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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.

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Style: Realist
New York City Evening Theater Painting by Michael Budden Phantom of the Opera
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Mystical Phantom oil/canvas 14x20 unframed, 27.75 x 21.75 framed signed LR Mystical Phantom is an oil painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden. I...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

“Total Freedom” — Hyperrealistic Oil Painting of a Woman Underwater
Located in Zofingen, AG
The ocean holds endless mysteries — vast, untamed, and profoundly unknown. From childhood, we are taught to fear it: the currents, the waves, the unseen depths, and the creatures tha...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Future of Flight" (2025) Original Portrait of Young Girl, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Future of Flight" (2025) by Denise Dambrackas is an original oil painting that depicts a young girl sending a plane into flight, amongst a vibrant and colorful sky, presented in a r...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Oil, Panel

Beach Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting Oxford Md Boat Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Oxford Light 11 x 14 unframed and 17.25 x 20.25 framed signed LR Oxford Light is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beauti...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Full Blue Moon, Handmade Cyanotype on Watercolor Paper, Cosmos, Deep Blue Space
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Blue Moon" shows an outstanding full moon with all its details. Details: + Title: Blue Moon + Year: 2022 + Edition Size...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Emulsion, Watercolor

The New Scene of Van Eyden
Located in Zofingen, AG
In The New Scene of Van Eyden, I reimagine a classical genre scene as a contemporary reflection on self-perception. Three figures — myself, my avatar, and the avatar’s companion — sh...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Portrait of a Young Boy Seen from Behind
Located in Stockholm, SE
This intimate oil painting presents a young boy viewed from a three-quarter rear angle, caught in a quiet, reflective moment. The child’s back is turned gently toward the viewer, ren...
Category

1890s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

What the F@ck Am I Looking At?
Located in Zofingen, AG
This artwork blends calm seaside serenity with an unexpected, dreamlike encounter. A solitary girl stands on the shore, dressed in timeless black-and-white attire, her posture compos...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

"Persian Cats with Flowers" Oil Painting Portrait of Two White Cats in a Garden
By Beno Boleradsky
Located in New York, NY
This piece depicts two white, long-haired Persian cats in a natural setting. The cats are positioned on a grassy patch adorned with small flowers, including clusters of pink blossoms...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

New York City Brooklyn Bridge PLein Air Painting Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Brooklyn Bridge oil/panel 11 x 14 unframed, 16.63 x 19.63 framed signed LL Here is beautiful plein air painting done on location in Brooklyn of the Brooklyn Bridge back in 2011. It...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Cruising Altitude" (2025) Original Portrait of Young Girl, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Cruising Altitude" (2025) by Denise Dambrackas is an original oil painting that depicts a young girl sending a plane into flight, amongst a vibrant and colorful sky, presented in a ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Oil, Panel

«Eternal Pulse» – Ocean Wave Oil Painting in Refined Vert Bosphore Palette
Located in Zofingen, AG
The sea knows no rest. It breathes, it lives, it calls — in every movement, in every shimmer of light. This wave is a moment between calm and storm, a breath that holds eternity with...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Impressionistic Cityscape Nocturne Oil Painting Michael Budden American Flags
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Evening On Dover Street 16 x 20 unframed and 23.75 x 27.75 framed signed LL Evening On Dover Street is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Ballerinas at the dressing room
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I captured the quiet, tender moments before the performance, where anticipation and grace blend beautifully. Using oil, I brought warmth and life to the dancers’ delic...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Magpie Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Magpie Size: 9 x 12 inch, (23x3...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

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

Tigers Acrylic and oil on canvas painting
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Author: Rodolfo Ramírez Cardo (Havana, Cuba) Title: Version of “Tigress” by Karl Bang Year: 2000 Technique: Acrylic and oil on canvas Dimensions: 64 x 85 cm (25.2 x 33.5 in) (unframe...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Heels? Never Heard of Them
Located in Zofingen, AG
There is a pause between two worlds — and in that pause, she sits. Barefoot, dressed in black, the woman rests against a handmade wooden fence, surrounded by the quiet pulse of natur...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

