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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
"Impressionistic Floral Still Life" Mid Century Oil Painting on Canvas Framed
Located in New York, NY
A stunning depictions of a European view of the beach with a floral still life at the center. The rich color tones of French yellow, luscious pink, rouge, veredian green and pops of ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Study of a Goat's Head" Frans Lebret (Dutch, 1820-1909)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
"Study of a Goat" Frans Lebret (Netherlands, 1820-1909) Oil on paper on wood panel 9 x 10 (13 1/2 x 14 1/4 frame) inches Initialled lower right This is a simply stunning and deeply ...
Category

1870s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Oil, Wood Panel

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

Sparrow-hawk Bird Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
444 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Sparrow-hawk Size: 12 x 16 i...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

ORIGINAL Still Life Oil Painting of ONIONS by English painter ARTHUR EASTON ROI
Located in Cirencester, GB
ARTIST: Arthur Easton ROI (1939-2024) English TITLE: "Still Life Of Onions & A Paper Bag" MEDIUM: oil on board SIZE: 79cm x 64cm incl frame CONDITION: very good NOTES: This work wa...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

LARGE CLASSICAL 1920's COUNTRY HOUSE ENGLISH STILL LIFE OF FLOWERS OIL PAINTING
Located in Cirencester, GB
ARTIST: William Bruce Ellis Ranken (1881-1941) Scottish TITLE: "Classical Still Life In A Vase" MEDIUM: oil on canvas SIZE: 143cm x 70cm incl. frame SIGNED: lower right CONDITION: ...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Black Dancer Darryl Robinson (male nude)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Roy Blakey (1930-2024). Portrait of Darryl Robinson, ca. 1972. Original photographic print on paper, image measures 11 x 14 inches. Framed measurement 12 x 15 inches. Studio stam...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Garden peonies
Located in Zofingen, AG
A lush bouquet of soft pink peonies is gracefully arranged in a clear glass vase, set against a deep cherry-hued background. Delicate petals have gently fallen onto a weathered woode...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pocket Red Cherries - 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 Pocket Red Cherries, Dani Humberstone brings a classic stil...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

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

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

Realist European painter - 19th century portrait painting - Austrian Empire
Located in Varmo, IT
European Painter (1804-1867 ca.) - Portrait of an Officer of the Austrian Empire. 73 x 60 cm without frame, 90 x 77 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in original carve...
Category

Mid-18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

'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

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

Pocket Lemon - 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. Bursting with brightness, Pocket Lemon captures the cheerful t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

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

Large Late 20th Century English Realist DEVON RIVER LANDSCAPE Orig. Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, GB
ARTIST: Andrew Coates (1955-) New Zealand / British TITLE: “Expansive River Landscape” (likely Devon) SIGNED: lower right MEDIUM: oil on board SIZE: 130c...
Category

Late 20th Century 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

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

Acrylic, Canvas

"Argus and Mercurios"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Jan Both (1610–1652) – Attributed "Argus and Mercury" Circa 1650 Oil on canvas Framed: 107.5 x 92 cm Nosignature This exceptional Baroque mythological painting is attributed to t...
Category

17th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Rare Romantic Rhine Landscape by Karl Adloff (1855) – Now Available
Located in Stockholm, SE
Karl Adloff’s View of Koblenz from the Rhine towards the Fortress of Ehrenbreitstein (1855) is a luminous and atmospheric river scene that draws the viewer into a moment of stillness...
Category

1850s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

"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

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

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

French Realist Painting Interior scene Woman on a sofa Nap 19th
Located in PARIS, FR
French school of the second half of the 19th century The nap Oil on wood panel 23 x 20 cm (24.5 x 22 cm with the frame) Signed and dated lower right “68 / Fauvel?” Giltwood stick Goo...
Category

1860s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Olimpia Hruska, Italy, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1960s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Swedish model Olimpia Hruska, wearing a bikini, poses against a rock on the Costa Smeralda...
Category

1960s 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

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

Pocket Apricot - 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. Delicate and sun-warmed, Pocket Apricot is a softly glowing ge...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

