Bronze Sculpture Has Been Gripping Tree Since 1968

In 1968, Italian artist Giuseppe Penone created a bronze replica of his forearm and hand. He put it on the trunk of a tree where it would stay for decades. As the years have gone by, that hand has remained and the tree has grown in a way that makes it appear as if the hand is squeezing it. Giuseppe named the art form “Continuerà a crescere tranne che in quel punto” (It Will Continue to Grow Except at this Point). It looks like some art really does never die. What do you feel Giuseppe’s structure means and represents?

In 1968, Italian artist Giuseppe Penone modeled a bronze arm and hand after his own.

He has called it “Continuerà a crescere tranne che in quel punto” (It Will Continue to Grow Except at this Point).

He attached it to a sapling where it remains today.

 “I feel the forest breathing, and hear the slow, inexorable growth of the wood,” he wrote.

“I match my breathing to that of the green world around me, I feel the flow of the tree around my hand placed against the trunk.”