Qatar Museums to Host Giuseppe Penone’s First Middle East Exhibition

Doha, October 01, 2026 : Qatar Museums has announced the upcoming exhibition “Giuseppe Penone: The Inner Flow of Life”, which will be hosted at the National Museum of Qatar as the first exhibition in the Middle East dedicated to renowned Italian artist Giuseppe Penone.

Running from October 26 to February 13, 2027, the exhibition explores the evolution of Penone’s artistic practice from 1970 to the present, focusing on his longstanding exploration of the connections between human life and natural processes.

The exhibition will feature more than 50 works, including sculptures, drawings, installations and photographs, alongside five specially constructed pavilions in the National Museum of Qatar’s Baraha. Each pavilion will focus on a material that has played a significant role in Penone’s work.

Qatar Museums will also display two monumental bronze trees with river stones from Penone’s “Idee di Pietra” series at Old Doha Port.

Director of the National Museum of Qatar Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Hamad Al-Thani said the exhibition reflects the museum’s focus on Qatar’s history, heritage and relationship with the natural environment, while presenting Penone’s work in dialogue with the museum’s architecture.

Penone said the exhibition expands on ideas that have shaped his artistic practice throughout his career, highlighting the dialogue between his work and the architecture of the National Museum of Qatar, as well as Qatar’s natural elements of water, sunlight, wind and sand.

Co-curators Hans Ulrich Obrist and Issa Al Shirawi described the exhibition as a major event for Qatar Museums and the wider South West Asia and North Africa region, offering audiences an opportunity to explore Penone’s work and artistic approach.

Among the exhibition’s highlights are “Respirare l’ombra (To Breathe the Shadow)” and “Alberi Libro (Book Trees)”, which use thousands of laurel leaves to create an immersive visual and sensory experience.

Other featured works include “Propagazione di Sèvres (Sèvres Propagation)” and “Propagazione”, a large wall drawing created using a fingerprint.

One pavilion will showcase works incorporating acacia thorns, including “Spine d’acacia – Palpebra (Acacia Thorns – Eyelid)”, alongside the charcoal wall drawing “Pressione (Pressure)”.

The exhibition will also feature “Impronte di corpi nell’aria (Bodies Imprinted in the Air)”, created using white Carrara marble and bronze, while another pavilion will present “Scrigno (Casket)”, featuring leather sheets and a gilded bronze tree filled with natural resin.

Additional works will be installed throughout the National Museum of Qatar’s Old Palace and 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 five decades of Penone’s career.

A public programme will accompany the exhibition, featuring talks, film screenings, workshops, literary gatherings and interactive experiences aimed at encouraging audiences to further engage with the artist’s work and the themes explored throughout the exhibition.

Born in Garessio, Italy, in 1947, Penone became closely associated with the Arte Povera movement that emerged in Italy during the 1960s and 1970s. Across nearly six decades, his practice has examined the relationship between the human body, natural processes and the environment through diverse materials and artistic forms.

The exhibition is being presented as part of the Qatar Creates Fall/Winter 2026-27 season and forms part of Qatar’s broader programme of cultural exhibitions and events aimed at promoting international cultural exchange and creative dialogue.

Source: QNA