While “expressionist” is used to describe any art that avoids naturalism and instead employs a bold use of flattened forms and intense brushwork, Expressionist art formally describes early-20th-century work from Europe that drew on Symbolism and confronted issues such as urbanization and capitalism. Expressionist artists experimented in paintings and prints with skewed perspectives, abstraction and unconventional, bright colors to portray how isolating and anxious the world felt rather than how it appeared.
Between 1905 and 1920, Austrian and German artists, in particular, were inspired by Postimpressionists such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh in their efforts to strive for a new authenticity in their work. In its geometric patterns and decorative details, Expressionist art was also marked by eclectic sources like German and Russian folk art as well as tribal art from Africa and Oceania, which the movement’s practitioners witnessed at museums and world’s fairs.
Groups of artists came together to share and promote the themes now associated with Expressionism, such as Die Brücke (The Bridge) in Dresden, which included Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and investigated alienation and the dissolution of society in vivid color. In Munich, Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, instilled Expressionism with a search for spiritual truths. In his iconic painting The Scream, prolific Norwegian painter Edvard Munch conveyed emotional turmoil through his depiction of environmental elements, such as the threatening sky.
Expressionism shifted around the outbreak of World War I, with artists using more elements of the grotesque in reaction to the escalation of unrest and violence. Printmaking was especially popular, as it allowed artists to widely disseminate works that grappled with social and political issues amid this time of upheaval. Although the art movement ended with the rise of Nazi Germany, where Expressionist creators were labeled “degenerate,” the radical ideas of these artists would influence Neo-Expressionism that emerged in the late 1970s with painters like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente.
Find a collection of authentic Expressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
$2,400
'Pair of Perroquets', Large, Expressionist Oil, Parrots, Detroit Woman artist
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'R. Hornak' for Rosemary Hornak (American, born 1951); additionally signed verso, titled 'Perroquets Impasto, Variation 2' and dated 1992. Rosemary Hornak receiv...
Masonite, Oil
French Expressionist Still Life Oil Bottle Rack Study Circle of Bernard Buffet
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French Expressionist Still Life Bottle Rack Study Circle of Bernard Buffet by French School (French, circa 1960s, circle of Bernard Buffet) oil on board, framed Framed: 37.5 x 31 in...
Oil
$2,970Sale Price|20% Off
Still Life Painting of Two Plants on an Orange Table by Fauvist British Artist
By Steve Capper
Located in Preston, GB
Still Life Painting of Two Plants on an Orange Table by Fauvist British Artist, Steve Capper Art measures 20 x 28 inches Frame measures 25.5 x 33.5 inches Presented in a high quality black wooden moulding Steve Capper attended Manchester’s High School of Art in 1955, the Manchester College of Art in 1962 and Bretton Hall College in 1965. He taught painting for thirty years as head of a large art faculty in an Oldham comprehensive school, before taking early retirement in 1996 to concentrate on producing his own work. Capper produces on-the-spot sketches which are then taken into his studio where he re-works them into a painting. Both his landscapes and his still-life paintings reflect the influences of the cubists and the fauves. The work of Picasso, Braque and Matisse are amongst his major influences. Capper still lives and works near Oldham, in the Pennines...
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Board
Fantasy with Flowers 66
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Fantasy with Flowers" (series of 200+ pictures) paper 59x42cm On the paper acrylic, oil pastel, felt-tip pen, ink, gold leaf, pencils, silver,mixed media. Flowers are a smile of ...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Fantasy with Flowers 42
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Fantasy with Flowers" (series of 200+ pictures) paper 59x42cm On the paper acrylic, oil pastel, felt-tip pen, ink, gold leaf, pencils, silver,mixed media. Flowers are a smile of ...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Guoqiang Ning Portrait Original Oil Painting "Blue Fantasy"
Located in New York, NY
Title: Blue Fantasy Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 15 x 12 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This painting is ...
Canvas, Oil
Morning
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, I've melded acrylic and oil to evoke morning's transcendent vibrancy. With every expressive stroke and bold hue, I sought to capture the essence of a new dawn. It's...
Oil, Acrylic, Cardboard
$570
Spring Countryside, Original Expressive Landscape Painting on Paper, 14 x 28 in.
Located in Washington, DC
Medium - Acrylic on Canvas Year - 2024 Style - Contemporary Subject - Expressionist Landscape Dimensions - 14 H x 18 W in Condition - New, Ready to Hang Spring Countryside is a...
