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Art & Antique Lovers Flock to Florence

The Florence Antique Biennale is the oldest consistently running art and antiques fair in Europe, which this year will play host to 88 of the crème de la crème of international art dealers including 13 from countries such as France, Spain, England, Sweden, the Principality of Monaco and the United States.

The overwhelming success of the first exhibition, and of those which followed (in 1973 – the 8th Biennale – notched up the exceptional figure of over 122,000 paying visitors), marked the start of a market season increasingly oriented towards the Antiques Fairs. The originality of the idea, accompanied by an astute selection of the antiquarians, transformed the Fair into a cultural and fashionable event that could not be missed, to the extent that the Florentine Fair was visited both by the members of the international jet set and by a crowd avid for curiosities, knowledge and marvels.

The international triumph was triggered by the fact that the Fair was held in Florence, a city which was always close to the heart of the international world, and in one of the historically most famous and important Palazzi in the city. In addition the Fair was also accompanied for the entire duration (the early Fairs went on for one month) by a series of highly attractive cultural and society events. In line with the new demands of the market, the duration of the Fair has been modified over time, up to the current nine days.

The biennale itself is not the only attraction; the fair is housed in the illustrious Palazzo Corsini, one of Florence’s most luxurious palaces. Located in the heart of Florence on the banks of the Arno River the palace was purchased in 1649 by Maria Maddalena Machiavelli, wife of Marchese Filippo Corsini. Construction was begun in 1685 and directed by famed set designer and engineer Antonio Ferri. Paintings and frescos were done between 1692 and 1700, are among the finest examples of Florentine painting from such Italian masters as Anton Domenico Gabbiani, Alessandro Gherardini and Pier Dandini. From the luminous Aurora Gallery to the frescoed opulence of the Corsini family ballroom, the opportunity to view the palace alone makes a visit to the fair a must for not only art and antique aficionados, but architecture and history buffs as well.

The Corsini dynasty boasts roots which stretch back to fourteenth‑century Tuscany, and a history of fortune and prestige acquired over the centuries by enterprising merchants, politicians, churchmen, literary figures and patrons of the arts; from Matteo di Niccolò's thriving trade in wool and silk fabrics towards the end of the fourteenth century up to Filippo and Bartolomeo di Bernardo, who in the course of the sixteenth century, founded an important commercial office in London linked to Florence by an innovative private postal service. It is a family history interwoven with the greatest names of the Florentine and Roman aristocracy, and a far‑sighted connection with the Medici dynasty from the fifteenth century. The renown of the Corsini family was not limited to the worldly sphere, they numbered among them a saint, St. Andrea Corsini, a splendid. portrait of whom by Guido Reni has been donated by the family to the nation, and a Pope, Clement XIII, and various other figures who distinguished themselves in the world of culture, and through their passion for the arts and for collecting.

This year two committees, the first appointed by the Export Office of Florence and the second representing the Ministry for the Cultural Heritage and Activities, will offer advance inspections - a unique service within the panorama of the Italian fairs and an explicit acknowledgement of the international dimension of the Florence Biennale.

The fair takes place at the Palazzo Corsini Lungarno Corsini; 30 September to 9 October 2005 and is open from 10.30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information visit the website at www.mostraantiquariato.it

Edited by Erika Wright

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