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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
From the Vargas Portfolio
Located in Missouri, MO
From the Vargas Portfolio **Portfolio Cover Not Included** Lithograph Only Alberto Vargas (1896-1982) was born in Arequipa, Peru, in 1896, the son of...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Snorkelling In The Shallows, Malta, Estate Edition, Aerial Waterscape Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1950s aerial landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a group of people snorkelling off a small boat in Malta. This is an estate stampe...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

'Cardinal in His Though' by Georges Croegaert ( Antwerp 1848 - 1923 Paris )
Located in Knokke, BE
Georges Croegaert Antwerp 1848 – 1923 Paris Belgian – French Painter 'Cardinal in His Thoughts' Signature: signed lower right and placed ‘Georges Croegaert Paris’ Medium: oil on pa...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood 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

Daffodils in a milk jug
Located in Zofingen, AG
These daffodils picked in my garden set in a milk jug. The various shades of yellow-white color and the choice of details made it possible to convey the beauty of flowers. The blue p...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bumbling Bees
Located in Denver, CO
"Bumbling Bees" by Rita Spalding is a charming original oil created in 2010 depicting two bees with a poem in silver script in the background. Rita Spalding was born in Beech Grove...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

The Cat Knows but Says Nothing
Located in Zofingen, AG
A woman sits in a sunlit room with soft geometric lines and a peaceful color palette of green, beige, and blue. A black cat rests on her lap, staring out the window at a calm, bl...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Mystic Louisiana Marsh Landscape in Blue Tones, Limited Edition Cyanotype Print
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. Exquisite landscape of a "Mystic Louisiana Marsh". Details: + Title: Mystic Louisiana Marsh + Year: 2025 + Edition Size:...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph, Monotype

Mountain Landscape (Pyrenees) 1928
Located in Stockholm, SE
Fritz Lindström (1874–1962) Mountain Landscape (Pyrenees), 1928 oil on panel unframed 15.5 × 24 cm (6.1 × 9.4 in) framed: 26 × 34 cm (10.2 × 13.4 in) signed on the reverse Frame by...
Category

1920s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Snowdrops. Original oil painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Snowdrops are the first flowers that appear in my garden. Their fragility and incredible tenderness are amazing. The various shades of white color of the flower, the reflections of t...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cat Therapy
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, we see a minimalist room with a huge window, beyond which stretches a sky filled with fluffy white clouds. Muted colors dominate—the blue of the sky contrasts beaut...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

"Let Them Eat Cake" (2014) by Suzy Smith, Original Oil Painting, Portrait
Located in Denver, CO
Suzy Smith's "Let Them Eat Cake" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a female nude with a crown set against a backdrop inspired by a Wayne Thiebaud cake...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Oil, Panel

Circa 1870s Dog Painting of a Terrier, by Jules Chardigny (1849-1892)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Dog Painting of a Terrier Jules Chardigny (1849-1892) Circa 1870 Oil on wood panel. 8 1/8 x 5 5/8 (13 1/4 x 10 3/4 frame) inches This is one of several examples of dogs bein...
Category

1880s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

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

David Smith (1939-) English Countryside large REALIST ORIGINAL Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, GB
ARTIST: David Smith (1949-) British TITLE: "The River Dove, Derbyshire" SIGNED: lower right MEDIUM: oil on canvas SIZE: 102cm x 72cm framed CONDITION: excellent DETAIL: British ...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Very Rare 19 Cent. American School Floral Painting, Lucinda Church, Pennsylvania
Located in Baltimore, MD
This is a rare example of mid 19th century painting by a budding Pennsylvania artist associated with a local school. The work is a floral still life by listed artist Lucinda Carver ...
Category

