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.
$2,200
Les Non-Dits (The Unsaid) 1, - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
From The Things We Don’t Say Out Loud Series Men deserve flowers, too not just after the struggle but in the middle of it while becoming is still happening There are parts of us we l...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
"Woodland and Stream" Theresa Bernstein, Red Green Yellow Abstracted Landscape
Located in New York, NY
Theresa Bernstein Woodland and Stream, circa 1980 Signed Lower Right Oil on canvas 19 x 23 inches Theresa F. Bernstein was born in Philadelphia in 1895 to cultured, middle-class im...
Canvas, Oil
"Golden table" Contemporary figurative still life floral apple painting on paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
Original Contemporary Floral Still Life Painting 50 × 65 cm (19.7 × 25.6 inches) Acrylic Paint and Acrylic Pens on Heavyweight Professional Acid-Free French Paper, Varnished for Prot...
Paper, Acrylic
Adam & Eve in Space: Oil Painting, oil on canvas and gold leaf FRAMED
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Adam and Eve in Space" - original large art by Paula Craioveanu part of Myths of the Future new project. Original, large, unique painting, oil on canvas, 31.5x31.5in / 80x80cm. Sh...
Canvas, Oil
Mid Century Portrait of Actress Paula Laurence - Wife of Joseph Hirshhorn
By Lily Harmon
Located in Miami, FL
Quick and loose expressionist portrait of stage and screen actress Paula Laurence Portrait of Paula Laurence (1916-2005). Oil and graphite on linen. Signed top right. Exhibited: "Lil...
Canvas, Oil, Graphite
$1,560Sale Price|20% Off
Killed in Action (Paramour Lover 2) -21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
After a long journey her paramour lover was killed during an intense firefight in the military service, she was shocked when she heard about this cause her dead lover had told her on...
Canvas, Acrylic
Maximilien Luce (French, 1858-1941) Femme Lavant le Linge
Located in Dallas, TX
MAXIMILIEN LUCE (French, 1858-1941) Femme Lavant le Linge Estate stamped signature 'Luce' (lower right) Oil on canvas Canvas: 16 1/4 x 13 in. (41.3 x 33.0 cm) framed: 25 1/4 x 22 x 1...
Canvas, Oil
$2,040Sale Price|20% Off
Still Becoming -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
A young woman stands with a camera in her hands. Behind her sits a childhood photograph, worn at the edges, held together by memory and time. The two images merge in a single frame. ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,560Sale Price|20% Off
Days of Promise -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
There was a time when love carried no doubt. The couple in the background shares a moment that feels simple yet full of meaning. Their laughter, their closeness, and the soft light a...
Canvas, Oil
Young Boy Playing Marbles, Expressive Post-Impressionist Study
Located in Genève, GE
Dimensions with frame: 48 x 34,5 x 5 cm. Monogrammed "E.G." in the lower right corner and dated. This intimate and vividly textured oil painting depicts a young child absorbed in pl...
Oil, Cardboard
$1,600Sale Price|20% Off
Timeless -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern Women, Floral
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Awofadeju Solom...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,360Sale Price|20% Off
Untitled 4 - 21st Century Contemporary, Expressionist Portrait, African Woman
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Africa This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gall...
Canvas, Acrylic
"A night in Paris" portrait in the author's technique of Volsky Lily.
Located in Zofingen, AG
"A night in Paris" portrait in the author's technique of Volsky Lily. The figurative section. Klimt inspired me to create this portrait. If you remember his painting "Parisienne", yo...
Canvas, Varnish, Oil
$1,256Sale Price|30% Off
Early 20th Century Swiss Alps Village Landscape, Oil on Board, Framed
By Otto Hamel
Located in Soquel, CA
Substantial small painting of a Swiss Mountain village by Otto Hamel (German, 1866-1950). Signed "Otto Hamel" lower right. Presented in a giltwood frame. Image, 9.5"H x 13"L. A Germ...
Oil, Board
Jordi Sarrà – Harlequin – Oil on Canvas – 28.5 × 23.5 cm
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Jordi Sarrà – Harlequin – Oil on Canvas Oil on canvas. Signed by the artist in the lower left. Artwork: 27 × 22 cm (10.6 × 8.7 in.). Framed: 28.5 × 23.5 cm (11.2 × 9.3 in.). Origi...
Canvas, Oil
Jordi Sarrà – Pierrot with Hat, 1983 – Oil on Canvas – 28.5× 23.5 cm
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Jordi Sarrà – Pierrot with Hat, 1983 – Oil on Canvas Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 1983 in the lower left. Artwork: 27 × 22 cm (10.6 × 8.7 in.). Framed: 28.5 × 23.5 cm (11.2 × 9.3...
Canvas, Oil
Jordi Sarrà – Sad Harlequin, 1983 – Oil on Canvas – 54.5 × 45.5 cm
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Jordi Sarrà – Sad Harlequin, 1983 – Oil on Canvas Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 1983 in the lower left. Artwork: 54.5 × 45.5 cm (21.5 × 17.9 in.). Framed: 56.5 × 48 cm (22.2 × 18....
