Roberto Altmann attended the Art Institute of Chiavari in the 1970s.

In the 1980s, he dedicated himself to the execution of frescoes, and the rigor of the craft, along with a desire to study the classics of the 1400s, 1500s, and 1600s.

The first ten years of his painting career reveal his influences and also a technical mastery that would later allow him to approach his personal research with a critical sense. However, he was never confined to classicism; instead, he was open to everything that constitutes true painting.

Thus, he engaged with various 20th-century movements—abstractions, informal art, and abstract expressionism—that would leave a mark on his subsequent works.