Timeline

1912

Born in Udine, Italy

1928

Began exhibiting at the age of 16, alongside his brothers Dino and Mirko, and studied Fine Art in Florence and Venice

1929

Received a scholarship from the Marangoni Arts Foundation to travel to Rome, where he became associated with artists of the Scuola Romana, such as Mario Mafai and Corrado Cagli. Afro began producing murals and experimenting with Neo-Cubism in the style of Paul Klee.

1936

Commissioned to paint the Udine Opera House

1937

Commissioned to paint murals for the World Exhibition in Paris

1950

Travelled to New York for the first time

1958

Commissioned to paint a mural at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, titled The Garden of Hope

1976

Died in Zurich, Switzerland

Known simply as Afro (Italian, 1912–1976), Afro Basaldella was a painter associated with the Scuola Romana, and celebrated for his abstract paintings that synthesize the Cubist and Futurist techniques