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Modern Portrait 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
Color:  Black
Cyclop - Black Marker By Drawing by F. Codognotto - 2023
Located in Roma, IT
Cyclop is an artwork realized by Ferdinando Codognotto in 2023. Black marker on paper. Handsigned and dated in the lower right part. 33x24 cm, no frame. Excellent conditions.
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Permanent Marker

The Horseman - Drawing by Mino Maccari - 1960s
Located in Roma, IT
The Horseman is an original drawing realized by Mino Maccari in the 1960s. Ink and watercolor on paper. Monogrammed in the lower left margin and numbered edition above , 33. Fre...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

The Capitalist - Drawing by Mino Maccari - 1960s
Located in Roma, IT
The capitalist is an artwork realized by Mino Maccari in 1960s. Pen drawing with artist's monogram below. 9x11 cm; 11 x 15 cm with perspex frame. Good condtions. Mino Maccar...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pen

The Compassion - Drawing - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
The Compassion is a drawing in watercolor and ink realized by Albert Decaris in the mid-20th Century. In good conditions with some foxing. The artwork is presented through deft st...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

'Portrait of a Young Navajo', Native American, Arizona, California Woman artist
By Victoria Creech Stewart
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left 'Creech PSWC' and created circa 1975 A compelling pastel study showing the subject dressed in brightly-colored ceremonial robes and gazing past the viewer. An eleg...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Archival Paper

Portrait of Christ - Original Drawing - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Christ is an original artwork realized by the Unknown Artist in the early 20th century. Original pen drawing on ivory-colored paper, ...
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pen

Man with T-Shirt - Drawing by Norbert Meyre - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Man with T-Shirt is an original China Ink Drawing realized by Norbert Meyre. The little artwork on a yellowed paper is in good condition. No Signature. Norbert Meyre is a French I...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Portrait of Samuel Beckett, Charcoal Drawing by Miguel Herrera
By Miguel Herrera
Located in Long Island City, NY
A powerful portrait of the writer Samuel Beckett by Miguel Herrera, Chilean/American (1935). unframed. Graphite on Paper, signed Size: 31 x 23 in. (78...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal

The Flying Postman - Original Ink and Watercolor by G. Galantara - 1910s
Located in Roma, IT
The flying postman is an original drawing in China ink and watercolor on creamy cardboard realized by Gabriele Galantara (1865-1937). In good conditions. This artwotk presents on ...
Category

1910s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

The King - Original Drawing by Gabriele Galantara - 1914
Located in Roma, IT
The king is an original drawing in China ink, watercolor and white lead on creamy cardboard realized by Gabriele Galantara (1865-1937). In good conditions. This artwotk presents o...
Category

1910s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

The Parade of Fairground Wrestlers, Modern French School
Located in London, GB
'The Parade of Fairground Wrestlers', India ink on art paper, Modern French School (early 1900s). Traveling shows often held promotional events before opening in local areas to generate enthusiasm for the spectacle. This is an intriguing depiction of the various acts on stage strutting their stuff before an audience of potential customers. On the platform, fairground wrestlers mix with clowns, dancers, a percussionist in bolero hat...
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Steve Job, 2017
Located in ATLANTA, GA
Artist
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Portrait - Original China ink and Watercolor by Eugène Berman - 1960s
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait is an original contemporary artwork realized by Eugène Berman (Petersbourg, 1932 - Rome, 1972) in the 1960s. Original drawing in China ink and watercolor on paper Hand-signed. Good conditions except for cutaway on margins and a major cutaway on the top-right angle. Eugène Berman (Petersbourg, 1932 - Rome, 1972). He worked especially for the theater (Brecht's Threepenny Opera...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

"Yellow Bird Black Mask" Ink & Acrylic on paper framed by Devie
Located in Carmel, CA
Inspired by the theatre world, Devie had retained her own unique drawing strokes. Her works reflect an approachable other-worldliness. She paints a story to be told and answered. Th...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Acrylic, Handmade Paper

"Self Portrait"
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim’s of Lambertville is proud to offer this artwork by: Gershon Benjamin (1899-1985) An American Modernist of portraits, landscapes, still lives, and the urban scene, Gershon Benj...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel

Woman with Black Mantel - Ink and Watercolor Drawing by F. David - 1949
Located in Roma, IT
Woman With Mantle is an original drawing on ivory glossy paper realized by Flor David in 1949. Hand-signed and dated by the artist on the lower-left corner. This is an original ink and watercolored drawing representing a very beautiful portrait of a woman wrapped in a black mantel...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Ink

