Giorgio de Chirico was an Italian artist who co-founded the genre of ‘metaphysical painting’ which had a profound influence on the Surrealists. Born in Rome, he developed a keen interest in art in childhood and was also moved by philosophical writings. As a young artist, he was enthused by the European Symbolist artists and their use of dream-like imagery. His earliest signature works combined a Symbolist sensibility with his love of the classical antiquities of ancient cities and his philosophical musings on the true nature of reality. He held many exhibitions of his work around the world and was much praised for his brilliant and intricate interpretations of everyday life which were expressed vividly through his paintings. He introduced the world to the style of metaphysical painting and his enigmatic scenes of empty cities, menacing statues, mysterious shadows and strange combinations of everyday objects inspired the artists of the Surrealist movement in the 1910s. However, the element of mystery in his paintings diminished after 1919, when he eventually began painting in a more realistic and academic style. Although his later works failed to recapture the unsettling originality of his early paintings, he is still recognized and praised for his influence on both, the Surrealists and THE later generation of artists. His contribution to modern art of the 20th-century is invaluable