Propagazioni

Celebrates the first works in porcelain Giuseppe Penone has created - among the largest pieces of porcelain ever produced at Sèvres - which have never been presented to the public before.

A major figure in the Arte Povera movement of the late 1960s, the renowned Italian artist Giuseppe Penone is known for his exploration of the relationship between art and the natural world in a body of work that includes sculpture, performance, works on paper, and even garden design. His first works in porcelain, the exquisite disks presented here draw attention to the moment of touch - the convergence of surface and skin - that underpins so much of his work.

Published to accompany The Frick Collection, New York's temporary installation of works by Penone, this new volume comprises eleven porcelain disks that the artist made during his 2013 residency at the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, the influential porcelain factory founded in the 18th century. A continuation of his Propagazioni (Propagations) series, begun in 1995, which includes various media, each disk bears the imprint of one of the artist's fingertips. One of them is in gold, its imprint a variation on the artist's index finger. Never before presented to the public, the installation of the disks in a gallery adjacent to the Frick's early Italian paintings on gold grounds and the porcelain room kindles a rich artistic dialogue with both porcelain and gold.

About the Authors

Xavier F. Salomon is the deputy director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, The Frick Collection, New York. He resides in New York City.

Giulio Dalvit is assistant curator of Sculpture, The Frick Collection, focusing on the museum's sculpture and medals collections. He resides in New York City.

30 colour illustrations