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Modern Figurative Paintings

MODERN STYLE

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.

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Style: Modern
Hidden Portraits XII
Hidden Portraits XII

Hidden Portraits XII

Located in London, GB

'Hidden Portraits XII', acrylic on board, by L. Piccini, of the Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an age...

Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Hidden Portraits XIII
Hidden Portraits XIII

Hidden Portraits XIII

Located in London, GB

'Hidden Portraits XIII', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing...

Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Board

Las Ramblas Barcelona Flower Market Street Scene Painting Urban Impressionist
Las Ramblas Barcelona Flower Market Street Scene Painting Urban Impressionist

Las Ramblas Barcelona Flower Market Street Scene Painting Urban Impressionist

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Scenes of Las Ramblas in Barcelona remain among the most recognizable urban subjects in European painting and are highly sought after by collectors and interior designers worldwide. Artist Jordi Junyent Title Rambla de las Flores, Barcelona Date 1988 Medium Oil on canvas Dimensions 50 × 61 cm 19.7 × 24 in Signature Signed “Junyent” lower left and dated 1988. Frame Unframed Condition Very good condition. Canvas firm and well stretched. Stable paint layer with bright colors. No visible restorations. Atmospheric urban painting depicting Las Ramblas flower market in Barcelona, one of the most recognizable and vibrant locations in the city. The composition captures the scene after rainfall, with reflective pavement, flower stalls and strolling figures creating depth and movement. The wet street surface reflects light and silhouettes, enhancing the lively Mediterranean atmosphere. Executed with a confident and expressive brushstroke, the artist uses a palette dominated by cool greys, greens and blues contrasted with vivid reds from the flower displays. The simplified figures and loose handling of paint emphasize the mood of the place rather than strict detail, a characteristic approach of post-impressionist urban painting. Scenes of Barcelona’s Las Ramblas are particularly sought after in the international decorative art market due to their strong visual identity and association with one of Europe’s most iconic boulevards. An attractive and highly decorative cityscape, ideal for collectors of European urban painting or for interior design settings seeking a vibrant Mediterranean atmosphere. Jordi Junyent was a Spanish painter active in the late twentieth century whose work focused primarily on urban scenes and Mediterranean city views. His paintings often depict recognizable locations such as the streets of Barcelona, rendered with a loose brushstroke and an emphasis on atmosphere, light and color. Working within a post-impressionist tradition, Junyent developed compositions that balance figurative clarity with painterly spontaneity, making his works appealing within the European decorative art market. Barcelona Las Ramblas Barcelona street scene Flower market painting...

Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Children's Theater

Children's Theater

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Children’s Theater, 1934, watercolor on paper, signed and dated lower right, 10 ¾ x 12 5/8 inches (image) Children’s Theater is a fine example of Berlandina’s modernist approach to ...

Category

1930s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Huge 20th Century French Signed Oil Classical Music Orchestra Concert Scene
Huge 20th Century French Signed Oil Classical Music Orchestra Concert Scene

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

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hidden Portraits XV
Hidden Portraits XV

Hidden Portraits XV

Located in London, GB

'Hidden Portraits XV', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, unsigned, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of a...

Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Board

Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy (Grammy, Album Art, Iconic, Rock and Roll)
Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy (Grammy, Album Art, Iconic, Rock and Roll)

Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy (Grammy, Album Art, Iconic, Rock and Roll)

By Kerry Smith

Located in Kansas City, MO

Kerry Smith Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy Mixed Media on Crescent board Year: 2018 Size: 21x20in Signed, dated by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1632 *Black frame with a mirror-...

Category

2010s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Gouache, Board

Bloom I - Floral Flower Abstract Mixed Media Oversized Artwork
Bloom I - Floral Flower Abstract Mixed Media Oversized Artwork

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Oil Pastel

Little Sister - Acryl on canvas - Mixed technique - Handsigned Cert. of auth.
Little Sister - Acryl on canvas - Mixed technique - Handsigned Cert. of auth.

