Giorgio Morandi was born in Bologna on July 20, 1890. He first worked at this father's office. In 1907 he enrolled at the 'Accademia di Belli Arte' in his home town. He was a successful student. During the last two years of his studies, however, he had conflicts with his teachers at the school, because he had already found his own artistic language. During this time, Morandi observed Avant-garde artists like Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso with great interest. But Morandi was also very impressed by the old Italian paintings since Giotto. During his travels around Italy, the artist repeatedly studied their original works. In 1913 Morandi graduated. He came into increasingly close contact with the artists representing Italian Futurism, with whom Morandi took part in exhibitions and forged many friendships. In 1914 the artist was employed by the city of Bologna to teach art at the elementary schools of different districts. Morandi worked in this position until 1929. Being drafted to military service in 1915, Morandi was forced to interrupt his creative career for a short while. Soon later, however, he was discharged from the army due to a severe illness. From 1918, after a phase featuring futuristic work, Morandi first saw pictures by de Chirico and Carrà, which aroused his interest in 'Pittura Metafisica'. Once again the artist came into close contact with leading exponents of the genre. He temporarily joined them. After renewed studies of Cézanne's works, however, Morandi turned away from contemporary trends and found his own pictorial world in which he expressed his innermost feelings. Giorgio Morandi focused on still lives, which had already been his favorite motif alongside landscapes. In continuous repetitions he discoverd the representation of a limited selection of three-dimensional shapes in subtle shades. In intensive work cycles, Morandi explored printing techniques. In 1930 this lead to Morandi being appointed professor of printing techniques at the 'Accademia di Belli Arte' in his home town Bologna, where the artist taught until 1956, interrupted only by the war years, which he spent with his family in retreat at Grizzana. In 1930 Morandi took part in the Venice Biennale for the first time. His work was repeatedly displayed at international exhibitions and he received numerous awards. His contemplative focus on simple three-dimensional shapes, his calm motifs and his particularly soft color scheme were decisive factors contributing to Morandi's global popularity. Giorgio Morandi died of lung cancer on June 18, 1963 in Bologna.