The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.
Nude Man Posed On Stall In Red Interior French Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nude Male Portrait by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century 19.75 x 25.5 inches oil on artist paper, unframed condition: very good and ready to enjoy provenance: from a pri...
Oil
A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Designs for Women's Active Wear
Located in Chicago, IL
A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring elegant designs for women's active wear by Hattie Carnegie. Inscription reads: Left - White jersey slack suit Red gaberdine jacke...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for Women's Clothing & Accessories
Located in Chicago, IL
A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring elegant designs for women's clothing, shoes and accessories. Artwork size: 11 x 8 1/2 inches. Archivally matted to 16 x 12 inches...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
Nude Female Portrait Laying Down 20th Century French Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Topless Woman by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century 22.5 x 22 inches oil on un stretched canvas, unframed condition: very good and ready to enjoy with small creases to th...
Oil
$1,532
Large Mid 20th Century French Modernist Figurative Oil Painting Bathers
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Bathers by Jacques Courtade (French 1923-1994) studio stamped verso oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 26 x 32 inches Provenance: private collection, Paris Condition: very good cond...
Oil
Farm in Berlin Heights, Ohio, Vibrant Field Landscape
Located in Beachwood, OH
August Frederick Biehle (1885-1979) Farm in Berlin Heights, c. 1930 Oil on masonite Signed lower right 22 x 30 inches 27.75 x 36 inches, framed A versatile painter who worked in a v...
Oil
A Charming, Modern 1950s Martha's Vineyard Street Scene, "New England Village"
Located in Chicago, IL
A large, delightful, Mid-Century Modern 1950s Martha's Vineyard street scene painting by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin. Depicting a picturesque view of the historic Main Stre...
Masonite, Oil
$850
A Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Young Woman by Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A captivating, 1930s portrait painting of a young woman by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A sensitive, skilled portrait of a young female model, most likely h...
Masonite, Oil
$592
Young Girl Sitting with Her Doll Interior Scene Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Young Girl Interior Scene by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil painting on board, unframed size: 10.5 x 8.25 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds condition: very good I...
Oil
Untitled - Mixed media by Michele Zalopnay - 1993
Located in Roma, IT
The proposed work is a mixed media canvas created by artist Michele Zalopnay, measuring 63 x 100 cm is in excellent state of preservation Michele Zalopany is an American Postwar and ...
Mixed Media, Canvas
She is in Love
Located in Zofingen, AG
She is in Love is the first work in the Red Horse series, which explores sexual energy as an inner force and a space of feminine presence.The central figure is a woman in a state of ...
Canvas, Acrylic
A Bustling, 1950s Mid-Century Modern Summer Harbor Scene of Martha's Vineyard
Located in Chicago, IL
A Bustling 1950s Mid-Century Modern Harbor Scene of Martha's Vineyard by Famed Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A busy harbor scene of sandy shoreline, docks and boat...
Canvas, Oil
A Colorful, 1930s Summer Harbor Scene of Saugatuck, Michigan by Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A colorful , blustery painting of a summer harbor in Saugatuck, Michigan by famed Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin. Dating circa 1935, oil on Masonite, the painting depicts a v...
Oil, Masonite
$38,500
Mother and child, Signed painting on paper (unique), Hammer Galleries, Framed
By Gloria Vanderbilt
Located in New York, NY
Gloria Vanderbilt Untitled mother and child painting Gouache on paper Signed by the artist on the front Frame included A poignant painting of a mother and child from the 1960s. Whi...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Gouache, Permanent Marker
A Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Seated Young Woman by Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A captivating, Modern 1930s portrait painting of a young woman in a black sweater by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A skilled and expressive portrait of a you...
Oil, Board
Colourful Large Female Nude, Femme Nue Allongée
Located in Cotignac, FR
Colourful, large oil on canvas female nude by Isabelle Pardoe. The painting is not signed but came directly from the atelier of the artist. Isabell Pardoe trained at the Slade scho...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Nude Male Portrait Study 20th Century French Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Male Nude Figure by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century 25.5 x 19.75 inches oil on artist paper, unframed condition: very good and ready to enjoy with a small tear top lef...