Canvas, Oil
Les Deux Soeurs
Located in Atlanta, GA
Born in 1951, François Legrand was introduced to painting as a teenager by Philippe Lejeune in Etampes. In 1973, he moved to Loiret. From 1974 to 197...
Oil
Guitarist
Located in Barcelona, CT
the painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Oil
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
Iretiola - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, African Modern Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This piece was born from a moment of stillness, a quiet observation of how we carry entire landscapes within us. I kept thinking about how we often stand between mountains we did not...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$559
"Tender waiting" Contemporary figurative painting of a woman oil on canvas
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Tender Waiting" is a 2026 contemporary figurative oil painting created with oil paints on cotton stretched canvas by French artist Natalya Mougenot, depicting a woman sitting in a h...
Canvas, Oil
Feel - original abstracted women form oil painting - contemporary figurative art
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
Barcas en aguas azules - Óleo sobre tela - Sin enmarcar
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmado por el autor en la parte inferior Se presenta sin enmarcar la obra El estado es bueno Medidas de la obra: 38 x 46 cm. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::...
Oil
20th century painting of monks in Venice, Italian pink figural work
By Louis Bosa
Located in Beachwood, OH
Louis Bosa (Italian-American, 1905–1981) Island of the Monks, c. 1930 Oil on masonite Signed lower right 14 x 24 inches 23 x 33 inches, framed Born in Codroipo, a small village only...
Oil
"Guapa"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
My first pet cat was red. When he grew up, he brought home his girlfriend. She was very beautiful, tricolor! ...Now I also have a ginger cat. But we don't live on the first floor. An...
Canvas, Oil
$757
"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
$800Sale Price|20% Off
Bloom - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Women, Floral
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. About Artist Ola...
Canvas, Acrylic
Autorretrato - Técnica mixta sobre tabla - Firmado - Año 1991
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmado por el artista en la parte inferior y fechado del año 1991 En la parte trasera, va titulado "autoretrato" y nuevamente fechado del año 1991 La obra se presenta enmarcada co...
Mixed Media
Alegoria al F.C. Barcelona - Óleo sobre lienzo - Sin enmarcar - 162x130cm.
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
INTERESANTE OBRA DEL PRESTIGIOSO PINTOR JUAN JOSE ABELLA RUBIO (Estercuel, 1944) SE TRATA DE UN OLEO SOBRE TELA REPRESENTANDO UNA ALEGORIA AL F.C.BARCELONA COMO SE PUEDE OBSERVAR ...
Oil
$2,120Sale Price|20% Off
Solitude Gaze - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa
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. About Artist Dan...
Canvas, Oil
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
Prince Choko - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa
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. About Artist Dan...
Canvas, Oil, Charcoal
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
Lonewolf - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa
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. About Artist Dan...
Canvas, Oil
At the Flower Market
By Walt Kuhn
Located in Sheffield, MA
Walt Francis Kuhn American, 1877-1949 At the Flower Market Oil on Canvas 15 by 18 in, w/ frame 22 ½ by 25 ½ in Signed lower right A painter and major organizer of the Armory Show, ...
Oil
"Summer glow" Contemporary figurative woman's portrait acrylic painting on paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Summer Glow” by Natalya Mougenot is a contemporary figurative portrait painting depicting a woman at rest, created in acrylic on heavyweight professional acid-free Canson paper, var...
Paper, Acrylic
Iris Mosaic Oil Painting on Canvas, Expressionist, 21st Century
Located in Miami, FL
Her work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged. Her work create...
Canvas, Oil
$5,800
Cat Face
By Pep Suari
Located in Austin, TX
By Pep Suari 39" x 39" Acrylic on Canvas
Canvas, Acrylic
$18,000
Child Resting in Chair, Expressionist Portrait by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Child Resting in Chair" is a painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 41" x 35.75" oil on board portrait is painted in a vibrant color palette. The painting is framed in a new, black wood frame and signed "Harmon" on verso. Figurative expressionism in the style of Alice Neel. Bernard Harmon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1935. Harmon was primarily a portrait painter and a well loved teacher in the Philadelphia area. A graduate of the Philadelphia Museum School and Temples Tyler School of Art, Harmon traveled extensively in Europe and South America. Beloved by many, Harmon taught in the Philadelphia School District for 32 of his 54 years of life. Beginning his career as an art teacher at West Philadelphia High School, in the early 1960s he became one of the district's artists in residence, traveling from school to school to demonstrate for students how an artist works. Returning to the classroom, Harmon joined the art department at Central High School where he taught for 14 years and became an innovator in art curriculum, developing a program offering advanced placement art classes to gifted students. In his final years Harmon became a supervisor, mentoring teachers and overseeing programs in the Philadelphia school systems District #1. During his short life Harmon taught collage preparatory art classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, summer classes at the University of the Arts, and a Saturday program for gifted children at Drexel University. Among Harmon's portraits were commissioned by Philadelphia Jazz organist Jimmy Smith and Mayor Richardson Dilworth. Bernard Harmon was active in promoting African American Artist throughout his life time. He organized many early shows such as the "Afro American Artists...
