Skip to main content

Realist Art

REALIST STYLE

Realist art attempts to portray its subject matter without artifice. Similar to naturalism, authentic realist paintings and prints see an integration of true-to-life colors, meticulous detail and linear perspectives for accurate portrayals of the world. 

Work that involves illusionistic techniques of realism dates back to the classical world, such as the deceptive trompe l’oeil used since ancient Greece. Art like this became especially popular in the 17th century when Dutch artists like Evert Collier painted objects that appeared real enough to touch. Realism as an artistic movement, however, usually refers to 19th-century French realist artists such as Honoré Daumier exploring social and political issues in biting lithographic prints, while the likes of Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet painting people — particularly the working class — with all their imperfections, navigating everyday urban life. This was a response to the dominant academic art tradition that favored grand paintings of myth and history. 

By the turn of the 20th century, European artists, such as the Pre-Raphaelites, were experimenting with nearly photographic realism in their work, as seen in the attention to every botanical attribute of the flowers surrounding the drowned Ophelia painted by English artist John Everett Millais.

Although abstraction was the guiding style of 20th-century art, the realism trend in American modern art endured in Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth and other artists’ depictions of the complexities of the human experience. In the late 1960s, Photorealism emerged with artists like Chuck Close and Richard Estes giving their paintings the precision of a frame of film.

Contemporary artists such as Jordan Casteel, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Aliza Nisenbaum are now using the unvarnished realist approach for honest representations of people and their worlds. Alongside traditional mediums, technology such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and immersive installations are helping artists create new sensations of realism in art.

​​Find authentic realist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.

188
to
1,028
7,536
3,383
3,526
2,593
5,782
3,964
1,409
3,543
2,295
2,253
1,718
1,711
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
120,040
69,683
49,985
22,559
15,187
8,210
4,959
4,773
4,000
2,826
2,610
2,588
2,416
593
4,998
2,508
1,954
1,617
1,580
1,126
1,004
908
872
819
668
661
624
615
605
590
513
500
464
458
254
926
4,636
5,733
116
74
134
147
131
436
769
880
566
255
146
1,769
106
98
66
56
6,957
4,943
2,377
2,101
1,916
Style: Realist
Paternity oil acrylic on canvas painting realism Spain Sitges 70s
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Frameless. Is born in Madrid on the 21st july 1951. After attending primary school, he starts to grow an enormous tendency for drawing. At the age of 14 he begins to work in advert...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Portal. 1956. Paper, watercolor, 75x55 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Portal 1956. Paper, watercolor, 75x55 cm The central focus of the artwork is on an old town, a historic district known for its antiquated architecture, cobbled streets, and a sense...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Limited Edition Glass Goldfish Water Bag Sculpture
Located in East Quogue, NY
Inspired by popular demand, these limited-edition hyperreal goldfish cracker glass water bags are a playful nod to the carnival goldfish in plastic bags. Created with molten glass ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Ceramic, Glass, Blown Glass

Emotions and Fiction
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Ballpoint Pen, Paper

Who I Meet
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Ballpoint Pen

Natural Beauty
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Ballpoint Pen, Acrylic

Hyperreal Light Purple Glass Balloon Sculpture
Located in East Quogue, NY
Light purple glass water balloon sculpture by Dylan Martinez. Made of 100% hot-sculpted glass, each sculpture is unique and signed by the artist. Size: 4.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 in Dylan Mar...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Glass, Blown Glass

"Secret Passage" - Original Oil Seascape by Adam Hall, Dynamic Wave Art
Located in Denver, CO
"Secret Passage" by Adam Hall, a 2023 oil on panel painting, measures 24 x 24 inches with a sophisticated frame extending to 31 x 31 inches. This artwork captivates with its portraya...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Hyperreal Green, Pink & Purple Glass Balloon Sculpture Set
Located in East Quogue, NY
Set of 3 hyperreal glass water balloon sculptures by Dylan Martinez. Made of 100% hot-sculpted glass. Each sculpture is unique and signed by the artist. Size: 4.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 in -...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Glass, Blown Glass

