Marino Marini was an Italian artist best known for his figurative equestrian sculptures. Throughout his life, he would return to the theme of a horse and rider with arms outstretched to either side, as exemplified in his seminal work The Angel of the City (1948). He is also noted for his expressive busts with sad and abstract faces, as well as for paintings depicting his recurring figure riding. Born on February 27, 1901 in Pistoia, Italy, he studied painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, but turned to sculpture shortly after graduating. In 1936 he received the Rome Quadrennial Prize and his work was included in the group survey of Italian art at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Marino later received a solo exhibition at the Curt Valentin Gallery in 1950, where the artist became friends with Alexander Calder and Jean Arp. Marini died on August 6, 1980 in Viareggio, Italy, and the Marino Marini Museum dedicated to his work was inaugurated in Florence in 1988.