Oliver Grover was born in 1861 in Earlville, Illinois, and along with his family he later moved to Chicago. While growing up in Chicago, he spent much of his time at the Academy of Design sketching. He then trained at the Royal Academy in Munich and later with Frank Duveneck in Florence amongst the "Duveneck boys." In 1884 he went to Paris for a year to study under Gustave Boulanger and Jean-Paul Laurens. By the fall of 1885 he returned to Chicago and until 1892 he was an instructor at the Art Institute of Chicago (for five years).

Grover worked on several monumental projects including a mural for the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, the decorations for the Branford Memorial Library, and the Blackstone Memorial Library of Chicago. His work includes portraiture, landscapes and decorative designs. He remained in Chicago for the rest of his career, but often traveled to Europe for inspiration.

He also traveled to the Pacific Northwest where he did landscape paintings of Banff.

Grover died in Chicago in 1927.

Museums and Public Collections:
Eagle Nest Colony Art Collection, Oregon, IL
High Museum, Atlanta, GA
Chicago Art Institute, Chicago,IL
The John H. Vanderpoel Art Association, Chicago, IL
Union League Club, Chicago, IL

Biography courtesy of Roughton Galleries, www.antiquesandfineart.com/roughton