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of abstract and figurative paintings, landscapes, sculptures, prints and collages constructed with scraps of aging historical documents, watercolor paints and found objects.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.
$1,290Sale Price|40% Off
Caricature Portrait of a Man
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
Contemporary caricature-style portrait of a man by Michael Pauker (American, b. 1957). Signed "Michael Pauker" and dated 1976 on verso. Acquired with a collection of his work. Image ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,080Sale Price|20% Off
Four Faces, Contemporary Surreal Figurative Abstract on Black
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
Contemporary surreal figurative oil painting featuring the faces of four men floating in the lower register of a black space Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b.1957). Unsign...
Oil, Linen
$1,600
H 21.25 in W 17.25 in D 1.5 in
A Striking Modern 1920s Art Deco Portrait of a Young Woman (Oberteuffer Class)
By Walter Burt Adams
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking 1920s Art Deco Modern Portrait of a Young Woman by Notable Chicago Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). A well executed, early student work depicting a stylish youn...
Canvas, Oil
$1,100
H 24.5 in W 20.5 in D 1.5 in
A Contemplative 1940s Modern Studio Portrait, Seated Young Female Ballet Dancer
By Walter Burt Adams
Located in Chicago, IL
A Contemplative 1940s Modern Studio Portrait of a Seated Female Ballet Dancer by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). The painting a is well executed, i...
Oil, Canvas
$1,038Sale Price|20% Off
H 15.75 in W 12.21 in
Hidden Portraits XIX, Acrylic on Canvas, Modern, Framed, 1980s
Located in London, GB
'Hidden Portraits XIX', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing ...
Canvas, Acrylic, Board
$1,400
H 24.75 in W 18.5 in D 2 in
A Striking, Post-War Modern Studio Portrait of a Seated Young Male Nude Model
By Walter Burt Adams
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking, Colorful Post-War Studio Portrait of a Seated Young Male Nude Model by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). The painting a is well executed,...
Canvas, Oil
$1,550Sale Price|51% Off
H 35.25 in W 29.25 in D 1.75 in
Hayes Lyon “Portrait of Bessy Lyon" 1945 American Modern Oil Painting
By Hayes Lyon
Located in Denver, CO
An intimate and beautifully observed 1945 American Modern portrait by Colorado painter Hayes Lyon (1901–1987), depicting the artist’s wife, Bessy Lyon. Executed in oil on canvas, the...
Oil, Canvas
$12,948
H 41.34 in W 27.56 in D 1.97 in
Melody of Silence- 21st century Contemporary Interior painting with Young Woman
By Ksenya Istomina
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Ksenya Istomina 'Melody of Silence' 105 x 70 cm Oil on linen Painted after life, the artist always works with a real scenery. Her realistic but impressionistic paintings look amazin...
Linen, Oil
$1,200
H 18.5 in W 14.5 in D 2 in
A Striking Modern Studio Portrait of a Seated African American Male Nude Model
By Walter Burt Adams
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking, Colorful Post- War Modern Studio Portrait of a Seated African American Male Model by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). The painting a is ...
Canvas, Oil
$12,597
H 39.38 in W 31.5 in D 1.97 in
Sweet dreams in the Moonlight -21st century interior painting with figures
By Ksenya Istomina
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Ksenya Istomina 'Sweet Dreams in the Moonlight' 100 x 80 cm Oil on linen Painted after life, the artist always works with a real scenery. Her realistic but impressionistic paintings...
Linen, Oil
$12,948
H 41.34 in W 27.56 in D 1.97 in
Waiting for a Miracle- 21st century Contemporary Figure painting
By Ksenya Istomina
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Ksenya Istomina – Waiting for a Miracle Oil on linen, 105 x 70 cm In Waiting for a Miracle, Ksenya Istomina captures a moment of quiet contemplation and anticipation. A young woman ...
Linen, Oil
$1,250
H 15.5 in W 19.5 in D 0.5 in
"A Teapot and Fan" by Yulia Kim; Framed 15.5" x 19.5", Oil on Linen Panel, 2025
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 15.5" x 19.5" oil painting on linen panel by Oklahoma-based artist Yulia Kim features a folding fan behind a brass teapot, teacup and saucer. The blues in the fabric harm...
Linen, Oil
$4,400
H 15 in W 30 in
"The Equalizer" - Contemporary Western Portrait, Oil Painting on Linen
Located in Denver, CO
Neon West Michael Blessing spent his formative years in rural Montana, surrounded by the land, the people, and the experiences that small town America provided. Early in his childho...
Linen, Oil
$1,400
H 33.5 in W 26.5 in D 1.25 in
A Large, Striking 1940s Modern Portrait of a Seated Young Woman in Green Blouse
By Walter Burt Adams
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking 1940s Modern Portrait of a Young Woman by Notable Chicago Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). A large, well executed, figurative work by the artist, depicting a young woman fashionably dressed in a green blouse anddpatterned scarf seated in profile in a muted studio interior. Titled "Portrait of Ms. Anderson, Student at Northwestern U." the painting exemplifies the artist's adept and practiced skill at portraiture, and was completed at the painting class of the artist's friend and instructor, Arnold Turtle, in Evanston, Illinois Artwork size: 30 x 23 inches, oil on canvas, accompanied with the original Modernist frame (Framed size: 33 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches). Signed "Walter Burt Adams" and dated "46" lower right. Provenance: Estate of the artist. Walter Burt Adams was a dedicated painter of the American Scene and a singular personality among his peers in the Chicago Modern Art community. His no-nonsense manner, devotion to his craft and sardonic sense of humor characterize a man whose paintings capture life in and around Chicago between the early 1920s and the late 1970s. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin just after the turn of the last century, Walter Burt Adams spent his childhood in Fargo, North Dakota and began his artistic education there through a correspondence cartooning class as a boy. After finishing high school in Fargo, Adams moved to Chicago in 1922 in order to enroll at the school of the Art Institute of Chicago. Adams’ instruction at the school with artists such as George Oberteuffer, Frederick V. Poole, Charles Wilimovsky...
Canvas, Oil
Man in Green Hat Bay Area Figurative Movement
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
Portrait of a man in a green hat by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b.1957). Unsigned, acquired from a collection of his work. Unframed. Image size: 25.5"H x 29"W. “I’m d...
Masonite, Oil