My Zebra Saves

Mauro Oliveira was born in São Paulo, Brazil and raised on the outskirts under extreme poverty, with no running water or electricity. He and his six siblings were sent to a military state-run orphanage after both parents passed away in their 30s. His passion for the United States and art started at age nine in the orphanage. His first art project, at age 10, was to paint and decorate the plain tin piggy banks that were given out for free by the banks and then selling them. Oliveira encouraged and supervised the other children to do the same and raised funds for food. He did stay out of trouble, studied hard and surmounted every obstacle on his way, dreaming of making it to America one day. He made it to college with straight A’s and won a student exchange program contest sponsored by the Federal University of Uberlândia, Brazil. He studied journalism and the arts and immigrated to the U.S. in 1990.

Oliveira has worked in several different art media, from oil pastels and charcoal sketches to clay sculptures. His greatest influences are Pablo Picasso and the Spanish artist Joan Miró. Oliveira's artworks have been exhibited throughout the U.S. as well as internationally, most recently in Hong Kong, Los Angeles and New York.

Explore a vast range of abstract prints on 1stDibs to find a piece to enhance your existing collection or transform a space.

Unlike figurative paintings and other figurative art, which focuses on realism and representational perspectives, abstract art concentrates on visual interpretation. An artist may use a single color or simple geometric forms to create a world of depth. Printmaking has a rich history of abstraction. Through materials like stone, metal, wood and wax, an image can be transferred from one surface to another.

During the 19th century, iconic artists, including Edvard Munch, Paul Cézanne, Georgiana Houghton and others, began exploring works based on shapes and colors. This was a departure from the academic conventions of European painting and would influence the rise of 20th-century abstraction and its pioneers, like Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian.

Some leaders of European abstraction, including Franz Kline, were influenced by the gestural shapes of East Asian calligraphy. Calligraphy interprets poetry, songs, symbols or other means of storytelling into art, from works on paper in Japan to elements of Islamic architecture.

Bold, daring and expressive, abstract art is constantly evolving and dazzling viewers. And entire genres have blossomed from it, such as Color Field painting and Minimalism.

The collection of abstract art prints on 1stDibs includes etchings, lithographs, screen-prints and other works, and you can find prints by artists such as Joan Miró, Alexander Calder and more.