1850s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Oranges #1" realistic still life painting, orange fruit with leaves
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Oranges #1" is a realistic oil painting on panel, depicting 3 ripe oranges and their branches resting on a rustic blue wall. Details in the light blue table background reveal nails ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc Estate Edition Photograph: Poolside in Antibes
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Slim Aarons' 1976 photograph of bathers at the Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, is a masterful capture of vintage glamour and the epitome of Mediterranean elegance. This iconic image, steeped in the lore of the French Riviera, juxtaposes the serene turquoise pool with the rugged beauty of the coastline, creating a visual dialogue between nature and human ingenuity. The composition, featuring sunbathers in minimal swimwear against a backdrop of majestic rocks and distant mountains, evokes a timeless sense of leisure and luxury. Aarons' lens immortalizes a moment in time where the world's elite converge to bask in the sun-drenched splendor of this legendary retreat. The Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc, made famous by F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night," has long been a sanctuary for the titans of literature, film, art, music, politics, and high society. This photograph not only captures the physical allure of the locale but also its storied history as a playground for the influential and the illustrious, which includes figures from literature and music (Cole Porter, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Stefan Zweig, Noël Coward), film (Marlene Dietrich, Alain Delon, Elizabeth Taylor, who brought all of her husbands there, and every Hollywood A-lister in town for Cannes), art (Chagall, Picasso, Matisse), music (John and Yoko, Jane and Serge, Ella Fitzgerald), politics (Churchill, De Gaulle, the Kennedys), and high society (the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson). Aarons' work, with its precise attention to color and composition, invites collectors to own a piece of this casual glamor, where every detail speaks to a legacy of opulence and sophistication. Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate. Certificate of Authenticity included. Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc, 1976 (Printed Later) Slim Aarons Estate Edition 6 sizes available Framing options available Over the course of a career lasting half a century, Slim Aarons (1916-2006) portrayed high society, aristocracy, authors, artists, business icons, the celebrated and their milieu. In doing so, he captured a golden age of wealth, privilege, beauty and leisure that occurred alongside—but quite separate from—the cultural and political backdrop of the second half of the Twentieth Century. The Slim Aarons Estate has released the limited Estate edition as a Lambda print, which is a modern c-type prints. They have chosen Lambda prints for their sharpness, clarity, colour saturation and quality, compared to archival inkjet prints. Lambda printing gives true continuous tone. Photograph is unframed Slide show includes a close-up of the Slim Aarons estate's stamp. Collector will get the next number in the edition * Undercurrent Projects is pleased to offer the entire archive of the Slim Aarons Estate, offering the official Slim Aarons Estate Edition (only offered in this edition of 150). Please contact us for additional photographs from Slim Aarons * Antibes is a resort town between Cannes and Nice on the French Riviera (Côte d’Azur). It’s known for its old town enclosed by 16th-century ramparts with the star-shaped Fort Carré. This overlooks luxury yachts moored at the Port Vauban marina. The forested Cap d’Antibes peninsula, dotted with grand villas, separates Antibes from Juan-les-Pins, a chic resort with buzzing nightlife and the Jazz à Juan music festival. Increasingly known for his influence, Aarons's casually glamorous jetset aesthetic can be seen today in fashion, art, and celebrity photography. He's also been credited with inspiring the sun-soaked, escapist style of top Instagram influencers. Reference: "Dive in: how Slim Aarons art directed the poolside summer. French brand Maje are the latest label to take inspiration from Slim Aarons’ pictures of the jetset on holiday.” Internal: Vintage Slim Aarons, Vintage Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc photograph, Vintage Antibes...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

"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

"Peach Communion" (2015) By Michael DeVore, Oil on Canvas Still Life Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Michael DeVore’s "Peach Communion" (2015) is a masterfully executed original oil on canvas painting that exemplifies the artist’s refined approach to classical still life. This conte...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Dog Portrait of a Grand Vendéen Hunting Dog Jules Chardigny (1849-1892) ca 1870s
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Dog Portrait of a Grand Vendéen Hunting Dog Jules Chardigny (1849-1892) Circa 1870 Oil on wood panel Housed within its beautiful and original ornate original gilt frame. 9 1/4 x 7 ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Codependent love
Located in Zofingen, AG
This piece speaks of love that loses its freedom and becomes a cage. Of a bond in which a person dissolves, forgetting themselves, living through another’s needs, pain, and fears. It...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Carbon Pencil