Marie Louise Bion (1858-1939) – Portrait of a Young Woman – 19thC Oil Painting
Located in Meinisberg, CH
Marie Louise Bion (Swiss, *1858 ; † 1939) • Portrait of a young Woman • Oil on canvas • Stretcher ca. 56 x 46 cm • Original 19thC frame ca. 68 x 59 cm • Signed and dated ‘ 7/85 ’ ...
Category

1880s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Giraffe
Located in Roma, IT
Hand Signed. Edition of 150 prints.
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Graffiti Break
Located in Atlanta, GA
This item is in excellent condition, only shown in a gallery. Griselda Ferrandez was born in the city of Barcelona, a cosmopolitan and open city. From her balcony she could contempla...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Alice In Acapulco, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Alice Topping and Minnie Cushing (left) relax with friends in Acapulco, Mexico, February 1966. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certifi...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

"Swell Season" - Original Oil Seascape by Adam Hall, Coastal Wave Art
Located in Denver, CO
"Swell Season" (2023) by Adam Hall is an evocative original oil painting on panel, measuring 24 x 18 inches and elegantly framed to 25 x 19 inches. This piece captures the gentle yet...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Visions In Pale Splendor" - Oil Painting, Cultural Fusion with Female Model
Located in Denver, CO
Alexandra Manukyan presents "Visions In Pale Splendor," an exquisite oil on linen on wooden panel from 2023, framed to 28 x 22 inches. This piece captures a fusion of traditional Jap...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Carmen Sevilla, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Spanish actress and singer Carmen Sevilla. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Carmen Sevilla Chromogenic Lambda print 1957, Printed Later Slim Aarons Estate Edition Com...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Antoni Costa Woman original figurative drawing painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
woman. original figurative academician drawing painting. FRAMED Barcelona, 1904 - Barcelona, 1965 It was formed in Buenos Aires, in the Circle of San Lucas of Barcelona and the FAD...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Carbon Pencil

Artist Materials On Shelves
Located in Atlanta, GA
This painting beautifully captures a realistic view of an artist's studio. The boxes covered in oil paint fingerprints, the small dent in the wall, the palette, tubes of paint scatt...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"White Noise" - Original Oil Seascape by Adam Hall, Ocean Wave Art
Located in Denver, CO
Adam Hall's "White Noise" (2023) is an expansive original oil painting on panel, with dimensions of 72 x 60 inches, elegantly framed to 73 x 61 inches. This artwork captures the tumu...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Poolside Host, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests by the pool at Nelda Linsk's desert house in Palm Springs, California, January 1970. The house was designed by Richard Neutra for Edgar J. Kaufmann. At far left is Lita Baron....
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Leaning Pines (Hand-printed cyanotype, 24 x 18 inches)
Located in Oakland, CA
Unframed. Hand-printed original cyanotype photograph on watercolor paper. Limited edition of 10. One has sold. This is a hand-printed contact photograph using the 170-year-old c...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Photogram

Coffee Run
Located in Atlanta, GA
This item is in excellent condition, only shown in a gallery. Griselda Ferrandez was born in the city of Barcelona, a cosmopolitan and open city. From her balcony she could contempla...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

