The Antiques Show: Visitors’ Discount & Free Tours

The 17th century Palazzo Corsini will once again open its doors to collectors, dealers, and art enthusiasts from around the world and host the 34th Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato di Firenze (The International Biennial Antiques Show, BIAF). Notably, this will be the first edition directed by the newly appointe

d Secretary General, Bruno Botticelli.  And there is a substantial discount on admission–paying €10 instead of €25 for guests who present the Magenta Smart Card at the ticket office.

There are also free, guided tours in English or Italian for groups of at least 10 — to reserve, send an email to info@biennaleantiquariato.it.  The BIAF, housed in Palazzo Corsini, via del Parione 11, runs from September 26 to October 4, and is open from 10:30 to 7:30 pm daily.

Taking the reins from his predecessors, Fabrizio Moretti and Giovanni Pratesi, Botticelli is bringing a shifted focus to the fair. In an era dominated by digital speed and mass production, BIAF 2026 spotlights what antique art offers naturally: uniqueness, material substance, and permanence. The fair is positioning itself as more than just a marketplace; by crossing paths with neighboring industries like design and fashion, BIAF aims to highlight the true weight of “Made in Italy” while acting as a hub for cultural exchange. There is also a strong emphasis on education, specifically aimed at encouraging a younger generation to look up from their screens and engage with physical, historical objects.

“We have to anticipate, change, and create rather than just follow the current,” Botticelli says. “Art won’t solve the world’s conflicts, but it can be connective tissue—a glue binding different worlds, cultures, and eras. Like the old Japanese art of Kintsugi, which mends ceramics by drawing attention to the breaks.”

It is a fitting metaphor for the event. Rather than masking the wear of time, the Biennale wants the accumulated history of these pieces to be to be an event on center stage. “We aren’t proposing a return to the past as a nostalgic escape,” Botticelli adds, “but as a living tool for making sense of the present.”

Inside Palazzo Corsini, visitors will find over 80 meticulously selected exhibitors representing the top tier of the international art market. The lineup pulls major dealers from Italy’s cultural hubs—Milan, Rome, Florence, Naples, Bologna, and Veneto—alongside leading international galleries from London, Paris, Munich, Geneva, Lugano, and Palm Beach.

The selection stands out for its sheer breadth. Expect to see everything from Old Masters and fondo oro paintings to marble and wood sculpture, period furniture, fine decorative arts, and contemporary 20th-century masters. Curated to feel like a museum-quality journey, the fair leans into how modern collectors actually buy, effortlessly mixing the antique with the contemporary.

Some of the galleries will focus on the art of sculpture, displaying pieces spanning the renaissance to the twentieth century in a range of diverse mediums. A notable work on display from the 15th century will be Andrea della Robbia’s Bambino Gesù (Baby Jesus) in glazed terracotta from a tondo of the l’Adorazione del Bambino. Featured alongside Robbia’s work will be Lorenzo Bartolini’s La Carità, a marvelous group of marble sculptures depicting a mother tenderly embracing her two young children in a show of maternal affection. From the modern art period, there will be Bozzetto per l’Arengario a Milano (Study for the Arengario in Milan) by Tuscan sculptor, Marino Marini.

In addition to sculpture, there will be a section of the BIAF devoted to the works of great Italian painters of the 14th to 18th centuries. One such masterpiece is Neri di Bicci’s Madonna con bambino e angeli adoranti (Madonna with Child and Adoring Angels), an outstanding piece with a rich gold background that reflects the religious identity tied to medieval art. Also on display will be Il Re di Bretagna, padre di Sant’Orsola, in preghiera (The King of Brittany, father of Saint Ursula, in prayer) by the renowned Paolo Veneziano. From the 15th century, there will be a biblical painting by Baroque painter Luca Giordano, Rebecca al pozzo.

Other classic forms of the visual arts will include works of drawing, graphics, and watercolor. A major piece in the exhibition will be a detailed pencil drawing of Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) depicting Saint Jerome writing with a pensive expression. From a different style and period will be a pencil, ink and watercolor work by Giuseppe Vannini depicting Canova’s Monument of playwright Vittorio Alfieri found in the basilica of Florence’s Santa Croce.

The BIAF’s will also dedicate space to creations from the applied arts, furniture, and precious manufacturers. Highlights include majolica ceramics created for Francesco I De Medici; an elaborate 17th century wooden cabinet with tortoiseshell, copper, and coral enamels; in addition to a Louis XV walnut trumeau (French cabinet with mirror).

Moving from museum artifacts to modern artworks, visitors will also get to admire great pieces of the 20th century and avant garde period, including a lovely porcelain, Archi e corde designed by Gio Ponti for Richard Ginori in 1927. From the world of abstract art comes Lucio Fontana’s Concetto Spaziale, Attese (Spatial Concept. Waiting), a series of monochrome canvases given dimension by thin, razor blade cuts. Also featured will be delicate Murano glass cups designed by Venetian architect, Carlo Scarpa.

Beyond art, this year’s BIAF aims to emphasize the invaluable impact of conservation. They are partnering with the Fondazione CR Firenze to give platform to the restoration project of Michelangelo’s facade of San Lorenzo. Currently housed in Casa Buonarroti, the historical drawing will be on display for visitors to witness the remarkable efforts of Florence’s premier cultural heritage institution, Opificio delle Pietre Dure. Another BIAF initiative of the same mission is a series of guided tours of the Horne Museum titled, “The Connoisseur’s Eye: Herbert Horne, an English Collector in Florence.” This is an exclusive event for participating collectors to engage with the history of their business and explore its prominent position in the Florentine landscape.

Also planned is the revival of the Premio Lorenzo d’Oro, an esteemed award for the promotion of Italian art and culture abroad. Presentation of the award will celebrate both its recipient and the team of outstanding Florentine silversmiths assigned to design the honorary artwork. The Premio Lorenzo d’Oro serves as an exciting start to the antique show as well as a prime example of Botticelli’s dedication to blending contemporary achievement with classic Italian craftsmanship at this year’s biennale.  (H.D. & Francesca Negri)