Street Art in Florence

Florence Street Art – a modern day renaissance? Florence has to be one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. It is of course, the birthplace of the Renaissance that pushed Italy onto the global stage of beauty.  Artists including Michelangelo, Donatello, Botticelli and Raphael are associated with the city and the majority of the tourists, myself included, come to marvel. From the inspiring Duomo to the Uffizi Gallery, there is no shortage of beautiful art and architecture to keep us inspired. But sometimes, if you look down not up, you will spot some pretty cool street art. Of course not all street art is positive, as you can see above! (can we call this graffiti and move on?) In recent years, Florence Street Art has become recognised as its own cultural evolution. Whilst you could argue that it doesn’t compare to the majesty of a Botticelli, it still has a role to play. As you might expect from a major city, there is graffiti on most walls. Sometimes it is slogans or tags, other times it is a more considered art form. Mixed in amongst the random images were themes by recognised Street Artists such as ‘Exit Enter’ . The ‘ illustrator, painter, storyteller and urban artist’ is very active on the Florentine scene and best known for his figures that chase a red balloon. For me it was this common theme of chasing the balloon that lead me to look out for more of this work across the city.

The Florence Street Art Scene

Florence has a buzzing Street Art scene. Only last year, they held Street Art exhibition as part of the Florence Biennale. Entitled, ‘Florence Street Art – Art Can Change the World’ the project aimed to give space and visibility to the young street artists in the city of Florence. — I find Street Art to be a fascinating layer of a city’s beauty and just a small window into the modern cultural landscape of the city. The Street Art in Florence may not last as long as the Duomo, but it still has a role to play.