Skip to main content

Nathan Oliveira Art

American, 1928-2010
Born 1928, Oakland, California; Died 2010, Stanford, California. Nathan Oliveira was a leading member of the second generation of the Bay Area figurative painters. He is best known for his brilliantly colored figurative and landscape paintings as well as intricate bronze sculptures with colorful patinas. Oliveira achieved national prominence fusing Abstract Expressionism and figuration in psychologically charged canvases that explored human isolation and alienation. In 1959, he was the youngest painter included in the important exhibition New Images of Man at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which also featured works by Francis Bacon, Alberto Giacometti, Richard Diebenkorn, and Jackson Pollack. Overnight, Oliveira found wide acclaim for his nervous human images, built up with thick layers of scuffed and scratched paint. Nathan Oliveira employed a bravura, brushy style of paint application. His abstracted figures and landscapes, however, reflected an affinity with the darker vision of European artists like Oskar Kokoschka and Edvard Munch or more nearly contemporary artists like Alberto Giacometti and Francis Bacon, who shared his sense of human conflict and existential angst. Particularly influential was the German painter Max Beckmann, with whom he studied briefly. Nathan Oliveira had solo exhibitions in major museums all over the world. His paintings are held in the collections of many distinguished institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago; the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the Tate Modern, London, among others.
to
7
6
4
2
2
1
1
Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in Palm Desert, CA

A painting by Nathan Oliveira. "Untitled" is a Bay Area Figurative Painting, oil on canvas in a brown and tan palette by American artist Nathan Oliveira. The artwork is signed in the lower right, "Oliveira 64”. A Californian whose work is of preeminent importance during the post war period, Oliveira is most often associated with Park, Diebenkorn and the other artists with whom he sketched early in his career. Yet it was not an oversight when Oakland Museum director Paul Mills chose not to include Oliveira in the 1957 exhibition “Contemporary Bay Area Figurative Painting.” All came to figuration by initiating a sophisticated dialogue with abstraction, yet it is Oliveira, the often characterized ambivalent loner among Bay Area artists whose work is most often compared to Alberto Giacometti, Francis Bacon, or Willem de Kooning with whom he shared walls and space at The Images of Man exhibition held in New York at the Museum of Modern Art in 1959. During the early years, Oliveira’s lone figures often suggested an existential angst similar to that of Giacometti, but there was also a weightlessness and a transcendent aura that envelopes these figures; they appear as elemental, universal and eternal projections of selfless consciousness better understood within the bodiless realm of metaphysics. These qualities would remain in his work throughout his long career, yet he would find other themes to explore — the natural world where the essential nature of birds and animals exist in equal profundity with their human counterparts, the transient world of evanescent perception when memory must reconstruct momentary experience, and later, the ‘site’ paintings and monoprints that suggest the abandoned remnants of a long-lost civilization or tribe uncovered at an archeological dig. Through and through, flesh to bones, and bones to dust Nathan Oliveira has left us with a legacy of art that will surely remain untarnished by time or changing trends. His work exists within a realm rarely achieved by artists striving in a similar mode of expression. Unclouded by ego or wayward sentiment, it is also in the warmth and humble nature...

Category

Late 20th Century Post-War Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nude Stepping from the Carpet
Nude Stepping from the Carpet

Nude Stepping from the Carpet

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in Palm Desert, CA

A painting by Nathan Oliveira. "Nude Stepping from the Carpet" is a contemporary painting, oil on canvas in a palette of reds, greens, and beiges by Bay Area figurative artist Nathan Oliveira. The artwork is signed in the lower right, "N Oliveira 62". During the early years, Oliveira’s lone figures often suggest an existential angst similar to that of Giacometti, but there is also a weightlessness and a transcendent aura that envelopes these figures; they appear as elemental, universal and eternal projections of selfless consciousness better understood within the bodiless realm of metaphysics. These qualities would remain in his work throughout his long career, yet he would find other themes to explore — the natural world where the essential nature of birds and animals exist in equal profundity with their human counterparts, the transient world of evanescent perception when memory must reconstruct momentary experience, and later, the ‘site’ paintings and monoprints that suggest the abandoned remnants of a long-lost civilization or tribe uncovered at an archeological dig. Nathan Oliveira has left us with a legacy of art that will surely remain untarnished by time or changing trends. His work exists within a realm rarely achieved by artists striving in a similar mode of expression. Unclouded by ego or wayward sentiment, it is also in the warmth and humble nature...

Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Miramar I
Miramar I

Miramar I

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Artwork title: Miramar IArtist name: Nathan Oliveira Date created: 1969 Classification: print Medium: lithograph Edition: 75 Dimensions: 29 3/8 × 22 1/8 in. (74.6 × 56.2 cm) Signed...

Category

1960s Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Lithograph

Nathan Oliveira abstract oil painting  on canvas signed , dated
Nathan Oliveira abstract oil painting  on canvas signed , dated

Nathan Oliveira abstract oil painting on canvas signed , dated

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in Los Angeles, CA

This is a master abstract oil painting by the well known artist Nathan Oliveira . This work was originally purchased by the original owner Joyce Freedman in Bel Air , California from...

Category

1950s American Modern Vintage Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Paint

Stelae No. 5
Stelae No. 5

Stelae No. 5

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in Palm Desert, CA

"Stelae No. 5" is a painting by Bay Area Figurative artist Nathan Oliveira. The painting is signed and dated lower right, "Oliveira 98". The framed piece measures 67 1/2 x 55 3/4 x 2 in. A Californian whose work is of preeminent importance during the post war period, Oliveira is most often associated with Park, Diebenkorn and the other artists with whom he sketched early in his career. Yet it was not an oversight when Oakland Museum director Paul Mills chose not to include Oliveira in the 1957 exhibition “Contemporary Bay Area Figurative Painting.” All came to figuration by initiating a sophisticated dialogue with abstraction, yet it is Oliveira, the often characterized ambivalent loner among Bay Area artists whose work is most often compared to Alberto Giacometti, Francis Bacon, or Willem de Kooning with whom he shared walls and space at The Images of Man exhibition held in New York at the Museum of Modern Art in 1959. During the early years, Oliveira’s lone figures often suggested an existential angst similar to that of Giacometti, but there was also a weightlessness and a transcendent aura that envelopes these figures; they appear as elemental, universal and eternal projections of selfless consciousness better understood within the bodiless realm of metaphysics. These qualities would remain in his work throughout his long career, yet he would find other themes to explore — the natural world where the essential nature of birds and animals exist in equal profundity with their human counterparts, the transient world of evanescent perception when memory must reconstruct momentary experience, and later, the ‘site’ paintings and monoprints that suggest the abandoned remnants of a long-lost civilization or tribe uncovered at an archeological dig. Through and through, flesh to bones, and bones to dust Nathan Oliveira has left us with a legacy of art that will surely remain untarnished by time or changing trends. His work exists within a realm rarely achieved by artists striving in a similar mode of expression. Unclouded by ego or wayward sentiment, it is also in the warmth and humble nature...

Category

1990s Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Head

Nathan OliveiraHead, 1959

Price Upon Request

Head

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in San Francisco, CA

Watercolor, gouache, ink wash, crayon, and pencil on paper

Category

1950s Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Crayon, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Pencil

Related Items
Hebe with Zeus mythological nude by Eduard Buchler 19th Century
Hebe with Zeus mythological nude by Eduard Buchler 19th Century

Eduard BuchlerHebe with Zeus mythological nude by Eduard Buchler 19th Century, 1887

$12,351Sale Price|20% Off

H 48.04 in W 33.86 in D 3.94 in

Hebe with Zeus mythological nude by Eduard Buchler 19th Century

Located in Gavere, BE

Hebe with Zeus mythological nude by Eduard Buchler 19th Century Hebe is the daughter of Zeus and his sister-wife Hera. Pindar in Nemean Ode 10 refers to her as the most beautiful of...

