Angelo Gilardino began his passion for art in general and painting in particular at a very early age. The years of his youth were accompanied by his friendship with Gastone Cecconello, with whom he shared much of his free time and discussed themes that would later find expression in the notes of his compositions.
The friendship with Gastone would continue throughout Angelo Gilardino's life. For years, he would punctually visit the painter's studio to admire his works and choose which ones to make his own to include in his personal collection.

Over the years, his passion for painting prompted Angelo Gilardino to embark on a path of study and research that led him to build up a remarkable collection of works by 20th century artists of national and international renown.

From this collection, the master decided to take his leave to concentrate on the works of painters from his homeland, Vercelli; these are artists, mostly dedicated to portraying the landscapes of the Vercelli area, dominated by the cultivation of rice, in whose pictorial traits Gilardino recognised that bond, that root that in the latter part of his life began to make its voice intensely heard.