SwissArtGallery · Documented identity

Renato Natali

Italian painter Renato Natali (1883–1979), born and deceased in Livorno, situates his work within the artistic life of this port city. He is associated with Livorno’s post-Macchiaioli group during the first half of the 20th century and is one of the members of the Gruppo Labronico, whose painters met at the Caffè Bardi. He did not attend the official academy; according to the account, he is said to have learned from Guglielmo Micheli.

His subjects often include working-class people from Livorno’s neighbourhoods, as well as genre scenes and cabaret scenes: motifs rooted in urban daily life that he chose to depict. Alongside painting, he also practised printmaking, lithography and etching, reflecting the diversity of his work. In 1912, he went to Paris for two years; according to a reported phrase, he is said to have «fallen in love with Livorno in Paris». In the French capital, he discovered circles of bohemian artists, including Amedeo Modigliani, and the works of Toulouse-Lautrec.

His participation in exhibitions took him, among other places, to the Venice Biennale, as well as to Brighton, Minnesota, Buenos Aires, Cairo and Athens. In 1968, the Casa Comunale della Cultura in Livorno organised a retrospective exhibition dedicated to Natali, under the direction of Piero Caprile, accompanied by a monograph by Aldo Santini. In 1978, he received the distinction of Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica. After his death, Livorno sponsored another retrospective of his work in 1980.

This profile brings together identity references for Renato Natali and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.

2 references are documented at Dobiaschofsky, DognyAuction. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.

Works recorded at auction

Dobiaschofsky

Old Livorno.

Oil on canvas

Original catalogue wording

Vecchia Livorno.
Öl auf Leinwand

Date to be documented

Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed

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DognyAuction

Ballo all'aperto

Oil on canvas

Original catalogue wording

Ballo all'aperto
huile sur toile

Date to be documented

Published result : 1600 CHF

Fees not specified in the available data

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Sources and references

• Reference record
• ICCD-ArCo · CC-BY-4.0; Ministero della Cultura / ICCD-ArCo
• ICCD-ArCo · CC-BY-4.0; Ministero della Cultura / ICCD-ArCo. Reference link only; no image copied.
• Documentary source

SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Documentation updated : 2026-10-19