"Delft Frog 2" - Hand-Painted Resin Sculpture with Gold Crown, 2025
Located in Denver, CO
Nana Williams' "Delft Frog 2" is a striking, hand-painted resin sculpture measuring 1.50 x 1.25 x 2 inches (3.81 x 3.18 x 5.08 cm). This exquisite piece combines intricate blue flora...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Resin, Acrylic, Gouache

Une Ballerine - Realist Figurative Oil Painting by Auguste Leroux
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas figure in interior circa 1930 by French realist painter Jules Marie Auguste Leroux. The work depicts a brunette ballerina wearing a pink tutu and pointe shoes st...
Category

1930s 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

"Crimson Murmurs" - Oil on Linen Figurative Painting With Red Birds
Located in Denver, CO
Alexandra Manukyan’s “Crimson Murmurs” (2024) is an original oil painting executed on linen mounted to aluminum gallery wrap, measuring 30 x 24 inches (32 x 26 inches framed). This e...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Linen

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

'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

Oil, Canvas

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, silkscreen on aluminum, signed/N, Framed
Located in New York, NY
Incised signature in aluminum, annotated "Artists Proof" and titled; ink on top smudged If you've ever visited the Guggenheim Bilbao, you should get this stunning mixed media on alum...
Category

Early 2000s Realist Art

Materials

Metal

Green, Purple, Pink, Blue & Light Blue Glass Balloon Sculpture - Set of 5
Located in East Quogue, NY
Set of 5 hyperreal glass water balloon sculptures installation by Dylan Martinez. Made of 100% hot-sculpted glass. Approx. Size: 3.5 × 3.5 × 4.5 inches (each) Dylan Martinez’s hyp...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Glass, Blown Glass

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

Pocket Lime - 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. Cool and composed, Pocket Lime distills the quiet power of gre...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Harbour Island, Bahamas, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1960s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a couple relaxing at the beach on Harbour Island, Bahamas. This is an estate stamped and...
Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

'Dei Praestitis Signumexaere' — 18th Century Classical Italian Realism
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Giovanni Domenico Campiglia, 'Dei Praestitis Signumexaere' (God's Providence Signumexaere), engraving, 1734, edition unknown. Signed 'Dom. Campiglia del.' in the plate, lower left. E...
Category

1730s Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

"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

The Poor Girl – An Early Genre Scene by Julius Kronberg, 1873
Located in Stockholm, SE
This small, tenderly rendered painting— titled The Poor Girl (Den fattiga flickan)—offers a rare glimpse into Julius Kronberg’s early period, when he w...
Category

1870s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, 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

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 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

Sun Ripened, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Complementary colors take center stage in this still life. Purple plums rest in a yellow bowl, creating an immediate impact of bright hues. Above, a brightly ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

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

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

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

State of Mind 15 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Racing At Baden Baden, Germany, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1970s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features spectators dining in the open air as the horses go by at Baden Baden racecourse, Germany....
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

"Dinner Plate Dahlias" (2025) Original Oil Still Life Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Quang Ho's "Dinner Plate Dahlias" (2025) is an oil on board painting that depicts white dahlias in a clear vase and blue porcelain. About the artist: Quang Ho was born on April 30,...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Latvian fields Oil on canvas, 68x88 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Jēkabs Apinis (1899 in Sloka, Latvia - 1945 in Hamburg, Germany), painter. Jēkabs Apinis was born into a teacher's family. He came to Pleskov as a refugee during the First World War...
Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Middle White Sow (Wharfedale Royal Lady)" Herbert Haseltine, Pig, Farm Animal
Located in New York, NY
Herbert Haseltine Middle White Sow (Wharfedale Royal Lady), 1925 Polished bronze with opaque ochre patina 4 ⅛ x 8 ⅛ x 3 ⅝ inches Period speckled Belgian marble base: 1 ½ x 7 x 3 inch...
Category

1920s Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Henry Moore - Late 19th Century British Marine Watercolour
By Henry Moore 1831-1895
Located in London, GB
HENRY MOORE, RA, RWS (1831-1895) Evening, East Coast Signed and dated 1892; signed and inscribed with title and the artist’s address on a label attached to the backboard Watercolou...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

