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Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

MODERN STYLE

The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.

Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.

The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.

Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.

Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Modern
Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2022
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2022
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2022
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2022
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

'At the Fruit Stand', Market Scene with Vendors, Mother and Child
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Stuart Miller' (American, 20th Century) and painted circa 1965.
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Gouache, Board, Pen

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2022
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2022
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2022
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2022
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

Showstopper, 20th Century Ink and Watercolour Sketch, Wigan School
Located in London, GB
Ink and watercolour on paper Image size: 13 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches (35.25 x 24.25 cm) Framed Created in 1958 by the artist as evidence for study in their 'Examination in Art' at Wigan A...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Ink, Paper

Ink and Watercolour Sketches, Wigan School, 20th Century British
Located in London, GB
Ink and watercolour on paper Image size: 10 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches (26.75 x 26.75 cm) Framed Created in 1958 by the artist as evidence for study in their 'Examination in Art' at Wigan...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2023
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2023
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2023
Located in Roma, IT
A piece of a whimsical alphabet that consists of 29 letters. Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

Joyful Letters "Villa Borghese" - Drawing by Maja Zalaszewska Rocca - 2021
Located in Roma, IT
Original work. Fineliner on paper. Inspired by a famous Villa Borghese park in Rome
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper

"Spa Hair" Minimalist Illustrative Portrait in Ink on Paper by Geraldine Heib
Located in Soquel, CA
"Spa Hair" Minimalist Illustrative Portrait in Ink on Paper In this illustrative portrait by Jerry O'Day (American, 1912), a person is depicted in a continuous line contour style. The fine line detail of the hair gives texture and movement to the piece, with half-closed eyelids, giving the sense of calm and relaxation. Unsigned, but was acquired with a collection of the artist's work. Presented in a new black mat. Mat size: 36"H x 30"W Paper size: 28.5"H x 22.63"W Image size: 25.5"H x 20"W Jerry O'Day is also known as Geraldine Heib. Born in Oakland, California, on June 17, 1912. Geraldine Heib assumed the name Jerry O'Day at an early age. She grew up in Washington and studied in Seattle at the Cornish School of Fine Arts. Upon moving to the San Francisco Bay area in 1938, she further studied with Bufano as a muralist for two years. O'Day wed sculptor David Lemon and had a gallery in a converted cod fishery in Belvedere from 1942 until 1963. At that time, the couple moved to a houseboat in Sausalito, where she remained until her demise on March 30, 1986. Post War California artist, Jerry O'Day studied at the Cornish School of Fine Arts in Seattle; studied with Beniamino Bufano for two years. She lived in the artist's colony at the Cod fishery with artist David Lemon on Belvedere Island in the San Francisco Bay Area from 1942 - 1963. Solo Exhibitions: City of Paris, Rotunda Gallery; Lucien Labaudt Gallery, 1963; Torrance Gallery, San Anselmo, 1955; Marin Art Gallery, Sausalito, 1956; Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1962; East & West Gallery, Fillmore Street, San Francisco; Landmarks Gallery, Marin County, 1991. Selected Group Exhibitions: 65th Annual Painting and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association at the San Francisco Museum of Art, 1945; Fourth Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1963. Source: David J Carlson...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Paper

