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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
"Reclining Nude" Realist Interior Nude Female Figure Laying on Bed Oil Painting
Located in New York, NY
A 19th-century exceptional oil painting depicting a nude figure reclining on a bed with white drapery, set against a dark background. This intimate figurative scene portrays a female...
Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

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

Thinking about Degas III
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, I captured a quiet moment of anticipation and reflection among dancers. Using oil, I painted their delicate forms and soft light to evoke a blend of impressionism a...
Category

2010s 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

Sunset off the Coast of Hellerup, Denmark
Located in Stockholm, SE
A spectacular sunset unfolds off the coast of Hellerup in this oil painting by Albert Edward Wang. The sky is awash in vibrant hues of gold and rose, the low sun illuminating bands o...
Category

1910s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

«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

“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

Nude. Abstract realism, Horizontal, Pastel colours, Beige, Nudes across mediums
Located in Oslo, NO
The subject of the painting is just awakened young woman, resting in a bad and enjoying first morning sunlight. The relaxed posture and soft colors express a calm mood, the freshnes...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The childhood of Harley Quinn
Located in Zofingen, AG
Harley Quinn is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. In this painting, I captured the delicate innocence and quiet melancholy of childhood ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mother and Child, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A mother holds her baby tenderly, her gentle smile reflecting their bond. Rich red tones and intricate clothing details stand out against the dark background. P...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Copy of "Wall Street - The Noon Hour" by Felicie Waldo Howell created in 1925
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful copy by an unknown artist, of the original painting "Wall Street - The Noon Hour" originally created in 1925 by the great American artist Felicie Waldo Howell (1897-1968)...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

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

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

“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

“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

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of Horse Drinking at The Water Hole
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 7 x 5.5 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

Original painting on canvas board by Serg Graff " Futuristic Apple" COA
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This is an original contemporary acrylic painting on canvas board in a modern still life style by Serg Graff, titled “Futuristic Apple.” The composition features a single boldly ren...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse with White Features Waiting at The 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 Dou...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

“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

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

The "New York" 1898, Marine, Seascape, Steamer, Ship at Sea, American, Realism
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Milton James Burns was born in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, in 1853. A founding member of the Salmagundi Club in New York, Burns became a highly acclaimed marine painter, one of the few who was...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache

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

Wood Panel, Oil

«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

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

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

New York City Painting Michael Budden Evening On Broadway St James & Sardis
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Evening On Broadway, St. James & Sardi's Image is 10 x 8 unframed, 15.5 x 13.5 framed. An acrylic painting on canvas panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

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

Raspberry - original realism still life fruit - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. In Raspberry, Dani Humberstone suspends a delicately painted fr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Impressionistic Moonlight Landscape Oil Painting Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Evening Moonrise Study oil/panel 10 x 8 unframed 14.38 x 12.38 framed. An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a romantic moonli...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Pocket Ripe Peach - original realism still life fruit - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. With glowing skin and tender volume, Pocket Ripe Peach capture...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Cannes Cannes Girls, France, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1950s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features two bikini-clad holidaymakers posing outside the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, in the south of ...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

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

Seashore
Located in Zofingen, AG
The ocean is a mystery, full of secrets and deep emotions. Its power can be frightening, yet it beckons and offers freedom. In every wave lies a story of fear and love, intertwined i...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of a Horse and Farmers Preparing The Hay Cart
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 Dou...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Berries in a golden bowl
Located in Zofingen, AG
The scene is set with a quiet reverence—a simple golden bowl, brimming with the last treasures of the season. These are not just fruits; they are memories of sunlight, gathered and p...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Blue Damson - original realism still life fruit - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. In Grape, Dani Humberstone reduces the still life tradition to ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Catherine Wilke, Capri, Italy, Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 1980 portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Catherine Wilke joining the topless sunbathers - along with Elisabetta Catalano, Charlotte Ticke...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

