Umberto Nigi was born in the smallest island of Toscana, Gorgona, on May 13 - 1945 . Afterwards, his family moves to Pisa and next to Livorno. Livorno, the Toscan city upon the Tirreno sea, is well Known for being the hometown of the painter Amedeo Modigliani and the musician Pietro Mascagni. There, Umberto starts attending the atelier of Livorno’s painters, especially Renzo Casali’s atelier, the old artist from the “Post-Macchiaioli”. In 1963, he goes to Venice to visit the Museum Peggy Guggenheim influenced by the idea of being a painter. In the next year, attracted to the impressionist paintings, he goes to Paris, for the first time, and gets fascinated to Vincent Van Gogh’s works Umberto returns to Livorno, where he paints intensively and stands out from the tendency that monopolizes the artistic style of the city, although growing among the “Post Macchiaioli” painters, he distinguishes from others for his personal style, defined by critics as Primitivist. He finishes his studies and, then, goes to Turin and Florence, where he joins the Military Service. In the capital of Piedmont, while visiting the Egyptian Museum, he falls in love for the Egyptian culture, which takes him to live in an Arabic country some years later. In 1973, Emiliano, his first son, was born. In the following year, one of his paintings is given as the first prize in the “Città di Carrara”literary contest, during the 8th “Art and Culture” Edition. In 1976, Umberto participates in the First Italian and Yugoslavian Naïve Painters Selection and also in the Second International Biennial Naïve Art. He meets Tommaso Giotti, an art marchand who organizes great exhibitions. At that year, Umberto is inserted in Bolaffi Naïve Art National Catalogue nº2. Umberto exhibits, in 1977, for the first time in Florence, a personal exposition with the help of his friend Giotti, at the “Bottega di Cimabue” Gallery, presented in the catalogue by Giarncarlo Caldini. Thereafter, he returns to Paris. He is nominated in 1978 as an Italian Academic (Acadêmico d’Itália) “for the activities on the field of plastic arts”. He is also invited to exhibits his works in the Permanent Exhibition of the International Ancient and Modern Art Museum of Salsomaggiore Terme. At the current year, Umberto exhibits in Sirmione at the Garda Lake, in Camaiore at the Cavanis School and he is invited to participate in the 1st La Spezia Biennial of Art, besides being in the 2nd Italian Naïve Painters selection. He shows his works in Bari, with an important personal exhibition at the “Riccioto Canudo” Gallery. In La Spezia, Umberto exhibits his works in a personal exposition at the Studio 13 Gallery, and among them is the “Il riposo”. The poet Vittorio Grotti presents him in the catalogue: “his art, in that form, is an act of love against the rationality, the consumerism and the conformity” In 1980, he shows his works in Viareggio in a personal exhibition at the “Il Magazzino del Sale” Gallery. He goes to the United States for the first time. In New York, he gets in touch with the abstract paintings by Pollock, De Kooning and Rothko. Then, he goes on to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Mexico City. He moves to Florence, where he gets in touch with the great cultural life of that city. In 1984, in Rome, the sculptor Alba Gonzales introduces Umberto through the exhibition “Racconto Contadino”, presented in the catalogue by Renzo Margonari and Luciano Luisi. He won the award “Carlo Capodieci” “for his important support to the Italian Culture.” In the following year, he exhibits in Gubbio at the “Casa di San Ubaldo” being presented by Vicenzo Perna: “nowadays, he is questioning himself about Naiveté. In 1986, his works are exhibited in Prato, Florence. Thereafter, he moves to Egypt seduced by the Arabic culture. In 1987, Umberto exhibits his works at the “Akhenaton” Gallery. In Egypt, he meets some great Egyptian artists, such as the author Nagib Mahfuz, the Nobel Prize winner for Literature, and the painter Adel El Siwi. Forms, colors, sensations emerge unconsciously from Egypt, moving towards his way of painting, which would be perceived at a posterior moment. And his search is definitively driven to the informal, by a long period of hard work that lasts until the beginning of 90s. He lives in Egypt for 8 years From then on, Umberto travels and learns about many cultures, which influences deeply his works. He goes to Greece to visit Athens. Next, he goes to Cyprus. He heads to Iraq to visit Babylon. Then, he goes to Turkey to visit Istanbul and Ankara and travels to Sudan and Libya. Umberto exhibits in Gubbio again, at the “Sadowski” Gallery. He returns to Egypt. In 1989, he goes back to Paris, visits Cezanne’s atelier in Aix-Provence and gives homage to Amedeo Modigliani’s grave at Pere Lachaise cemetery. Returning to Africa, he goes several times to High Egypt, where he visits Abu Simbel and Aswan. Umberto goes to Jordan to visit Amman and Petra. Heading back to Europe, he exhibits in Rome again, with a personal exposition at “Remo Croce” Bookstore. He starts to paint using “poor materials”, such as sand, plaster, metallic net and glue, as well as he begins to make his own old wooden frames. During this period, he gives up painting with oil and tries acrylic. He meets Piero Dorazio and Toti Scialoja and the writer Piero Chiara. Exhibits in San Remo at “Palais des Arts”. Umberto goes to Yemen and organizes in the capital, Sana’a, a personal exhibition with his friend, the sculptor Rashad Salim. In 1994, he moves back to Italy to live in Rome, where he exhibits, in a reserved room, during the “IV Visual Arts Exhibition”. Thereon, he exhibits at the “Remo Croce Cultural Center”, presented in the catalogue by the critic Vitor Apuleo. He is mentioned in the Comanducci Universal dictionary. Still in Rome, he exhibits in Piombino at the “Center of Initiatives for the Arts” and, in Milan, at the “Via Nota” Gallery. He travels to the United Arab Emirates and stays in Abu Dhabi. Then, he returns to Toscana with the exposition “La poesia della Materia”, presented in the catalogue by Patrizia Pedri: “. . . Umberto Nigi, in his continuing pictorial evolution, has been able to perceive and retain on the screen a deep extract of essential geometries from his most particular, informal and abstract world of colors”. He goes back to the United Arab Emirates. Next, he goes to South Africa and visits Johannesburg, Durban and Pietmarisburg. Umberto lives in Sarajevo for seven months trying to understand (but he is unable to do so) “why so many youths has died in that horrible war”. In 1998, he visits Brazil for the first time and lives in Rio for one year. Then, he goes to Argentina, Buenos Aires. Returning to Europe, Umberto lives in London for one year, where he faces with the extraordinary cultural life of that metropolis. He goes back to Gorgona island with his son, Emiliano. Then, Umberto goes to Portugal to visit Lisbon and Porto. Afterwards, he returns to Brazil settling in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, where Valentina, his daughter, was born. In 2002, he exhibits in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, at Minas Gerais Estate Assembly, and in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, at “Aloísio Magalhães” Gallery with the exhibition “Nude Color”, presented in the catalogue by the Italian poet Patrizia Pedri. In 2004, Umberto exhibits in Belo Horizonte at “Palácio das Artes” with the personal exposition “Illuminations” In 2005, he shows his works at the Ancient Prison of Tiradentes, Minas Gerais, with the exhibition “Le coordinate dell’immaginazione”. In 2006, he shows at the Italian Ambassy in Brasilia with “A pintura lirica e racional” presented in the catalogo by Fabio Magalhães. In Belo Horizonte shows with “AbstraKt” 13 new large painting and he shows the same in Ouro Preto. In March 2007 in the United Nations in New York, Nigi shows a news works. In 2007 shows in Italy Bologna and Cesena.
