biography

Mauro Urbano was born on september 15, 1968 in Mendrisio - Switzerland -  son of one of the greatest italian art dealers of all time, Urbano Quinto, and descendant of a noble family already present in the annals from 1574.  

He was called Mauro in a kind of patronymic bond, in memory of his father's stage name, who in his youth did not like to be called Quinto. 

The mother Anita Bischoff, of Swiss nationality, was born in Scuol - Schuls in the Canton of Grisons, daughter of the master blacksmith Gisep and Ludovica Roner.

 

In 1984 he began, in parallel with studies, the activity of ancient art dealer at the Urbano Quinto Gallery, in Novara, Italy. 

​

In his Bildungsroman the acquaintances with Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring are highlighted. Andy Warhol portrayed and photographed him several times with his famous Polaroids and Jean-Michel Basquiat portrayed him, together with his father Urbano Quinto and his mother Anita Bischoff, in the series of drawings, initially created to be pasted onto canvas, "Swiss Lady, Swiss Boy and Urb". Keith Haring between 1982 and 1984, has several times amicably paid homage to Mauro, Quinto and Anita by depicting them during his impromptu performances in some of his famous drawings in the empty paper advertising spaces in the New York Subway. Also noteworthy are the casual friendship with Federico Fellini and the encounters with Herbert von Karajan, Emanuel Ungaro, Gerald Genta and Federico Zeri, who frequent the Gallery and the family home.

 

Since 1997 he has directed the Urbano Quinto Gallery, also participating in some of the most important trade shows in Europe. 

​

The passion for music leads Mauro Urbano, between the end of the 80s and the mid 90s, to be Radio Speaker and Radio Dj, also carrying out interviews with Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Level 42, Brian Ferry, The Original Blues Brothers Band and Kurt Cobain. Memorable is the impromptu encounter of February 24, 1994 in the backstage of the PalaTrussardi concert arena in Milan with Kurt Cobain, who draws Mauro Urbano in a caricature portrait on the radio mixing board.

 

In 2000 he continued his passion for writing by becoming director of Haute Epoque, an art and antiques insert of the international bilingual magazine Trend Europa. The collaboration ends after the edition of two issues, due to editorial differences with the ownership of the magazine.

 

Mauro Urbano is also author of books of ancient art. His writings are conserved and available in major libraries around the world, including the New York Public Library into "The Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Art & Architecture Collection",  The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, The British Library St. Pancras in London and the  "Kunsthistorisches Institut" of Florence, one of the earliest research centers in the history of art and architecture in Italy. 

 

In 2025 Mauro Urbano and his mother Anita Bischoff Urbano planned as authors the publication of two books.

The first will be "The World of Urbano Quinto" also will contain the "Urbano Quinto's American Diaries (1977 - 1987)"  that will tell for the first time the golden decade of Street and Pop Art seen from the eyes of Urbano Quinto through the friendships with Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.

The second one will be “Masterpieces of the Middle Age and the Renaissance from the Urbano Quinto Collection”.

This limited edition book will contain masterpieces of european sculptures and works of art from the Middle Age and the Renaissance, for the most part unpublished, from the Urbano Quinto Heritage Collection.

​

Moreover Mauro is recognized as an international expert on works of the Pop Art trio: Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. This passion was handed down to him by his father Urbano Quinto, who was a personal friend of all three these artists. The meticulous study of the unique works of these masters led him to collaborate with some of the major American, Canadian and European auction houses and private collectors.

 

Mauro Urbano has been President of Urbano Heritage since 2023. The UQH is responsible for the planning and implementation of international cultural events and art publications dedicated to the emblematic figure of Urbano Quinto and his art collections of Middle Age, Renaissance and Pop Art works on paper. The board of Urbano Quinto Heritage has always been committed to continuing charitable and philanthropic causes according to the guidelines set by Urbano Quinto and is also active in new charity projects in collaboration with international foundations.