Rosario Oliva, an historically recognized artist, was born in Naples in 1965, a city steeped in art and fueled by deep passions. From an early age, he intertwined his love for painting and drawing with his formal education, first attending the Istituto d’Arte in Naples, then refining his skills at the IED — Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome, where he specialized in illustration.
It was in Rome that his professional journey began: Oliva made his mark as an illustrator, producing illustrations, storyboards, animations, and shooting boards for leading advertising agencies and production companies across Italy and Europe. His signature can be found behind some of the most celebrated advertising campaigns for brands such as Nissan, Alitalia, and Telecom, among others.
From 1997 onwards, Oliva embraced the new frontiers of digital creativity, expanding his practice to include digital illustration, photo retouching, 3D imagery, and animation. As the creative director and digital artist first at Olivastudio and now at Pixelheads Studio, and as a professor of digital animation at NABA — New Academy of Fine Arts, he has explored and mastered the countless possibilities of digital art.
Yet, after years devoted to the immaterial realm of pixels, Oliva felt a deep, irrepressible need to return to the tactile world of painting, to touch what he creates, to smell the colors, and to reconnect with the physicality of his art. Thus began his renewed journey into traditional painting.
In recent years, he has exhibited his works in numerous national and international shows, both solo and collective, earning prestigious awards and recognition.
Rosario Oliva’s painting oscillates between figuration and abstraction. His artistic language draws from a variety of mediums: acrylic on canvas, charcoal on cardboard, oil paints, and watercolors, with occasional returns to digital tools
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Rosario Oliva, artista storicizzato, nasce a Napoli nel 1965, città intrisa d'arte e animata da passioni profonde. Sin da giovane intreccia l'amore per la pittura e il disegno con il suo percorso di formazione, frequentando prima l'Istituto d'Arte di Napoli, per poi perfezionarsi allo IED — Istituto Europeo di Design di Roma, specializzandosi in illustrazione.
È proprio a Roma che inizia il suo percorso professionale: Oliva si afferma come illustratore, realizzando illustrazioni, storyboard, animazioni e shootingboard per alcune delle principali agenzie pubblicitarie e case di produzione italiane ed europee. La sua firma è presente dietro alcune tra le più celebri campagne pubblicitarie per marchi come Nissan, Alitalia, Telecom e molti altri.
A partire dal 1997, Oliva abbraccia le nuove frontiere della creatività digitale, ampliando il proprio linguaggio artistico attraverso l'illustrazione digitale, il fotoritocco, l'immagine 3D e l'animazione. Direttore creativo e artista digitale prima presso Olivastudio e oggi presso Pixelheads Studio, oltre che docente di digital animation presso la NABA — Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, ha esplorato e dominato le infinite possibilità offerte dall'arte digitale.
Tuttavia, dopo anni dedicati al regno immateriale dei pixel, Oliva avverte il bisogno profondo e irrefrenabile di tornare alla dimensione tattile della pittura — di toccare ciò che crea, di sentirne l'odore, di riconnettersi alla fisicità dell'atto creativo. Così ha avuto inizio il suo rinnovato viaggio nella pittura tradizionale.
Negli ultimi anni ha partecipato a numerose esposizioni, sia personali che collettive, a livello nazionale e internazionale, ottenendo prestigiosi riconoscimenti e premi e l’aggiudicazione di alcune sue opere in asta.
La pittura di Rosario Oliva oscilla tra figurazione e astrazione. Il suo linguaggio artistico si avvale di una pluralità di tecniche: dall'acrilico su tela al carboncino su cartone, dall'olio all'acquerello, con occasionali ritorni agli strumenti digitali.
