Gian Paolo Giovannetti was born in Giustagnana (near Seravezza) and he has been living in Forte dei Marmi since 1983.
After the compulsory school he graduated in sculpture at Istituto d'Arte in Pietrasanta and later at the Academy in Carrara.
In the meanwhile he started working in several sculpture laboratories of Versilia.
He has been teaching history of art and marble working for more than twenty years, firstly with Municipality of Pietrasanta, secondly with Province of Lucca.
Around 1970 he began dedicating himself to painting, in such a way that he could communicate his emotions also with the use of colors. His first works as a painter showed scenes from his land of origin in the hills of Versilia, particularly from Fabiano where he has been showing his works every summer for about thirty years.
He started exhibiting his works in personal show in Carrara and Massa (1974), and in Arco (1975), the country of Segantini. In 1976 he exhibited in Pistoia, and in 1977 in Paris.
From 1979 he abandoned sculpture to dedicate himself completely to painting, beginning with an exposition in New York.
In 1981 he showed in Florence and in Lucca, the following year in Forte dei Marmi and in 1987 in Florence again. In 1995 Gian Paolo Giovannetti presented a selected collection of works to the Galleria Fogola of Torino and he had a great success, even among notional newspapers. Three years later he went there again with an important exposition.
In 1993 Pietrasanta gave its welcome to his paintings in Centro Culturale Luigi Russo and in 1997 inside Galleria Petrartedizioni atelier.
In the last years it took place in Lugano a big show with some important artists of the 20th century.
In march 2003 the Municipality of Seravezza offered him the possibility of organizing an important anthological show inside Palazzo Mediceo.
During the last years he took part in several conferences and expositions in the land of Pisa, between them the show in the years 2006 inside the medieval tower of the Upezzinghi in Calcinaia Pisa.
It had a big role also the one in 2007 in Giustagnana, where different sculptors and painters of this small town exhibited their works.
In june 2008 he set up a personal exhibition at the Europa Gallery in Lido di Camaiore, later he was present at a collective art show in Villa Schiff-Giorgini in Montignoso.
In the first months of 2009 he took part in several initiatives, among which “1000 Artisti a Palazzo” in the nobiliar rooms of Palace Arese Borromeo in Cesano Maderno, near Milan, the collective in Sant'Agostino in Pietrasanta during the wine art festival, organized by the art critic Lodovico Gierut, and the Rassegna d'Arte contemporanea PisArt Expo 2009 in Pisa.
In march he was invited to bring three works at the exhibition “I Fortemarmini” inside the Fortino of Forte dei Marmi. It followed a personal and then a collective show in the cultural centre “Convivio” in Lido di Camaiore.
He was a guest at other three collectives, one in Cerreto Montignoso themed to the olive tree, one in Pietrasanta at La Meridiana Gallery and another in Navacchio Pisa “Arte nei Borghi pittura-grafica-scultura”.
The year 2010 starts with him taking part at the new 2010 editions of PisArt Expo in Pisa and of Wine Art Festival in Pietrasanta. In may he comes back to Forte dei Marmi, this time exposing in Villa Bertelli, at the show “L'arte sposa la moda”.
During all the month of july it is taking place a personal show “La Principessa e la Volpe – The Princess and the Fox” at the Galleria Petrartedizioni in Pietrasanta.
It follows the international show in Amilly, France, the Quadriennale d'arte contemporanea "Leonardo da Vinci” by Mondial Art in Olbia, and the charity show inside the Museum of Independence in Warsaw, Poland.
Lastly we can recall that thanks to the collaboration of his friends and art critics, Gian Paolo Giovannetti exposed in some important shows together with the biggest Italian artists of the 20th century, between them there are:
Carlo Carrà, Giorgio Morandi, Lucio Fontana, Pablo Picasso, Lorenzo Viani, Marcello Polacci, Ernesto Treccani, Renato Guttuso, Piet Mondrian, Fernand Lèger, Felice Carena, Lorenzo D'Angiolo, Pietro Annigoni, René Magritte, Mario Sironi, Ennio Morlotti, Ardengo Soffici, Bruno Cassinari, Mino Maccari, Giuseppe Migneco, Enrico Baj, Emilio Vedova, Ottone Rosai, Riccardo Tommasi Ferroni, Bruno Cassinari, Alberto Magnelli, Robert Carrol, Antonio Possenti, Arturo Puliti, Alberto Magri, and many others.