Mario Merz
Painter
Italian sculptor and painter associated with the Arte Povera movement. His first one-man exhibition occurred in 1954 at Turin's Galleria La Bussola.
He was imprisoned during World War II for his involvement with the anti-Fascist group Giustizia e Libertà. It was at this point that he started drawing to pass the time and experimenting with the continuous graphic stroke.
He was the subject of a 2002 film directed by British artist, Tacita Dean.
He met his artist wife Marisa while he was studying in Turin during the 1950s.
He was influenced by the work of poet Ezra Pound.