"Flemish genre tavern scene"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Unidentified Artist 17th-Century Tavern Scene Oil on canvas Framed: 113 x 103 cm Canvas: 96 x 91 cm This 17th-century oil painting captures a lively tavern scene, a popular subject in Dutch and Flemish genre painting of the Golden Age. The composition is rich in character and storytelling, depicting a group of men engaged in a card game, with coins, letters, and drinks scattered across the table. A standing woman, possibly a barmaid or concerned onlooker, leans in, while a man enters from the left, holding his hat and appearing amused by the game. In the foreground, a small child tends to a jug and tankard, adding a touch of humor and domestic realism. Executed in oil on canvas, the painting showcases earthy, warm tones and rich chiaroscuro, emphasizing the candlelit glow of the scene. The artist masterfully captures the textures of fabrics, wood, and metal, giving depth and dimension to the environment. The expressive faces and animated gestures highlight the social interactions typical of Dutch and Flemish tavern paintings...
Category

17th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Field of Poppies - 2, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A field of red poppies bursts with vibrant color, illuminated by the golden hues of a setting sun. Bold strokes capture the depth and vitality of the scene. Pai...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

In an embrace. Original oil painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Japanese cherry“ is a painting that pays homage to the natural beauty and timeless elegance of this flowering tree. My intention was to keep tenderness and fragility of flowers, a ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Coffee & Tea, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A woman sits on a bench, sipping her drink, outside of St. Mark’s Coffee & Tea in the East Village. The cafe’s red facade contrasts with the subdued urban e...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Meringues" (2015) by Suzy Smith, Original Oil Painting, Portrait
Located in Denver, CO
Suzy Smith's "Meringues" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a female nude set against a backdrop inspired by a Wayne Thiebaud pie painting...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Oil, Panel

Hyperreal Colored Glass Balloon Sculptures - Set of 5
Located in East Quogue, NY
Set of 5 hyperreal glass water balloon sculpture installation by Dylan Martinez. Made of 100% hot-sculpted glass. Approx. Size: 3.5 × 3.5 × 4.5 inches (each balloon) Dylan Martine...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Glass, Blown Glass

Snorkelling In The Shallows, Malta, Estate Edition, Aerial Waterscape Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1950s aerial landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a group of people snorkelling off a small boat in Malta. This is an estate stampe...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

The St. Regis, New York, Estate Edition, Event Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1950s event photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features an aerial view of diners at the St. Regis, New York. This is an estate stamped and hand numbe...
Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Alpine Mountain Hut Vintage Landscape Painting by 20th Century German Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Alpine Mountain Hut - Vintage Landscape Painting by 20th Century German Artist, Fritz Haupt Art measures 11 x 9 inches Frame measures 15 x 13 inches This exquisite painting by F....
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Saint Mark's Basilica Interior Oil Painting
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Saint Mark's Basilica Venice Oil Painting Signed, lower left dated, titled verso. Romanesque Bizantine Basilica. canvas 35"x45" framed 46.5 x56.5. Frank LeB...
Category

1910s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Cotton Canvas

Conrado Lopez "Bolonia III" – 2024 Acrylic and Gold Leaf Beach Figurative Painti
Located in Denver, CO
Conrado Lopez presents “Bolonia III,” a 2024 original, handmade piece created with acrylic, gold leaf, and oil on canvas. Measuring 39.37 x 25.59 x 1.18 inches (100 x 65 x 3 cm), thi...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

A basket upgrade (springer spaniel)
Located in London, GB
Painted in 1922, this sensitive and beautifully observed portrait captures the quiet intelligence and loyal character of a liver-and-white Springer Spaniel. Seated with dignity on a ...
Category

1920s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"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

Portrait of a Scottish Girl - Scottish 1940's art oil painting Glengarry Hat
Located in London, GB
This impressive British 1940's portrait oil painting is by noted artist Arthur Royce Bradbury. Painted in 1949 it is a half-length portrait of a young Scottish girl in a mountainous ...
Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Approach of the Simoon, Giza, Egypt: Original 19th C. Lithograph by D. Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "Approach of the Simoon, Desert of Gizeh" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, ...
Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Delft Toad 1" - Hand-Painted Resin Sculpture, Blue and White, 2025
Located in Denver, CO
Nana Williams' "Delft Toad 1" is a handcrafted resin sculpture, measuring 2 x 2 x 2 inches, featuring intricate hand-painted acrylic gouache patterns in rich Delft blue against a pri...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Resin, Acrylic, Gouache