Category

1880s Pre-Raphaelite Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Italian 18th Century Oval Religious Oil on Canvas Painting with Saint Dominic
Italian 18th Century Oval Religious Oil on Canvas Painting with Saint Dominic

Italian 18th Century Oval Religious Oil on Canvas Painting with Saint Dominic

By Francesco de Mura

Located in Firenze, IT

This beautiful Italian 18th Century old masters oil painting on oval canvas with giltwood frame is attributed to Solimena and features a religious scene. In this splendid oval-shaped painting are depicted Saint Dominic...

Category

18th Century Old Masters Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1958 Willy Mucha Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed
1958 Willy Mucha Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed

1958 Willy Mucha Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed

$450Sale Price|47% Off

H 15 in W 10.63 in D 1.38 in

1958 Willy Mucha Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed

By Willy Mucha

Located in Miami, FL

1958 Willy Mucha Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed Offered for sale is a 1958 Mid-century Modern abstract oil painting on linen canvas by Willy Mu...

Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Linen, Giltwood

Orientale

Henri Fantin-LatourOrientale, 1899

$28,750

H 16 in W 13.5 in

Orientale

By Henri Fantin-Latour

Located in New York, NY

Signed, lower right: Fantin Provenance: Gustave Tempelaere (1840–1904), Paris; possibly by descent to his son: Julien Tempelaere (1876–1961) and with F. & J. Tempelaere, Paris, prob...

Category

1890s Romantic Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Oil

Children Snow Sledding in Central Park  - New Yorker Cover Study
Children Snow Sledding in Central Park  - New Yorker Cover Study

Children Snow Sledding in Central Park - New Yorker Cover Study

Located in Miami, FL

Hungarian/American artist/illustrator depicts a charming scene of sledding in the snow in Central Park. The work is abstract in its design as it's functional in its narrative - Unpublished New Yorker...

Category

1940s Modern Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Charcoal, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Pencil

Contemporary Verso Signed Abstract Oil on Canvas
Contemporary Verso Signed Abstract Oil on Canvas

Contemporary Verso Signed Abstract Oil on Canvas

Located in Sheffield, MA

Oil painting is composed of vibrant orange tones mingled with neutral brown and grey tones. Verso is titled and signed illegibly. Canvas measures approximate 20 inches squared in height and width. Signed original artwork, abstract Modernist art...

Category

20th Century American Modern Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas

Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Lithograph, Signed

Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Lithograph, Signed

Located in Belgrade, MT

This lithograph is part of my private collection. It is limited in edition ,artist signed lower right and is in very good condition. Walter Becker was a German artist. Another impres...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Lithograph

Beautiful Oil On Canvas, Female Nude By V Tsvetkov Sold without frame
Beautiful Oil On Canvas, Female Nude By V Tsvetkov Sold without frame

Beautiful Oil On Canvas, Female Nude By V Tsvetkov Sold without frame

Located in Gavere, BE

"Realistic Oil On Canvas, Female Nude By V Tsvetkov " Original contemporary painting by Bulgarian artist V Tsvetkov, depicting a beautiful female nude Signed lower left V Tsvenkov E...

Category

2010s Realist Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Unknown Artist, Oil on Canvas, Abstract Composition, Dated 1980
Unknown Artist, Oil on Canvas, Abstract Composition, Dated 1980

Unknown Artist, Oil on Canvas, Abstract Composition, Dated 1980

Located in København, Copenhagen

Unknown artist. Oil on canvas. Abstract composition. Dated 1980. Measures: 60 x 60 cm. In excellent condition. Signed and dated.

