In my opinion if the Artist is living, you should use the present tense to enumerate what that person is, (he is a artist that does ...., etc.) and the 'passato prossimo' for the things done and finished. I would not use 'passato prossimo' always for a living person, the reader will ask himself : is the Artist still living ? Also forms like: /ABC e` attualmente impegnato in this and that project/ /ABC sta progettando this and that / (gerundio) could be used for a living person.

Easyer "presente" better "passato prossimo"