Figure Study (Standing Male- Torso)
Located in Chicago, IL
A black and white figure study of a nude male, from 1951, by artist Harold Haydon. Matted to 24" x 20". Provenance: Estate of the Artist. Estate stamped on reverse. Harold Emers...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Untitled (Double sided watercolor) Recto: Figures seated at a table
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Watercolor on paper Most probably related to the artist's creation of images surrounding Haggadah (Passover) which he started in 1930 and finished with the publication of his book in...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Figure Study (Standing Male)
Located in Chicago, IL
A black and white figure study of a nude male, from 1951, by artist Harold Haydon. Matted to 24" x 20". Provenance: Estate of the Artist. Estate stamped on reverse. Harold Emers...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Pastel on paper by German / British Hans Feibush, 'Diana and Actaeon', 20th Cent
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
A very striking work by German/British artist Hans Feibusch: Diana and Actaeon. Escaping the grip of Nazi Germany in 1933, Hans Feibusch sought refuge in Britain. In 1934, he debute...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Figure Study (Standing Male- Torso)
Located in Chicago, IL
A black and white figure study of a nude male, from 1951, by artist Harold Haydon. Matted to 24" x 20". Provenance: Estate of the Artist. Estate stamped on reverse. Harold Emers...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Avant le Bain - Drawing by Jacques Villon - 1926
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed. From the Countess Anna Laetitia Pecci Blunt Collection. Matting included. Very good condition.
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Headland & Rocks, White Island, Maine, early 20th century watercolor
Located in Beachwood, OH
Frank Nelson Wilcox (American, 1887-1964) Headland & Rocks, White Island, Maine, c. 1923 Watercolor on paper Signed lower left 15 x 19.5 inches Frank Nelson Wilcox (October 3, 1887 – April 17, 1964) was a modernist American artist and a master of watercolor. Wilcox is described as the "Dean of Cleveland School painters," though some sources give this appellation to Henry Keller or Frederick Gottwald. Wilcox was born on October 3, 1887 to Frank Nelson Wilcox, Sr. and Jessie Fremont Snow Wilcox at 61 Linwood Street in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, a prominent lawyer, died at home in 1904 shortly before Wilcox' 17th birthday. His brother, lawyer and publisher Owen N. Wilcox, was president of the Gates Legal Publishing Company or The Gates Press. His sister Ruth Wilcox...
Category

1920s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Beachside Village, Maine, 20th century landscape watercolor, Cleveland School
Located in Beachwood, OH
George Gustav Adomeit (American, 1879-1967) Beachside Village, Maine Watercolor on paper Signed lower right 10 x 14 inches 17.75 x 21.75 inches, framed A major painter of American ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

"March to Bosque Redondo" Abstract Modern Figure Drawing of the Navajo People
Located in Houston, TX
Abstract modern figurative drawing by Native American artist R.C. Gorman. The work features a large group of faceless figures representing the Navajo people who were forcefully remov...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Crayon, Pastel

Figure Study (Standing Male)
Located in Chicago, IL
A black and white figure study of a nude male, from 1951, by artist Harold Haydon. Matted to 24" x 20". Provenance: Estate of the Artist. Estate stamped on reverse. Harold Emers...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

The Race, 20th Century Graphite Sketch, English Artist
Located in London, GB
Graphite on paper Image size: 11 3/4 x 16 inches (30 x 40.5 cm) White gold frame Gordon Scott Gordon Scott was trained at the Royal College of Art (1934-38) under Gilbert Spencer, ...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Graphite

L'Apres-midi - Drawing by D. Delapierre - 1940s
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed and titled. Matting included. Good conditions.
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Recois-le Pour Amour du Ciel - Drawing by D. Delapierre - 1940s
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed and titled. Passepartout included. Very good condition.
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

"Do you need me?"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
Dear art lover, This artwork makes part of my series dedicated to " Women" and in particularly celebrates a special bond and connection between women. This artwork called "Do you...
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil Pastel, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Lounge Chair Nap - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor
Located in Soquel, CA
Lounge Chair Nap - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor A man lazes in a lounge chair, book still in hand, as he dozes off with a content e...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

