Born in São Paulo (Brazil) in 1928, Arthur Luiz Piza began his studies in painting at a young age as a student of Antonio Gomide. From 1951 he settled in Paris. Living in Montparnasse, Piza regularly attended the engraving workshop of graphic artist Johnny Friedlaender, refining his skills in traditional graphic techniques but also experimenting extensively with his own techniques to make his work more sculptural and three-dimensional. Abandoning traditional etching techniques and using very thick copper plates, Piza developed a highly significant style.
From the time of his arrival in France, Piza participated in numerous group exhibitions, both in his host country and abroad (São Paulo Biennale, Ljubljana Biennale, Grenchen Print Biennale, Kassel Documenta, Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, etc.). He also presented works in solo exhibitions in Brazil and France; at Galerie La Hune (Paris) he had a dozen exhibitions between 1953 and 1991.
In his work, both in printmaking and painting, Piza's colour palette often consisted of muted earth tones with hints of ochre. The paintings are also three-dimensional and created using a variety of techniques.