'Golden Tranquility' Forest Lake Scene by American Postwar 20th Century Artist
Located in Preston, GB
'Golden Tranquility' Forest Lake Scene by American Postwar 20th Century Artist, Phillip Cantrell, born in 1922. Original, Signed, Landscape, Vintage Oil Painting. Art measures 16 x...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1991 Gretchen Dow Simpson 'Westport, Massachusetts' USA HAND SIGNED
By Gretchen Dow Simpson
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This limited edition serigraph titled Westport, Massachusetts by renowned artist Gretchen Dow Simpson is a meticulously crafted piece that captures the serene and picturesque landsca...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Screen

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

Original English Antique 19th / 20th Century oil painting PORTRAIT OF A GIRL
Located in Cirencester, GB
ARTIST: George Henry Grenville Manton (1855-1932) English TITLE: "A Sketch From Life" MEDIUM: oil on canvas SIZE: 86cm x 76cm inc frame CONDITION: original condition, images taken i...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Venice Beach Seascape, Long Wave, Nautical Scene in Blue Tones, Limited Edition
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. This beautiful cyanotype is titled "Long Wave in Venice Beach" and it shows an outstanding wave in one of the most iconic ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Emulsion, Watercolor, Engraving, Etching, Monotype

EDWARD BOHLIN 1920s-1930s SILVER ART PARADE SADDLE HOLLYWOOD WESTERN ARTIST VAIL
By Edward H. Bohlin
Located in San Antonio, TX
Circa Late 1920s - Early 1930s. It is all Bohlin made and marked to include the saddle, the headstall and the breast collar. All made in Hollywood California. The only non-Bohlin item is the bit which appears to also be early California. There is some interesting provenance of the fine saddle. It was commissioned by Charles R. Bell, married to Margaret Vail Bell who was the daughter of Walter Vail. On the Bolin nameplate it has engraved, Vail Ranch as well as made for Charles Bell. Charles Bell Died in 1939. The Vail Ranch has some great Western History which I will go into a little detail. You see, not only am I selling Saddles, but I’m also selling History. If you want to skip the history lesson you can just scroll down past the following info to images of the saddle. It’s no secret that ranching runs in the family blood. There is no greater example of that than California Rangeland Trust CEO Nita Vail. On April 14, 2018 Nita had the opportunity to witness her great-grandfather Walter L. Vail’s induction into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. This high honor is bestowed by the Museum to “exceptional individuals who have made an indelible impact upon the history of the great West.” A pivotal figure in early California and Arizona ranching, Walter Vail joins just over only 200 individuals who have been inducted into this esteemed hall. The Vail legacy of advocacy and ranching lives on strongly through his descendants, including Nita. All these years later, Nita carries the mantle of advocacy for ranchers in her own work at the California Rangeland Trust. Reflecting on her great-grandfather’s induction ceremony in Oklahoma, Nita says, “Witnessing my great-grandfather’s induction with family and friends was an incredible experience and a reminder of why I do what I do. Ranching plays an integral role in the culture, economy, and quality of life in California. Generations later, I get to honor Walter L. Vail’s legacy in my work with the California Rangeland Trust every day, preserving those open spaces for new generations and partnering with ranchers to continue to sustain life on the range in California.” Walter Vail History A native of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Walter Vail purchased the 160-acre Empire Ranch southeast of Tucson, Arizona in 1876, along with an Englishman named Herbert Hislop. In 1882, the Empire Land & Cattle Company was formed with Walter L. Vail as principal shareholder. Over the years Vail, along with various partners, expanded the original land holdings to include over one million acres. The year after Walter purchased the Empire Ranch, the Southern Pacific Railroad built a railroad line, which was great news for the Vail family as it provided a means for them to ship their cattle. Edward L. Vail, George Scholefield and Bird at the mouth of Rosemont Canyon ca. 1896-1898 Standing Up for Ranchers In the fall of 1889, the Southern Pacific Railroad announced they would raise cattle freight rates by 25 percent. They ignored loud protests from ranchers who had already been hit hard by depressed cattle prices. In response, the Vails made a plan to drive the cattle overland themselves without the railroad. They knew that, if they were successful, they could break the railroad’s monopoly on the ranchers and force prices down. Walter’s brother Edward Vail and foreman Tom Turner volunteered to drive the almost 1,000 steers on the 300-mile trip to the Warner Ranch in San Diego. The journey ahead would be grueling. Most of their trip was through desert with water sources 15 to 30 miles apart. The ranchers would face a slew of obstacles—a stampede, a chaotic Colorado River crossing, an encounter with a group of horse thieves. In spite of all the dangers