Dario Ballantini was born in the Tuscan seaside town of Livorno in 1964. From an early age he was surrounded by creativity, both his father and uncle were well established artists and his grandfather an active amateur actor.

It is for his television appearances that Dario has become a household name in Italy. His unique style of satire and caricature have seen him appear in several widely watched programs, most recently the internationally famous ‘Striscia la notizia’ a satirical look at contemporary Italian politics and culture aired on Canale 5 in which Dario impersonates and challenges many figures prominent in Italian public life. Throughout his successful media career he has continued to paint, indeed in many respects his persona as actor and that as artist are one and the same.

Dario’s increasing status as an important contemporary artist underlines his true and honest passion for paint. His fascination with the human form, most specifically faces and identities runs smoothly from his television work through to his paintings.

Dario has exhibited widely across Italy including exhibitions in Milan, Genoa, Naples, Florence, Bologna and Padua. He has also shown his work in Paris, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Prague and in a mixed exhibition ‘Italians do it Better’ in Basel. In 2010 Dario’s work was exhibited at Art Basel Miami and in 2011 his work was part of the EuArt2011, USA.