Acrylic
Tulips Red 3
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Tulips Red 3" bursts with life, a vivid floral painting where passion blooms in every detail. Red tulips take center stage, their vibrant hues energized by touches of blue, yellow, ...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$1,800Sale Price|40% Off
Ocean Lights - Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Ocean Lights - Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Canvas Bold abstract composition by California artist Charles "Dave" Francis (American, 1951-2018). The background of this pie...
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
$1,515Sale Price|20% Off
Abstract Landscape Painting entitled Broken Ground by Fauvist British Artist
By Steve Capper
Located in Preston, GB
Abstract Landscape Painting entitled Broken Ground by Fauvist British Artist, Steve Capper Art measures 16 x 12 inches Frame measures 24 x 20 inches (approx.) Presented in a whit...
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Board
$2,880Sale Price|40% Off
Large-Scale Abstract Expressionism with Aqua, Teal, Grey, & White
By D.S. Silver
Located in Soquel, CA
Expressive and dynamic large-scale abstract expressionist painting by D.S. Silver (American, 20th Century), c.1985. Big and bold brushstrokes in a palette of cool colors, including aqua, teal, grey, and white, dance across the huge canvas...
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
"Impressions" (2023) By John McCaw, Expressionist Mixed Media Painting
By John McCaw
Located in Denver, CO
John McCaw's (US based) "Impressions" is a beautiful original expressionist mixed media on board painting that depicts poppies and stems growing upwards, resting in a shelf on of art...
Mixed Media, Board
$536
"Blooming cactus" Contemporary botanical expressive oil painting on canvas
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Blooming cactus" Contemporary Botanical Oil Painting on Canvas — 30 × 40 × 1.6 cm / 11.81 × 15.75 × 0.63 in This expressive contemporary botanical oil painting by French artist Na...
Canvas, Oil
Original Painting on Panel Titled: "Let em Live” 39 x 45
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Born in Tallahasee Fl, William started his artistic career as a color consultant for his family's Design and Painting company that took on constant projects of custom painted interio...
Paper, Acrylic
Portrait of a Woman - Expressionist Mixed Media Piece
Located in Austin, TX
Expressionist portrait of a woman by Juan Carlos Breceda featuring purple, blue, green, yellow, and orange. Executed in 2001. Mixed Media. Framed ...
Mixed Media
$5,480Sale Price|20% Off
Family Heart - Mid Century Hawaiian Symbolist Figurative Abstract
Located in Soquel, CA
Symbolic figurative abstract of wispy figures surrounding a heart by Marguerite Louis Blasingame (American; 1906-1947), circa 1940-45. Marguerite and her husband Frank Blasingame...
Linen, Oil
$202
Still life with Oranges and Owls, Oil On Canvas, Floral, Interior, Still life
Located in Deddington, GB
Still Life with Oranges and Owls is an Original Painting by Eleanor Woolley. Painted in the Artist's Gloucestershire Studio this miniature painting shows a still life of a selection of objects arranged by the Artist. Twos stone owls sit atop a stack of books, with two small oranges and a pear. A small jug of flowers slightly obscures the window. We can see out into the garden, where there are texturally painted trunks...
Oil
Jamaica II, Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas by Robert Bengtsson
By Robert Bengtsson
Located in Long Island City, NY
An oil painting by Robert Bengtsson from 1966. An abstract expressionist style painting of amorphous shapes in shades of yellow, faint recognition of the word 'Jamaica' in background...
Canvas, Oil
West End, colorful gestural abstract painting
By C. Dimitri
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Abstract cityscape indebted to Matisse's "View of Notre Dame."