River Landscape Scene with Horses in the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
River Landscape Scene with Horses in the English Countryside by British Contemporary Artist, David Morgan (Born 1964). Art measures 24 x 16 inches Frame measures 30 x 20 inches Sig...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Morning in Venice, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
The Venice Grand Canal and its iconic domed architecture bathe in the gentle morning light, revealing a timeless grandeur. Delicate brushwork captures subtle sh...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Pocket Strawberry - original realism still life fruit - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Young Calf's Face with Detailed Pink Features
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

River Meadow Landscape with Children & Dog at a Picnic in English Countryside
Located in Preston, GB
River Meadow Landscape with Children & Dog at a Picnic in the English Countryside by British Artist, Andrew Grant Kurtis M.A.(Lon) B.Des.(Hons) L.S.I.A.D. Art measures 30 x 20 i...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Small White Sheep Lying Down
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Portrait of an Edwardian Dandy (Man)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Portrait of an Edwardian Dandy Gentleman, 2003. Acrylic on canvas, 16 x 20 inches. Signed with monogram and dated lower right.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Mountain Lake Forest Landscape Scene - Vintage 20th Century Oil Painting
Located in Preston, GB
Mountain Lake Forest Landscape Scene - Vintage 20th Century Oil Painting by J Bishop. Art measures 17 x 14 inches Frame measures 21 x 18 inches Vintage painting, ornate gold frame ...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse Patiently Waiting at The Wooden Fence
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Homage to famed modernist sculptor Isaac Witkin, at Grounds for Sculpture Signed
Located in New York, NY
Mel Leipzig Homage to renowned modernist sculptor Isaac Witkin, at Grounds for Sculpture, 2019 Color Print on Soft Gloss Exhibition Fiber Paper Hand signed, numbered 2/20, titled and...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Color

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Cows Resting In the Meadow
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Small Oil of Cottages beside a Lake in Mountains on the Antrim Coast in Ireland
Located in Preston, GB
Small Oil of Cottages beside a Lake in Mountains on the Antrim Coast in Ireland, by Contemporary Artist, Derek Quann Art measures 10 x 8 inches Frame measures 17.5 x 15.5 inches Th...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse Munching On Grass
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 5.5 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Train to Sunset, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Set on a winter evening at the 4th Avenue/9th Street station in Brooklyn, this painting captures a vivid sunset framed by the converging diagonals of the train ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Still life with White Cat oil painting original fine art realism poetic artwork
Located in Oslo, NO
“White Cat” presents a quiet, contemplative moment centered on a simple porcelain cat figure. The artist uses soft, atmospheric brushwork and muted tones to evoke a sense of solitude...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Conca dei Marini, Italy, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1980s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a busy bay in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi coast in Italy, August 1984. This is an est...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

«Free, Weightless, Brave. No.1»— Hyperrealistic Oil Underwater Nude Woman
Located in Zofingen, AG
There is so much unknown, undiscovered, and mysterious about the ocean. Much of what we are taught encourages fear—we learn about rips and currents, big waves and sharks, hear of dro...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Dove
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Dove, ca. 1960 Carved and polished stone 10" wide, 6.25" deep, height is 12" Tail exhibits a small area of loss. Our conservator can repair this at no ex...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Stone

Dove
Dove
$2,000 Sale Price
60% Off
Costa Rica Beach Foam, Shoreline Seascape, Minimal Blue, Limited Edition Print
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype of a Sandy Shore with Foam. Details: + Title: Sandy Shore with Foam + Edition Size: 100 + Stamped and Certificate of Aut...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Emulsion, Monotype, Paper

“Whisper of the Tides» — Hyperrealistic Oil Painting of Ocean Sunset and Waves
Located in Zofingen, AG
The gentle light of the sunset dissolves into the foamy surf, tinting the waves with shades of rose and gold. In this moment, the ocean seems to whisper its eternal secrets, flowing ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Sunbathing In Capri, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1970s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features sunbathers by a swimming pool at the Hotel Punta Tragara on the island of Capri, Italy, Au...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

What?..
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting invites the viewer into a quiet, surreal moment suspended between reality and dream. A young woman, draped in black, leans forward onto a round wooden table, her postur...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Wikiva Basin, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This oil painting captures the quiet beauty of a Florida marsh. Palm trees and billowing clouds add depth and balance to the composition. Artist Kent Sullivan u...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

