The son of an Italian immigrant, Camilo Mori entered the "Escuela de Bellas Artes" (School of Fine Arts) at the University of Chile in 1914 and studied under masters Juan Francisco González, Richón Brunet and Alberto Valenzuela Llanos.

In 1920, he was sent by the Chilean government to further his studies in Europe] Over the next three years, Mori spent time in Rome and Paris.

He exhibited in the Salon d'Automne of 1920 in Paris, where his "Circo de la Feria" received an honorable mention.

In 1928, as an initiative to mitigate the closure of the School of Fine Arts, Mori was once again sent by the Chilean government to Europe, this time to direct the studies of a group of young painters known as the "Generation of 1928" (Spanish: Generacion del 28), which culminated in 26 of the most outstanding young Chilean artists being sent to study in Paris for five years.

His work was complex and multifaceted and moved through Post-Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism, with the common trend among them being a prominent treatment of color.