Painter and sculptor, protagonist of the avant-garde movements of the fifties and sixties, Enrico Baj is considered one of the most important contemporary Italian artists. His polychromatic and polymateric collages, infused with a playful and ironic spirit, are the icon of his satirical vein: the dismemberment of forms to express the deflagration of matter and image. The combination of painting and literature has always been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Baj. His relationships with Italian and foreign poets and writers are evidenced by a series of fifty artist’s books, accompanied by prints and multiples, ranging from the works of poets of classical antiquity such as Lucretius, Martial, Tacitus to authors progressively closer, including: Lewis Carrol, John Milton, André Breton, Edoardo Sanguineti, Roberto Sanesi, Umberto Eco, Alda Merini. His incursions into the world of theatre are also memorable, including the famous puppets he made for Alfred Jarry’s 1984 play “Ubu Roi”. A restless artist and intellectual, Baj has constantly combined creative activity with reflection on art. He has exhibited in the world’s major museums and galleries.