EXHIBITIONS
2020
I NUOVI ANNI '20
collective exhibition in Genoa from June 4th to 18th
Palazzo Ducale Fondazione per la Cultura
Curator: Divulgarti - Loredana Trestin
2021
L'IMMEDIATA IMPRESSIONE
collective exhibition in Udine from August 20th to September 2th
ARTtime gallery
Curator: Luca Franzil
2022
ROSARIO OLIVA PERSONALE
personal exhibition in Rocca Priora Rome from February 12th to June 11th
Museo Benedetto Robazza
Curator: Eleonora Gregorio
2023
ARTE PADOVA FAIR
in Padova from November 10th to 13h 2023
in Padova from November 10th to 13h 2023
VISIONS
collective exhibition in Cremona from December 1th to 12th 2023
AdafaLab Gallery
Curator: Simone Fappanni
collective exhibition in Cremona from December 1th to 12th 2023
AdafaLab Gallery
Curator: Simone Fappanni
VISIONS
collective exhibition in Brescia from December 14th to 21th 2023
Solis Art Gallery
Curator: Simone Fappanni
collective exhibition in Brescia from December 14th to 21th 2023
Solis Art Gallery
Curator: Simone Fappanni
2024
VERNICE ART FAIR
In Forlì from March 15th to 17h 2024
In Forlì from March 15th to 17h 2024
IDEAZIONI
collective exhibition in Rome from May 18th to June 7th 2024
Ess&rre Gallery
Curator: Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
collective exhibition in Rome from May 18th to June 7th 2024
Ess&rre Gallery
Curator: Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
CREAZIONI
collective exhibition in Rome from June 13th to19th 2024
Angelica Gallery
Curator: Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
collective exhibition in Rome from June 13th to19th 2024
Angelica Gallery
Curator: Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
II BIENNALE DI MANTOVA
collective exhibition in Mantova from May 26th to June 9th 2024
Museo F. Gonzaga
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
collective exhibition in Mantova from May 26th to June 9th 2024
Museo F. Gonzaga
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
50 PROPOSTE D’INVESTIMENTO PER I COLLEZIONISTI
collective exhibition in Mantova from May 26th to June 9th 2024
Museo F. Gonzaga
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
collective exhibition in Mantova from May 26th to June 9th 2024
Museo F. Gonzaga
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
COLLECTIONIST GALLERY
collective exhibition in Rome from June 24th to 28th 2024
Palazzo della Cancelleria Vaticana
Curator: Archivio Storico Casa d’aste
collective exhibition in Rome from June 24th to 28th 2024
Palazzo della Cancelleria Vaticana
Curator: Archivio Storico Casa d’aste
ORIZZONTI
collective exhibition in Dubrovnik from October 16th to 27th 2024
Palazzo Sponza
Curator: Svjetlana Lipanovic – Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
collective exhibition in Dubrovnik from October 16th to 27th 2024
Palazzo Sponza
Curator: Svjetlana Lipanovic – Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
V BIENNALE D’ARTE DI BARCELLONA
collective exhibition in Barcelona from October 25th to 27th 2024
MEAM
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
collective exhibition in Barcelona from October 25th to 27th 2024
MEAM
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
DIALOGO A DUE VOCI
exhibition in Rome from November 9th to 29th 2024
Ess&rre Gallery
Curator: Giulia Bonetti
exhibition in Rome from November 9th to 29th 2024
Ess&rre Gallery
Curator: Giulia Bonetti
ARTE PADOVA FAIR
in Padova from November 14th to 18h 2024
in Padova from November 14th to 18h 2024
II BIENNALE DELLA CREATIVITA DI FERRARA
collective exhibition in Ferrara from November 16th to 20th 2024
Fiera di Ferrara
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
collective exhibition in Ferrara from November 16th to 20th 2024
Fiera di Ferrara
Curator: Belinda Dagnino
2025
ARTE GENOVA FAIR
in Genoa from February 14th to 16h 2025
in Genoa from February 14th to 16h 2025
EXPO ARTE FAIR
in Montichiari from February 21th to 23th 2025
in Montichiari from February 21th to 23th 2025
HABITAT
exhibition in Florence from February 22th to March 7th 2025
OnArt Gallery
Curator: Romina Sangiovanni
exhibition in Florence from February 22th to March 7th 2025
OnArt Gallery
Curator: Romina Sangiovanni
RINASCENZE
exhibition in Florence from February 22th to March 6th 2025
Società delle Belle Arti - Circolo “Casa di Dante”
Curator: Raffaella Ferrari - Giancarlo Bonomo
exhibition in Florence from February 22th to March 6th 2025
Società delle Belle Arti - Circolo “Casa di Dante”
Curator: Raffaella Ferrari - Giancarlo Bonomo
IL VOLO DELL’ARTE
collective exhibition in Rome from April 12th to 25th 2025
Ess&rre Gallery
Curator: Roberto Sparaci – Alessandra Antonelli
LE PASSANTI
collective exhibition in Florence from April 12th to 22th 2025
OnArt Gallery
Curator: Romina Sangiovanni
COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION IN DUBAI
collective exhibition in Dubai from April 17th to 20th 2025
Andakulova gallery
APEIRON
Solo exhibition in Rome from May 16th to 29th 2025
Medina Gallery
Curator: Giulia Bonetti