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A cultural event born in 1997 from the intuition of two brothers, Piero and Pasquale Celona, which today continues in the family tradition thanks to the General Director Jacopo Celona.

Florence Biennale looks to the future and is not afraid to innovate and renew itself. Its strength has always been to be a different exhibition, a voice outside the chorus of art exhibitions. The passage of time marks a generational shift. Looking back over the ten editions preceding the eleventh, it is possible to move through an intense and eventful cultural journey.

The first edition in 1997 was an experiment towards change. At that time in Florence there was a need to awaken from a cultural torpor. It was a significant intuition on Piero and Pasquale's part to think that Florence could once again welcome artists and that they could interface directly with the public by ‘opening’ the doors of their studios. The result of that first edition was almost unexpected. Hundreds of works were exhibited in an atmosphere of great interest on the part of the artists. With participation from all around the world, echoing the belief of the Florence Biennale: culture,  the only form of communication that without barriers.

Florence Biennale 1999, an opportunity for intercultural exchange. The Internet has revolutionised the way the world is perceived. Florence Biennale was born at a crucial moment, at the beginning of the spread of the Internet and online connections. In 1999, it was not possible to fully comprehend the scope of this revolution that would lead to ever faster and more instant communication.
The new forms of communication, however, could not entirely replace direct and physical confrontation and dialogue with others and with art. The second edition of the Florence Biennale confirmed the results of the first, marking the way for the future.

2001 and the terrorist attacks in New York. It was a very special year for Florence Biennale, now in its third edition. The question on everyone's mind was this: what was the artists' reaction to the Twin Towers attacks? It was they who demonstrated a superior sensitivity, with a response that struck everyone by its intensity. There were American artists who were ideally embraced by the other participants, in a great example of solidarity. Works of art were created that testified to the desire for peace and dialogue.
All this resulted in the inclusion of the Florence Biennale in the UN programme ‘Dialogue Among Civilisations’ in 2001.

In 2003, Florence Biennale received participants from 72 countries around the world. The long wave of what was perceived in 2001 continued in the following years. The need for greater cultural dialogue was felt and not only by artists. A participation that had never before been so numerous was confirmation that the art world is a vast ‘ocean’, which with all its nuances embraces the world not by creating borders, but currents.
It was precisely in that year that the event had the chance to become more visible on the international scene.

Florence Biennale 2005, art meets design. There is a vast literature on this point, which is still much debated. Many of the artists hosted in the context of the Biennale span the two fields, being painters, illustrators, stylists, architects, designers. From this it is easy to see how the boundary between art and design is not always clear-cut, defined.
Giving voice and opportunity to express themselves to the different souls of each artist is one of the objectives of the Florence Biennale.