Born in 1930 in Naples where he still lives and works today. He has experienced many of the most interesting currents of contemporary visual arts. He defines himself as a "therapist of the landfill", because he brings objects that have ceased their original function back to life. His love for reuse dates back to his teenage years, when he worked as a junk dealer to pay for his studies. In 1955, he was among the signatories of the "nuclear art manifesto" whose exponents practiced a painting not dissimilar to informal currents, but more sensitive to the themes of the atomic age, a moment of fear and hope. Subsequently, Persico moved away from two-dimensional painting and the concept of collectible artistic artifacts to experiences such as 'practicable works', so called because they allowed the user to interact with them, expanding or modifying them. Important were the friendships during this period with artists such as Manzoni, Duchamp, Baj, and Breton. In 1958, he was among the founders of the Gruppo Sud and the magazine Documento Sud which "was born to face a common front against the vulgar piedigrottesca of laurine Naples" (Persico).