Avati was born in Monaco but has spent his working life in Paris. Together with the expatriate Japanese artists Shoichi Hasegawa and Yozo Hamaguchi in Tokyo, he led the revival of mezzotint as a popular print medium. This painstaking and laborious technique has a richness which no other type of etching can emulate. The depth of colour obtained, particularly the blacks, have a velvety quality. Avati's works are all still lifes. The inspiration is obviously classical but he is a truly 'modern' artist in every way.