Olivier Julia

Olivier Julia graduated with a BA in graphic art from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. Until recently, he held a tutoring position in graphic art at the same academy besides practicing as an independent artist. Since he retired from the academy, he has been working as a full-time visual artist. Originally his work consists of sober graphic art and monumental drawings, but in more recent years, he has explored the dimensional possibilities of graphic art. He creates three-dimensional objects from wood, often painted in subdued colors that are characteristic of his earlier work: differentiated shades of grey and deep blacks. The work of Julia is focussed on the subtle interaction of closed versus open, vertical versus horizontal and light versus dark. His work is exhibited internationally and is part of many renowned corporate and public collections such as ING, KPN, TNT Post, Rijksmuseum Twenthe in The Netherlands, Vaasa Museum in Finland, Royal Library of Belgium, Wilploo Collection and MAL Collection. Furthermore, his work is part of numerous private collections around the world including Europe, the USA and South America. His work was selected for the main Dutch abstract-geometric and constructivist art exhibition, Symposion 2015.

Painting is an art form that has spanned innumerable cultures, with artists using the medium to tell stories, explore and communicate ideas and express themselves. To bring abstract, landscape and still-life paintings into your home is to celebrate and share in the long tradition of this discipline.

When we look at paintings, particularly those that originated in the past, we learn about history, other cultures and countries of the world. Like every other work of art, paintings — whether they are contemporary creations or works that were made during the 19th century — can often help us clearly see and understand the world around us in a meaningful and interesting way.

Cave walls were the canvases for what were arguably the world’s first landscape paintings, which depict natural scenery through art. Portrait paintings and drawings, which, along with sculpture, were how someone’s appearance was recorded prior to the advent of photography, are at least as old as Ancient Egypt. In the Netherlands, landscapes were a major theme for painters as early as the 1500s. Later, artists in Greece, Rome and elsewhere created vast wall paintings to decorate stately homes, churches and tombs. Today, creating a wall of art is a wonderful way to enhance your space, showcase beautiful pieces and tie an interior design together.

No matter your preference, whether you favor Post-Impressionist paintings, animal paintings, Surrealism, Pop art or another movement or specific period, arranging art on a blank wall allows you to evoke emotions in a room while also showing off your tastes and interests. A symmetrical wall arrangement may comprise a grid of four to six pieces or, for an odd number of works, a horizontal row. Asymmetrical arrangements, which may be small clusters of art or large, salon-style gallery walls, have a more collected and eclectic feel. Download the 1stDibs app, which includes a handy “View on Wall” feature that allows you to see how a particular artwork will look on a particular wall, and read about how to arrange wall art. And if you’re searching for the perfect palette for your interior design project, what better place to turn than to the art world’s masters of color?

On 1stDibs, you’ll find an expansive collection of paintings and other fine art for your home or office. Browse abstract paintings, portrait paintings, paintings by popular artists and more today.