One of the leading Italian sculptors of the 20th century, Marino Marini was also a painter, etcher and lithographer. Born in Pistoia, he studied painting and sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts, Florence. Marini succeeded Arturo Martini as professor at the Scuola d’Arte di Villa Reale in Monza, near Milan, in 1929, a position he retained until 1940, when he became Professor of Sculpture at the Accademia di Brera, Milan. During the 1930s he traveled frequently in Europe. In Paris he was in contact with many of the distinguished modern artists of that time, including Braque, Picasso and Giacometti. However, he was not influenced by their styles or movements, remaining essentially isolated in his artistic aims. Since the Second World War Marino Marini has been widely recognized internationally as one of the outstanding creative figures in contemporary sculpture. |