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil, Permanent Marker
$1,356Sale Price|20% Off
Multicolor Abstracted Reclining Nude Figure Drawing
By Stewart Goldman
Located in Soquel, CA
Vibrant and dynamic abstracted nude figure drawing, depicted with expressive line and color by Stewart Goldman (American, b. 1936). Signed "S. Goldman" and dated "82" lower right. "Steward Goldman," dated "1982" and titled "Figure Drawing #2" on verso. Presented in a metal frame. Image size, 29.5"H x 22"W. Exhibited:Chamber Paintings and Other New Work - Toni Birckhead Gallery - Cincinnati, Ohio EDUCATION Philadelphia College of Art - 1955-58, 1960-62, BFA in Painting TEACHING EXPERIENCE Art Academy of Cincinnati –September 1968-August 2001 –Retired PROFESSIONAL SERVICE Cincinnati Art Museum Board of Trustees Member– 2013-2016 Advisory Committee- Weston Art Gallery Previous Service Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, Board of Trustees Member Gamble-Nippert YMCA - Committee of Management Member GRANTS and AWARDS Ohio Arts Council Grant-Exhibition support-“Working Spaces” Munich, Germany -2001 Ohio Arts Council Grant-Exhibition support-“Tales of Slavery and Deliverance”, Munich, Germany-1999 Kulturreferat, Munich, Germany Grant-Residency, Villa Waldberta-Feldafing, Germany-1997 Cincinnati Arts Allocation Grant-To create installation-“The Cherubs of Theresienstadt”-1994 Ohio Arts Council Grant-To curate exhibition and travel “Cincinnati Artists Works on Paper” Kharkiv Art Museum, 1993 Cincinnati Bell Mural Commission-1990 Cincinnati Summerfair Fellowship-1988 Cincinnati Post-Corbett Award, Outstanding Individual Artist-1988 RECENT PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES 2013 Curator- “Seeing Opera” Weston Art Gallery, Aronoff Center for the Arts, Cincinnati, Ohio 2013 Book publication, My Mother’s Eyes, Italian translated edition 2011 Curator - exhibition for Constella Festival of Music and Fine Arts, Cincinnati, Ohio 2010 Created print at invitation for Cincinnati Art Museum portfolio commemorating Jim Dine 2007 Book Publication, My Mother’s Eyes, German Translated edition 2005 Commencement Address, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, NH Colloquia, College of Applied Science, Cincinnati, Ohio Portfolio Presentation, 92 Street Y, New York, NY 2004 Book Publication, My Mother’s Eyes. Holocaust Memories of a Young Girl SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2017 Mythic Macrocosm - Tarble Art Center, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, ILL 2015 Stewart Goldman: Nuances - Philip M. Meyers, Jr., Memorial Gallery, University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, Ohio 2009 Stewart Goldman Presence through Absence - Cincinnati Art Museum – Cincinnati, Ohio 2008 Then and Now- Paintings and Tape drawings – Springfield Museum of Art- 2006 Old Square/New Square: Paintings and Wall Drawings-Weston Art Gallery, Aronoff Center for the Arts 2005 Paintings-Cincinnati Art Galleries...
Paper, Oil Pastel
Fantasy with Flowers 23
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Fantasy with Flowers" (series of 200+ pictures) paper 59x42cm On the paper acrylic, oil pastel, felt-tip pen, ink, gold leaf, pencils, silver,mixed media. Flowers are a smile of ...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Peruvian Expressionist Oil Painting Miguel Aybar Modernist Latin American Art
Located in Surfside, FL
Dimensions: (Frame) H 28.5" x W 35.5" (Painting) H 22" x W 30" Miguel Ángel Aybar Llauca, an artist specializing in expressionist painting, was born in Huancavelica and lives in t...
Canvas, Oil
$1,800
French Israeli Surrealist Judaica Jewish Oil Painting Rabbi at Table, Bottle
Located in Surfside, FL
This is a small oil painting on on panel. A Rabbi at a Farbrengen 15.5 X 14.5 with frame. 6.5 X 5.5 painting alone Zwy Milshtein (Zvi Tzvi Milstein) BIOGRAPHY 1934 Born in Kishinev...
Oil, Panel
Remembering, Original Seascape Painting, Contemporary Art
Located in Deddington, GB
'Remembering' is an original seascape painting by Helen Howells. 'Remembering' was inspired by my beloved South Wales Coastline, and was painted during lockdown. Harnessing my memori...
Canvas, Oil
$1,822
Mountain Top, Welsh Landscape Painting, Contemporary Textured Landscape Painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Mountain Top is an original landscape painting by Helen Howells. It was inspired by the mountain views of South Wales, where I truly feel at peace, amongst the astounding beauty of t...
Canvas, Oil
Walking By The Sea
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Walking By The Sea. Artist signed lower right corner, canvas size (31 1/2 x 39 1/4in). Nicola Simbari was born in Italy and grow up in Rome. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, and in the 1940s he began devoting himself to painting in a studio at Via del Babuino in central Rome. Simbari's early exposure to the architectural world had a lasting impression on his art, as he incorporated geometric forms and architectural structures into almost all of his paintings. He began to develop a distinct style stemming from impressions of life, nature, and the Mediterranean...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Helen Howells, Half Tide, Original Seascape Painting, Contemporary Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Half Tide by Helen Howells [2021] Original Oil on Canvas Image size: H:75 cm x W:120 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:75 cm x W:120 cm x D:3.5cm Sold Unframed Please note that in...
