“Vegetable Perspective” is the first major solo exhibition in Florence by the contemporary artist Giuseppe Penone, among the most internationally acclaimed. For this exhibition project, the sculptures were located between the imposing bastions of the ancient Medici fortress, Forte Belvedere, and the magnificent Boboli Gardens, both UNESCO world heritage sites. Once Extraordinary Events, a Florence event organization agency, took care of every logistical and implementation aspect of the exhibition project. Solely for the occasion, the two prestigious venues were linked together in an unprecedented artistic journey. In fact, the works have not only created a new artistic perspective aimed at fueling a close dialogue between sculpture, architecture and landscape, but also between present, past and future. The public was thus able to move between the different exhibition spaces to discover Florence and its skyline following the rhythm and artistic path; a path in which vision and perception always regenerate, starting from the profound relationship between man and environment, between body and vegetal nature.

Concept
Since his first experiences, the artist has undertaken extensive research marked by a strong interest in the relationship between nature and culture, through the use of multiple materials, from the “subversive” ones typical of Arte Povera, to the use of the classical materials of the ancient sculptural tradition: wood, bronze and marble. The artist developed his language in contact with nature, or rather, within nature itself, without ever undermining the ancient balance that characterizes it, but bringing back to it with a contemporary look the lifeblood that distinguishes it. In parallel with the work created for important outdoor spaces, such as the exhibition at the Palace of Versailles and the permanent works in the Garden of Fluid Sculptures in Venaria, Giuseppe Penone has exhibited in some of the most prestigious museums in the world, each time recreating evocative atmospheres through works which reflect on the work of man and nature, on artistic practice, and on the passage of time and life.

The “Vegetable Perspective” project, curated by Arabella Natalini and Sergio Risaliti, was promoted by the Municipality of Florence in collaboration with the Superintendency of the Florentine Museum Complex; main sponsor Il Gioco del Lotto, partner Opera Laboratori Fiorentini – Civita Group.