Gastone Breddo was born in Padua in 1915 and spent most of his life in Venice and Tuscany.
Trained as painter and engraver in the Accademia dibelle arti of Venice and Bologna, he took part to the Italian art scene in various ways; since 1936 he
exhibited in prestigious venues, wrote essays, andjoined panel discussions at a number of conferences.
From 1937 to 1939 he contributed with writings and drawings to the magazine ‘Gioventu’ Italica’.
From 1938 to 1940 he wrote for the magazine ‘Il Bo’ (Padua). In 1940 and 1941 his writings were published on ‘L’architrave’ (Bologna). He was a collaborator in the magazines ‘La strada’ and‘Michelangelo’ in Florence.
In 1944 and 1945 he contributed to ‘Piccola galleria’ published in Venice, where he met Arturo Martini, Giovanni De Pisis, Giorgio Morandi and then Renato
Birolli, Osvaldo Licini, Bruno Saetti and Virgilio Guidi.
In 1947 and 1948 he wrote for ‘Gazzetta Veneta’ and was the author of several monographs published by ‘Lettere e arti’ (Venice), ‘Le tre venezie’ (Padua) and
‘L’ultima’ (Florence).
Gastone Breddo had works included in all the editions of the Venice Biennale from 1940 to 1958; in 1958 he had a room of his own and won one of the National prizes. He also won the ‘Jacini’ prize at the Michetti context in 1953.
Breddo exhibited several times at the Rome Quadriennale and in various National museums in Italy including those in Rome, Florence, Venice, Bologna, Trieste,
Turin, Milan, Padua, Taranto, Bari, Cortina D'Ampezzo, La Spezia, Spontorno, Lucca, and the Vatican City.
Together with Sassu, Ajmone, Cantatore, Capogrossi, Gentilini and Saetti, Breddo illustrated the book ‘Uomo del mio tempo’ written by Salvatore Quasimodo and published by Sommaruga Edizioni Verona, in 1963.
In 1963 he became professor at the Venice Liceo Artistico, and at the end of the year he moved on to teach painting and then to become director (from 1964 to 1983) at the Florence Accademia di Belle Arti.
In 1965 Breddo worked at the cover of the book ‘Sull’orlo di noi’ by Dino Carlesi; in 1973 illustrated ’50 anni di poesia’ by Eugenio Montale.
Works by him are currently in important public and private collections including the Casa Museo Boschi Di Stefano in Milan, the Collezione Verzocchi at the Pinaocoteca Civica di Forli, and in the Cariplo Bank Collection.
