The Biennale Internazionale Dell’Arte Contemporanea, also known as the Florence Biennale is an art exhibition held in Florence, Italy. Since 1997 it has been held every two years in the exhibition spaces of the
Fortezza da Basso,
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
.
The list of the famous participants include
Marina Abramović
Marina Abramović ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Абрамовић, ; born November 30, 1946) is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Her work explores body art, endurance art, the relationship between the performer and audience, the limit ...
,
David Hockney
David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English Painting, painter, Drawing, draughtsman, Printmaking, printmaker, Scenic design, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considere ...
,
Christo & Jeanne-Claude,
Gilbert & George
Gilbert Prousch, sometimes referred to as Gilbert Proesch (born 17 September 1943), and George Passmore (born 8 January 1942) are artists who work together as the collaborative art duo Gilbert & George. They are known for their formal appearance ...
,
Anish Kapoor,
El Anatsui
El Anatsui (; born 4 February 1944) is a Ghanaian sculptor active for much of his career in Nigeria. He has drawn particular international attention for his "Bottle cap, bottle-top installations". These installations consist of thousands of Alum ...
and others.
The exhibition is held under the patronage of the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
(the Italian Commission),
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
, Italian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Tuscany Region, and Municipality of Florence.
History
The Biennale in its current form was begun in 1997 by Piero and Pasquale Celona.
The first Art Director of the Florence Biennale was the art historian Stefano Francolini. From 1998 to 2005 the Art Director in charge was the art historian and critic
John Spike. Emanuel von Lauestein Massarani, Secretary of Culture and Superintendent of Cultural Heritage of
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
took over the job in 2007. Stefano Francolini was made art director again in 2009 and 2011. Florentine art historian and critic Rolando Bellini was appointed in 2013 and is currently in charge.
Awards
“Lorenzo il Magnifico” Award
During the Florence Biennale, an International Jury awards the “Lorenzo il Magnifico” International Award to outstanding artists across various art categories. The categories include Painting, Mixed Media, Photography, Sculpture, Video Art, Ceramic Art, Digital Art, Drawing, Calligraphy and Printmaking, showcasing a wide range of artistic talents. The award commemorates the Renaissance era under
Lorenzo de’ Medici, "the Magnificent," aiming to reflect Florence's historical significance in the arts during his patronage (1449-1492). It features a medal with a relief portrait of Lorenzo de’ Medici, crafted by sculptor Mario Pachioli, symbolizing the enduring connection to Florence's rich artistic heritage.
“Lorenzo il Magnifico” Lifetime Achievement Award
The "Lorenzo il Magnifico" Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals or organizations that have achieved exceptional heights in artistic excellence or have made significant contributions to culture around the world.
“scan.art” Visitor Award
The Visitor Award is presented to the three artworks that receive the highest number of scans through the scan.art digital exhibition guide which is used by visitors during their exhibition visit to receive digital information about exhibited artworks and artists.
Criticism
The cost of the Florentine Biennale is borne directly by the participating artists. At the time this has given rise to criticism that the Florence Biennale is a
vanity exhibition, but this changes as the artworks are judged before admission by a professional jury of leading international experts. Over the years, the Biennale has been positively assessed both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Juried artists shown in the exhibition pay a participation fee between $2700-$4000.
References
External links
*
Florence Biennale, un'invasione di arte contemporanea in città / FOTO
{{Authority control
Art biennials
Art exhibitions in Italy
Arts organisations based in Italy