The heir, as first born son, of the pharmaceutical industry bearing his name, Carlo Erba, after contrasts with his father, preferred to study Art and in 1908 he enrolled the Scuola Libera del Nudo at the Brera Academy, earning a living by himself, with no help from his rich family. In 1914 he was one of the founders of the group Nuove Tendenze, considered as the right wing of Futurism. A staunch interventionist, Carlo Erba together wit his futurist friends Marinetti, Boccioni, Funi, Sant'Elia, Russolo and Sironi, joined the Battaglione Lombardo Volontari Ciclisti Automobilisti. He died in 1917 during a war attack on Monte Ortigara.