Maurizio Valenzi was born in Tunis on November 16, 1909 into a Livornese Jewish family (see Leghorn). After graduating with a baccalauréat from the Italian School in Tunis, he went to Rome to study law. He never completed the course, however, because he had developed a passion for art, which he began to pursue in a painting studio with a friend from Tunis, Antonio Corpora.

      Returning to Tunisia in June 1932, Valenzi attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts of Tunis for a few years.With Antonio Corpora, Loris Gallico, and Jules Lellouche, he joined the cubist and…