Umberto Mariani is an Italian post-war and contemporary artist born in 1936, known for his intricate monochromatic works on leaded canvas.

Umberto Mariani's work is reminiscent of the three-dimensional spatialism of the Italian avant-garde. He reproduces "Forma Celata (Hidden Forms)", creating folded shapes that resemble curtains concealing objects underneath, thus exploring the illusion of light and shadow created by the folds of the heavy material. Mariani created his first large-scale narrative work in the 1960s for St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Since then, his work has been widely exhibited in prestigious institutions around the world.