Oil, Board
$3,480Sale Price|20% Off
From Papa's Time -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This painting reflects how memories shape identity. The man in color stands in the present, holding a vintage camera, against the image of an older generation in grayscale, taking us...
Canvas, Oil
$1,160Sale Price|20% Off
Echoes of Love -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Fashion, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Elie HATUNGIMAN...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,040Sale Price|20% Off
Sable - 21st Century Contemporary, Expressionist Portrait, African Woman, Face
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, Acrylic
The red apple. Psychology, man and a woman, duality, couple, love story
Located in Oslo, NO
A young woman and a red-faced man merge into one figure, two inner states held in a single body. The image draws on Carl Jung’s psychology, where opposing forces coexist within the p...
Canvas, Oil
$2,040Sale Price|20% Off
Ajoke - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative Portrait of Modern Woman, Umbrella
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. About Artist Ogu...
Canvas, Acrylic
Contemporary figurative dog's portrait acrylic painting on canvas "Stylish pup"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Stylish Pup” is a contemporary acrylic dog painting by French artist Natalya Mougenot, part of her expressive ongoing series devoted to canine personalities. With her distinctive p...
Canvas, Linen, Acrylic
$4,079
"Girl with lilac" Oil Painting by Elena Lukina (2017) – Impressionism Canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Girl with lilac" (2017) is an evocative original oil painting from the acclaimed series "The Garden of Resonance: Floral Symphony", exploring the profound harmony of a spring lands...
Canvas, Oil
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
Little Sleep, Little Slumber - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Woman
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This is an opening verse of a shared exhaustion that pushes and pulls between the body's need for rest and the unrelenting demands of survival. It plays on the biblical proverb (Prov...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$815
"Many within" Contemporary figurative portrait of women acrylic painting paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Many within" is a contemporary figurative mixed-media painting by French artist Natalya, created in her ongoing series dedicated to women, exploring feminine identity, inner transfo...
Paper, Acrylic
$6,400Sale Price|20% Off
Abstracted Portrait, Expressionist Oil on Paper, 1990s, Framed
Located in Soquel, CA
Untitled Abstracted Portrait by David Fludd (American b. 1965). This moody and dynamic portrait is an excellent example of Fludd's work in the 1990s, which often featured distorted ...
Paper, Oil
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
Don't Rush Life 3 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Where am from Bandana was once a common style, we called it Big Boy Style, then it's seem to me like a style or fashion only, because our elder brothers only allowed to used it but n...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$2,098
"Soul reflection" Contemporary figurative expressionist oil painting two women
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Soul Reflection" — Original Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting Depicting Two Women, 80 × 60 × 1.5 cm (31.5 × 23.6 × 0.6 in), by French Artist Natalya Mougenot "Soul Reflection" i...
Canvas, Oil
$3,080Sale Price|20% Off
She's Always Behind My Back -21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Love, Family
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The painting is about the human relationship between brothers and sisters, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. How they fought, stood, and supported each other with love, shari...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$1,160Sale Price|20% Off
Embracing Self -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Made of layers, memories, lessons, scars, and hopes. Some parts are soft, some messy, some still taking shape, but all of them matter. You are texture, movement, and story. You don’t...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
The Collector - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern, Africa
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. About Artist Dan...
Canvas, Acrylic, Oil
French Jewish Post Holocaust Abstract Painting Manner of Hundertwasser Art Brut
By Jichak Pressburger
Located in Surfside, FL
Jichak Pressburger, Painter. b. 1933, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. A concentration camp survivior. Came to Israel aboard the ship, "The Exodus". 1964 Went to Paris. In 1979 Returned ...
Canvas, Oil
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Bloom 2 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Fashion
By Gobe Joseph
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. About Artist Gob...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
$2,564
"Shared Joy" Contemporary figurative expressionist oil painting of two women
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Shared Joy" — Original Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting Depicting Two Women, 80 × 60 × 1.5 cm (31.5 × 23.6 × 0.6 in), by French Artist Natalya Mougenot "Shared Joy" is an origi...
Canvas, Oil
"Tender embrace" Contemporary figurative expressionist oil painting of two women
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Tender Embrace" — Original Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting Depicting Two Women by French Artist Natalya Mougenot "Tender Embrace" is an original contemporary figurative oil pa...
Canvas, Oil
$2,680Sale Price|20% Off
Renew - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Children Art, Jewellery
By John Ali
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, Acrylic
Dress with irises
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I melded oil paints to captivate the timeless dance of nature with human grace. Inspired by the delicate irises swaying in a serene field, I portrayed a figure harmoni...
Canvas, Oil
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Come A Long Way 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Oil, Modern, Fashion
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, Oil
$1,107
Flowering branch – Impressionist Cherry Blossom Oil Painting Wall Art Canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
This vibrant original oil painting is an evocative landscape painting titled Flowering branch created by the internationally registered artist Elena Lukina in 2022.As a comforting la...
Canvas, Oil