Born in Catania in 1913, Emilio Greco began to exhibit his work in 1933. The roots of his research lie in the figurative elements taken from the Twenties and Thirties, inspired by an ideal of solidity and Mediterranean clarity. One of the fundamental elements of his work is the dialogue between tradition and classics. Sculptor and drawer, he taught sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, a town where he moved after the war, in 1946. With Guttuso, Manzù, Fazzini, Marini, Sassu and Mazzacurati, he became a member of the Neorealist group. Emilio Greco received the Gran Premio della Scultura at Venice’s Biennale (1956), the Golden Medal from the President of the Republic for School, Cultural and Artistic Merits (1961) and the etching prize from the Accademia dei Lincei (1993); he was member of the Accademia Nazionale di San Luca and of the Royal Belgian Academy. The bronze doors of Orvieto’s Cathedral and a sculpture-portrait of Pope John XXIII are among his most famous artworks. The open air museum of Hakone has dedicated to him a permanent area of 1,800 square metres called Greco Garden. The Museum of Hermitage in Saint Petersburg has dedicated to him a permanent room with his sculptures and prints In Collodi he created a monument to Pinocchio. His artworks are displayed in the most important museums in the world. Emilio Greco died in Rome in 1995.