Canvas, Oil
$1,671Sale Price|20% Off
Tulips. 1996. Oil on canvas, 81х100 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Tulips. 1996. Oil on canvas, 81х100 cm Jurgis Skulme (1928-2015) – painter, art scientist. 1954 – The graduating State Art Academy of Latvia, the monumental department (diploma wor...
Oil, Canvas
$1,671Sale Price|20% Off
Seven tulips. Oil on canvas, 65x51 cm
Located in Riga, LV
7 tulips. 1979. Oil on canvas, 65x51 cm Aleksandr Rodin (1922-2001) Painter Born in a family of farmers. Wife Rasma Lace - art scholar. Studied at the...
Canvas, Oil
$877
Calima II, Landscape Painting, Gestural Expressionist Style Painting, Mood Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Calima II [2021] Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look The Calima is a hot East wind that originates in Africa and...
Canvas, Acrylic
$8,000
"Nel Bosco" - Italian Abstract Landscape of a Dark Forest - Green and Yellow Oil
Located in Carmel, CA
Masri Hayssam (Lebanese, Italian, born 1965) "Nel Bosco" 1999 Oil paint on canvas, stretcher bars Signed by the artist on the bottom right corner of the painting. "Nel Bosco" is an ...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
Cyrus, 2018
Located in Atlanta, GA
Born August 4, 1945 in Chambéry. Apprenticeship in 1984 at the Etampes school founded and run by the painter Philipe Lejeune. -Price "Finez Planard" awarded by the Taylor Foundation...
Oil
Expressionist painting by California artist Byron Randall
Located in Colfax, CA
Expressionist painting on paper by California artist Byron Randall. Byron Randall, (1918-1999), was raised in Salem, Oregon, where he worked as a waiter, a harvest hand, a boxer, and...
Paper, Mixed Media
Monica Angle Contemporary Painting Large Scale Landscape Abstract 2014
By Monica Angle
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original acrylic on paper by American contemporary artist Monica Angle created in 2014. This work is being sold unframed. Wholesale framing is available in a variety of presenta...
Paper, Acrylic
"Prowl" Red Abstract Figurative Landscape Signed P. Gonzalez
Located in Houston, TX
Unique red landscape of a man standing under a tree with black lightening overhead. Done in an expressionist style similar to that of Edvard Munch. Signed, titled, and dated by possi...
Acrylic
Two Figures Mixed Media On Linen
By Jürgen Görg
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Two Figures oil, graphite on linen canvas 40x30 framed. Jurgen Gorg was born in 1951 in, Dernbach Germany. His formative years were spent in Koblentz, before moving to Maintz to s...
Linen, Oil, Graphite
Contrast, Contemporary Representational Art, Landscape, Canadian Artist
By Marie Rioux
Located in Houston, TX
Contrast is Contemporary Representational Art of a Canadian Landscape with a twist of Abstract. “Whatever my particular aim is, atmosphere is a...
Oil
Vibrant Floral Still Life Painting, Expressive, 12x12 Inches, 2026
By Jodi Ferrier
Located in Washington, DC
This 12”x12” painting presents a vibrant, contemporary interpretation of a traditional floral still life. Executed with masterful, confident brushwork and a rich, textured impasto, ...
Acrylic
$4,030Sale Price|35% Off
Stone Head Oil Painting on Board, Expressionist, Circa 1950s, Framed
Located in Vancouver, CA
Herbert Siebner (1925-2004) was a German-born Canadian painter whose work is characterized by its expressive use of color and texture, and its exploration of themes of war, exile, an...
Oil, Board
$3,150
Poch 12.21.2 8 Maria de las Mercedes Acrylic Painting, Expressionist, Unframed
By Ramon Poch
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
8.-Maria de las Mercedes 115 x90 cm acrylic painting Born in Badalona (Barcelona). Photographer and advertising film director. Founding partner of the advertising production compan...
Acrylic
French Contemporary Art by Sandra Detourbet - Le Sacrifice
Located in Paris, IDF
Ink on canvas & handmade paper Sandra Detourbet is a French artist born in 1967 who works & lives in Ivry-sur-Seine, near Paris. She is graduated in ...
Canvas, Ink, Handmade Paper
"Heavenly Guitar", 35x29", Acrylic on canvas
By Kim Simmonds
Located in Southampton, NY
Sad news of the recent passing of this great artist, guitarist, Rock and Blues Legend and founding member of Savoy Brown. Kim was a long-time friend who will be missed by fans and a...
