Piero Dorazio

(Italian, 1927–2005) is a painter who was instrumental in bringing abstraction to Italy. Born in Rome, Dorazio trained in classical painting and drawing, later turning to architecture as a university student. 

In the late 1940s, Dorazio became active in a variety of artistic and literary circles, when he was exposed to a range of artistic influences. In 1946, he met Giulio Turcato, Antonio Corpora, Renato Guttuso, Gino Severini, and Enrico Prampolini, and painted his first abstract pictures.