The sculptor, painter, graphic artist Iulian Olariu graduated in 1951 from the Nicolae Grigorescu Institute of Fine Arts in Bucharest. Nicolae Dărăscu and Alexandru Ciucurencu are among his teachers.
In addition to personal exhibitions in 1957, 1959, 1964, 1966 and 1970, Iulian Olariu has represented Romania in numerous group exhibitions in Finland, Poland, Austria, Germany, the USSR, Cuba, Bulgaria, China.
In 1960, he was one of the participants in the Venice Biennale, along with artists such as George Petrașcu and Marcel Chirnoaga.