Matteo Pugliese was born in Milan in 1969. In 1978 his family moved to Sardinia and lived there for the next 12 years. During this time he developed a strong love for drawing and sculpture and practiced without formal education. After finishing his secondary school studies in classics in Cagliari, he returned to Milan to attend university. In 1995 he was awarded his degree in modern literature at the University of Milan with a graduation thesis on art criticism.

Models present creations by fashion design students of the Taiwanese Shih Chien university at the Berlin Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2016 in Berlin, Germany, January 22, 2016. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

An attendee at the “Eating Insects Detroit: Exploring the Culture of Insects as Food and Feed” conference at Wayne State University shows an edible freeze-dried locust insect in Detroit, Michigan May 26, 2016. (Photo by Rebecca Cook/Reuters)

The first four finalists are selected during the 66th Miss Universe pageant at Planet Hollywood hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 26, 2017. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Reuters)

Gifts for the homeless are handed out during Santa Bar Crawl, Oxford, England on December 5, 2017. Here: Oxford university students on a Santa-themed pub crawl. (Photo by Greg Blatchford/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Miss Universe contestant Carmina Olimpia Cotfas of Romania poses dressed in the national costume for Miss Universe Romania 2021, created by Israeli designer Aviad Arik Herman, in the hallway of the Romanian Atheneum, the reputed 19th century built concert hall, in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, November 22, 2021. The 70th Miss Universe pageant is being staged in the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat on December 12. (Photo by Andreea Alexandru/AP Photo)

Alejandra Guajardo, Miss Universe El Salvador 2022 poses on stage in an outfit inspired by the country's use of Bitcoin, and previously the colón and cocoa beans as a currency, during the 71st Miss Universe National Costume Show at the Ernst N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. January 11, 2023. (Photo by Benjamin Askinas/©IMG Universe LLC/Handout via Reuters)

Reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach,second from right, watches beauty contestants during a media presentation at suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines, Tuesday, March 29, 2016. Forty beauty hopefuls are vying for the coveted title that would represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe beauty pageant. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)