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© Elisabeth Carecchio
NEWS IN BRIEF THE MAGAZINE
The sculptor Giuseppe Penone is to follow in the
footsteps of Vasconcelos, Venet and Murakami this
June, having been chosen by the Palace of
Versailles to adorn the illustrious former residence
of Louis XIV with his works. The year 2013 marks the
400th anniversary of the birth of landscape architect
André Le Nôtre, whose crowning achievement
was the design and construction of the gardens at
Versailles, and there could be no better choice than
Penone to commemorate the occasion. The artist is
already familiar with the premises, having sculpted
two cedar trees felled by a storm there in 1999.
What is more, he feels at home wherever nature is
queen, especially in these French-style formal
gardens, seemingly tamed by the will of the sovereign.
‘The gardens were built to exalt the power of
a man, but they actually underline the strength and
power of nature, which undermines men’s actions
by forcing them to work endlessly to keep it in
check,’ says the artist. Penone’s relationship with
Mother Nature is an altogether different, much
more harmonious one. His materials – trees, leaves,
branches – are borrowed from her. He aims to establish
a dialogue with her. In this way he introduces
notions of the presence of man and the passage of
time in a gentle, natural way. In this spirit, around
twenty sculptures will be installed along the Royal
Path and in the Star Grove, including Elevazione, a
work that engages with one of Penone’s favourite
subjects: when art becomes nature.
Stéphanie Perris-Delmas
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Palace of Versailles, 11 June–30 October 2013.
www.en.chateauversailles.fr
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