Born in Volos, Greece, in 1888 of Italian parents, Giorgio de Chirico (d. 1978) was trained at the Academia di Belle Arti in Florence and at the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in Munich. From 1912 to 1915, he lived in Paris with his brother, the musician Alberto Savinio. During these years, dc Chirico painted his startling metaphysical compositions for which he is considered one of the three most innovative artists of the first half of the twentieth century, along with Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp. De Chirico and America highlights the artist's first visit to this country, from August 1936 until January 1938, and includes works on paper that he rendered during his New York stay.