White Horses Running Free Large Russian Signed Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Running Wild" by Lubov Bazanova (Russian b.1957) signed to the front, inscribed verso oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 24 x 34 inches Beautiful quality contemporary oil painting on canvas, by the well listed Russian artist, Lubov Bazanova (born 1957). The work is signed to the front as well as inscribed verso in Cyrillic. It is a stunning image and superbly painted, capturing these wild horses...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Slim Aarons 'Kings of Hollywood'
Located in New York, NY
Film stars (left to right) Clark Gable (1901 - 1960), Van Heflin (1910 - 1971), Gary Cooper (1901 - 1961) and James Stewart (1908 - 1997) enjoy a joke at a New Year's party held at R...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Naumburg Bandshell, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Couples dance to a live band performing at the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, New York City, 1948. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Naumburg Bandshe...
Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Naumburg Bandshell, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Couples dance to a live band performing at the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, New York City, 1948. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Naumburg Bandshe...
Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Gladiator. Bronze, 33 x 30 x 15 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Gladiator. Bronze, 33 x 30 x 15 cm
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Carmen Sevilla, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Spanish actress and singer Carmen Sevilla. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Carmen Sevilla Chromogenic Lambda print 1957, Printed Later Slim Aarons Estate Edition Com...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Naumburg Bandshell, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Couples dance to a live band performing at the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, New York City, 1948. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Naumburg Bandshe...
Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Naumburg Bandshell, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Couples dance to a live band performing at the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, New York City, 1948. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Naumburg Bandshe...
Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Alice In Acapulco, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Alice Topping and Minnie Cushing (left) relax with friends in Acapulco, Mexico, February 1966. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certifi...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Alice In Acapulco, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Alice Topping and Minnie Cushing (left) relax with friends in Acapulco, Mexico, February 1966. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certifi...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Alice In Acapulco, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Alice Topping and Minnie Cushing (left) relax with friends in Acapulco, Mexico, February 1966. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certifi...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Carmen Sevilla, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Spanish actress and singer Carmen Sevilla. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Carmen Sevilla Chromogenic Lambda print 1957, Printed Later Slim Aarons Estate Edition Com...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Carmen Sevilla, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Spanish actress and singer Carmen Sevilla. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Carmen Sevilla Chromogenic Lambda print 1957, Printed Later Slim Aarons Estate Edition Com...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Contemporary portrait "I'll Tell You..."
Located in Zofingen, AG
I talk to an imaginary friend almost all the time.) Is this normal at all?) In this painting, I explored the depth of human connection, crafting an intimate narrative through a reali...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Caminante No Hay Camino (Hand-printed cyanotype, 24 x 18 inches)
Located in Oakland, CA
Unframed. Hand-printed original cyanotype photograph on watercolor paper. Actor Timothée Chalamet owns one smaller edition of this photo, having bought it in person at The Other ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Photogram

"Reflection: Barred Owl" - Original Oil Painting, Forest Bird Art
Located in Denver, CO
Allison Leigh Smith's "Reflection: Barred Owl" (2023) is a captivating original oil painting on aluminum, measuring 10 x 10 inches with a frame size of 12.50 x 12.50 inches. This pie...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Metal

The Ayase River and Kanegafuchi, Summer, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
Located in Soquel, CA
The Ayase River and Kanegafuchi, Summer, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo Summer on the Ayase River by Hiroshige (Ando) Utagawa (Japan, 1797 - 1858 ). Woodcut circa 1856. Ima...
Category

1850s Realist Art

Materials

Woodcut, Ink

"Reflection: Barn Owl" - Original Oil Painting, Wildlife Art
Located in Denver, CO
Allison Leigh Smith’s “Reflection: Barn Owl” (2023) masterfully captures the mysterious allure of the barn owl, framed within a 10 x 10 inch oil on aluminum surface. This unique artw...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Metal

Portrait of James Dean
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Joseph Kardonne (1911-1985). James Dean, 1950. Charcoal on textured paper, sheet measures an irregular 11.25 x 18 inches. It has been folded in half a bears a crease along central li...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Charcoal

Forest Sunrise (Hand-printed cyanotype, 18 x 24 inches)
Located in Oakland, CA
Unframed. New from 2023. This is an original, hand-printed original cyanotype photograph on heavy cotton watercolor paper. Just one of 10 prints were made. Four have sold. Only six...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Photogram

