Born in Trieste, Pietro Bortoluzzi studied at the art academy in Venice. He mainly painted portraits, landscapes and genre scenes. From about 1898, he called himself "Pieretto Bianco" so as not to be confused with the painter Millo Bortoluzzi. Around the turn of the century, he showed his paintings at numerous exhibitions, including the Secession Exhibition in Rome and numerous biennials in Venice. In 1915, he won the Grand Prize at the San Francisco Universal Exhibition. In 1916, he moved to New York and worked as a set designer for the Metropolitan Opera until 1920. Back in Italy, he became a professor at the Academy of Arts in Rome. Until his death, Bortoluzzi continued to design stage sets for various opera houses in Italy. Nowadays, his paintings are mainly to be seen in museums in Italy.