In the coming few months, the World Cup Floral Art—also called Florint World Championship Floral Art—will bring together floral artists in a design contest where floral artistry and innovation blend in exquisite designs that would, without a doubt, inspire trends in the future. The event takes place in The Hague, Netherlands, from August 28 to 31, 2025, and here, the who's who in the floral artistry world will have a podium to parade their avant-garde floral art flair. Rodolfo 'Rudy' Casati, a fourth-generation florist and renowned floral artist from Italy, is one of those set to showcase their unique talent at this prestigious event.
Rudy’s journey from a family greenhouse in Monza to international acclaim represents a lifelong devotion to the art of floristry and a deep connection to the natural world. With a career spanning decades, he has grown from a passionate young horticulturist to an innovative designer whose work challenges conventions and champions the transformative power of floral beauty. As he prepares for this global competition, Rudy brings not only technical mastery but also an elemental philosophy that views floral artistry as a medium for emotional expression and ethical values in the increasingly materialistic world.
Rudy’s Roots in Floral Heritage
Born on March 2, 1960, in Monza, Italy, Rudy entered the world already deeply connected to the art and science of plants. As he poetically describes it: "I was born in my greenhouse, and I couldn't live without humidity and plants smell you find there... probably my blood could be green!" This vivid metaphor captures the essence of a man whose identity has been almost inseparably linked to horticulture from his earliest days. Coming from a family with a rich legacy in floristry, horticulture, gardening, and landscaping, he, one would dare say, practically got into the world of plants and flowers before he could walk or talk!
Quite unlike many who struggle to find their calling, Rudy recognized his path forward at a remarkably young age. The decision to work with flowers and plants came naturally, driven by what he describes as an immense passion that has remained constant throughout his life. This early certainty would, later, prove to be the foundation for a career which has been marked by continuous growth, exploration, and artistic evolution in floristry.
His Education Found on Nature and Floristry
Following secondary school, Rudy's enthusiasm for his artistry led him to Minoprio's School near Lake Como, which he identifies as ‘the best Italian college for horticulture.’ His staunchness and enthusiasm for mastering his discipline were evident in the five years he spent there, completely getting himself wrapped up in the environment; "night and day," as he recounts. This total immersion approach to education would later become characteristic of his all-inclusive keenness for floral art. Between 1999 and 2000, he trained at the Federfiori floral art school and graduated as a 'Federfiori European Florist'.
The full circle of his educational journey is particularly noteworthy; the institution where he once studied soon became the place where he has taught floristry for the past fifteen years. His transformation from student to master represents not only his personal growth but also his envisaged duty to passing on knowledge and nurturing the next generation of floral artists. Rudy’s formal education did not end with horticulture, however. He also pursued university studies in biology, adding a scientific aspect to his practical expertise. Combining hands-on horticultural training and academic biological knowledge gave him a comprehensive understanding of the plant world that informs his artistic creations.
Rudy's Professional Evolution and Creative Exploration
After completing his education, Rudy returned to his family business, where he developed a manifold professional identity. Rather than limiting himself to a single aspect of the plant world, he embraced the diversity of the field, dividing his time between roles as a florist, horticulture technician, landscaper, and activist for professional associations. This allowed him to gain experience across the range of plant-related disciplines while maintaining what he describes as an open mind.
Throughout this period of professional development, his creative impulses remained. He characterizes his creativity as ‘a volcano inside,’ suggesting the irrepressible nature of his artistic drive. This creative energy eventually found expression in floral competitions, marking a significant transition in his career, from primarily commercial and technical work to artistic innovation.
Competitive Success and International Recognition
Rudy’s entry into the competitive world of floral artistry quickly led to notable success. He won the prestigious national prize Orchidea d'Argento, followed by the international Bouquet Sanremo competition. These were the victories that propelled him onto the global stage, initiating a period of extensive international travel and exposure.
His association with the Sanremo Flower Market group, known as ‘Sanremo Italian Style,’ brought opportunities to conduct demonstrations and workshops around the world. This international circuit took him to Belgium for Fleuramour at Alden Biesen, to Tokyo for the Italian Floristry Course, and to cultural capitals including Oxford, London, Dubai, and throughout Europe, Russia, and Asia. The experiences broadened his perspective and allowed him to both share his expertise and absorb diverse influences that would later enrich his work.
Artistic Philosophy and Creative Approach
The basis of Rudy’s work is a philosophy that views floral artistry as more than mere decoration. He describes his life as a joyful encounter between the life of a florist and that of a grower of flowering plants, with curiosity about the secrets of the plant world and the creative aspect of floral art acting as the common thread. This twofold identity as both grower and artist gives his work an authenticity that is founded in rich botanical knowledge.
The Italian floral artist’s creative approach is characterized by an eclectic mix of materials and techniques. While he maintains a personal tendency to always create with natural materials, he enjoys combining these with new materials that one would ordinarily find in other fields. This openness to diverse materials–including metal, wood, stone, branches, wire, and plastic–reflects a desire to give new life to objects and create structures that arouse strong emotional responses.
