Piero Dorazio: In Extremis Medium: Lithograph Material: Handmade paper by Lafranca Dimensions: 21.0 x 14.8 cm Editor: Erker Presse, St. Gallen Switzerland Year: published 1995 Edition: This is number I of XXX Signature: Signed and numbered Provenance: Erker Presse, St. Gallen Private Collection, Basel Condition / Restauration: mint archival condition Biography: Born in Rome and trained in traditional classical painting and drawing, Dorazio (1927 – 2005) turned to architecture as a university student in the 1940s. In 1948 Dorazio became active in a variety of artistic and literary circles, when he was exposed to a wealth of artistic influences and intellectual currents, from the School of Paris and Surrealist biomorphism to Russian Supremativism, Constructivism, and even Italian Futurism. Notably, he rediscovered the art of Giacomo Balla, whom he sought out in Rome in 1950 and visited often, studying the paintings and sketchbooks in the neglected Futurist's studio. At the same time, Dorazio became actively involved in printing serigraphs and designing furniture. In 1950, during a visit to Paris, he started a collaboration with a number of fellow artists in organizing a notable avant-garde institution, L' Age d' Or. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, while traveling throughout Europe and visiting New York, Dorazio was evolving the approach that a decade later would establish his international renown.