Sirio Tofanari has discovered nature with his father who takes him hunting, while he was a child. At 14, he modelled a wounded Deer, which revealed his talent to his family. Orphan at 16, he was sent to study sculpture at the School of Fine Arts in Florence. But, resisting classical teaching, he left the School after a year and went to study alone in London and then in Paris.

It was in London that he began to develop a passion for animal art by regularly visiting the zoo and the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. In 1908 he returned to Florence where he began exhibiting his works. One of the first was purchased by the King of Italy at the Faenza Exhibition. He exhibited regularly at all art exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale and also abroad (San Francisco, 1916; Buenos Aires, 1923; Brussels, 1928 where the Queen bought him works)