Canvas, Acrylic
French Contemporary Art by Sandra Detourbet - Libertad
Located in Paris, IDF
Gouache on handmade paper Sandra Detourbet is a French artist born in 1967 who works & lives in Ivry-sur-Seine, near Paris. She is graduated in 1997 from ENSAD in Paris, Art-Space s...
Canvas, Handmade Paper, Gouache
Joan Cruspinera Large Bullfighting Scene Oil Painting, 1990s
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Joan Cruspinera Large Bullfighting Scene Oil Painting, 1990s Oil on canvas. Signed by the artist. Artwork: 100 × 133 cm (39.4 × 52.4 in.). Original oil on canvas by Catalan artist J...
Canvas, Oil
$950
Early and wildly expressionistic landscape painting of Prospect Park, New York
Located in Colfax, CA
A super early expressionist landscape painting by German-American artist William Bils. Bils lived and worked in the New York/New Jersey area, and often painted landscape paintings i...
Oil
6 Vulnerable Beauty Oil Painting on Canvas, Expressionist, 2010+
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
THE PROJECT: INDEPENDENT PAVILION VENICE 2026 This work is a cornerstone of the "In Minor Keys: The Turquoise Silence" series — a large-scale artistic manifesto created specifically ...
Canvas, Oil, Linen
French Contemporary Art by Sandra Detourbet - Promise Indécise
Located in Paris, IDF
Ink on canvas & handmade paper Sandra Detourbet is a French artist born in 1967 who works & lives in Ivry-sur-Seine, near Paris. She is graduated in 1997 from ENSAD in Paris, Art-Sp...
Canvas, Handmade Paper, Ink
Tulips White 2
Located in Zofingen, AG
This artwork features a vibrant arrangement of five tulips, each uniquely colored, set against a textured, blue background. The flowers exhibit a smooth gradient of colors: from soft...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Raventos Blue Boat original expressionist acrylic painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Escritura y Barcos original expressionist acrylic painting RAVENTÓS Mª Assumpció – (San Sadurní d’Anoia, Barcelona 1930). Raventos trained at the elite Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts...
Acrylic
$699Sale Price|30% Off
Bring Me To Life - Vibrant green abstract landscape painting
Located in Silverthorne, CO
This captivating contemporary oil on canvas is an evocative exploration of light and organic form. Utilizing a luminous palette of forest greens, emerald, and sky blue, the artist cr...
Canvas, Oil
$4,280Sale Price|20% Off
Echoes of a Loud Mind - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Mixed Media
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure 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 Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic, Pastel
$3,480Sale Price|20% Off
Gentleman 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Mixed Media
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure 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 Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Canvas, Charcoal, Pastel, Acrylic
Tulips Grey
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Tulips Grey" is a vibrant floral painting where emotion takes center stage through swirling colors. Acrylic, oil pastel, and colored pencil dance across the paper, creating a dynam...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Expressionist Tree Landscape
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Vibrant Tree, 1955. Signed "I. Pitsch" and dated upper right. Oil on canvas measuring 18 x 20 inches. Unframed.
Canvas, Oil
"Glossolalia #11" Oil and Acrylic on Canvas by John Millei
By John Millei
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This large scale painting is striking. When lit there is a depth to the painting that draws you in. A combination of both oil, and acrylic the layers of mixed media are responsible f...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,242Sale Price|20% Off
Large 1960's French Expressionist Modernist Oil Painting Nude Woman Posing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Nude Woman by Jacques Courtade (French 1923-1994) artists studio stamp verso oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 24 x 32 inches stamped verso Provenance: all the works we have for sa...
Oil
'Winter Wave, Cornwall' c 2019 Mixed media
Located in Frome, Somerset
'Winter Wave, Cornwall' circa 2019 signed watercolour on paper oak glazed frame 43cmx52cm painting 26cmx36cm Expressionist view of a Cornish Cove in Winter months. Painted plein air ...
Watercolor
$4,280Sale Price|20% Off
Life Changes in Noise - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Mixed Media
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure 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 Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Canvas, Charcoal, Pastel, Acrylic
$603Sale Price|20% Off
"Summer escape" Contemporary figurative acrylic painting of a woman on paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Summer Escape” is an original contemporary figurative painting by French artist Natalya Mougenot, created with acrylic paints on heavyweight professional acid-free paper. The artw...
Acrylic, Paper