Bruno Saetti (Bologna, 1902 – 1984) was a master of Italian expressionist realism and an engraver of the highest calibre. Trained at the Academy of Bologna, where he later taught for many years, he rejected avant-garde fashions to focus on a severe painting, full of spirituality and rigorous volume.

Famous for his iconic Maternities, his nudes and his landscapes steeped in light and matter, Saetti received the highest institutional honours, including the prestigious Feltrinelli Prize for Painting from the Accademia dei Lincei.