Louis Toffoli (1907-1999) was born in Trieste (now a port city in northeastern Italy near the Slovenian border) to an Italian father and a Slovenian mother. When Toffoli was a child, the Austro-Hungarian Empire that ruled Trieste was undergoing political turmoil. In 1915, Toffoli’s family was forced into exile. They went to live in Padua, Florence, and other such places in Italy, where Toffoli became inspired by religious and secular art. After returning to Trieste, he worked as a craftsman while studying at the Trieste Academy of Fine Arts, and participated in the Trieste Biennale in 1928. His constructivist paintings caught the attention of the Italian fascist regime. Fearing for his safety, Toffoli traveled to Paris in 1930 under the pretext of an artistic trip. After arriving in Paris, Toffoli participated in international painting competitions and began to exhibit regularly in Salon d'Automne, Salon des Indépendants, and other such salons. In 1947, Toffoli acquired French citizenship. Later, he also learned lithography, which added even more influence to his works.

Toffoli paints poetic scenes in vivid colors, seemingly invoking a faint layer of light to emanate from the canvas. Light penetrates bodies and landscapes, breaking them down into multiple overlapping parts of transparency and fantasy. Inspired by Cubist artists such as Georges Braque and Marcel Duchamp, elements of abstraction and constructivism can also be found in Toffoli’s paintings. In addition, Toffoli's tenderness in color and form, as well as his exquisite canvas structure, all contribute to his unique creative style that breaks through existing artistic classification.

The artist started his creative journey in 1956. Spain, Yugoslavia, Morocco, Mexico, Brazil, the United States, Israel, and China are all places he has traveled to. Straying from the usual tourist routes, Toffoli embraced nature and engaged with the locals in an attempt to find the true spirit of humanity. For example, when he was in China, he painted pictures of the mountains of Guilin, the Great Wall, and other various rural landscapes. His paintings gracefully illustrate the local humanities and customs. Furthermore, Toffoli’s upbringing and craftsmanship experiences are also reflected in his paintings. The working class, the common people, and even the scenes of war are common themes in his artwork.

Toffoli devoted his life to creating, holding exhibitions all over the world. Museums in Germany, Brazil, Spain, the Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Sweden, the United States, and other such places feature his works. The Musée Toffoli in his honor was inaugurated in Charenton-le-Pont, a commune near Paris, in 1995 and the artist himself donated more than 100 works to the commune (The current site is at Espace Art et Liberté). He was also awarded the Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1996, and there were movies and TV shows produced for him. He is undeniably the artist that represents the microcosm of modern French realism.