Mario Schifano; Italian Pop Artist

Mario Schifano, 63, Italian pop artist who worked in a range of media from Plexiglas to videotape. The son of an archeologist, Schifano was born in Libya and, after military service, helped his father do restoration work at the Etruscan museum at the Villa Giulia in Rome. That interested him in art, and he taught himself to paint and create, starting with yellow monochromes. Then he incorporated signs and advertising images of soft drink and gasoline brand names. He achieved international notice in 1961 when his work was displayed in Rome alongside that of the well-known pop artists Jasper Johns and Klaes Oldenburg. Schifano also exhibited at the Venice Biennale and was stage designer for a production of Bellini’s opera “Norma.” On Monday in Rome of a heart attack.