India Ink, Pen, Paper

"In Foreign Parts" Eugene Higgins, Southwestern Pueblo, Modern Figurative
By Eugene Higgins
Located in New York, NY
Eugene Higgins In Foreign Parts, circa 1913 Signed lower right Watercolor on paper Sight 17 x 13 inches Born William Victor Higgins in 1884 to a Shelbyville, Indiana farm family where the only art Victor was aware of as a child was his father's love of flowers. "He loved their forms and their colors, and he tended his garden as a painter might work a canvas." At the age of nine, Victor met a young artist who traveled the Indiana countryside painting advertisements on the sides of barns. He purchased paints and brushes so the young Higgins could practice his own artwork on the inside of his father's barn. He also taught Victor about art museums and especially about the new Chicago Art Institute. This information never left the young artist, and he saved his allowance until his father allowed him at the age of fifteen to attend Chicago Art Institute. He worked a variety of jobs to finance his studies both there and at the Academy of Fine Arts. Victor Higgins traveled to New York in 1908, where he met Robert Henri, who became a significant influence by depicting every-day scenes and stressing the importance of the spirit and sense of place as important factors in painting. Higgins was also greatly affected by the New York Armory Modernism Show of Marsden Hartley in 1913. While Victor Higgins was in Chicago he met former mayor and avid collector Carter H. Harrison who was to prove instrumental in the growth of Higgins career for several years. Harrison agreed to support Higgins for four years to go to Paris and Munich and paint and study in the great museums in Europe. While at the Academie de la Grande Chaumier in Paris (1910-1914) he met Walter Ufer, who was another Chicago artist being sponsored by Carter Harrison. This meeting was not only a life-long friendship, but the beginning of a great change in the way Higgins looked at "American" art. He decided that America needed it's own authentic style rather than the 19th Century classic style he was taught in Europe. Very soon after returning to Chicago in 1914, Harrison sent him and Walter Ufer on a painting trip to Taos, New Mexico for a year in exchange for paintings. Higgins made other similar agreements and was able to support himself with his painting. This trip was a life-changing experience and introduced Higgins to the authentic America he had been looking for. In 1914 Taos was an isolated village about twelve hours from Santa Fe on an impossible dirt road. But the colorful life of the pueblo people and the natural beauty drew a collection of artists who became the Taos art colony, from which the Taos Society of Artists was founded in 1915. Victor Higgins became a permanent resident within a year of his arrival and a member of the society in 1917, exhibiting with Jane Peterson in 1925 and with Wayman Adams and Janet Scudder in 1927. The members would travel around the country introducing the Southwest scenes with great success. He remained a member until the Society's dissolution in 1927. Higgins was the youngest member of the group of seven. Other members were Joseph Henry Sharp, Bert Phillips...
Category

1910s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Les Enfants - Drawing by D. Delapierre - 1940
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed, dated and titled. Passepartout included. Good condition.
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Sick - Drawing by Jean Cocteau - 1934
Located in Roma, IT
Sketch realized for the book "Les Enfants Terribles". Unsigned and undated. Matting included. Very good conditions. Ref. Jean Cocteau, Poesia Grafica - Disegni dal 1921 al 1957. 
Category

1930s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

La Promenade Galante - Drawing by D. Delapierre - 1940s
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed and titled. Passepartout included. Very good condition.
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Voici ma Soeur - Drawing by D. Delapierre - 1939
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed, dated and titled. Matting included. Very good condition.
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

La Coupe - Drawing by D. Delapierre - 1940s
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed and titled. Passepartout included. Good conditions.
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

African Mama - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor
Located in Soquel, CA
African Mama - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor A charming illustration, by Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999), shows a woman with a...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, India Ink, Watercolor, Pen

Le Filles de Loth - Drawing by D. Delapierre - 1940s
Located in Roma, IT
Hand signed and titled. Matting included. Very good condition.
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Dance
Located in Zofingen, AG
A little fantasy on the theme of dance. In dance, I am attracted by rhythm and movement, which can be expressed through decorative spots. Graphic lines emphasize the plastic shapes. ...
Category

1990s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pencil, Magazine Paper, India Ink

Mother and Child - Drawing on Paper by Buscot - 1950s
Located in Roma, IT
Mother and child is an artwork realized by Buscot, dim-20th century. Pencil drawing, 27 x 21 cm.  Handsigned on the back.  Good conditions, exept for a fold on the lower margin.
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pen, Paper, Pencil

