Born in 1958 in Aarau (Switzerland)
From 1975 to 1979 she trained as a primary school teacher. During her time as teacher she seized many opportunities to enhance her skills and knowledge by pursuing courses in design (Franz Weber, Martin Ruf).
In 1980 she began a two-year course of complementary study in movement and dance improvisation (at the Jutta Klamt school, in Aarau, Switzerland). At the same time she began working with oils and she also attended the course in artistic modelling in Zurich at the School for Design (Piccard); in Basle she attended the "Colour and form" course (H.-R. Fitze) and in Biel-Bienne the course in nude drawing (Daniel Salzmann). She followed this by attending the nude drawing course at the Volkshochschule in Biel (Danilo Wyss). After completing this course, she pursued further in-depth work with Danilo Wyss and a small group of colleagues.
Her regular work for and with Ruedi Schibli, Aarau/Suhr (1980-1988) had a profound effect on her. In 1990, 1993 and 1995 she travelled with Schibli to Tuscany in Italy, where she devoted herself to landscape painting. After 1992, painting became such a central topic for her that she began working in her own studio.
Daniela de Maddalena is active as a freelance artist. She is a member of Visarte, the professional association for visual art. She was also active on the management board of Biel art society (2001–2011). She is project manager of A-ART, a project organised by Visarte, Biel (professional association for visual art).
Since 2003 she is working as a paedagogue and art mediator at the the Contemporary Art Center, Centre PasquArt, Biel Bienne.