"Pinienhain" original etching
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original etching. Printed in 1900 and published in Leipzig, Germany for Zeitschrift für Bildende Kunst. This impression is printed on cream wove paper, and the image size is ...
Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Etching

The House of Shango — African American artist
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Samella Sanders Lewis, 'The House of Shango', lithograph, 1992, edition 60. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered '31/60' in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression, on Arches cream wove paper; the full sheet with margins (1 1/4 to 3 1/2 inches), in excellent condition. Image size 24 x 18 inches (610 x 457 mm); sheet size 30 inches x 22 1/4 inches (762 x 565 mm). Archivally matted to museum standards, unframed. ABOUT THIS WORK “The title of this piece is an unmistakable harkening to African roots. Shango is a religious practice with origins in Yoruba (Nigerian) belief, deifying a god of thunder by the same name. Shango has been adopted in the Caribbean, most notably in Trinidad and Tobago, a fact that underscores the importance of transnationalism to Samella Lewis’s piece. Her work often grapples with issues of race in the U.S., and The House of Shango is no exception. Through a reliance on the gradual transformation of Shango—one that took place across continents and time—Lewis’s piece forms a powerful link between black Americans and their African and Caribbean counterparts. The figure depicted in the piece appears to emerge, quite literally, from the house of Shango. Given the roots and transformative process of the religion, The House of Shango can draw attention to the historical intersections to which black American culture is indebted.” —Laura Woods, Scripps College, Ruth Chander Williamson Gallery, Collection Highlights, 2018 ABOUT THE ARTIST Samella Lewis’ lifelong career as an artist, art historian, critic, curator, collector, and advocate of African American art has helped empower generations of artists in the United States and worldwide, earning her the designation “the Godmother of African American art.” Born and raised in Jim Crow era New Orleans, Lewis began her art education at Dillard University in 1941, transferring to Hampton University in Virginia, where she earned her B. A. and master's degrees. She completed her master's and a doctorate in art history and cultural anthropology at Ohio State University in 1951, becoming the first female African American to earn a doctorate in fine art and art history. Lewis taught art at Morgan State University while completing her doctorate. She became the first Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Florida A&M University in 1953. That same year Lewis also became the first African American to convene the National Conference of African American artists held at Florida A&M University. She was a professor at the State University of New York, California State University, Long Beach, and at Scripps College in Claremont, California. Lewis co-founded, with Bernie Casey, the Contemporary Crafts Gallery in Los Angeles in 1970. In 1973, she served on the selection committee for the exhibition BLACKS: USA: 1973 held at the New York Cultural Center. Samella Lewis's 1969 catalog 'Black Artists on Art', featured accomplished black artists typically overlooked in mainstream art galleries. She said of the book, "I wanted to make a chronology of African American artists, and artists of African descent, to document our history. The historians weren't doing it. It was really about the movement." From the 1960s through the 1970s, her work, which included lithographs, linocuts, and serigraphs, reflected her concerns with the values of human dignity, democracy, and freedom of expression. Between 1969 and 70, Lewis and E.J. Montgomery were consultants for a groundbreaking exhibition at the Oakland Public L designed to create greater awareness of African American history and art. Lewis was the founder of the International Review of African American Art in 1975. In 1976, she founded the Museum of African-American Art with a group of artistic, academic, business, and community leaders in Los Angeles, California. Lewis, the museum’s senior curator, organized exhibitions and developed new ways of educating the public about African American art. She celebrated African American art as an 'art of experience’ inspired by the artists’ lives. And she espoused the concept of African American art as an 'art of tradition', urging museums to explore the African roots of African American art. In 1984, Lewis produced an extensive monograph on Elizabeth Catlett, her beloved mentor at Dillard University. Lewis has been collecting art since 1942, focusing primarily on the WPA era and work created during the Harlem Renaissance. Pieces from her collection were acquired by the Hampton University Museum in Virginia, the world’s earliest collection of African American fine art...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

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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