Oscar Ghiglia was born in Leghorn in 1876. Following his father's death, he spent his adolescence working part time for a low wage. From the end of the 90's he studied at the ateliers of Manaresi and Guglielmo Micheli where he made lasting friendships with Llewelyn Lloyd, Anthony De Witt and Modigliani. The prolific correspondence between Ghiglia and Modì in 1901, during the latter's trips to Capri and Venice, bear witness to their close friendship and their mutual desire to escape from the restrictions of the cultural scene of Leghorn.

Encouraged by Giovanni Fattori, in 1900 Ghiglia decided to enrol at the Scuola Libera del Nudo. In 1901 Ghiglia made his debut at the Venice International Exhibition with a Self Po...