Claudio Bertoni is a renowned Chilean poet, photographer, and visual artist. Born on February 11, 1946, in Santiago, Chile, Bertoni pursued his early education at the Liceo Alemán before enrolling in the Faculty of Philosophy at the Universidad de Chile. However, he soon left his studies after meeting poet and artist Cecilia Vicuña, who became his partner for several years.

Bertoni also studied music at the National Conservatory. In the early 1970s, he was involved in various artistic pursuits, including music, photography, and writing. Notably, he was a percussionist for Fusión, the first Chilean jazz-rock band.

Throughout his career, Bertoni has been awarded several scholarships, allowing him to spend periods in the United States (1964, American Field Service in Denver; 1993, Guggenheim Fellowship) and in Europe, where he lived mainly in London and Paris from 1972 to 1976. His first book, El cansador intrabaja, was published in Great Britain in 1973.