Sandro Chia was born in Florence in 1946. Chia pursued his natural talent for fine arts by studying drawing, fresco painting, and sculpture at the Intituto d’Arte and then at the Accademia di Belle Arti. After completing his studies, Chia traveled extensively through much of Europe and India, before settling down in Rome. Inspired by the works he saw on his travels, Chia began painting prolifically and began to exhibit his work, with his first exhibition at the "Galleria La Salita" in 1971. Soon, Chia was at the forefront of the Italian “Transavanguardia” movement, which was a neo-expressionist movement in the 1980s. With works reminiscent of Chagall and Picasso, Chia has exhibited his work in the most prestigious galleries and museums around the world, including the Stedelijk Museum of Amsterdam (1983), the Metropolitan Museum of New York (1984), the National Galerie of Berlin (1984, 1992), the Museum of Modern Art of Paris (1984); and the Museums of Dusseldorf (1984).