Roland Petersen (b. 1926) is a seminal Bay Area painter celebrated for his bold color palettes and unique fusion of abstract expressionism, realism, and modernist influences. Petersen is one of the last living members of the influential UC Davis art faculty, which included Wayne Thiebaud, Robert Arneson, and Manuel Neri. Born in Denmark and raised in California, Petersen began his Picnic series in the early 1960s—works now considered iconic for their vibrant color, compositional harmony, and signature blend of still life, landscape, and figure.
His work reflects a masterful synthesis of gestural abstract expressionism, painterly realism, and advanced color theory, developed through decades of practice and academic engagement. Petersen served as Professor of Art at UC Davis from 1956 to 1992 and has maintained an active studio practice for over 70 years.
Petersen's paintings are included in numerous major museum collections, including the New York MoMa, SFMOMA, The Whitney Museum of American Art NY, The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. and many more.