Lionello Balestrieri was born in Cetona in 1872 into a family of humble origins. When his family moved to Rome he enrolled at the Istituto di Belle Arti and then at the same institution at Naples where he was taught by Domenico Morelli and, privately, by Gioacchino Toma. In 1897 he moved to Paris where he earned his living as an illustrator. As a result of his friendship with the musician Giuseppe Vannicola he became so drawn to the musical circle that the subject matter of his art was mainly either musicians or music.

At the Esposizione Universale di Parigi in 1900 Balestrieri won a gold medal with the painting Beethoven and it was as a direct result of this prestigious award that, in spite of the fact he wa...