As Florence prepares to welcome collectors, curators and art lovers from around the world this autumn, the 34th Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze (BIAF) has revealed the first highlights of what promises to be one of its most ambitious editions to date.
Returning to Palazzo Corsini from September 26 to October 4, one of the world’s oldest art and antiques fair dedicated to Italian art embraces the theme The Future of the Classical, demonstrating how masterpieces spanning two millennia continue to shape contemporary perspectives on art, collecting and cultural heritage.
Under the direction of newly appointed secretary general Bruno Botticelli and supported by the Region of Tuscany, the City of Florence, the Metropolitan City of Florence, the Florence Chamber of Commerce, with Gucci as main sponsor, this year’s Biennale presents an expanded vision of the classical tradition, bringing Old Masters into dialogue with 20th-century modernism and contemporary design.
What to expect from BIAF 2026
The exhibition will feature an open architectural layout designed by Matteo Corvino and interiors furnished by Minotti, creating a contemporary setting in which historic masterpieces can be viewed from new perspectives.
Every work exhibited has undergone a rigorous vetting process by an international committee of 63 museum directors, curators and conservation experts, ensuring the museum-quality standards for which the fair is internationally renowned. Among the first announced highlights is a group of sculptures that traces the evolution of three-dimensional art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Andrea della Robbia is represented by a preserved glazed terracotta Christ Child, while Giovanni de Fondulis’ 15th-century terracotta Madonna and Child stands nearly one metre tall. One of the most remarkable discoveries is Antonio Novelli’s imposing marble Maggio (Apollo) (1628–30), commissioned by Marie de’ Medici for the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris and, for centuries, mistakenly attributed to Michelangelo. The 19th century is represented by Lorenzo Bartolini’s elegant marble group Charity, while modern sculpture includes Antonio Maraini’s bronze Bather, originally exhibited at the 16th Venice Biennale, and Marino Marini’s historic plaster model for Milan’s Arengario monument.
Painting remains at the heart of BIAF, with a selection of works ranging from the 14th through the 18th centuries. Highlights include Paolo Veneziano’s gold-ground panel depicting The King of Brittany, Father of Saint Ursula in Prayer, Neri di Bicci’s Madonna and Child with Adoring Angels (1464) and Lorenzo Costa’s richly detailed Madonna and Child with Saints. Baroque painting is represented by powerful works including Mattia Preti’s dramatic Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and Francesco Furini’s theatrical Judith and Abra with the Head of Holofernes. Additional masterpieces by Bernardo Strozzi, Luca Giordano and Anton Maria Vassallo further underscore the exceptional quality of this year’s selection. Landscape painting also finds a place with Jakob Philipp Hackert’s monumental 1799 view of the Pisan Mountains and the Medici Aqueduct, a masterful celebration of the Tuscan landscape.
The fair also offers remarkable examples of drawing and graphic art, including Guercino’s refined red chalk drawing Saint Jerome Writing and Giuseppe Vannini’s meticulously rendered 1811 drawing of Canova’s monument to Vittorio Alfieri in the Basilica of Santa Croce, a work that serves as both an artistic achievement and an invaluable historical record of Florence.
BIAF continues its longstanding commitment to the decorative arts with outstanding examples of Italian craftsmanship. Among them are a rare Medici maiolica vessel produced by the Grand Ducal Workshop of Francesco I de’ Medici, an opulent 17th-century Sicilian cabinet adorned with tortoiseshell, gilt copper, coral and enamels, and an imposing Venetian Louis XV trumeau crafted from richly figured walnut veneer.
Perhaps the clearest expression of this edition’s theme lies in the dialogue between historical masterpieces and the innovators of the 20th century. Umberto Boccioni is represented by two pivotal works spanning his career, from the Divisionist Impression of Venice (1907) to the poignant Portrait of the Sculptor Ripamonti, executed only months before the artist’s untimely death in 1916. Works by Gino Severini, Vittorio Zecchin, Umberto Brunelleschi, Gio Ponti, Alberto Savinio and Giorgio de Chirico trace the evolution of Italian modernism from Symbolism and Art Deco through Metaphysical painting. Design enthusiasts will also find exceptional examples, including a striking glass bowl by Carlo Scarpa for Venini. The journey concludes with one of the defining names of post-war Italian art: Lucio Fontana, whose iconic Concetto Spaziale, Attese extends the exhibition’s dialogue into Spatialism and the contemporary era.
The 2026 Biennale will also strengthen its collaborations with leading cultural institutions. Among the most significant initiatives is the public display of Michelangelo’s first known drawing for the façade of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, which will subsequently undergo restoration funded entirely by Fondazione CR Firenze and carried out by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure.
