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Cork Takes Center Stage in Giuseppe Penone’s “The Reflection of Bronze”

Italian artist Giuseppe Penone presented “The Reflection of Bronze” at Gagosian through July 17, 2026. The first of three rooms was lined floor to ceiling with natural cork and paired with bronze, evoking the regenerative capacity of human skin.

ART & DESIGN · June 30, 2026

At New York’s Gagosian Gallery, natural cork became a meditation on time.

Italian artist Giuseppe Penone presented “The Reflection of Bronze” at Gagosian through July 17, 2026. The first of three rooms was lined floor to ceiling with natural cork and paired with bronze, evoking the regenerative capacity of human skin.

Penone joins a growing circle of artists working with cork. Kanye Tomiwa turns used wine stoppers into sculptures, tables and mirrors, while designer Jinky Huang created a giant cork and stone Hello Kitty in Shanghai for the character’s 50th anniversary.

Key Facts

  • About 25 years before a cork oak’s first harvest
  • Bark regrows and is harvested every nine years
  • 3 rooms in Penone’s exhibition, the first lined in cork

 

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