Renato Guttuso (1911-1987) was born in Bagheria and nurtured a great love for painting from an early age. He moved to Palermo to complete his high school studies and then attend university. In 1933, he moved to Rome to devote himself solely to painting and, in his early twenties, was admitted to the I Quadriennale Nazionale. His training was modelled on European figurative currents, from Courbet to Van Gogh and Picasso, which led him first to Milan and then to travel around Europe. In 1944, he took part in the Resistance, and in the post-war climate, his painting, already oriented towards an expressive and dramatic realism, was further strengthened. In 1945, he moved to France, where he became friends with Picasso and took part in numerous foreign exhibitions. As a Communist Party militant, he was also interested in painting social issues and remained a firm believer in Realism. From 1950 onwards, he also devoted himself to portraits and landscapes.