"Levy was dedicated to the representation of the worldly and carefree Viareggio of the rich bourgeois and aristocrats who had the Walk of the Viali a Mare as stage."
Moses Levy was born in Tunis to a British father and an Italian mother. Moses received training in various Italian locations, including Lucca, Florence, and the studio of Giovanni Fattori. He later became active in Viareggio. While he spent most of his life in Tunisia, he frequently journeyed between the northern and southern Mediterranean coasts. After completing his studies in Tunis and attending the Academy of Lucca in Florence, followed by the School of Fine Arts in Florence, he gained recognition for his artwork The picking of olives, which was featured at the VII Biennale in Venice in 1907.
Upon returning to Tunisia in 1908, he blended Tunisian and Tuscan influences in his art. His works were exhibited at venues such as the Tunis Chamber of Commerce and Arts, Rome in 1913 and 1914, and alongside avant-garde painters like De Chirico in Viareggio during 1918 and 1919. In 1925, he settled in Tunis, continuing to showcase his creations in Rome, Viareggio, and Tunis. He went on to exhibit as part of the Group of Four in Tunis and emerged as a prominent figure in the Group of Ten, founded in Tunis in 1948. Moses Levy shared a close bond with artists like Yahia Turki, Ammar Farhat, Aly Ben Salem, Jellal Ben Abdallah, Hatim El Mekki, and Abdelaziz Gorgi. He played a significant role in the founding of the School of Tunis in 1949 alongside Pierre Boucherle, shaping the Tunisian art scene.
Returning to Italy in 1953, Moses Levy permanently settled in Viareggio and continued to enrich both Tunisia and Italy with his vibrant use of color. Holding a deep attachment to Viareggio, he established a permanent residence in 1962, until his passing in 1968. A touching retrospective was organized in 2002 in Viareggio to honor his life and artistic contributions.
His friendship with Italian painter Lorenzo Viani was formed during their time at the Royal Institute of Fine Arts in Lucca in 1900, added to the cultural vibrancy of Viareggio between the world wars, despite their differing perspectives. While Levy concentrated on portraying the leisurely and carefree aspects of Viareggio's affluent bourgeoisie and aristocrats along the Viali a Mare, the city's promenade, the Viareggio Master, Lorenzo Viani, focused on the city's inhabitants, particularly sailors and fishermen, and their tragic experiences.