Over Head
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is arguably the most important American artist of the 20th century. He not only defined Pop Art but had an unrivaled influence on artists and image-making. ...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ballpoint Pen

Old Yishuv, Israel, Watercolor Painting Israeli Modernist Kibbutz Artist 2 Sided
Located in Surfside, FL
12.5x9.25 size of piece without mat. This piece is two sided and has a drawing on the second side. Aharon Giladi, Israeli painter, born in Russian Empire, 1907-1993 Aharon Golodetz (later Giladi) was born in Belarus, Russia to a wealthy family. In 1923-1926, he studied at the Leningrad Academy of Art. In 1926, he was exiled to Siberia for Zionist activity. In 1929, he immigrated to the Land of Israel, then Palestine, and helped to found Kibbutz Afikim in the Jordan valley. In 1934, he married Dvora Sifelman and worked as a builder and plasterer. He began to draw sketches of kibbutz life and taught art locally. His dynamic lines link subject to subject and figure to figure, displaying the magical nexus between objects and figures while reserving the characteristic elements of each. Everything accords with the invisible spirit which hovers over all. In 1942, he published a book of sketches...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Chef Pasta - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor
Located in Soquel, CA
Chef Pasta - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor A charming illustration, by Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999), shows a chef in an 1800's toque blanche, pouring oil from an ornate bottle over a bowl. His face, with spectacles, a moustache and goatee in fine line work, is painted in vibrant pink watercolor for an added splash of color. Signed in the bottom right corner, "i.p." Presented in a new white mat with foam core backing. Mat size: 8.5"H x 11"W Paper size: 6.75"H x 6.75"W Image size: 4.13"H x 3.63"W Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999) studied at the California School of Fine Art (now The San Francisco Art Institute), San Francisco State College and The Marion Hartwell School of Design. She was President of the San Francisco Woman Artists Association 1955-56. Provenance: The Artist, Estate of Irene Pattinson: David Carlson; Estate of Larry Miller Fine Art, Robert Azensky Fine Art. Solo Exhibitions: Lucien Labaudt Gallery 1955; San Francisco Museum of Art, 1961 (39 works). Selected Group Exhibitions: San Francisco Art Association Annual 1948, 54, 55; San Francisco Woman Artists, 1957-1960; Oakland Art Museum Annual, 1951, 58; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1960; Richmond Art Center, 1955, 56, 57, 58; San Francisco Art Institute 1959, 60. The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, 1958, 59, 60, 62, 63; Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1960; Fourth Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1963. Awards: First Place, San Francisco Woman Artists Assoc., 1957, 1959; San Francisco Art Festival 1957;Literature: San Francisco Art Institute - A catalog of the Art Ban 1962/63; San Francisco and the Second Wave: The Blair Collection Exhibitions: 1963 The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco, CA 1963 California Palace of The Legion of Honor: Forth Winter Invitational, San Francisco, CA 1962 The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco, CA 1961 San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA 1960 California...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, India Ink, Watercolor, Pen

Indian Dancer - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor
Located in Soquel, CA
Indian Dancer - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor A stoic, dark-haired woman in elaborate dress is sitting cross-legged in this illustration by Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999). Pattinson uses fine ink line detail and a vibrant pink watercolor for a splash of color. Signed at the bottom, "Irene Pattinson." Provenance: The Artist, Estate of Irene Pattinson: David Carlson; Estate of Larry Miller Fine Art, Robert Azensky Fine Art. Presented in a new white mat with foam core backing. Mat size: 16"H x 12"W Paper size: 11.75"H x 8.5"W Image size: 7.5"H x 6.5"W Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999) studied at the California School of Fine Art (now The San Francisco Art Institute), San Francisco State College and The Marion Hartwell School of Design. She was President of the San Francisco Woman Artists Association 1955-56. Provenance: The Artist, Estate of Irene Pattinson: David Carlson; Estate of Larry Miller Fine Art, Robert Azensky Fine Art. Solo Exhibitions: Lucien Labaudt Gallery 1955; San Francisco Museum of Art, 1961 (39 works). Selected Group Exhibitions: San Francisco Art Association Annual 1948, 54, 55; San Francisco Woman Artists, 1957-1960; Oakland Art Museum Annual, 1951, 58; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1960; Richmond Art Center, 1955, 56, 57, 58; San Francisco Art Institute 1959, 60. The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, 1958, 59, 60, 62, 63; Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1960; Fourth Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1963. Awards: First Place, San Francisco Woman Artists Assoc., 1957, 1959; San Francisco Art Festival 1957;Literature: San Francisco Art Institute - A catalog of the Art Ban 1962/63; San Francisco and the Second Wave: The Blair Collection Exhibitions: 1963 The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco, CA 1963 California Palace of The Legion of Honor: Forth Winter Invitational, San Francisco, CA 1962 The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco, CA 1961 San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA 1960 California...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

