and sculptures. Among the highlights will be drawings from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, including preparatory sketches for installations and sculptures. Works such as Project for the Exhibition at G. Enzo Sperone, 1969, appear as sketches for future installations accompanied by text. Other drawings reflect aspects of related sculptural, installation, or performative works, such as Project for mirroring lens – to look at the street, 1970. One section of the exhibition will include the monotype Sculpture, 1974, which contains the imprint of human skin on graphite resembling thin branches or tangled spider webs, spreading over the composition in an irregular pattern. The large-scale Untitled, 1992, consists of six sheets of watercolor with ink that mimics the stream of a river, the growth of a branch, or perhaps calligraphy. The exhibition will feature two wall drawings from the series of Propagations,1994–2022, thin concentric lines radiating from a central fingerprint over the entire surface of the wall, and a group of 21 new etchings entitled Somersault, 2020. Finally, the exhibition will also include three brief videos named Ephemeris, which feature the artist in the process of making his work.

“Penone is one of the most important sculptors active today, and his drawing plays a foundational role within his larger body of work,” noted Carlos Basualdo. “This extraordinary group of drawings, shown together with some of Penone's key related sculptures, will allow us to trace the evolution of Penone's work and to grasp its rigorous logic through the astonishing map of his imagination.”

The artist commented: “At the foundation of every single work of art the fascination and wonder that the world and its matter provoke is always felt. It is that fascination that the work, even a simple drawing, can evoke through its signs, its colors. This thought makes me believe and hope that the public will be able to share and appreciate my work, which I hope will manage to convey a sense of participation and belonging. A drawing is both the tracing of a person's hand, and it is the imprint of a thought. This group of drawings is a journey through the ideas that have nourished my work, and my hope is that the public will be able to feel and to share this energy.”










Today's News

September 23, 2022

Schantz Galleries opens an exhibition of cast glass from Sweden by Bertil Vallien

Galería RGR opens a solo exhibition of works by Julio Le Parc

Ernie Barnes and Fred Eversley headline Post-War & Contemporary Art Auction at Hindman

Christie's New York announces The Roger Sant Collection

Exhibition at the Belvedere explores the tree in art

Gagosian opens an exhibition of new and recent works by Sarah Sze

A new audience and a long-awaited return: Hilma af Klint and "The Ten Largest" at Moderna Museet

The Philadelphia Museum of Art opens 'River of Forms: Giuseppe Penone's Drawings'

Miller & Miller announces highlights included in Canadiana & Folk Art Auction

Exhibition highlights the careers of three PDNB artists that passed away within the past nine months

Colby College announces Lyons Arts Lab

Freeman's Books & Manuscripts Auction kicks off fall season with sale of rare colonial first edition

Ralph Lemon receives The Whitney's 2022 Bucksbaum Award

Ogden Contemporary Arts presents: Ideal Home

HistoryMiami Museum announces Natalia Crujeiras as new CEO and Executive Director

Jerwood/Photoworks Awards 4: Heather Agyepong and Joanne Coates

Steinbrener/Dempf & Huber installs Victory Spikes in Munich

Lawrie Shabibi opens an exhibition of works by Nathaniel Rackowe

Bisma Hussain's first solo exhibition opens at Over the Influence

Carol Burnett leading campaign to rename theater for Hal Prince

Tracey Emin to offer 'Like A Cloud Of Blood (2022)' to raise funds

Silverlens presents the first New York solo gallery shows by artists Martha Atienza and Yee I-Lann

Immersive art experience The Awakening opens at the Honolulu Museum of Art

Yinka Ilori's creative practice explored for first time at the Design Museum




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful