Bruno Canova

Born in Bolognano, Abruzzi, in 1925^[1], Canova studied graphic design after the liberation in the postwar Convitti della Rinascita schools in Rome and Milan, where his teachers included the designers Luigi Veronesi, Max Huber, and Albe Steiner. He debuted in 1949^[1] in Prague, in an exhibition of Italian^[1] graphic work, and for several years worked as the political cartoonist for the Communist daily 'L'Unità.' Through those years he moved through Rome's artistic circles, spending time with Mario Mafai, Alberto Ziveri, Renato Guttuso, Renzo Vespignani, and Pier Paolo Pasolini.

In 1965^[1] he won the Premio Suzzara and participated in the Rome Quadrennial, where his work attracted a letter of appreciation from the critic Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti. From 1966 he devoted sustained attention to 'The Art of War,' an exhibition that toured public spaces across Italian^[1] cities for decades. His series 'The Massacre of the Innocents' became the best known expression of this concern.

By the early 1980s his practice shifted towards colour painting, where the influence of the Roman School met his analytical approach and an interest in the Northern Renaissance. He continued working until his death in Lacco Ameno in 2012^[1].