Giuseppe Penone : the hidden life within

Italian conceptual sculptor Giuseppe Penone's work is primarily concerned with the relationship between man and nature.

Belonging to Italy's Arte Povera movement in the 1960s and 70s, like many in the group, Penone uses simple materials from everyday life to unsettle the boundaries between art and nature, and to point out the interdependence among all organic life forms. Penone expands the sculptural process by introducing a 'natural dynamic', transforming the sculpture into an essential form, which takes shape naturally.

Penone uses nature to explore the mysteries of time and our existence, with the results often resulting in bewilderment for the viewer. Giuseppe Penone: The Hidden Life Within consists of plate sections on Penone's recent work in full page reproductions.

Supporting these are four essays by leading artists and critics, along with an interview with Penone.

Renowned artist, writer and critic Germano Celante discusses the coining of the term "Arte Povera" and contextualises Penone's work within the art scene of the time. Matthew Teitelbaum, Director and CEO of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, interviews the artist providing a uniquely personal view of the work he has created.

There are also further essays by art critic Professor Didier Semin, and writer John Bentley Mays. The book is named after a work until recently on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Penone's work is held in important collections internationally, notably MoMA, New York and Tate, London, and public installations can be seen at Hall of the Sheraton Society Hill, Philadelphia; Jardin des Tuileries, Paris; and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Chicago.

Recent exhibitions include those at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Japan; Documenta 13, Germany; the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, New York; Marian Goodman Gallery, New York; and the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London.