Arturo Nathan (Italian, 1891-1944), La nave naufragata

Oil and tempera on board, 1925, signed and dated at lower right, retaining collector's label and artist's label to verso, framed.

Board 16 x 19 1/2 in.; Frame dimensions 19 x 22 1/2 in.

From the Collection of Dottore Carlo Koch, Trieste, Italy

By family descent

Arturo Nathan was an Italian painter born in Trieste and an important figure in Italian art between the World Wars. Largely self-taught, he began painting seriously after World War I and became part of Trieste’s vibrant intellectual circle, which included Italo Svevo, Umberto Saba, and Leonor Fini. A formative encounter with Giorgio de Chirico in Rome in 1925 profoundly influenced his development, and Nathan became associated with Metaphysical painting and Magic Realism. His enigmatic landscapes, deserted shorelines, classical fragments, and solitary figures are characterized by stillness, introspection, and a dreamlike sense of mystery. He exhibited repeatedly at the Venice Biennale and participated in the Rome Quadriennale and international exhibitions during the 1920s and 1930s.

Born to a Jewish family, Nathan's career was curtailed by the racial laws enacted under Fascist Italy. He was eventually arrested and deported, first to Bergen-Belsen and later to Biberach an der Riss, where he died in 1944. Following his death, his friend de Chirico published a tribute to him, and the Venice Biennale presented a commemorative retrospective of his work in 1948. Nathan is today recognized for his highly personal interpretation of Metaphysical art, combining its mysterious, suspended atmosphere with an intensely poetic and contemplative vision.

Several small scattered paint flakes; no evidence of restoration or retouch visible under UV light.