ART
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original watercolor painting by Westley "Wes" Olmsted. This work is currently featured in the exhibition Man of Extremes at Benjaman Gallery in Buffalo, NY. Westley G. Olmsted (1934-2011) was a painter and sculptor. He was born in Buffalo, New York, and was a distant relative Frederick Law Olmsted...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Portrait Sketch of Man with a Cane
Located in Houston, TX
Gorgeous and detailed portrait sketch of a man in a suit with a cane by artist C. Hallam in 1975.
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pencil

Head of JYM III - 20th Century, Chalk and charcoal on paper by Frank Auerbach
Located in London, GB
Chalk and charcoal on paper. Auerbach met Juliet Yardley Mills in 1956, when she was working as a model at Sidcup College of Art. He began to paint her the following year, and contin...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk, Charcoal

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Original French Art Deco Gouache Illustration Drawing by J. Hilly
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Mughal School, 18th century – Emperor Jahangir in his harem in flagrante delicto
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Spanish folk dance Jota pastel drawing
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
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Alfred Bendiner, (Baseball Hitter and Pitcher -- The Philadelphia Phillies?)
Located in New York, NY
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Child - Drawing by Hermann Paul - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
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Category

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Two girls reading a book
Located in Sempach, LU
Just another evening in the artist's studio, when the guests arrived and sat down to look at all kinds of art books. Two girls were so carried away by the book that they no longer no...
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Two girls reading a book
Two girls reading a book
H 11.82 in W 16.54 in D 0.04 in
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Untitled, Ink & Cross Hatch on Paper by Modern Indian Artist “In Stock”
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Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Bikash Bhattacharjee - Untitled - 9 x 9 inches (unframed size) Ink & Cross Hatch on Paper ( frames to be 17 x 17 inches approx ) Inclusive of shipment in framed form Style : Bikash Bhattacharya is credited with bringing realism back to Indian art at a time when artists in India were leaning more towards distortion of figures and abstraction. Besides painting the city and its people that he knew so well, Bhattacharjee was an accomplished portrait painter. Realism was Bhattacharjee’s forte; his oil paintings could depict the exact quality of drapery or the skin tone of a woman. He achieved mastery in capturing the quality of light. Bhattacharjee achieved an enigmatic quality in his paintings that works on many levels from the visual to the subconscious. Subject matter included depictions of the female form, and people of all ages and situations—old men and women, children, domestic help. He had the ability to create an authentic milieu as a background to the characters to heighten the drama. Bikash had been deeply influenced by the surrealists, and stated that Salvador Dalí was his favourite painter. About the Artist and his work : Bikash Bhattacharjee (1940 - 2006) was born in Kolkata. Education : At a very early age he lost his father. The consequent struggle for survival left him with a deep sense of insecurity as well as an empathy for the under-privileged, who often feature in his works. In 1963, he graduated with a Diploma in Fine Arts from Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship. Teaching Career : Bhattacharjee taught at Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship from 1968 to 1972. He taught at the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata from 1973 to 1982. In 1964, he became a member of the Society of Contemporary Artists. Solo Exhibition : His first solo exhibition was at Kolkata in 1965. Group Shows : 2016 – Dag Modern, New York, The Art of Bengal 2016 – Akara Art, Mumbai, Mysteries of the Organism 2015 – Dag Modern, New York, The Naked and the Nude: The Body in Indian Modern Art 2015 – Dag Modern, Mumbai, India Modern – Narratives from 20th Century Indian Art...
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Head of a Rabbi, Judaica
Located in Surfside, FL
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Black Madonna.
By André Delcourt
Located in Storrs, CT
Black Madonna. c. 1940. Gouache. 15 5/8 x 11 3/8 (sheet 16 x 12 1/16). Ex-collection: the Catholic Lending Library, Hartford, Connecticut. A serene madonna holds her child, who holds...
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Modern portrait drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Modern portrait 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 portrait 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, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Mino Maccari, Alberto Ziveri, Pierre Georges Jeanniot, and Devie Elzafon. Frequently made by artists working with Pencil, and 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 Modern portrait drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 2.09 inches across are also available. Prices for portrait 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 $55 and tops out at $425,000, while the average work sells for $403.

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