Idee di Pietra - Giuseppe Penone alle Terme di Caracalla

Born in 1947 in the Piedmont region, Giuseppe Penone is one of the main exponents of the Arte Povera movement, to which he has adhered since his early days, focusing his research on the relationship between man and nature. In Rome, one can admire his work in MAXXI’s permanent collection and in Largo Goldoni, in the heart of the Trident, in front of the Fendi fashion house, which in 2013 donated the marble and bronze installation “Foglie di pietra” to the city. Until 20 October, however, his art also invades the Terme di Caracalla, a place that regularly welcomes contemporary art.

In the intervention curated by Francesco Stocchi, promoted by the Special Superintendence of Rome and produced by Electa, the artist succeeds in an exceptional dialogue with the majesty of the Roman monumental site. On display in the ancient natatio of the baths are four large trees, constant elements in all Penone’s production and proposed in different applications: these are the works Identity (in aluminum and bronze); Triplice; Idee di pietra, Olmo; and Idee di pietra, Ciliegio (all three in bronze and river stones), timeless trees and “living sculptures” that embrace the visitor and invite him to reflect on man's emblematic relationship with nature, space and time.