India Ink, Paper, Watercolor, Pen

Whimsical Fishing Illustration Cartoon 1938 Mt Tremblant Ski Lodge William Steig
Located in Surfside, FL
Lighthearted Illustration of Outdoor Pursuits This one of a fisherman signed "W. Steig" Provenance: from Mrs. Joseph B. Ryan, Commissioned by Joe Ryan for the bar at his ski resort, Mount Tremblant Lodge, in 1938. Mont Tremblant, P.Q., Canada Watercolor and ink on illustration board, sights sizes 8 1/2 x 16 1/2 in., framed. In 1938 Joe Ryan, described as a millionaire from Philadelphia, bushwhacked his way to the summit of Mont Tremblant and was inspired to create a world class ski resort at the site. In 1939 he opened the Mont Tremblant Lodge, which remains part of the Pedestrian Village today. This original illustration is on Whatman Illustration board. the board measures 14 X 22 inches. label from McClees Galleries, Philadelphia, on the frame backing paper. William Steig, 1907 – 2003 was an American cartoonist, sculptor, and, in his later life, an illustrator and writer of children's books. Best known for the picture books Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Abel's Island, and Doctor De Soto, he was also the creator of Shrek!, which inspired the film series of the same name. He was the U.S. nominee for both of the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Awards, as a children's book illustrator in 1982 and a writer in 1988. Steig was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1907, and grew up in the Bronx. His parents were Polish-Jewish immigrants from Austria, both socialists. His father, Joseph Steig, was a house painter, and his mother, Laura Ebel Steig, was a seamstress who encouraged his artistic leanings. As a child, he dabbled in painting and was an avid reader of literature. Among other works, he was said to have been especially fascinated by Pinocchio.He graduated from Townsend Harris High School at 15 but never completed college, though he attended three, spending two years at City College of New York, three years at the National Academy of Design and a mere five days at the Yale School of Fine Arts before dropping out of each. Hailed as the "King of Cartoons" Steig began drawing illustrations and cartoons for The New Yorker in 1930, producing more than 2,600 drawings and 117 covers for the magazine. Steig, later, when he was 61, began writing children's books. In 1968, he wrote his first children's book. He excelled here as well, and his third book, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969), won the Caldecott Medal. He went on to write more than 30 children's books, including the Doctor DeSoto series, and he continued to write into his nineties. Among his other well-known works, the picture book Shrek! (1990) formed the basis for the DreamWorks Animation film Shrek (2001). After the release of Shrek 2 in 2004, Steig became the first sole-creator of an animated movie franchise that went on to generate over $1 billion from theatrical and ancillary markets after only one sequel. Along with Maurice Sendak, Saul Steinberg, Ludwig Bemelmans and Laurent de Brunhofff his is one of those rare cartoonist whose works form part of our collective cultural heritage. In 1984, Steig's film adaptation of Doctor DeSoto directed by Michael Sporn was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. As one of the most admired cartoonists of all time, Steig spent seven decades drawing for the New Yorker magazine. He touched generations of readers with his tongue–in–cheek pen–and–ink drawings, which often expressed states of mind like shame, embarrassment or anger. Later in life, Steig turned to children's books, working as both a writer and illustrator. Steig's children's books were also wildly popular because of the crazy, complicated language he used—words like lunatic, palsied, sequestration, and cleave. Kids love the sound of those words even if they do not quite understand the meaning. Steig's descriptions were also clever. He once described a beached whale as "breaded with sand." Throughout the course of his career, Steig compiled his cartoons and drawings into books. Some of them were published first in the New Yorker. Others were deemed too dark to be printed there. Most of these collections centered on the cold, dark psychoanalytical truth about relationships. They featured husbands and wives fighting and parents snapping at their kids. His first adult book, Man About Town, was published in 1932, followed by About People, published in 1939, which focused on social outsiders. Sick of Each Other, published in 2000, included a drawing depicting a wife holding her husband at gunpoint, saying, "Say you adore me." According to the Los Angeles Times, fellow New Yorker artist...
Category

