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
1
2
3
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
5
1
1
1
1
1
6
3
3
3
2
1
1
1
1
4
3
3
3
1
7
10,491
2,808
2,500
1,414
2
6
Artist: Nathan Oliveira
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

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

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

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
"Dancer's Dream" Large Original Oil Painting by Robert White, Frameless Display
"Dancer's Dream" Large Original Oil Painting by Robert White, Frameless Display

"Dancer's Dream" Large Original Oil Painting by Robert White, Frameless Display

Located in Encino, CA

“Dancer's Dream,” an original oil on canvas by Robert K. White, is a piece for the true collector. White’s careful attention to detail and vivid use of greens, browns, and whites project from the painting, immediately capturing the viewer's attention and highlighting the artist's keen ability to capture emotion and life - all in a brushstroke. White's talent for depicting light and shadow provides the foundation for him to deliver subjects and scenes to the viewer's eye. This masterful work would make a great addition to an art collection and enhance most any home, perfect for those who have an affinity for dancers, the ballet, portraits, and color-rich works of art. In the artist’s own words, “I don’t paint what is inside of me; I paint what I see outside of me. I’m an observer. If I see something and I feel an affinity for it, something just clicks in my head. I’ll make the decision right then and there to paint that particular subject during that particular moment. It’s a perfect moment. Once something has caught my eye and I’ve heard the “perfect” click, it’s like a photograph has been taken in my mind’s eye. I only have a few days of clarity with that image. I have to start the painting quickly or else it will be gone and I will lose that image forever.” Artist: ROBERT KENNETH WHITE...

Category

2010s Realist Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Mother & Child Oil Painting on Canvas, Abstract Figurative, 2016
Mother & Child Oil Painting on Canvas, Abstract Figurative, 2016

Mother & Child Oil Painting on Canvas, Abstract Figurative, 2016

By Christopher Mudgett

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Mother & Child, 2016 By Christopher Mudgett This powerful and emotive original oil painting from the artist's 2016 "Mother & Child" series encapsulates a profound moment of ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Circle Teniers, Flemish Art, Peasants smoking and drinking in a Tavern Interior
Circle Teniers, Flemish Art, Peasants smoking and drinking in a Tavern Interior

Circle Teniers, Flemish Art, Peasants smoking and drinking in a Tavern Interior

By David Teniers the Younger

Located in Greven, DE

Circle or Follower of David Teniers, Peasant in a Tavern Inn, drinking and smoking. Oil on canvas, Framed: 39 x 47 cm. Typical Flemish Baroque Interior...

Category

17th Century Baroque Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, 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

Nymph and Satyr, abstracted nude figures classical

Nymph and Satyr, abstracted nude figures classical

By Tom Bennett

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Richly painted work on archival paper - abstracted nudes

Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Monotype

Abstract Large Seascape Diptych of Low Tide, Nautical Cyanotype, Classic Blue
Abstract Large Seascape Diptych of Low Tide, Nautical Cyanotype, Classic Blue

Abstract Large Seascape Diptych of Low Tide, Nautical Cyanotype, Classic Blue

By Kind of Cyan

Located in Barcelona, ES

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. This beautiful diptych is titled "Low Tide in Northern Waters", and depicts abstract flowing ocean ripples at low tide. ...

Category

2010s Minimalist Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Watercolor, Monotype, Handmade Paper

17th Century By Johann Carl Loth Saint Mark Oil on Canvas
17th Century By Johann Carl Loth Saint Mark Oil on Canvas

17th Century By Johann Carl Loth Saint Mark Oil on Canvas

Located in Milano, Lombardia

Johann Carl Loth (Munich, Germany, 1632 - Venice, Italy, 1698) Title: Saint Mark Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 65 × 72 cm - with frame 82.5 x 88 cm Not signed Expertise by Professor Dario Succi Publications: Lo studiolo...

Category

17th Century Old Masters Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Woman & Dog, Monumental Oil Painting, Signed, 60x48 Inches, 2017
Woman & Dog, Monumental Oil Painting, Signed, 60x48 Inches, 2017

Woman & Dog, Monumental Oil Painting, Signed, 60x48 Inches, 2017

By Christopher Mudgett

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Woman and Dog Christopher Mudgett Oil on canvas 2023 48 x 36 in (121.9 x 91.4 cm) Signed by the artist Certificate of authenticity included Available from the artist’s studio In W...

Category

2010s Contemporary Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Woman with Clasped Hands, Contemporary Oil on Canvas, 48x36, 2017
Woman with Clasped Hands, Contemporary Oil on Canvas, 48x36, 2017

Woman with Clasped Hands, Contemporary Oil on Canvas, 48x36, 2017

By Christopher Mudgett

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Woman with Clasped Hands, 2017 by Christopher Mudgett A striking embodiment of strength and introspection, Woman with Clasped Hands (2017) challenges traditional portrayals of the f...

Category

2010s Contemporary Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Robert Kenneth White “Back to Nature” Signed Figurative Nude Oil Painting
Robert Kenneth White “Back to Nature” Signed Figurative Nude Oil Painting

Robert Kenneth White “Back to Nature” Signed Figurative Nude Oil Painting

Located in Miami, FL

ROBERT KENNETH WHITE – "BACK TO NATURE" ⚜ Oil on Canvas ⚜ Hand Signed Lower Right ⚜ Frameless Display A MASTERWORK OF LIGHT, FORM, AND HUMAN CONNECTION TO NATURE In "Back to Nature"...

Category

2010s Realist Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Follower of Roderic O'Connor, Female nude in an interior, large oil painting
Follower of Roderic O'Connor, Female nude in an interior, large oil painting

Follower of Roderic O'Connor, Female nude in an interior, large oil painting

By Roderic O'Conor

Located in Harkstead, GB

A very striking and stylishly painted oil of a shapely nude reclining on a draped sofa, dating from the early to mid 20th century . This large scale oil is presented in an attractive...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled

Bram Van VeldeUntitled, 1970

$1,070

H 25.79 in W 18.71 in

Untitled

By Bram Van Velde

Located in Paris, FR

Lithograph, 1970 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and annotated EA - Artist Proof Edition : 300 Printer : Clot, Bramsen et Georges (Paris) Catalog : [Mason Putman 58] 65.50 cm. x 4...

Category

1970s Abstract Nathan Oliveira Art

Materials

Lithograph

Previously Available Items
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

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

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

Head #1

Head #1

By Nathan Oliveira

Located in San Francisco, CA

Category

Nathan Oliveira Art

Runner

Nathan OliveiraRunner, 2001

Sold

H 50 in W 42 in

Runner

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