Sergio Nates

Near River

2013

Sergio Nates is a San Francisco Bay Area-based abstract painter. His geometric abstraction paintings demonstrate his training as both an industrial designer and an architect. Some of this work exhibits the strong influence of Mid-20th Century Modernism with contemporary and vibrant colors. His more recent work is decidedly not geometric. It is balanced and elegant with beautiful explosions of color on strong, saturated backgrounds. It also presents a juxtaposition of the apparent exploding confetti with the delicacy and detail that could be found in a fine old Dutch still life. Undergirding the frequent delicacy is the subtle, strong impasto of the flecks of light and color. This three-dimensional quality invites the viewer to look more deeply and to discover new insights into the work. Nates graduated from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) School of Industrial Design, and he holds a Master’s Degree in Architectural Monuments Restoration from the same university. Nates has exhibited extensively in Mexico, particularly in Mexico City. His works have been shown in Guatemala City; Toulouse, France; the Netherlands; and in the United States at the Dallas Museum of Art and the de Young Museum in San Francisco. In 2021 Nates was invited by the Consulate General of Mexico, San Francisco to participate in the Second Binational Conference for U.S.-based Mexican artists. Nates’ studio is in the Benicia Arsenal in Benicia, California.