Qatar Museums Presents Giuseppe Penone's First Middle-East Exhibition

Qatar Museums (QM) announced details of Giuseppe Penone: The Inner Flow of Life, hosted by the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) as the first exhibition in the Middle East dedicated to Italian artist Giuseppe Penone. On view from Oct. 26 through Feb. 13, 2027, the exhibition traces the development of his work from 1970 to the present, highlighting his enduring interest in exploring the synergies between human and natural processes.

The exhibition presents more than 50 works, including sculptures, drawings, installations and photographs, alongside five custom-built pavilions in NMoQ's Baraha, each dedicated to a material that has been at the center of Penone's practice. In addition, Qatar Museums will present two monumental bronze trees with river stones titled Idee di Pietra at the Old Doha Port.

Director of the National Museum of Qatar Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al-Thani said, "We are proud to present this significant exhibition at the National Museum of Qatar, where our history, heritage and relationship with the natural environment are fundamental to the stories we tell. Installed across the museum’s distinctive Baraha and Old Palace, Giuseppe Penone’s works reveal not only the vision of an extraordinary individual artist, but also speak to the deeply human experiences that we share across borders."

For his part, Giuseppe Penone said the exhibition expands the concepts that have inspired the works he has created throughout his life, noting the dialogue between his work and the architecture of the National Museum of Qatar, as well as the country's natural elements of water, sun, wind and sand.

Co-curators of the exhibition Hans Ulrich Obrist and Issa Al Shirawi described Giuseppe Penone: The Inner Flow of Life as a major event for Qatar Museums and the wider South West Asia and North Africa region, and an opportunity to further introduce audiences in the region to Penone's work and practice. They noted that the exhibition was carefully conceived to allow Penone's works to enter into conversation with Jean Nouvel's architecture.

Highlights include Respirare l'ombra (To Breathe the Shadow) and Alberi Libro (Book Trees), which create an immersive visual and olfactory experience through the use of thousands of laurel leaves, as well as Propagazione di Sèvres (Sèvres Propagation) and Propagazione, a large wall drawing made from a fingerprint.

One of the pavilions is dedicated to works made of acacia thorns, including Spine d'acacia - Palpebra (Acacia Thorns - Eyelid), alongside the charcoal wall drawing Pressione (Pressure). Also on view is Impronte di corpi nell’aria (Bodies Imprinted in the Air), made from white Carrara marble and bronze, while the final pavilion houses Scrigno (Casket), featuring dozens of sheets of leather and a gilded bronze tree filled with natural resin.

Other works are installed in NMoQ's Old Palace and its courtyard, including Thunderstruck Tree and Rovesciare i propri occhi – Cascina Ruffini (Reversing One’s Eyes – Cascina Ruffini), alongside models, studies, drawings, photographs and sketches spanning more than 50 years of the artist's practice.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a diverse programme of public events, including talks, film screenings, workshops, literary encounters and interactive experiences, designed to deepen public engagement with Penone's practice and the themes explored throughout the exhibition.

Born in Garessio, Italy, in 1947, Penone became closely associated with the Arte Povera movement that emerged during the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout his artistic career of almost six decades, he has continued to explore connections between human life and the natural world through a range of materials and forms.

Presented as part of the Qatar Creates Fall/Winter 2026-27 season, the exhibition joins a wider programme of exhibitions and events that reflect Qatar's ongoing commitment to cultural exchange, creative dialogue and global connection.

Source: QNA

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