Arturo Martini was born in Treviso in 1899 into a family with modest economic resources. From childhood he showed artistic talent and, thanks to the support of his mother, he began attending the Evening School of Arts and Crafts. At a very young age, he worked as an apprentice in a goldsmith's workshop and approached refractory clay and fusion processes, starting to create works in terracotta.
In 1908, Martini began to participate in the exhibitions of Ca' Pesaro in Venice, where he began to make a name for himself. Thanks to the support of figures such as Gregorio Gregorj and Cesare Augusto Levi, he spent a period in Munich, where he worked with porcelain and ceramics, learning new techniques. During his travels, he experimented with different materials and consolidated his mastery in the field of ceramics.
In 1912, Martini moved to Paris with other Italian artists and participated in the Salon d'Automne with graphic works. Back in Italy, he devoted himself to both graphics and sculpture, exhibiting in 1913 at Ca' Pesaro. During the First World War, Martini avoided the front by working in a factory in Savona, where he met Brigida Pessano, whom he married in 1920.
After the war, Martini explored the classics of the Italian Quattrocento, while dedicating himself to ceramics and graphics. In 1929 he moved to Monza, where he taught sculpture and created works in terracotta. His career reached its peak in 1931 with the victory of the first prize at the Quadriennale d’Arte Nazionale in Rome. During the 1930s, Martini devoted himself to monumental works in bronze and marble, creating large sculptures for public commissions.
In 1941, Martini moved to Venice, where he took up the chair of sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti. Here he produced some of his last masterpieces, including Tito Livio and Pegaso caduta. However, in the last years of his life, Martini faced a creative crisis, feeling in conflict with the new artistic era that was emerging.
In 1947, a few months after returning to his family, he died of a stroke. Martini was buried in Vado Ligure, where a monument was erected in his honor.