“Blue Horizons” — Hyperrealistic Seascape Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Located in Zofingen, AG
Where the sea meets the sky, infinity is born. The horizon dissolves into shades of blue, promising freedom and new paths. Unstretched
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

A Summer Night. Ukraine
Located in Zofingen, AG
A contemplative scene of a woman and a black cat observing devastation beyond the window — burning homes against a twilight sky. The untouched dinner table becomes a silent witness t...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Malibu Pine Sea View, Blue Tones California Landscape, Handmade Cyanotype, Paper
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. Stunning image of a breezy "Malibu Pine Sea View". Details: + Title: Malibu Pine Sea View + Year: 2025 + Edition Size: 50...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph, Monotype

«Evening Symphony of the Sea» — Hyperrealistic Painting of Ocean Sunset and Wave
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting depicts a magical moment between day and night at the seaside. The sand still holds the warmth of the fading sun, while waves dance along the shore, composing a gentle ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Pulse of the Ocean” — Hyperrealistic Oil Seascape Painting of Sunset Waves
Located in Zofingen, AG
The ocean pulses like a heart in love with the sunset. Its waves are gentle touches, holding the secrets of endless love.
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Mrs. A. Watson Armour III, Illinois, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 1960s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Mrs. A. Watson Armour III walking with her poodles on her Lake Forest Estate, Illinois, USA. T...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

BE WATER
Located in Zofingen, AG
She floats where silence begins — just beneath the skin of the water. Her form is neither here nor gone, dissolving into rhythm and light. There is no past, no edge, no name — only t...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Fig Fruit. Horizontal oil painting, still-life.
Located in Oslo, NO
This small Still Life is horizontally composed with dark juicy fig fruits delicately contrasting to the white drapery they are resting on. Light shadow covers one half of fruit, lett...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Church of the Holy Sepulchre: A 19th C. Hand-colored Lithograph by David Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
"Stone of Unction, Church of the Holy Sepulchre" is a framed 19th century hand-colored lithograph by David Roberts from the large folio edition of his monumental 6 volume publication...
Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Large Realist STILL LIFE AT NIGHT Oil Painting by English painter Michael Exall
Located in Cirencester, GB
Artist: Michael Exall (1950-1996) British Title: "Still Life Of Fruit Stand In The Window At Night" Medium: oil on board Size: 102cm x 74cm inc frame Condition: very good Notes: Pai...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
472 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Cat Size: 12 x 16 inch, (30...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

“Amber Light” — Hyperrealistic Seascape Oil Painting of Sunset Ocean Wave.
Located in Zofingen, AG
«Amber Light» is a fleeting and rare moment when the sea glows from within, filled with warm golden light. A wave sparkles like a drop of amber, inviting us into the slow, quiet rhy...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Echo of the Black Cat
Located in Zofingen, AG
This striking, contemporary painting invites the viewer into a space of quiet mystery and irony. A young woman with auburn hair, dressed in a dark, structured dress, stands confide...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Impressionistic Moonlight Seascape OilPainting Michael Budden Mystical Monlight
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Mystical Moonlight oil/panel 8 x 10 unframed 13.25 x 15.25 framed. An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beautiful moonlit ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Church & Cottage by a River in the English Countryside by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Church & Cottage by a River in the English Countryside by British Artist, Peter J Greenhill Art measures 30 x 20 inches Frame measures 35 x 25 inches Peter J. Greenhill (b.1939, Br...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Renewal
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Renewal" is the gentle touch of the ocean where water and soul meet, merging in a dance of light and motion. The waves envelop and carry away into a realm of quiet magic, where ever...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dodo Bird
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mark Morrison (1895-1964) Dodo, ca. 1940 Carved granite 7.75" wide, 5" deep, height is 7" Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison. Born: Kingfisher, OK Education: Univers...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Granite

Dodo Bird
Dodo Bird
$1,600 Sale Price
60% Off
SOUNDS OF THE DEEP
Located in Zofingen, AG
shipped in roll Between the energetic rush of the waves and the silent depths, I wanted to capture a moment of transition—a visual metaphor for the journey inward. The surface, with...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Young Girl Watering Flowers – Intimate 19th Century Genre Scene
Located in Stockholm, SE
This tender scene by German artist Georg Buchner captures a quiet, intimate moment: a young girl carefully watering a potted plant on a windowsill. The warm light gently illuminates ...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

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.

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