Giuseppe Penone, Alain Elkann: 474 Answers delves into the life and career of the acclaimed Italian artist, Giuseppe Penone.

First published in Italian in 2022, as Giuseppe Penone, Alain Elkann: 474 Risposte, this book brings together conversations between the renowned Italian novelist and journalist, Alain Elkann, and the Italian artist, Giuseppe Penone, which took place in the latter’s studio in Turin, Italy, between August and October 2020.

Penone discusses his childhood in north-west Italy, his family, and his lifelong love of nature. He describes his early career as the youngest of the artists associated with Arte Povera, his formative experiences in the art world, and key figures he has met and collaborated with along the way. He discusses some of the most significant projects which have taken him to galleries and museums all over the world.

These intimate and informal conversations shed light on Penone’s interests and influences, his respect and fascination for nature, and his experimentation with materials and media. The book is brought to life by ample illustrations drawn from the artist’s archives of works being made, travels and events, friends and family.  With great eloquence these “answers” combine to offer an extensive insight into Penone’s enquiring mind and the passions that have motivated him throughout a career spanning over fifty years.

About The Author

Giuseppe Penone (b. 1977) held his first exhibition in Turin in 1969. Since then he has staged solo exhibitions around the world and participated in numerous group exhibitions and biennials, including multiple editions of both the Biennale di Venezia and Documenta, Kassel, Germany, since 1972 onwards. His work is held in the most prestigious museum collections and he a large number of permanent installations across Europe, Japan, the US, and elsewhere. Both the author and subject of many publications, in 2023, Penone was elected as a foreign member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Paris.

Alain Elkann (b. 1950) is an Italian novelist and writer, and the author of nearly thirty books. As a journalist, he has contributed a regular interview column to La Stampa since 1989, for which he speaks with celebrated figures from the worlds of art, fashion, and film, as well as politicians, historians, and thinkers. Many of these interviews have been published in two different anthologies and are also available on a dedicated website.