Salvatore Fiume was born in Comiso, in Sicily, in 1915. A painter, sculptor, architect, writer and stage designer, he obtained his first success with his novel “Viva Gioconda!”, written during the war and published in Milan in 1943. He held his first exhibition in Milan in 1949, and on this occasion he displayed "Isole di statue" and "Città di statue". In 1950 he was invited to participate in Venice’s Biennale where he displayed his triptych "Isola di statue". In 1962 an itinerant exhibition brought his paintings to various German museums, including those in the towns of Cologne and Ratisbona. In 1974 he held an important anthological exhibition at the Palazzo Reale in Milan. In 1975 the Calabrian town of Fiumefreddo Bruzio accepted enthusiastically Fiume’s offer of revitalising its historical centre for free with some of his artworks. As a consequence, in 1975-76 the Sicilian artist painted some of the internal and external walls of the ancient castle, and in 1977, he also painted the Chapel of San Rocco. In the Nineties he placed two bronze sculptures in each of the panoramic squares of Fiumefreddo, overlooking the sea. One of his sculptures is currently placed at the European Parliament. His artworks are now displayed in some of the most famous museums of the world, including the Vatican Museums, the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, the MOMA in New York, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and the Gallery of Modern Art in Milan. Salvatore Fiume died in Milan in 1997.