2003 EDITION - FB
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FLORENCE BIENNALE
18 - 26 OCTOBER, 2025
Fortezza da Basso
Viale Filippo Strozzi 1, Florence FI
Opening to the public Saturday 182 pm
Office hours:
- From Monday to Friday9 am to 5 pm
- Saturday and SundayClosed
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2003 EDITION
The fourth Florence Biennale was one of the event’s culturally richest editions, with more than 890 participating artists from over 72 countries.
The event has become the meeting point of many stimulating creative minds in every artistic field When thousands of exciting and creative minds from every artistic discipline are gathered together from distant locations, the event welcomed a spectacular workshop of global creativity.
During this edition, the Florence Biennale renewed the will to promote dialogue and interculturality showing a pluralistic vision of the contents of techniques and artistic experiences. The exhibitors presented the most diverse styles, from traditional to digital, and encompassing all genres, from conceptual to portrait.

Art and science in the collateral events of the fourth edition
The connection between art and science has been the leitmotif of the three significant collateral events of this edition.
One of these exhibitions concerned the work of the Restoration Laboratories of the Vatican Museums, which illustrated the techniques of conservation of works of art with numerous examples of restoration interventions.
The prestigious Italian car manufacturer Ferrari exhibited a selection of vintage cars related to the original preparatory drawings of Pininfarina, a testimony to the strong link between art, industrial design and science.
Both received the “Lorenzo il Magnifico” Lifetime Achievement Award, for the recovery of cultural and artistic heritage and for design respectively.
Of all the events and performances, one of particular note was the conference “The Importance of optic instruments for the artists of the past”, hosted by David Hockney, who received the “Lorenzo il Magnifico” for Lifetime Achievement Award.
This award was also presented to the Mexican artist and muralist Alfredo Zalce, who passed away in January 2003.

Artistic Director: John T. Spike
Patronages
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
U.S. Embassy
International Jury
Dore Ashton – Modern and Contemporary At Critic (USA)
Veronika Birke - Deputy Director of the Graphische Sammulung Albertina, Vienna (AUSTRIA)
Jerry Cullum – Art Critic and Art Curator (USA)
Stefano Francolini – Director of the Davanzati Museum of Florence (ITALY)
Teresa Ortega Coca – Art Historian and Professor of Art History (SPAIN)
Kevin Power – Deputy Director of the Reina Sofia National Museum of Madrid (SPAIN)
Matty Roca – Art Critic (MEXICO)
Barbara Rose – Art Historian and Art Critic (USA)
David Rubin - Curator of Visual Arts at the Contemporary Arts Centre of New Orleans (USA)
John T. Spike – Director of the Florence Biennale (USA)