Florence Biennale of Contemporary Art

Florence Biennale of Contemporary Art
5th Edition, 3 - 11 December 2005
Fortezza da Basso Firenze

The fifth edition of the Florence Biennale of Contemporary Art will take place at the historic Fortezza da Basso from December 3rd to the 11th, 2005. This year's edition will include as honoured guests acclaimed artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, as well as one of the founders of Op Art, celebrated artist Richard Anuszkiewicz. Many of Anuszkiewic's best compositions will be exhibited at the Biennale. Internationally renowned artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude will be awarded the Lorenzo il Magnifico award December 8th at 5 p.m. Richard Anuszkiewicz will receive the Lorenzo il Magnifico Award on the 4th of December at 5 p.m.

Husband and wife, Christo and Jeanne-Claude (Christo Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude de Guillebon) were born on the same day: June 13th, 1935; he in Bulgaria and she in Casablanca. They met and were married in Paris in 1958. Since 1961 they have executed monumental installations in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States which have made them among the most widely known and influential of contemporary artists.

Their first collaborative work was Stacked Oil Barrels, Dockside Packages at Cologne Harbour in 1961. The artists covered stacks of oil barrels with paper and fabric secured by ropes. This first temporary environmental installation was up for only two weeks.

Other collaborative works by the environmental artists include Wrapped Coast, Little Bay in Australia where in 1969 the artists wrapped a cliff- lined shore with one million square feet of erosion control fabric. In 1983 the artists completed their installation Surrounded Islands in Miami, Florida. They surrounded 11 islands with 6.5 million square feet of bright pink polypropylene fabric, creating a striking effect enjoyed by people on land, on the water, and in the air. Two years later the artists realized their work The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, using a silky sandstone coloured fabric to wrap a bridge that has joined the left and right banks and the île de la cité for over two thousand years.

In 2005, Christo and Jeanne-Claude completed their enormously successful project The Gates in New York City. More than seven thousand gates with saffron coloured fabric panels formed serpentine walkways in Central Park. Thousands experienced The Gates during the sixteen days it remained in the park.

In order to maintain their independence and their integrity, Christo and Jeanne-Claude do not accept donations or sponsorship. Instead, they fund their million dollar projects solely from the sale of earlier works, preparatory drawings and collages.

The Florence Biennale, in collaboration with the United Nations, is an official participant in Dialogue Among Nations. Secretary General Kofi Annan wrote in support of the program:

I believe that dialogue is an opportunity for people who come from diverse cultures and traditions to know each other better whether they live on opposite sides of the world or on the same street.

In 2003, 890 artists from 74 nations came to Florence, exhibiting more than 2000 artworks. The International Scientific Committee (C.S.I), composed of 20 qualified members, categorizes the works in divisions of painting, sculpture, graphic, mixed media, installation, photography and digital art. The selection is done with no prejudice of style. Artists are selected based on the quality of their artwork and the cultural values their work represents. The International Jury that assigns recognition and awards to the invited artists is composed of distinguished figures such as John T. Spike, Art Historian and Critic, Director of The Biennale since 1998, Florence, New York; Veronika Birke, Art Historian And Critic, Former Vice-Director of The Graphisches Sammlung Albertina, Vienna, Austria; Barbara Rose, Art Historian and Critic, Madrid and New York; Dore Ashton, Professor of Art History at Cooper Union, New York; Stefano Francolini, Art Historian and Critic, Direttore settore restauro Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Firenze; David Rubin, Curator of Visual Arts, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans; Elza Ajzenberg, Professor of Art and Communication, Director of The Mac, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sao Paolo, Brazil; Julian Zugazagoitia, Director of El Museo Del Barrio, New York; R.B. Bhaskaran, Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi, National Academy of Art, India; Pasquale Celona President of the Biennale and President of the International Jury, Piero Celona, Vicepresident of the Biennale and Public Relations Manager.

The Florence Biennale is organized by Arte Studio.

Art Historian and critic John T. Spike is the Biennale Director. He received his PHD from Harvard and is the author of several books about art with subjects ranging from Masaccio to Fra Angelico to contemporary art. Spike has also organized various art exhibitions, presented many lectures and participated in many conferences at museums and other institutions around the world.

HRH the Prince of Wales chose to exhibit several of his works at the 2001 edition of the Florence Biennale. In 2003 David Hockney presented a conference on renaissance artists and optical instruments. Many important figures have honoured the Florence Biennale with their presence, including Carla Fracci in 1999 and Mario Luzi in 2001. Marta Marzotto, Ferruccio Soleri and many other international authorities including the former President of Mexico, the mayors of Philadelphia and Portland, the ambassadors of more than 20 countries and several Cultural Ministries have also attended the Biennale.

During the 2003 exhibition, the Biennale dedicated spaces both to the Vatican Art Conservation Laboratory and to Ferrari motorcars as a demonstration of the relationships between art and science.

In 2005, the highest recognition of the Biennale, the prestigious "Lorenzo il Magnifico" award, will be given to Harley-Davidson as homage to its outstanding talent and contribution in the motorcycle field. It will be awarded to the Harley-Davidson team for it's continuous technological development in one of the most modern expressions of life.

The most representative personalities of the Indian Triennale will also be present, as the Florence Biennale has become a partner of the Triennale. This opportunity represents an opening for artists coming from India and from all of Asia.

Since art is a vehicle of communication, the Biennale has involved the city by expanding beyond the walls of the Fortezza da Basso. In 1999, sculptures were exhibited in the Santa Maria Novella train station and in 2001 an installation of 15 000 books on religion, politics and philosophy from all over the world was built in Piazza della Repubblica by the architects Casagrande & Rintala. In 2003, an artwork by the New York sculptor Frederic Eversley was exhibited in Piazza della Repubblica outside of the Giubbe Rosse together with a work by Robert Holmes. Artists Mehves Demiren, Virginia Sè and Gary Beals exhibited in Florence's Amerigo Vespucci airport.

For further information: http://www.florencebiennale.org/

View the 4th Edition exhibition works here

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