and challenges, they reached their destination. Just 71 days after leaving Arizona, the Empire cowboys arrived at the Warner Ranch. They had only lost 30 steers. The historic Empire Ranch Trail Drive of 1890 inspired other Arizona ranchers to make similar drives as a stand against the railroad. That fall, a group of Arizona cattlemen met and agreed to fund improvements to establish a safe cattle trail from Tucson to California. In response to the united stand of the ranchers, sparked by the Vails, the railroad finally agreed to restore the old freight rate—on the condition that the cattlemen would make no more cattle drives. Walter Vail led by example, but he was also an active representative of ranching interests in the legislature. He served in the 10th Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1878 and in 1884 on the Pima County Board of Supervisors. He introduced two significant bills: One proposing the creation of Apache County in the northeastern corner or Arizona Territory, and the other calling for the repeal and replacement of a Pima County fencing ordinance. Elected to the Arizona Stock Growers Association in 1884, Walter L. Vail advocated for levying fines on outfits that brought diseased cattle into the Territory, proposed a system of recording brands and earmarks, and requested the establishment of the livestock sanitary commission to oversee quarantines on infectious diseases, and tighter trespass laws. Moving to California In the late 1880s when a long drought hit Arizona, the Vails began leasing California pastures and shipping increased numbers of their cattle there to fatten. This marked the beginning of Walter’s efforts to purchase land in Temecula Valley. Vaqueros (Mexican cowboys) at the Empire Ranch in Arizona In 1890, with growing corporate holdings in California, Walter Vail established his headquarters in downtown Los Angeles and moved his family there. By this time, he had pieced together four Mexican land grants—Pauba Rancho, Santa Rosa Rancho, Temecula Rancho and Little Temecula Rancho—to form the Pauba Ranch. Eventually, the Vails would own more than 87,500 acres surrounding the little town of Temecula. In 1892 they leased Catalina Island and in 1901-1902 in partnership with J. V. Vickers, they purchased most of the interests in Santa Rosa from the estate of A.P. More. In March of 1894, Vail and Gates joined Vickers in setting up a third cattle company, the Panhandle Pasture Company, with the hopes of expanding new markets in the east. The Panhandle Pasture Company bought seven thousand acres of grassland in Sherman County, Texas, and an equal amount across the line in Beaver County, Indian Territory (later Oklahoma). Walter Vail was tragically killed in a Los Angeles streetcar accident in 1906. After his death, the Empire Land & Cattle Company (later renamed the Vail Company) assumed control of all his ranches and other real estate holdings. Walter had five sons and they would all have a hand in running the various ranches and the Vail Company as whole throughout their lives. The Empire Ranch in Arizona was sold in 1928. The Temecula area ranches continued to operate until it was sold in 1965. Santa Rosa Island, the last of Walter Vail’s holdings, was sold to the National Park Service in 1986, and ranching operations shut down there in 1998. Walter Lennox Vail (May 13, 1852 - December 2, 1906) was an American businessman, cattle dealer, and politician. He is known for his Empire Land & Cattle Company (later the Vail Company), which spanned over one million acres throughout five states.[1] Vail has been called "a pivotal figure in early California and Arizona ranching." Early life Vail was born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia on May 13, 1852, to Mahlon Vail, Sr. and Eliza Vail. Career Empire Ranch The headquarters of the Empire Ranch in the modern day Vail left his family's Plainfield, New Jersey house in the middle of 1875 to pursue riches in the West. He worked for a few months in Virginia City, Nevada as a mine's timekeeper, but in November he wrote of his intention to get involved in Arizona's sheep business. He, along with an Englishman named Herbert R. Hislop, then purchased the Empire Ranch along with its 612 cattle on August 22, 1876. The purchase from Edward Nye Fish and Simon Silverberg cost $1,174 at the time and was only 0.25 square miles (0.65 km2). Vail had met Hislop for the first time in August of that year, at the Lick House in San Francisco. Vail also became the main shareholder of the Empire Land & Cattle Company, which was formed in 1882. Politics Vail additionally served in the House of Representatives on the 10th Arizona Territorial Legislature for two years, starting in 1879. He was one of five representatives from Pima County. There, he proposed the creation of Apache County in the northeast. In 1884, Vail was elected to the Arizona Stock Growers Association, where he introduced many laws relating to cattle farming. California Vail moved his main operations to California in the late 1880s due to a long drought in Arizona. He started leasing Californian land mainly in Temecula Valley, but established his headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. By this time, he had already bought four ranches: the northern half of Rancho Little Temecula, Rancho Pauba, Rancho Santa Rosa, and Rancho