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

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

«Light of Hope» – Hyperrealism Ocean Splash Wave at Sunset Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Created in March 2022, during the first weeks of the war in Ukraine, Light of Hope carries a deep emotional resonance. This hyperrealistic seascape unites the fiery energy of a sunse...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel, Board

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 inche...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
466 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

«Explosion of Feelings» – Hyperrealistic Seascape Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Through the warm sunset sky, the ocean soars toward the light. A single wave, igniting, bursts into a thousand sparkling droplets, each seemingly holding the last glimmers of the dep...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

"Sunset West" (2025) Oil Painting, Colorado Landscape
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Magrin's ( US based) "Sunset West" is an original, handmade oil painting of a sunset above Colorado plains. This piece is framed in a "barn wood" frame and is ready to hang. ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Oil, Wood Panel

White lace
Located in Zofingen, AG
On the canvas of the artwork "White Lace" nature unveils its delicate side, as if weaving an intricate lace fabric for its masterpiece. A wave, enveloped in pristine foam, intertwine...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

New York City Snow Oil Painting Michael Budden Winter Union Square
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Winter Union Square oil/panel 9 x 12 x .25 unframed 14x17.25 framed as pictured. Frame has been touched up Winter Union Square is an oil painting on canvas panel by award winning ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Antique American Realist Horse Portrait Framed Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American horse portrait oil painting. Oil on board. Signed verso. Framed. Measuring: 9 by 7 inches overall, and 7 by 5 painting alone. In excellent original condition. Hands...
Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

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

Lips in Perspective, Nude Lithograph by Roberto Carbone
Located in Long Island City, NY
Lips in Perspective Roberto Carbone, Italian (1949) Date: 1979 Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 250 Size: 27 in. x 20 in. (68.58 cm x 50.8 cm)
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Last Light" - Oil on Canvas Winter Landscape with Sunset Mountains
Located in Denver, CO
Mark Harrison’s Last Light (2025) is an original, handmade oil painting on canvas that captures the fleeting beauty of twilight as it falls over a snow-covered plain and the rugged p...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Mountain Ash" (2024) by Anna Wypych, Original Realist Floral Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Currant" by Anna Wypych is an original handmade 8" x 10" realist oil painting. The piece depicts a black cat, tucked behind a branch of holly. This piece is framed in an intricate g...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

'Freedom', By Bojan Grof, Graphite, Charcoal and Oil Pencil Drawing on Paper
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This 27" x 19" monochromatic graphite and charcoal drawing by Serbian artist, Bojan, is rendered in a hyper-realistic manner. A dog is the main subject in the lower right corner ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Graphite

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

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

Azure Clouds Diptych, Handmade Cyanotype Print on Watercolor Paper, Skyscape
Located in Barcelona, ES
Exclusive limited edition cyanotype diptych. Details: + Title: Azure Clouds + Year: 2024 + Edition Size: 20 + Stamped and Certificate of Authenticity provided + Measurements : 100x21...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph, Monotype

"Reign" (2024) By Michele Kortbawi Wilk, Oil Painting with Silver Leaf
Located in Denver, CO
Michele Kortbawi Wilk's "Reign" is a 2024 oil on linen with silver leaf, measuring 12 x 12 inches, that depicts a white horse mid jump with a crown dangling from a string in its mout...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Silver

"In Repose" (2025) By Matt Talbert, Original Oil Painting, Portrait
Located in Denver, CO
Matt Talbert's "In Repose" (2025) is an original, handmade oil painting on panel that depicts a portrait of a brunette seated at a table in deep contemplation. Artist bio/statement...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Painting Portrait Soldier in armor Circel of MESSONIER Wood panel 19th
Located in PARIS, FR
French school of the 19th century Ernest MESSONIER (Circle of) Portrait of a soldier in armor 27.5 x 17.5 cm (31 x 21 cm with the frame) Beautiful pitch pine wood frame Good condition
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Impressionistic Seascape Painting Michael Budden Beach Sunrise
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Morning Drama oil/panel image 8 x 10 unframed, 14.5 x 16.5 framed is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a dramatic sunrise se...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

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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