Installation work for two public art sculptures – Giuseppe Penone’s “Idee di pietra" (Ideas of Stone) and Urs Fisher’s “Untitled (Lamp/Bear)" – recently began on Brown University’s campus.
The sculptures, which are both coming to
Brown through long-term loans of five years, were brought to the campus through
Public Art Committee, which works to enhance the university experience and the
Providence community through cultural, intellectual and scholarly
opportunities. “Idee di pietra” was loaned to Brown from an anyonymous alumnus,
while “Untitled (Lamp/Bear)” is from the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Collection.
Penone is a well-known figure in the Arte
Povera movement, an avant-garde Italian style from the 1960s that saw artists
protest the commercialization of art by creating their works with more common
materials, like stones or newspapers. He describes “Idee di pietra,” which is a
27-foot realistic representation of a nut tree with a large boulder from the
Orco River, as a manifestation of the forces of gravity and light.
“Untitled (Lamp/Bear)” is a more playful
piece, exploring, as Fischer puts it, the inner mechanics of duality. It is a
combination of a massive desk lamp and equally large plush bear, showing off
the Swiss artist’s playful and somewhat irreverent style.
Brown plans to bring both artists to the
university this fall for lectures on their works.
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