Piero Urbani Biography
Piero Urbani (Gadino 1913-Bergamo 1992) Encouraged by Ponziano Loverini, who had him enroll in the school of fine arts at the Accademia Carrara, he graduated with Contardo Barbieri after seven years of studies. Called to arms several times, he took part in the Ethiopian campaign, the conquest of Albania and then the Second World War. To practice, he was appointed war painter to the army general staff. After 8 September 1943 he reached Bergamo and took refuge in the Seria mountains, joining a partisan formation for some time. After the war he opened a studio in Bergamo and sold a batch of his paintings to a gallery owner in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He visited the most important art galleries in the world, stopping to admire the works of Titian, Tintoretto and Raphael, his favorite masters. Urbani was fascinated not only by the French impressionists but also by Courbet and Délacroix. He painted a lot, tackling portraits, figures, genre scenes, interiors, still lifes and landscapes with equal talent and with different techniques. Skilled as a designer and illustrator, he also practiced restoration. He set up several personal exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions.
