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Giuseppe Penone's First Solo Show in Hometown Cuneo Opens at San Francesco Complex

exhibition · 2026-04-27

The Complesso Monumentale di San Francesco in Cuneo, Italy, is currently hosting 'Incidenze del vuoto,' the inaugural solo exhibition of Giuseppe Penone, curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev. This exhibition highlights significant pieces such as 'Matrice,' 'Suture,' and 'Gesti vegetali,' all exploring themes of emptiness, with support from Fondazione CRC. Penone, born in Garessio in 1947, is a pivotal figure in the Arte Povera movement, which Germano Celant established in 1968. Christov-Bakargiev is also working on a new edition of her monograph about this movement and previously featured Penone's art in dOCUMENTA 13 in 2012. The exhibition aligns with his large-scale piece 'Identità' at Castello di Rivoli, while philosopher Nicola Davide Angerame regards Penone as an artist of the Anthropocene, highlighting his ecological poetics.

Key facts

  • Giuseppe Penone's first solo exhibition in his hometown region, 'Incidenze del vuoto,' opened at Complesso Monumentale di San Francesco in Cuneo.
  • The exhibition is curated by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, director of Castello di Rivoli.
  • The show includes works such as 'Matrice,' 'Suture,' 'Gesti vegetali,' and preparatory drawings.
  • Penone's monumental work 'Identità' (2017) is installed at Castello di Rivoli.
  • Christov-Bakargiev is preparing a new edition of her monograph on Arte Povera.
  • Penone's work was featured in the center of 'The Brain' section of dOCUMENTA 13 in 2012.
  • The article describes Penone as an 'artist of the Anthropocene' and an 'hermeneut of nature.'
  • Penone was born in Garessio in 1947 and is associated with Arte Povera, founded by Germano Celant in 1968.

Entities

Artists

  • Giuseppe Penone
  • Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev
  • Germano Celant
  • Joseph Beuys
  • Gianni Vattimo
  • Nicola Davide Angerame

Institutions

  • Castello di Rivoli
  • Complesso Monumentale di San Francesco
  • Fondazione CRC
  • Galleria di Arte Moderna di Torino
  • Reggia di Venaria
  • dOCUMENTA 13
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Cuneo
  • Italy
  • Garessio
  • Rivoli
  • Turin

Sources