Fendi Unveils Foglie Di Pietra Artwork in Rome

NEWS: On 22 May 2017, Fendi unveiled the new site specific artwork by Italian artist Giuseppe Penone – entitled Foglie di Pietra – in Largo Goldoni in Rome, opposite Palazzo Fendi. Following the solo exhibition of Giuseppe Penone, Matrice, hosted at the Maison’s headquarters at Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome, Fendi renews and reinforces its deep bond with Rome by gifting an important artwork by one of today's most celebrated sculptors to the city.

After the majestic restoration of the Trevi Fountain and the opening of the first floor of its headquarters at Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana to the public, Fendi reaffirms its full commitment to the promotion of culture. This important initiative has been carefully examined at every stage and approved by a specially formed joint committee – comprising of the Directorate General for Contemporary Art and architecture and urban suburbs of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, the City of Rome – Superintendence of Cultural Heritage for Rome, together with Fendi and Massimiliano Gioni, curator of the exhibition

“As Edgar Morin says, we humans are not 50% nature and 50% culture, yet 100% cultural and 100% natural human beings. There are no mistakes in this calculation, but the acknowledging that every natural event is also completely cultural in human societies, suffices it to think of the rites, rules, thoughts, conceptualizations that go along entirely biological facts such as birth, nutrition, death. Evoking this double dimension in Largo Goldoni and talking about the "cultural tomorrow" of the capital city, the art of Giuseppe Penone also creates a new dialogue between history, the contemporary and the future. It is a further sign of a city that works, in many of its components, to give everyone back the right to freely enjoy the art and the benefits of scientific progress. Conditions these indispensable to its relaunch,” comments Luca Bergamo, Deputy Mayor of the City of Rome with delegation to cultural growth

“The great sculpture ‘Foglie di Pietra’, permanent installation that will enrich Largo Goldoni through its expressive strength, constitutes a great gift to art and culture by one of the greatest contemporary Italian sculptors. A gift which Fendi has contributed to, continuing in fact, to manifest its love for the city of Rome, with this new act of patronage," says Claudio Parisi Presicce, Superintendent of Cultural Heritage for Rome.

“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. ‘Foglie di pietra’ embodies once again how much tied we are to this city and the importance it carries in the history of FENDI. 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,” states Pietro Beccari, Chairman and CEO of Fendi.

Installed in the architectural context of the city of Rome, the artwork activates a series of interpretations and associations between the various moments of the millenary history of the capital city: through the virtuous use of precious materials, such as bronze and marble, Foglie di Pietra 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 era. Intimately linked to the history of Rome, Foglie di Pietra is also deeply ingrained in the present and future of the city. This piece is in fact the first work of contemporary art to be permanently installed in the public spaces of Rome and it is bound to become a symbol of the identity of a constantly changing city that still never loses the bond with its historical roots.