Afro Libio Basaldella, better known as Afro, was born in Udine on the 4th March 1912. He studied in Florence and Venice and in 1931 he got the diploma in painting.

In 1933 he had the first personal exhibition in Milano and in 1935 he is invited to the Quadriennale in Roma.

In 1950 he moves to New York where he starts an important collaboration with the Catherine Vivano Gallery while his paintings becomes more and more informal and appreciated in all the art world.

In 1956 he is nominated the best Italian artist in the Biennale di Venezia and in 1960 he win the Guggenheim Prize in New York. He also focused on the printed works with the beautiful etchings realized with the historic printmaker 2RC in Rome.

He passed away in Zurich on 24th July 1976.