Committed to culture
ITALIAN luxury fashion house Fendi has announced that a new artwork – titled Foglie Di Pietra (Leaves Of Stone) by artist Giuseppe Penone – will be installed in Rome, opposite Palazzo Fendi this spring.
This renews the bond between Fendi and the city. It also marks the first time in which a significant contemporary artwork will be installed permanently in the public spaces there, right in the historical centre.
“We are extremely proud to donate this wonderful and incredible art piece by Giuseppe Penone to the city of Rome, its citizens and the million tourists who come visit the Eternal City every day,” said chairman and CEO of Fendi, Pietro Beccari.
“Penone is an Italian artist of international fame with whom we share the passion for creation, sublime savoir-faire and continuous dialogue between tradition and innovation, core values of Fendi.”
The 2016 sculpture is said to be one of the most complex artworks of Penone. It takes the form of two bronze trees (18m and 9m tall) lift- ing up from the ground a sculpted marble block weighing 11 tonnes.
It symbolises archaeology, history and biology coming together. That very idea highlights the bond between nature and culture, as well as a longing for lost civilisations.
Foglie Di Pietra also recalls the illusionism and marvel of Baroque Rome, whereas the fragments of ruins inserted in the branches of the sculpture are reminiscent of the Classic and Medieval eras.