Green and Gold-original British landscape panorama oil painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
"Green and Gold" by Harry Brioche is a stunning original realist aerial landscape painting that invites viewers into a world of serene beauty and atmospheric charm. Executed with pre...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Morning Valley Light (Hand-printed cyanotype, 18 x 24 inches)
Located in Oakland, CA
Unframed. New from 2023. This is an original, hand-printed original cyanotype photograph on heavy cotton watercolor paper. Just one of 10 prints were made. Four have sold. Only six...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Photogram

Reading is my First Love
Located in Atlanta, GA
This item is in excellent condition, only shown in a gallery. Griselda Ferrandez was born in the city of Barcelona, a cosmopolitan and open city. From her balcony she could contempla...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Verbier Vacation, Switzerland, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Slim Aarons Verbier Vacation Verbier Vacation: Holiday-makers take the sun on a mountain top in Verbier, 1964. Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of a...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Polish Judaica Portrait of Hasidic Rabbi Shtetl Tailor Oil Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
Older, realistic portrait of an older Jewish shtetl tailor by Polish artist. Here the artist conveys a sense of quiet grandeur through the eyes of his subject and the way it's render...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Swimming In The Bahamas, Estate Edition
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Brightly coloured swimmers in a pool in Nassau on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas, 1959. 40 x 60 inches $3950 30 x 40 inches $3350 20 x 30 inches $3000 10 x 12 inches...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Book. Original engravings 155 pсs., 1 piece with blend. 1822 London
Located in Riga, LV
William Hogarth (1697-1764) Original engravings 155 pсs., 1 piece with blend. 1822 London From A. Neibergs collection
Category

1820s Realist Art

Materials

Engraving, Paper

Gumball Machine & Red Trunk No. 1
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery. Stott’s work is almost object portraiture, applying traditional still life compositions and lighting but ventures beyond time honored subject m...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Carl Ranch - Mantel clock, gilded bronze h 59.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Carl Ranch - Mantel clock, gilded bronze H 59.5 cm; L 38 cm; W 15,5 cm
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

The Journey's End (Hand-printed cyanotype, 30 x 20 inches)
Located in Oakland, CA
Unframed. 2022. Signed on the back. This photograph was taken just weeks after the artist's husband died, thus the title, "The Journey's End." Paths that disappear into the mist, p...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Photogram

Distant Blue-original British landscape panorama oil painting-contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
"Distant Blue" stands as a captivating original realist aerial landscape masterpiece crafted by the talented artist, Harry Brioche. This exquisite artwork, skillfully rendered in oil...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Board, Oil

Jack Levine American Modernist Social Realist WPA Artist Lithograph Dinner Party
Located in Surfside, FL
This is being sold unframed. Reception in Miami. Born to Lithuanian Jewish parents, Levine grew up in the South End of Boston, where he observed a street life composed of European i...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Color, Lithograph

19th Century British "On the Medway. Morning"
Located in San Francisco, CA
Masterfully executed 19th century British oil on canvas. This fabulous piece depicts a possible battle scene at Medway, which in the 1600s the Dutch had a huge victory against the Br...
Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Almazan 55 Realistic Still Life pastel Painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Almazan Realistic Still Life Acrylic Painting virtual frame MIQUEL was an artist focused on the art of realism. His structured works on his great mastery of drawing, are romantic an...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Andean Motmot, Bird, Watercolor Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
174 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2023 Style: Classic Art Title: Andean Motmot Size: 12 x 16...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Sunbathing in Venice, Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Italy
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sunbathing in Venice A woman sunbathes wearing a novelty straw sun hat with built-in sunglasses, Venice, 1954. In this delightfully whimsical photograph by Slim Aarons, taken in 1...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Realist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist art 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 art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Slim Aarons, Michael Budden, Daniel Pollera, and Su Yu. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Realist art, so small editions measuring 0.1 inches across are also available.

Recently Viewed

View All