Giovanni Costetti came from a family of artisans. He attended the drawing school for craftsmen in Reggio. As a scholarship holder, he moved to Florence at an early age and stayed there for the rest of his life. A first collective exhibition of his works earned him numerous awards in 1902. During a short stay in Paris, he met Rodin and Carrière. Costetti exhibited regularly and extensively in Florence and Venice, mainly portraits. He also appeared on various occasions as an etcher and illustrator. Costetti rejected the fascist cultural policy and withdrew from public art life in the mid-1930s.