Temecula. Later, Vail would own over 135 square miles (350 km2) surrounding the city of Temecula. He also leased Santa Catalina Island and Purchased Santa Rosa Island in 1892 and 1901, respectively. Vail, along with Carroll W. Gates and J.V. Vickers, set up the Panhandle Pasture Company, which bought about 22 square miles (57 km2) in Sherman County, Texas and Beaver County, Oklahoma. Personal life Vail married Margaret "Maggie"[a] Newhall in 1881, with them having five children: Nathan Russel, Mahlon, Mary, Walter Lennox Jr., and William Banning (who used his middle name) together. In 1890, a Gila monster bit Vail on his middle finger, and for years thereafter he experienced bleeding and swelling in his throat, which was thought to be caused by the venom from the bite. Death Vail died at 54 on December 2, 1906, due to complications from a tram (Trolley Car) accident in Los Angeles. He was cremated, then buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on December 6. Legacy Vail's sons took over the company after his death, renaming it to the Vail Company. The Empire Ranch was sold in 1928, and the Temecula ranches were bought by a syndicate of companies, including Kaiser Aluminum, Kaiser Industries, and Macco Realties in 1965. Santa Rosa Island was acquired by the National Park Service in 1986, and ranching ceased in 1998. Vail was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2018.[2] Various properties have been named after the Vail family including: Vail Headquarters, an outdoor shopping mall, Vail Lake, and Vail, Arizona. In 1867, German immigrant, Louis Wolf, and his Chumash wife, Ramona, built a small adobe trading post next to Temecula Creek. Their Wolf Store helped launch the Temecula community, serving as a saloon, livery stable, legal services, hotel, general store, stagecoach stop, post office, school and employment agency. After Louis and Ramona’s deaths, their land and other Ranchos were purchased by Arizona cattle baron Walter Vail. By 1905, the 87,000-acre Vail Ranch became one of the largest cattle operations in California, stretching from Camp Pendleton to Vail Lake to Murrieta. It operated through the late 1970’s when it was sold to build Temecula’s housing. Some of the ranch’s oldest buildings survived in a cluster around the long-vacant Wolf Store. Together they would wait more than 40 years to be restored and once again become a center for community life in the Temecula Valley. ​ In 1905 after his death, Wolf’s Temecula was purchased by Arizona cattle baron Walter Vail, along with three other Ranchos totaling 87,500 acres. The sprawling Vail Ranch spread from South of Highway 79 to South of Clinton Keith Road, East to Vail Lake Resort and West to Camp Pendleton and continued operations through the late 1970’s when it was sold for housing subdivisions. The remaining buildings that comprised the Vail Ranch Headquarters, several having been demolished, have sat mostly vacant since then awaiting their restoration and re-use. John N. Harvey, Edward L. Vail, Walter L. Vail, 1879 Ned Joins the Partnership - May 1879 In May of 1879 Walter’s older brother, Edward Lang Vail, known as Ned, joined the Empire Ranch partnership. He had no ranching experience but quickly learned. The Empire Ranch herds were finally sufficiently developed for sale, and the Empire Ranch found a ready market in the town of Tombstone and its nearby mines. Walter finally had sufficient funds to begin to pay off some of the loans from his Uncle Nathan and Aunt Anna. North end of the original four rooms of the Empire Ranch House. Empire Ranch Census Records - 1880 The 1880 U.S. Census documents that eight men were living full time at the Empire: the partners, Walter Vail, John Harvey and Ned Vail; John Randolph Vail, Uncle Nathan and Aunt Anna’s son; John Milton Requa, nephew of Isaac Requa who hired Walter in Virginia City; John Dillon, who was instrumental in locating the Total Wreck Mine; Tomás Lopez, a herder; and Mon Ta, the cook. Section of Official Map of Pima County by Roskruge 1893. The Southern Pacific Railroad Arrives in Pantano - April 1880 In 1880 the Southern Pacific Railroad finally reached Tucson and by April it was extended to Pantano, north of the Empire Ranch. The availability of rail transportation was a major boom to the Empire Ranch as it was now possible to sell cattle and beef to markets beyond Southern Arizona. The railroad also increased the availability of goods in Tucson and allowed for much quicker and safer transportation to California and the East. Empire Ranch land acquisitions are highlighted in red. Courtesy of Dave Tuggle Land Holdings Expand-1881-1882 Starting in 1881 the land holdings of the Empire Ranch expanded considerably. They acquired Charles and Agnes Paige’s Happy Valley Ranch near the Rincon Mountains in 1881. 1882 saw the addition of Don Alonzo Sanford’s Stock Valley Ranch totaling over twenty-eight square miles of grassland between the Whetstone and Empire Mountains. Charles Bell Bohlin Saddle. All of the leather has been professionally cleaned and conditioned. All of the sterling has been professionally polished as are all of my saddles. THE BOHLIN BRAND IS AS ICONIC AS THE FAMED WESTERN STARS that wore it. The late actor Richard Farnsworth sported a recognizable gold steer-head Bohlin buckle...
Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Silver