Oil
$27,500
"Woman Recumbent" Sally Michel Avery, Vibrant Blue, Modernist Nude, Interior
Located in New York, NY
Sally Michel Avery Woman Recumbent, 1980 Signed, dated and titled on the reverse Oil on board 16 x 20 inches Private Collection, East Hampton Private Collection, New York (acquired ...
Oil, Board
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
Till It All Withers 3 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Men
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 Samson Olatubos...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Photographic Paper
Portrait of a Woman Reclining in a Purple Chair
Located in San Francisco, CA
At first glance, we focus on the chiseled features of the woman reclining languorously in an enveloping purple wing chair. There are refinements here. A silken fringed shawl. Delicat...
Canvas, Acrylic
A Large, Fabulous Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Chicago Night Club, Burlesque
Located in Chicago, IL
A Fabulous, Large and Dynamic Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Chicago Night Club by Notable Chicago Artist, Rudolph T. Pen (Am. 1918 - 1989). Painted circa 1948, this is a large, a...
Canvas, Oil
$2,953Sale Price|20% Off
Sicilian Farmhouse
By Yves Brayer
Located in London, GB
'Sicilian Farmhouse', oil on canvas, by Yves Brayer (circa 1950s). A dedicated lover of Mediterranean countries and their varied landscapes, this charming and diminutive work by the ...
Canvas, Oil
$3,120Sale Price|20% Off
Huge 20th Century French Signed Oil Classical Music Orchestra Concert Scene
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Orchestra signed by Guy Nicod (French 1923 - 2021) oil on canvas, unframed painting : 32 x 40 inches provenance: artists estate, France condition: very good and sound condition
Canvas, Oil
A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for Women's Lounge Wear & Pajamas
Located in Chicago, IL
A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring a colorful design for women's lounge wear & pajamas. Artwork size: 11 x 8 1/4 inches. Archivally matted to 16 x 12 inches. Prov...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
House in Hudson, Ohio, Late 19th Century Painting by Cleveland School Artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Ora Coltman (American, 1858-1940) House in Hudson, OH Oil on canvas Signed lower left 22 x 26 inches 27.5 x 31.5 inches, framed 21 Aurora Street is locally known as the Isham-Beebe ...
Oil
Mother Carrying Her Child Oil Sketch in a Blue Interior Modernist Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Mother and Child signed initials by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil painting on thin card , unframed painting: 5 x 4 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds condition: v...
Oil
$4,012Sale Price|20% Off
Huge French Modernist Oil Kissing Couple Abstract Figures, signed painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, signed and dated Title: Kissing Couple, beautfiful Modernist work with green, beige, brown, yellow, golden colors. Med...
Oil, Canvas
Quiet Village Churchyard at Dusk British Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Church Courtyard by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil painting on artist paper, unframed size: 5 x 7.25 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds condition: very good Irina...
Oil
Bloom I - Floral Flower Abstract Mixed Media Oversized Artwork
By Sally K
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Gazing at Lebanese American artist Sally K.'s floral artworks is consuming and empowering. Inspired by the endless variety of beautiful flowers, she creates pop-realistic paintings t...
Canvas, Acrylic, Oil Pastel
$6,827Sale Price|30% Off
Huge 1950's French Modernist Oil Mythological Pink Nudes on Rocky Coastline
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Naiades" French Modernist artist, circa 1950's The work is faintly monogrammed to the lower corner though hard to tell. There is a name verso but illegible - possibly the artist or ...
Oil
$390Sale Price|20% Off
French Surrealist Oil Winged Cherubs Flying through Clouds
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Winged Cherubs French School, contemporary oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 8 x 8 inches provenance: private collection, Paris condition: very good and sound condition
Oil
View of Riva degli Schiavoni - Oil Painting - Late 18th century
By Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto)
Located in Roma, IT
View of Riva degli Schiavoni is an original old master artwork realized in the late 18th century by a follower of the School of the italian painter Canaletto. Oil on canvas. An imp...
Oil, Canvas
$278Sale Price|20% Off
1980's French Modernist Painting Amusing Multi-color Abstract Figure with Violin
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
by Paul-Louis Bolot (French 1918-2003) signed & dated 1983 original gouache painting on thick paper/ card unframed condition: very good and sound; the edges have a few curls and scuf...
