Berto Lardera

Berto Lardera was born in La Spezia on December 18, 1911. He was a self-taught artist who first developed an interest for sculpture while completing his classical studies in Florence, where he lived until 1947. He became familiar with contemporary painting and sculpture during a visit to Paris and London in 1929, and returned to Paris in 1935 to study sculpture. In 1939 he moved to the south of France, where he created many designs and projects that he would later make into sculptures. The same year he returned to Florence, where, until 1942, he experimented with different techniques and media, including clay, plaster, marble, stone, wood, and bronze. During this year he also had his first solo exhibition at the Galleria del Milione, Milan.