One of the leading Italian sculptors of the 20th century, Marino Marini was also a painter, a printmaker and a excellent draughtsman. Born in Pistoia, he attended the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. He devoted himself primarily to sculpture from about 1922. From this time his work was influenced by Etruscan art and the sculpture of Arturo Martini. 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 in Milan. During the 1930s he traveled frequently in Europe. In Paris he associated with De Chirico, Campigli, De Pisis. He was in contact with many of the distinguished modern artists of that time, including Braque, Picasso and Giacometti. However, Marini 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.