Gouache
$744Sale Price|25% Off
Evening on the Strand, London (Iconic, Cityscape, Glow, ~26% OFF)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Samir Farah Evening on the Strand, London (Iconic, Cityscape, Glow) Acrylic on Stretched Canvas Year: 2025 Size: 11.81 x 15.74 x 0.78 inches (30 x 40 x 2 cm) Signed lower right COA p...
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
Breton fisherman with pipe
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas Beige wooden frame 90 x 70 x 4.6 cm Breton fisherman with pipe This captivating portrait shows a fisherman with a bushy beard, deep in thought and smoking his pipe. T...
Oil
View of St. Mark Square - Oil Paint on Canvas - Late 18th century
By Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto)
Located in Roma, IT
View of St. Mark Square is an original old master artwork realized in the late 18th century by artist of the School of Giovanni Antonio Canal (C...
Canvas, Oil
$1,414Sale Price|30% Off
Vintage Oil Landscape Art of Redwood Forest California by 20th Century Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage Oil Landscape Art of Redwood National Park Forest in California by 20th Century Artist, Tobias Everet Spence Art measures 14 x 17 inches Frame measures 21 x 24 inches Th...
Canvas, Oil, Wood, Paint, Wood Panel
1940's Americana WPA Modernist Watercolor Painting Catskill Mountains Bungalow
Located in Surfside, FL
Bungalow (fauvist painting of New York scene) 1940's. image is 10X 11.5 inches. Hand signed lower right Watercolor painting on paper board Country Scene Samuel Grunvald was a Hunga...
Watercolor, Paper, Board
Coney Island, Fourth of July
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Coney Island, Fourth of July, c. 1940s, oil on canvas applied to Masonite, signed upper right, 26 x 21 1/2 inches, presented in its original frame During the 1930s and 40s, Coney I...
Canvas, Oil, Board
A Fabulous, Abstract 1960s Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Sleeping Female Nude
Located in Chicago, IL
A Fabulous, Abstract 1960s Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Sleeping Female Nude by Noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph Pen. A sensuous, intimate studio depiction of a sleeping nude femal...
Canvas, Oil
$1,058Sale Price|20% Off
The Luberon Valley Provence Superb French Modernist Signed Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: Huguette Ginet-Lasnier (French 1927-2020), signed lower front Ginet-Lasnier, the wife of the painter Jean Lasnier, was born in the Seine-Maritime region of France an...
Oil
National Day : Sailors having Fun - Tall Original Oil Painting, Signed
By Michel-Marie Poulain
Located in Paris, IDF
Michel Marie POULAIN French National Day : Sailors having Fun Original oil on canvas Handsigned in the lower left corner On canvas 55 x 65 cm (c. 22 x 26 inch) Presented in golden w...
Oil
$501Sale Price|20% Off
1950's Modernist/ Cubist Painting - Busy Figures In Forest
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French Landscape by Bernard Labbe (French mid 20th century) original gouache on paper stuck on card size: 18 x 25 inches condition: very good and ready t...
Gouache
Vintage American Modernist Surreal Figural Nude Portrait Large Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist nude portrait oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a modern molding. Excellent condition, ready to ...
Oil, Board
$835Sale Price|20% Off
French Modernist Oil Provencal Mas Bright Color Fields Original
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: Huguette Ginet-Lasnier (French 1927-2020), signed lower front Ginet-Lasnier, the wife of the painter Jean Lasnier, was born in the Seine-Maritime region of France an...
Oil
Jockeys at the Rail
Located in San Francisco, CA
There’s an instant in a competitive horse race—whether it’s at Churchill Downs, Del Mar, Santa Anita Park, Saratoga or Belmont—of the utmost ferocity. That’s when the riders are jamm...
Canvas, Oil
Landscape - Oil Painting by Armando Cermignani - 1930
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on plywood realized by Armando Cermignani (1888-1957) in 1930s. Hand signed and dated. Excellent condition. Armando Cermignani was an Italian painter, engraver, ceramist and p...
