Paolo Scheggi (Italian, 1940–1971) pioneered the practice of treating paintings as objects, and is best known for his layered monochromatic works. Born in Florence, Scheggi attended art college and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts. Though he initially explored the techniques of Art Informel and New Dadaism, he quickly developed his own style.

After studying in London, Scheggi moved to Milan in 1961, where he met artists such as Lucio Fontana, who became an avid supporter of his work. During this time, he transitioned from works of assembled metal sheets and collaged materials, which were part of his early career, to monochromatic works characterized by several overlapping canvases with ovular- and circular-shaped holes. These were known as his Intersuperfici and Strutture Modulari works.

In 1965, Scheggi joined the New Tendencies movement, which encompassed Concrete and Constructivist Art, as well as Kinetic and Op Art. He was also affiliated with the Nul and ZERO groups. In addition, he explored architecture, working as model builder for the Nizzoli Associati office, and created the design for a new Milanese fashion house for well-known designer Germana Marucelli. In 1968, Scheggi began his investigation of the theater, expanding his work beyond the traditional gallery space into the city. The last works he produced before his death, focused on the relationship between religious, anthropological, and symbolic forms.

He exhibited extensively throughout his brief career, including at several Venice Biennales, in Weiss auf Weiss at the Bern Kunsthalle, in the V Biennale des Jeunes Artistes in Paris, Lo spazio dell’Immagine in Palazzo Trinci in Foligno, the Exposition International des Beaux Arts de Montreal, in Public Eye in Hamburg, and at the Teatro delle mostre in Galleria la Tartaruga in Rome.

Scheggi died of heart disease in Rome.