The Spiritual and Emotional Dimensions
A distinctive aspect of Rudy’s philosophy is his recognition of the spiritual and emotional dimensions of floral art. While he considers technique ‘sacred’ for achieving great performances, he places even greater emphasis on soul, passion, emotions, happiness, sadness, and many other feelings as his best tools for creating passionate emotions. This comprehensive approach integrates technical mastery with emotional authenticity.
Plus, his connection to nature runs deep, as evidenced by his self-comparison to a ‘Wood Elf’ (the Elf of the woods) for his ability to combine color, shape, and visual lightness in his pieces, which are delicate and indicative of the person, situation, and environment. The forest, he explains, has always been the place where he prefers to be and where he feels the vital power of the earth. His strong connection to natural environments infuses his creations with an organic energy that he consciously strives to incorporate into his artistic works.
Signature Aesthetic and Thematic Concerns
The aesthetic that has become the Italian floral artist's signature revolves around certain recurring themes and tensions. He identifies lightness as a key element in his work, alongside an ability to create strong tension between lines, shape, materials, and nature. This dynamic back-and-forth of elements creates works that are as visually arresting as they are emotionally evocative.
Underlying his artistic practice is a belief in the transformative power of floral beauty. He embraces Fyodor Dostoevsky's famous assertion that ‘beauty will save the world,’ adding his own reflection on how much individuals need beauty, for a world that is gentle, kind, sensitive, and tolerant. This conviction often gives his work a moral dimension. It positions floral art as a potential medium for positive change in society.
Rudy summarizes his creative approach with the axiom ‘simple but not banal,’ derived from a well-known German school of design, adding his own qualification: "With a touch of madness." This balance between simplicity, substance, and unexpected elements and dimensions characterizes his distinctive artistic voice.
His Notable Installations and Artistic Achievements
Throughout his career, Rudy has created memorable artistic installations at prestigious venues and events worldwide. These include works at Fleuramour-Alden Biesen in Belgium, Euroflora in Genova, the ‘Huis Ten Bosch’ International Garden Festival, Chaumont sur Loire in France, and the Land Art Festival ‘Venaria Reale’ in Turin. Each of these installations has allowed him to express his artistic mind on significant international platforms.
But, aside from these formal presentations, he values every moment spent sharing his knowledge with his students and colleagues, which tells of his keenness for education and community-building within the floristry profession.
The World Cup Challenge Opens a New Chapter
Rudy’s invitation to participate in the World Cup Floral Art in The Hague came from Federfiori President Rosario Alfino, marking a significant breakthrough in his career. His initial reaction mixed pride with a moment of self-doubt, feeling a bit 'dated' for this type of context. This reveals his sense of humility despite his considerable accomplishments.
However, this hesitation quickly gave way to the curiosity and desire that have characterized his entire career. He describes how something clicked in him–the realization that he still possesses the ‘sacred fire’ of curiosity that drives him to continue to put himself on the line and always get out of his comfort zone. His willingness to accept and embrace challenge and growth, even after decades in the profession, speaks to his verve as an artist.
His Preparations and Aspirations for the Competition
As he prepares for the upcoming floral World Cup, Rudy brings the perspective gained from numerous competitions that he has taken part in. He, however, notes that he has never participated with the maturity that he believes he now possesses. His self-awareness basically suggests an artist who has reached a new level of confidence and clarity in his work. He therefore approaches the competition with characteristic introspection, hoping to be able to ease the tension by transforming it into playful creativity. His strategy of channeling nervous energy into creative expression exemplifies his inner insight and floral artistic understanding.
For him, the World Cup of Floral Art represents both a great challenge to himself and a dream that has come true. He hopes to transform the experience, together with his international colleagues, into an explosion of emotions and beauty. His framing of the competition as a concerted creation of beauty rather than merely a personal contest reflects his unstinting and community-minded approach to the profession, rather than individualism.
His Current Practice and Future Vision
Despite his international acclaim and teaching commitments, Rudy maintains a grounded connection to everyday floristry through his floristry shop, where he works daily. He takes joy in putting passion and magic into everything he does, even the simplest of creations. This enthusiasm about bringing floral artistry to routine work reflects his belief in the value of beauty in everyday life.
Even then, sustainability and ethical considerations inform this floral artist’s current practice. He speaks of thinking about the sustainability of what florists do and education in floral beauty envisioned as a means to enrich this increasingly ‘vulgar and violent world’. His integration of environmental and social consciousness reflects his eclectic idea of floral artistry's role in society.
Looking forward, Rudy’s dream is to be a full-time floral artist and to create new emotions every day; aspirations that reveal both his ever-evolving passion for creative expression and his characteristic modesty despite his significant accomplishments. It is this combination of accomplished mastery and continuing openness to growth that makes him a fascinating figure in contemporary floral art as he prepares to represent his artistic knack on the world stage at The Hague.
Photos by Rodolfo 'Rudy' Casati.
