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This morning, as part of the 13th Florence Biennale, an international exhibition of contemporary art and design that runs until Sunday at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, the "Lorenzo il Magnifico" Lifetime Achievement Award for Art was awarded to the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto.

Piero Celona, vice-president of the Florence Biennale, presented him with the following motivation for his award: "for the continuity of the research carried out for over sixty years in the artistic and interdisciplinary sphere, which has made fundamental contributions not only to the artistic disciplines but also to the humanities, science and society. Michelangelo Pistoletto's art has given rise to militant practices and paths all over the world, in which Art is at the centre of a responsible and sustainable transformation of society. These are the principles underpinning the project of Cittadellarte, a non-profit organisation based in Biella, which places art in direct interaction with the various sectors of society, through the implementation of programmes oriented towards the promotion of cultural differences as a system of enrichment of individual and social values, environmental protection and the responsibility of the artist and his work towards society. Michelangelo Pistoletto was awarded for his excellent work in spreading, through the arts, demopraxia, i.e. the active participation of citizens in the processes of planning, development and management of society. Michelangelo Pistoletto is also awarded this lifetime achievement award for his constant contribution to building dialogue between the social partners, pursued with determination, with the conviction that to complete the work of planetary humanisation, it is necessary to give priority to the defence of human rights, the protection of biodiversity and its habitat, and the promotion of justice and peace in the world".

During his speech of thanks, the artist retraced the beginnings of his long artistic journey, appreciating Florence Biennale as a demonstration of the human need for expression, "to be present in forms with artists from different countries and different cultures, creating a parallelism with the 'flag of the world' that we have made, the Third Paradise, where every flag is a sign".

Together with Angelo Savarese, the artist presented his Terzo Paradiso (Third Paradise) at the Biennale, together with the works of dozens of other art militants who animate the project set up in the Cavaniglia Pavilion.

In the afternoon, at 4 pm, the flags of the Terzo Paradiso, the work by Pistoletto and Savarese on display in the Cavaniglia Pavilion, will be reassembled and a new world flag will be created.

Then, at 5 p.m. in the theatre area of the Spadolini Pavilion of the Fortezza da Basso, Michelangelo Pistoletto, together with the other two Lifetime Achievement Award winners of this 13th edition of the Florence Biennale - Vivienne Westwood and Oliviero Toscani - will take part in the round table introduced and moderated by Fortunato D'Amico, curator of the Cavaniglia Pavilion. It will be possible to follow the meeting live in streaming on the Toutube page of Florence Biennale, at the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBnkth0M4rM.

Florence Biennale Media Office

Photo by: The Factory