Little Sister - Acryl on canvas - Mixed technique - Handsigned Cert. of auth.

By Suzanne Visser

Located in Sint-Truiden, BE

Acrylic paint on canvas Mixed technique Hand signed Certificate of authenticity Visual artist Suzanne Visser, was born on March 23, 1972 in Oostburg. After completing her studies at...

Category

2010s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Canvas

Large French Modernist Abstract Figurative Signed Oil Painting 1991
Large French Modernist Abstract Figurative Signed Oil Painting 1991

Large French Modernist Abstract Figurative Signed Oil Painting 1991

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Figure French School, signed and dated 1991 signed oil on canvas, unframed dated and signed verso canvas: 25.5 x 21 inches Provenance: private collection, France Condition: ...

Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Huge Spanish/ French Oil Painting Elegant Ladies on the Beach Group Portrait
Huge Spanish/ French Oil Painting Elegant Ladies on the Beach Group Portrait

Huge Spanish/ French Oil Painting Elegant Ladies on the Beach Group Portrait

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

The Group Portrait by Maria Tort Xirau (Catalan, 1924-2018) signed lower corner dated 1991 oil painting on canvas, framed canvas: 42 x 52 inches framed: 33 x 43 inches Very good condition. Provenance: from the artists estate, France Maria Tort Xirau ( Figueres , 26 May 1924 – 6 June 2018) was a painter and photographic and cinematographic editor from Emporda. She developed a long professional career in leading photographic studios, in films for The Walt Disney Company and also in advertising claims for companies such as Educa Borràs . The second half of her life was dedicated to painting, exercising a luminous, varied and nostalgic chromatic style in the techniques of oil and watercolor and with exhibitions of her work in Barcelona and Figueres. The Biographical Dictionary of Art Empordà defined Tort Xirau's work as "a painting that is characterized by the strength of the strokes, the vividness and brightness of the chromatic range and exudes mastery of the photographic technique. A mixture of nostalgia and tenderness is evident.". Tort Xirau's paintings were exhibited in the two towns where she spent her life: in 1992 she exhibited his work at the Caixa de Figueres Exhibition Hall. Two years later, she did it at Sala Conex in Barcelona and in 2007 and 2013 the Consortium of Sant Ferran Castle and the Figueres Town Council organized tribute exhibitions. In 2013, she ceded to the council of the city of Figueres her work Mercat de la plaça de l'Ajuntament , watercolored on paper around 1991, which is exhibited in the rest room of the building. On June 6, 2018, she died in Figueres at the age of 94, receiving the apostolic blessing . Two years after her death, part of her paintings were included in the exhibition Paint, create, live. Women artists in the Alt...

Category

1990s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fine 1950's English Oil Grand Interior Room Scene Ancestral Portraits signed
Fine 1950's English Oil Grand Interior Room Scene Ancestral Portraits signed