1930s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

India Ink, Watercolor, Illustration Board

Cats Watching a Witch on a Broomstick - Vintage Halloween Illustration in Ink
Located in Soquel, CA
Cats Watching a Witch on a Broomstick - Vintage Halloween Illustration in Ink Halloween scene with cats and a witch in India ink pen by Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999). A blac...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pen, India Ink

Toy Horse
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Harold Town (1924-1990) remains one of the most accomplished and fascinating characters from the "Painters Eleven" group. While Town coined the group's name (based on the number of...
Category

1970s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk, Pastel, Graphite

Chef Lobster - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor
Located in Soquel, CA
Chef Lobster - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor A charming illustration, by Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999), shows a pink lobster behind ...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper, India Ink, Pen

Cadmus Slaying a Dragon (God Series)
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Harold Town (1924-1990) is the ultimate chameleon of Canadian art. One of the founders of Painters Eleven, he remains one of the most fascinating characters from this important colle...
Category

1970s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk, Pastel, Graphite

Pigs on a Trolley - Vintage Picture Book Two-Page Spread Illustration
Located in Soquel, CA
Pigs on a Trolley - Vintage Picture Book Two-Page Spread Illustration A two-page spread in India ink pen and watercolor by Irene Pattinson (Ameri...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, India Ink, Watercolor, Pen

"You are my rock"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
Dear art lover, I love working on one of my favorite series dedicated to women and especially I try to go deeper on exploring a theme of a soul bond or a soul connection between peop...
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil Pastel, Archival Paper

The Artist - Drawing by Jean Effel - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
The Artist is a drawing in ink pencil and watercolor realized by Jean Effel in the mid-20th Century. Good conditions. The artwork is depicted through soft strokes in a well-balance...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Ink, Pencil

Untitled (Kneeling Male Bather)
Located in Chicago, IL
A Mid-Century watercolor of a male bather kneeling on a beach in the Côte d' Azur by artist Andre Delfau. Born in Paris, France in 1914, Andre Delfau became an internationally accla...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

“Ski Style 1960”
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is an original mixed media fashion illustration by the world renowned fashion artist, Kenneth Paul Block. Signed with initials bottom right. Circa 1965. ...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil Pastel, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Mr. Nobody
Located in New York, NY
2022, Oil stick & acrylic on paper
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Paper

Be Kind to People
Located in New York, NY
2022, Oil stick on paper
Category

2010s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil Pastel, Paper

Costume Stage Drawing Medieval Jester or Harlequin Figure Watercolor Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
Stage costume drawing in the style of Ballet Russe. unsigned older piece.
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Modern figurative drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Modern figurative drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add figurative drawings and watercolors created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of orange, blue, yellow, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Mino Maccari, Flor David, Gabriele Galantara, and Alberto Ziveri. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Watercolor and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Modern figurative drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 0.25 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative drawings and watercolors made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $11 and tops out at $648,500, while the average work sells for $409.

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