Bruno Cerboni is an Italian artist and former mechanical engineer who turned a long career in technology and innovation into a second life in art. He blends traditional techniques like mosaic and mixed media with an AI-assisted digital process he calls SMART-ART.
Bruno Cerboni at a glance
- Nationality: Italian
- Born: 1948, Castel del Piano, Grosseto, Italy
- Background: Mechanical engineer (Sapienza University, Rome, 1972); 30-year career in IT and innovation management before turning to art full time
- Known for: Mosaic, mixed media, and traditional craft techniques remade through an AI-assisted process he calls SMART-ART
- Medium: Paintings, mosaics and mixed media, reproduced on canvas, wood, glass, silk, or ceramic
- Notable works: “Our Lady Mosaic” and portraits including Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and a tribute to Sean Connery
- Exhibited: Galleria M.A.D. (Mantua), a 58th Venice Biennale-related exhibition, and shows in Spain, Switzerland, the U.S., and India
- Official website: brunocerboni.it
Cerboni spent thirty years as an engineer and technology manager, including work in electronic publishing in the 1980s and a stint as vice president of innovation at major IT companies, before devoting himself to art full time. He is self-taught, and his process, which he calls SMART-ART, uses artificial intelligence to turn an original image into a high-resolution master file that can be reproduced on canvas, wood, glass, silk, or ceramic.
Rather than leaving tradition behind, he uses this process to bring back older techniques: mosaics, stained glass, trencadís (mosaics made from broken ceramic tile), and marble inlay, giving them a modern, technological edge. His portraits of figures like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, along with pieces such as “Our Lady Mosaic,” show how he mixes familiar faces with old-world craft, and he has also shown a series of AI-generated floral pieces in Mantua.
His work has been shown at Galleria M.A.D. in Mantua, in an exhibition tied to the 58th Venice Biennale, and in shows across Spain, Switzerland, the United States, and India. He is an official member of the Mondial Art Academia and was selected for ARTBOX.PROJECT Barcelona’s Top 100 in 2020. He was also among the early wave of Italian artists to move into NFTs, with a companion gallery on WooArts covering that side of his work.
What makes Bruno Cerboni’s art different from typical digital art?
He pairs an AI-assisted process, which he calls SMART-ART, with centuries-old techniques like mosaic and stained glass, so the finished pieces feel both historic and contemporary at once.
Why did a former engineer become an artist?
After thirty years managing technology and innovation projects, Cerboni turned that same technical curiosity toward art, building his own digital process instead of training in a traditional studio craft.
Where has his work been shown?
He has exhibited at Galleria M.A.D. in Mantua, in a show tied to the 58th Venice Biennale, and in galleries across Spain, Switzerland, the United States, and India, and he was selected for ARTBOX.PROJECT Barcelona’s Top 100 in 2020.
One of the high-resolution master works Cerboni creates through his SMART-ART process, ready for reproduction on canvas or ceramic. A figurative piece built up from Cerboni’s tessellated, mosaic-inspired technique. Another piece from his AI-generated floral work, shown in exhibitions in Mantua. A portrait built from the same saturated color blocks as a stained-glass window. A nod to Byzantine-style mosaic art, one of the traditions Cerboni draws on for his digital pieces. The broken-ceramic look of trencadís mosaic work, translated into a digital composition. An abstract piece carrying the same tessellated texture found throughout Cerboni’s portrait work. An example of SMART-ART, Cerboni’s own name for the AI process behind his high-resolution master works. Bold outlines and jewel-toned color recall stained glass, reinterpreted through Cerboni’s AI-assisted technique. A composition built from small tessellated shapes, the visual signature of Cerboni’s mosaic-influenced style. Cerboni often reworks recognizable faces through his mosaic-inspired process. A design inspired by marble inlay, one of several historic crafts Cerboni updates with artificial intelligence. Cerboni works across canvas, wood, glass, silk, and ceramic, reproducing each high-resolution master file on a different surface. A portrait rendered with Cerboni’s signature mosaic-like texture. Part of a series of AI-generated floral pieces Cerboni exhibited in Mantua. A piece built in the spirit of trencadís, broken-tile mosaic work reimagined through digital tools. The color blocking here echoes stained-glass windows, one of the old techniques Cerboni revives with his SMART-ART process. One of Cerboni’s AI-assisted portraits, built with the same layered look as traditional mosaic.
