Mimmo Paladino was born in Paduli, near Benevento in southern Italy in 1948. He spent his childhood in Naples and studied at the Liceo Artistico in Benevento (1964-1968). His first solo exhibition was held at the Studio Oggetto, Caserta in 1969 and since then he has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide.

A major retrospective of his work was held in Munich at the St�dtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in 1985. Other major solo exhibitions include: Galleria Civica d'Arte Contemporanea in Trento (1992), Forte Belvedere, Florence (1993), Scuderie di Palazzo Reale, Piazza del Plebiscito and Villa Pignatelli, Naples (1995-6), South London Gallery (1999). Most recently a major retrospective of his work was on show at the Centro per l'Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato, Italy (2002-03). Paladino's work is held in public collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Tate Gallery in London.