Black Sea. Ukraine
Located in Zofingen, AG
Two figures stand, facing the horizon, their eyes fixed on a missile flying horizontally. Its fiery trail cuts through the calm sky, and the moment hangs between “there’s still time”...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Impasto Oil Painting of River Tree Scene British Postwar & Contemporary Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Impasto Oil Painting of River Tree Scene British Postwar & Contemporary Artist, Terry Evans Terry Evans is a British Postwar & Contemporary Painte...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

Snowdrops. Original oil painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Snowdrops are the first flowers that appear in my garden. Their fragility and incredible tenderness are amazing. The various shades of white color of the flower, the reflections of t...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Dove Creek, Big Sky #3", Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Workman's "Dove Creek, Big Sky #3" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a landscape with a rural setting and a backdrop of pink and blue clouds. About the art...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

No war
Located in Vienna, AT
Was born in 1993 in the city of Marganets, Ukraine. Artist Gorbachenko Multiple participants of group and solo exhibitions and Art Fair Vilnius. The artist's works are in private col...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache

Cambridge Midsummer Fair
Located in Middletown, NY
A peaceful image by Britian's first official war artist. Drypoint printed in brownish black ink on fibrous, laid Japon paper, 3 3/8 x 6 5/16 inches (85 x 161 mm), full margins. Sign...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Handmade Paper, Drypoint

"Lemons - Abstracted" (2025) By Quang Ho, Original Oil Still Life Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Quang Ho's "Lemons - Abstracted" (2025) is an oil on board painting that depicts a vibrant lemon tree. About the artist: Quang Ho was born on April 30, 1963, in Hue, Vietnam. He Imm...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

English Landscape of Church, Farmhouse & Lake District Mountains in Background
Located in Preston, GB
English Landscape of Church & Farmhouse with the Lake District Mountains in the Background, by 20th Century British Artist, Michael Dent Art measures 20 x 16 inches Frame measures 2...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

"Porcelain Pattern Sphynx 1" - Hand-Painted Resin Cat Sculpture, 2024
Located in Denver, CO
Nana Williams’ "Porcelain Pattern Sphynx 1" is a captivating resin sculpture that merges delicate craftsmanship with intricate surface decoration. This 2024 original work is a resin cast, hand-painted with acrylic gouache, standing at 5.50 x 2 x 3.50 inches (13.97 x 5.08 x 8.89 cm). Inspired by the elegance of fine porcelain, the piece mimics the timeless beauty of blue-and-white ceramic motifs...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Resin, Acrylic, Gouache

The Great Sphinx & Pyramids, Giza, Egypt: A 19th C. Lithograph by David Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "The Great Sphinx, Pyramids of Gizeh" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, publ...
Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Fig Fruit
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

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

Acrylic, Board

"Still-life of Fruits" by Maria Meriggi - Oil on Copper - 30x24 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Maria Meriggi, born in 1935, is an Italian painter known for her evocative depictions of urban landscapes and everyday scenes, particularly those of Venice. Her notable works include...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Metal, Copper

