Born in Monaco in 1921, he died in Paris in 2009.
Mario Avati was educated at l’École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs of Nice, and at l’École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts of Paris.
As a printmaker, he practiced all the techniques at the beginning. From 1957, he only used the mezzotint technique, exclusively in black until 1969, when he started to use colour. Mario Avati was almost the only contemporary French printmakers to use this technique.
“L’oeuvre gravé de Mario Avati” the most important bibliography of the artist, was prepared by the Bibliothèque des Arts de Paris. It is a catalogue raisonné in six volumes commented on by Roger Passeron.