De la nature: Four Artists Explore Human-Nature Connection at Musée de Grenoble

The Musée de Grenoble presents 'De la nature,' a group exhibition curated by director Guy Tosatto that brings together four contemporary artists—Giuseppe Penone, Philippe Cognée, Cristina Iglesias, and Wolfgang Laib—each exploring the relationship between humanity and nature through distinct practices. Penone, a leading Arte Povera figure, presents works including frottage on raw canvas and bronze sculptures from his 'Gesti vegetali' series, alongside the monumental steel piece 'Suture' that evokes a 'plant brain.' Cognée employs his signature wax-and-plastic-wrap technique to create blurred paintings of flowers and forests, drawn from his photographic archive. Iglesias transforms the gallery into an immersive cave-like environment with water, moss, and sculptural forms that blur boundaries between interior and exterior. Laib contributes a towering beeswax-and-wood 'Ziggurat' and a vast field of hand-collected dandelion pollen, emphasizing cyclical nature and spiritual infinity. The exhibition also integrates works from the museum's permanent collection—the second most important modern art collection in France after the Louvre—creating dialogues with artists such as Dubuffet, Soutine, and Nicolas de Staël. A five-volume catalogue accompanies the show, including individual monographs for each artist. On view until March 19, 2023.