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. In Peach, Dani Humberstone presents a fruit at the height of it...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Signed Antique American Realist Nude Woman Portrait Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Measuring 26 by 34 inches overall and 20 by 28 painting alone. In excellent condition. Handsomely framed in a period ar...
Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique French Large Finely Framed 19th C Realist Flower Still Life Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique French realist flower still life painting by Jules Edouard Diart (1840 - 1890) . Oil on canvas. Signed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a period go...
Category

1860s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dog Portrait of a Hunting Dog by Jules Chardigny (1849-1892)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Dog Painting of a Hunting Dog Jules Chardigny (1849-1892) Circa 1870 Oil on paper. 8 x 6 (18 1/2 x 15 1/4 frame) inches In Jules Chardigny's signature style, a beloved compa...
Category

1860s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Laid Paper

Sunbathing in Antibes, Estate Edition Photograph: Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc Poolside
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dani Geneux (left) and Marie-Eugenie Gaudfrin sunbathing at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, France, August 1976. Aarons' iconic photograph depicts the legendary hotel made famous by Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night, the sun-kissed home away from home for titans of literature and music (Cole Porter, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Stefan Zweig, Noël Coward), film (Marlene Dietrich, Alain Delon, Elizabeth Taylor, who brought all of her husbands there, and every Hollywood A-lister in town for Cannes), art (Chagall, Picasso, Matisse), music (John and Yoko, Jane and Serge, Ella Fitzgerald), politics (Churchill, De Gaulle, the Kennedys), and high society (the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson). Two female bathers in black sunhats enjoy a holiday in bikini and topless styles, against the rocks. Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Mountain Landscape (Pyrenees) 1928
Located in Stockholm, SE
Fritz Lindström (1874–1962) Mountain Landscape (Pyrenees), 1928 oil on panel unframed 15.5 × 24 cm (6.1 × 9.4 in) framed: 26 × 34 cm (10.2 × 13.4 in) signed on the reverse Frame by...
Category

1920s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

The Cat Knows but Says Nothing
Located in Zofingen, AG
A woman sits in a sunlit room with soft geometric lines and a peaceful color palette of green, beige, and blue. A black cat rests on her lap, staring out the window at a calm, bl...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

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

Lemons. Original oil painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Lemons” is an ode to the simple pleasures of life, inviting viewers to appreciate the inherent beauty in everyday objects. The central place is occupied by a plate of lemons with le...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"English Setter Puppies" Late 19th Century Oil Painting Portrait of Two Dogs
Located in New York, NY
This work by Harry B. Tallman is a pertinent example of his vividly alive works portraying two English Setter Puppies with in a barn filled with hay. The details are truly exquisite,...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Great Hall at Karnak, Luxor, Egypt: A 19th C. Lithograph by David Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "Great Hall at Karnac, Thebes" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the larg...
Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

River Dart in Devon in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
River Dart in Devon in the English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist, Victor Elford (1911 - 2003) Art measures 36 x 24 inches Frame measures 42 x 31 inches Oil on canvas, ...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Courtesan Kashiwagi and the Kamuro Wakano - Japanese Woodblock Print
Located in Soquel, CA
The Courtesan Kashiwagi and the Kamuro Wakano - Japanese Woodblock Print Original Toyokuni III/Kunisada (Japanese, 1786 - 1864) Japanese Woodblock Print "The Courtesan Kashiwagi and...
Category

1820s Realist Art

Materials

Printer's Ink, Rice Paper, Woodcut

Horses in the Lush Green English Countryside
Located in Preston, GB
Horses in the Lush Green English Countryside by 20th Century British Artist Art measures 20 x 16 inches Frame measures 25 x 21 inches John Haskins is a ...
Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Table top bottles still life painting
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful Italian Still Life painting by unknown artist in the style of Giorgio Morandi. Oil on panel, measuring 16 1/8 x 22 inches. ca. 1960s Artist board and fixtures are Italian.
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Portrait of a Handsome Beatnik
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mary Kiisel Greenwood (b.1924) Studied: PAFA Exhibited: Gross McCLeaf Gallery, Philadelphia Portrait of a Beatnik, ca. 1955-60. Oil on canvas measuring 12 x 16 inches. Some w...
Category

Mid-20th Century 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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