As a young man Campigli was briefly involved with the Futurist movement in Milan, publishing a ‘words in freedom’ poem in the magazine Lacerba. In 1919 he moved to Paris and taught himself to paint, being inspired by the work of Picasso and Léger. From 1926 Campigli exhibited with the Novecento group and developed links with the Italiani di Parigi, an association of artists which included Alberto Savinio, Gino Severini and Filippo de Pisis..