Michael Paulker

Inspired by Abstract Expressionism and driven by deep curiosity, artist Michael Pauker has created an expansive oeuvre that is inclusive of abstract and figurative paintings, landscapes, sculptures, prints and collages constructed with scraps of aging historical documents, watercolor paints and found objects.

“As an artist, I am not a one-trick pony,” he has said. “Some artists find success doing one thing and stick just with it. But my curiosity is omnivorous. I’m driven by images I’ve never seen before, both abstract and figurative.”

Born in 1957 in New York, Pauker knew he wanted to be an artist from the age of 15. He earned his BFA from the State University of New York (SUNY), then in 1989, completed his MFA at Mills College (now Mills College at Northeastern University) in Oakland where he was awarded the City of Oakland Fellowship in Painting.

Since 1988, Pauker has lived and worked in the Bay Area, teaching art in various venues such as schools, colleges and institutions including the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, the state’s prison hospital, for several years. When he isn’t teaching, Pauker focuses on creating art — the mediums of which can change by the moment. 

While he works in oil on canvas for most of his paintings, Pauker is also known for his “Miniature Collage” series. He has worked on this series for more than a decade. Other works include abstract drawings and figurative watercolors blended with collages of vintage paper, stamps and found objects — his Oesterreich II is an example of the latter.

Pauker has exhibited widely across the United States, Japan and Costa Rica, and his works are held in the public collections of many institutions including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Find authentic Michael Pauker art on 1stDibs.

Bring audacious experiments with color and textures to your living room, dining room or home office. Abstract paintings, large or small, will stand out in your space, encouraging conversation and introducing a museum-like atmosphere that’s welcoming and conducive to creating memorable gatherings.

Abstract art has origins in 19th-century Europe, but it came into its own as a significant movement during the 20th century. Early practitioners of abstraction included Wassily Kandinsky, although painters were exploring nonfigurative art prior to the influential Russian artist’s efforts, which were inspired by music and religion. Abstract painters endeavored to create works that didn’t focus on the outside world’s conventional subjects, and even when artists depicted realistic subjects, they worked in an abstract mode to do so.

In 1940s-era New York City, a group of painters working in the abstract mode created radical work that looked to European avant-garde artists as well as to the art of ancient cultures, prioritizing improvisation, immediacy and direct personal expression. While they were never formally affiliated with one another, we know them today as Abstract Expressionists.

The male contingent of the Abstract Expressionists, which includes Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell, is frequently cited in discussing leading figures of this internationally influential postwar art movement. However, the women of Abstract Expressionism, such as Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell and others, were equally involved in the art world of the time. Sexism, family obligations and societal pressures contributed to a long history of their being overlooked, but the female Abstract Expressionists experimented vigorously, developed their own style and produced significant bodies of work.

Draw your guests into abstract oil paintings across different eras and countries of origin. On 1stDibs, you’ll find an expansive range of abstract paintings along with a guide on how to arrange your wonderful new wall art.

If you’re working with a small living space, a colorful, oversize work can create depth in a given room, but there isn’t any need to overwhelm your interior with a sprawling pièce de résistance. Colorful abstractions of any size can pop against a white wall in your living room, but if you’re working with a colored backdrop, you may wish to stick to colors that complement the decor that is already in the space. Alternatively, let your painting make a statement on its own, regardless of its surroundings, or group it, gallery-style, with other works.