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13 December 2023

A few days ago, the temporary collection of contemporary artworks at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Florence was enriched with two new artworks.

They are Amazing Grace and Dancing in the Moonlight, two resin sculptures created by the South African artist Marco Olivier, who won the first 'Lorenzo il Magnifico' Award for Sculpture at the last Florence Biennale, International Exhibition of Contemporary Art and Design, held last October at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence.

For at least one year, the two sculptures, on free loan to Firenze Fiera, will be exhibited in the garden of Villa Vittoria, once a treasure trove of 'wonders' and art treasures collected by Alessandro Contini Bonacossi and his wife, Erminia Vittoria Galli, which housed the prestigious collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative arts donated to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence in 1969, with the clear intention of disseminating culture and enhancing the value of classical and contemporary art of excellence.

"I am very pleased that the collaboration between Florence Biennale and Firenze Fiera will continue after last October's event - says Jacopo Celona, General Director of Florence Biennale -. In this regard, I would like to thank President Becattini for having thought of hosting two sculptures by the South African artist Marco Olivier, winner of the first sculpture prize at the 14th edition and one of the artists most appreciated by the public, in the outdoor spaces of the Palazzo dei Congressi for one year".

"The two large works exhibited in the area facing the Palazzo degli Affari," says the President of Firenze Fiera, Lorenzo Becattini, "add harmony, culture and beauty to the green spaces of the secular park of Villa Vittoria, offering congress participants and visitors from all over the world who come to our fair and congress centre, the pleasure of admiring the work of an internationally renowned artist who has chosen Florence and our premises to exhibit his artistic creations.

Marco Olivier is an artist living and working in Cape Town, South Africa, where he owns and operates a bronze foundry. In his early twenties, after a career as an aircraft engineer and starting his own company as a furniture designer, Marco became a professional golfer in the UK, where he had opened a professional golf academy.

Driven by his passion for creation, he started his own bronze foundry in Cape Town in 2014, where he also enjoys experimenting with aluminium and bronze casting. In 2017, Olivier created his first art piece, but at the 14th Florence Biennale in Florence, Olivier presented some of his monumental faces in resin, reinforced with fibreglass and stainless steel, all creations that demonstrate his mastery. Indeed, the artist is fascinated by the interaction of light, structure and colour, which makes his works spectacular, unique and captures the gaze of those who encounter them.

Before winning the 'Lorenzo il Magnifico' award for sculpture at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence on 22 October, Olivier also won the prestigious award at World Art Dubai 2023 for the best solo artist among 450 international artists.

Florence Biennale Media Office