Famous for his Cubist Harlequins, Emilio Pettoruti, an Argentinian of Italian origin, completed his studies in Florence, where he studied Tuscan painting of the 15th and 16th centuries, at the same time participating in Lacerba’s exhibitions of futurist painting, distinguishing himself for his architectural sense and formal simplification in the dynamic treatment of moving shapes. Together with the lessons of futurism Pettoruti integrated the cubist influences of Picasso and in particular of Juan Gris. A coherent and creative artist, he managed to develop a very personal version of the abstract-geometric approach with confident experimentation and adequate means of expression.
