Gianni Dova was born in Rome on January 8, 1925 and in 1939 he settled with his family in Milan. During the war he attended the Accademia di Brera, with masters such as Carpi, Carrà and Funi. With some of his companions, in particular with Roberto Crippa, he establishes a relationship of collaboration and deep friendship. He actively participates in the cultural debate of the early post-war years, signing the Manifesto of realism (Beyond Guernica) in 1946. His painting in this period is of a neo-Cubist mold, in line with the dominant trend in young artists who have recently left the Academy who they saw in Picasso di Guernica a model to follow. His research interests collectors and gallery owners: in fact, in recent years he has signed a contract with Antonio Boschi, an important patron of young Milanese artists, and with Carlo Cardazzo, the soul and brain of the Gallerie del Naviglio in Milan and Cavallino in Venice. In 1947 he founded the Linea Group with Brindisi and Kodra