Category

1980s Unknown Modern Vintage Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas

Painting Oil On Canvas, Nude before a mirror by French artist Auguste Leroux
Painting Oil On Canvas, Nude before a mirror by French artist Auguste Leroux

Painting Oil On Canvas, Nude before a mirror by French artist Auguste Leroux

By Auguste Leroux

Located in Gavere, BE

Nude before a mirror by French artist Auguste Leroux Beautiful oil on canvas, French school from the 1920' . The painting is not framed Title: " Nude before a mirror " Medium: or...

Category

1920s French School Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

The Artist's Wife oil painting by Hans Burkhardt
The Artist's Wife oil painting by Hans Burkhardt

The Artist's Wife oil painting by Hans Burkhardt

By Hans Burkhardt

Located in Hudson, NY

Hans Burkhardt The Artist's Wife (1930) Oil on canvas, 20" x 16" 24" x 20 ½" x 1 ½" framed Dated 1930 lower right recto. Annotated "To Elsa HB Louise Burkhardt 1930. HB" verso. ...

Category

1930s American Modern Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nude Geisha Portrait, Oil on Canvas, American Impressionist, 2010+
Nude Geisha Portrait, Oil on Canvas, American Impressionist, 2010+

Nude Geisha Portrait, Oil on Canvas, American Impressionist, 2010+

Located in Gavere, BE

Philippe Couture was born in Drummondville, Canada in 1984 and currently resides in Kyoto, Japan. Phil’s art education was primarily self-taught. His training consisted of drawing an...

Category

2010s American Impressionist Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Previously Available Items
Nathan Oliveira 'Seated Woman with Dog' 1961 Bay Area Figurative Painting
Nathan Oliveira 'Seated Woman with Dog' 1961 Bay Area Figurative Painting

Nathan Oliveira 'Seated Woman with Dog' 1961 Bay Area Figurative Painting

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in Los Angeles, CA

From a Beverly Hills estate. 1928 - 2010 Mr. Oliveira was an American artist. His works are in museums and collections throughout the USA and abroad. This is one of his early classic Bay Area...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Paint

Nathan Oliveira 'Nude' Limited Edition Signed Lithograph Print
Nathan Oliveira 'Nude' Limited Edition Signed Lithograph Print

Nathan Oliveira 'Nude' Limited Edition Signed Lithograph Print

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in San Rafael, CA

Nathan Oliveira (American, 1928-2010) Nude, 2004 Lithograph in colors on wove paper Edition 9/10 Signed, numbered, and dated in pencil along lower edge (Unframed) Sheet: 22-1/2 x 18-...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Lithograph

Copper Plate Nude II (2) 2001. Aquatint - signed, dated front - Nathan Oliveira
Copper Plate Nude II (2) 2001. Aquatint - signed, dated front - Nathan Oliveira

Copper Plate Nude II (2) 2001. Aquatint - signed, dated front - Nathan Oliveira

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in Burlingame, CA

Vivid and beautiful female figurative nude with lifted arms by Nathan Oliveira - color sugar lift and spit bite aquatints, aquatint and texture from the back of a discarded plate 23 ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Aquatint

Figure

Nathan OliveiraFigure, 2010

Sold

H 66 in W 50 in

Figure

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in San Francisco, CA

Category

Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Untitled Figure

Untitled Figure

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in San Francisco, CA

Category

Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Standing Figure

Standing Figure

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in San Francisco, CA

Category

Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Skating Figure

Skating Figure

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in San Francisco, CA

Category

Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Head #1

Head #1

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in San Francisco, CA

Category

Nathan Oliveira Art

Nathan Oliveira art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Nathan Oliveira art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Nathan Oliveira in paint, canvas, fabric and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the post-war style. Not every interior allows for large Nathan Oliveira art, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Arne Hiersoux, Paul Wonner, and William Theophilus Brown. Nathan Oliveira art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $55,000 and tops out at $135,000, while the average work can sell for $115,000.

Artists Similar to Nathan Oliveira