Nathan Oliveira

(American, 1928–2010)

Nathan Oliveira was an American artist and prominent member of the second generation of the Bay Area Figurative artists. Though he worked with a variety of media, subjects, and disciplines over the course of his long career, Oliveira is best remembered for the brilliantly colored figurative and landscape paintings he created while associated with the California movement. “For me, painting is that magical material, that beautiful stuff that was invented, the ground-up pigments in oil which makes it very malleable,” he had said. “It can be manipulated and changed, darkened, lightened, given different hues and colors, so that by manipulating this material somehow I can find that figure I'm looking for, that figure that represents all the issues I'm bringing up and addressing.” Oliveira's works retain a sense of Expressionist looseness and melancholy, inspired by his interest in the works of Willem de Kooning, Francis Bacon, and Edvard Munch. His work has been met with critical acclaim, receiving numerous honors such as a 1996 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute and a major retrospective in 2002, “The Art of Nathan Oliveira,” mounted by the San Jose Art Museum. The Windhover Contemplative Center, a structure completed in 2014 at Stanford University, permanently displays four of Oliveira's paintings. Born in Oakland, CA on December 19, 1928, he died on November 13, 2010 in Stanford, CA at the age 81.

Nathan Oliveira Artworks

Nathan Oliveira (621 results)
Head no.3, 1959

Nathan Oliveira

Head no.3, 1959

Sale Date: November 6, 2005

Auction Closed

Miramar III, 1969

Nathan Oliveira

Miramar III, 1969

Sale Date: October 18, 2005

Auction Closed

Black Christ II, 1963

Nathan Oliveira

Black Christ II, 1963

Sale Date: October 24, 1990

Auction Closed

Bull, 1956

Nathan Oliveira

Bull, 1956

Sale Date: October 24, 1990

Auction Closed

Woman with hand to face, 1960

Nathan Oliveira

Woman with hand to face, 1960

Sale Date: July 12, 2005

Auction Closed

Ryan site, 1982

Nathan Oliveira

Ryan site, 1982

Sale Date: July 12, 2005

Auction Closed

Motherlode, 1958

Nathan Oliveira

Motherlode, 1958

Sale Date: May 1, 2005

Auction Closed

Ryan 10, 1980

Nathan Oliveira

Ryan 10, 1980

Sale Date: May 1, 2005

Auction Closed

Figure, 1983

Nathan Oliveira

Figure, 1983

Sale Date: May 1, 2005

Auction Closed

Seated woman, 1975

Nathan Oliveira

Seated woman, 1975

Sale Date: April 19, 2005

Auction Closed

The great bird (+ Head, 1958, smalelr; 2..., 1957

Nathan Oliveira

The great bird (+ Head, 1958, smalelr; 2..., 1957

Sale Date: April 19, 2005

Auction Closed

Swiss site IV (Interior), 1979

Nathan Oliveira

Swiss site IV (Interior), 1979

Sale Date: November 7, 2004

Auction Closed

Untitled: Reclining nude (+ Figure sketch,..., 1961

Nathan Oliveira

Untitled: Reclining nude (+ Figure sketch,..., 1961

Sale Date: November 7, 2004

Auction Closed

White faced owl I

Nathan Oliveira

White faced owl I

Sale Date: October 19, 2004

Auction Closed

Hawk, 1974

Nathan Oliveira

Hawk, 1974

Sale Date: September 29, 2004

Auction Closed

Stage painting, 1966

Nathan Oliveira

Stage painting, 1966

Sale Date: September 19, 2004

Auction Closed

Seated man on a branch, 1959–1959

Nathan Oliveira

Seated man on a branch, 1959–1959

Sale Date: November 9, 2003

Auction Closed

Untitled (Figure study), 1960–1960

Nathan Oliveira

Untitled (Figure study), 1960–1960

Sale Date: November 9, 2003

Auction Closed

Swiss site 1, 1979–1979

Nathan Oliveira

Swiss site 1, 1979–1979

Sale Date: November 9, 2003

Auction Closed

Running woman, 1973–1973

Nathan Oliveira

Running woman, 1973–1973

Sale Date: April 19, 2004

Auction Closed

Face, 1967–1967

Nathan Oliveira

Face, 1967–1967

Sale Date: April 19, 2004

Auction Closed

Miramar II, 1969–1969

Nathan Oliveira

Miramar II, 1969–1969

Sale Date: October 21, 2003

Auction Closed

Tense young man, 1956–1956

Nathan Oliveira

Tense young man, 1956–1956

Sale Date: October 21, 2003

Auction Closed

Miramar I, 1969–1969

Nathan Oliveira

Miramar I, 1969–1969

Sale Date: October 21, 2003

Auction Closed