Antonio Calderara was an artist, painter and graphic designer. He discovered art without formal training in the 1920s, after abandoning his engineering studies at the Milan Polytechnic University. He initially painted still life, portraits and landscapes, and then shifted from figurative painting to a more abstract and geometric approach in the mid 1950s, gradually reducing his use of colour and compositional elements. Meanwhile he began to frequent the Milan scene, where he came into contact with artists such as Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni and Dadamaino. He received many international awards and held exhibitions in various cities including Amsterdam, Zurich, Bern and London.