Oil
A Beautiful Modern Figure Painting, Two Bathers in a Boathouse by Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A striking Modern figure painting of two bathers in a boathouse by noted Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Painted at the OxBow School of Saugatuck, Michigan (t...
Masonite, Oil
Woman Lying Down on White Cloth - Oil Painting - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Woman Lying Down on White Cloth is an artwork realized by an Italian Artist in mid-20th Century. Oil on cardboard 24x34 cm. Good conditions.
Oil, Cardboard
Figure in Orange and Green- Mid Century Abstract Geometric Composition
Located in Soquel, CA
Figure in Orange and Green- Mid Century Abstract Geometric Composition Abstract oil painting of a figure in a geometric setting by Bay Area artist Helen Konkoff (American, 1912-1988...
Canvas, Oil
$1,894Sale Price|20% Off
1950's French Modernist Oil Men Manual Labour Working in Field with Wheelbarrows
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Labourers French School, mid 20th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 24 x 29 inches provenance: private collection, Marseille condition: very good and sound condition
Oil, Canvas
Latin American Oil Painting Roberto Obregon Colombian Venezuelan Master
Located in Surfside, FL
Roberto Obregón, Venezuelan, born Colombia. 1946–2003 Pájaro en Verdes-Azules Oil on canvas Hand signed and dated verso 1964 Provenance: bears label from Phillips auction house Dimensions: framed 24 X16 23.5 h × 15.5 w in (60 × 39 cm) (Further provenance from Rago auctions: The artist Estudio Actual, Caracas CDS Gallery, New York Venezuelan artist Roberto Obregón studied at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas Julio Árraga in Maracaibo and was influenced by Eadweard Muybridge and Marcel Duchamp. He is associated with the Nueva Figuración (1950-1970) based in Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela. Its major figureswere Luis Felipe Noé...
Canvas, Oil
The Still Life - Oil Painting by Claude Decamps - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
The Still Life is a painting realized by Claude Decamps in the 1970s Oil painting on cardboard canvas. Hand-signed on the lower. Good conditions. Th...
Oil
$15,000
"Poland's House in Fog" Lois Dodd, Abstracted Modernist, Blue Color, Atmospheric
Located in New York, NY
Lois Dodd Poland's House in Fog, 1990 Signed, titled and dated on the reverse Oil on aluminum 5 x 7 inches Provenance Fischbach Gallery, New York Private Collection (acquired from t...
Metal
$1,504Sale Price|20% Off
Follower of Roderic O'Connor, Female nude in an interior, large oil painting
Located in Harkstead, GB
A very striking and stylishly painted oil of a shapely nude reclining on a draped sofa, dating from the early to mid 20th century . This large scale oil is presented in an attractive...
Canvas, Oil
Charles Pompilius figurative Young Female Nude Oil on Panel
Located in Detroit, MI
"Untitled" portrays a young female nude in an intimate setting within the artist's studio. This painting is done in the classical vein of full portraiture. The model, however, is not posed quietly, but is engaged with a person or object off the frame, or, perhaps in an interior monologue with herself. Regardless of which, the viewer's attention is not only attracted to the beauty of the model's figure, but the intention of her actions. Charles Pompilius...
Oil, Panel
Still Life with Red Flowers - Oil Painting by Claude Decamps - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Still life with red flowers is an artwork realized by Claude Decamps, mid-20th Century. Oil on canvas. 25 x 20 cm. Hand signed in red in lower margin. Good conditions!
Wood, Oil
Evening Reading - Paint by Emile François Rouseau - 1910
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on board realized by Emile François Rouseau in 1910. Hand signed, dated and dedicated by the author. Includes a coeval gilded wooden frame.
Oil, Panel
Figures Walking Towards The White Cottage British Modernist Pastel Sketch
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Pastel Landscape by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) pastel on brown artist tracing paper , unframed painting: 3.75 x 4.5 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds condition: ve...
Pastel
Untitled - Equestrian
By Felix Angel
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Felix Angel – Colombian/American (1949- ) Title: Untitled - Equestrian Year: 1985 Medium: acrylic on canvas Size: 44 x 56 inches Signature: Signed...
Canvas, Acrylic