Fine 1950's English Oil Grand Interior Room Scene Ancestral Portraits signed

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

The Guildhall, Worcester English School, mid 20th century indistinctly signed verso oil on canvas canvas: 20 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good and sound condition The Worcester Guildhall was originally built as a meeting place for Worcester merchants around 1227. As with many other guildhalls, it became the centre for civic administration, a role it maintained after the merchant guild had disappeared. The present Worcester Guildhall is a superb Queen Anne building, begun in 1722 by Thomas White, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren. White was badly paid for his efforts, and he died in poverty in 1738, bestowing the money he was owed on the Worcester Royal Infirmary. The city finally paid its debt in 1753. The exterior of the Guildhall is brick, dressed with stone. White himself is said to have carved the figure of Queen Anne over the entry, as well as those of Charles I and II, a reminder of the city's long history of royal support. The interior is superb, boasting exceptional period decoration. The Tourist Information Centre is now located in the Guildhall. HISTORY In 1227 Henry III granted the citizens of Worcester a royal charter granting them the right to establish a guild of merchants. The guild was responsible for controlling trade in the city, but their meeting place gradually became the main centre of administration for city government and acted as a courthouse. So, in effect, the Guildhall was the town hall, and though the city guilds have long since vanished, the Guildhall name lives on. The medieval guild merchants would not recognise the building that faces onto High Street now. Their guildhall was a large timber-framed building, occupying the same site, with a piazza for shops fronting the street, courts of justice at each end, and a prison to the north of the building. Part of the prison was a cell called 'the peephole', which gained a notorious reputation. There was a gaoler's house, and attached to it an alehouse from which the gaoler sold ale at extremely high prices to any prisoner who could afford the cost. In 1717 the city administration decided on a new Guildhall, and they knew just who to call; upon to build it. Thomas White was not an architect in the way we think of it today, but a stonemason. In 1705 he had carved a statue of Queen Anne to stand in front of the medieval Guildhall and was made a Freeman of the City. The total cost of the fashionable new red-brick building was £3727. The Corporation only put forward £800, and the rest had to be raised by public subscription. The centre section of the new Guildhall was finished by 1724 and has remained almost unchanged since then. The central facade is a wonderful example of early Georgian style, with three bays flanked by Corinthian pillars. Over the entrance is a huge carving incorporating the Hanoverian royal arms. White's earlier statue of Queen Anne was placed in a niche over the door, and on either side were statues of Charles I, depicted holding a church, and Charles II, with an orb and royal sceptre. On the rooftop are figures of Labour, Peace, Justice, Plenty, and Chastisement. North and south wings were added within a few years of the central block. The south wing was used as a judge's lodging when the assizes were taking place, but throughout the rest of the year it housed a coffee shop. The most striking external feature of the Guildhall is a set of iron gates...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Sicilian Farmhouse
Sicilian Farmhouse

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 ...

Category

1950s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Mascara (Mask), 2000” Justino Alves Portuguese Contemporary Abstract Portrait
“Mascara (Mask), 2000” Justino Alves Portuguese Contemporary Abstract Portrait

“Mascara (Mask), 2000” Justino Alves Portuguese Contemporary Abstract Portrait

By Justino Alves

Located in Yardley, PA

About this work: “Mascara (Mask), 2000” by Justino Alves (Portuguese, 1940-2015). A magnetic work by one of Portugal’s most distinguished postwar painters. This painting has all of ...

Category

Early 2000s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

View of  Riva degli Schiavoni - Oil Painting - Late 18th century
View of  Riva degli Schiavoni - Oil Painting - Late 18th century

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...

Category

Late 18th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

French Surrealist Oil Winged Cherubs Flying through Clouds
French Surrealist Oil Winged Cherubs Flying through Clouds

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

Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Charming 1950s Painting of Lisbon, Portugal by Famed Artist Francis Chapin
A Charming 1950s Painting of Lisbon, Portugal by Famed Artist Francis Chapin

A Charming 1950s Painting of Lisbon, Portugal by Famed Artist Francis Chapin

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A Charming, 1950s Painting of Lisbon, Portugal by Famed Chicago Modern Artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a bustling, colorful view of Lisbon's historic Black Horse Sq...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Board, Canvas, Oil

School

School

By John Hartell

Located in Dallas, TX

Valley House Gallery is honored to present a selection of paintings from the estate of American artist, John Hartell (1902-1995). John Hartell taught two disciplines at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York: freshman architecture and graduate painting. He was a much-loved professor there from 1930 until his retirement in 1967; one of his most illustrious students is the architect Richard Meier. As an artist, Hartell's first solo exhibition was in 1937 at Kleeman Gallery in New York. He exhibited at Kraushaar Galleries in New York for four decades, beginning in 1943. The Hartell Gallery at Cornell University, under the Sibley Dome, is named for him. In describing John Hartell, the artist Michael Boyd...

Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

North African Orientalist Scene Man on Horseback with Dogs outside City Building
North African Orientalist Scene Man on Horseback with Dogs outside City Building

North African Orientalist Scene Man on Horseback with Dogs outside City Building

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Orientalist Scene European artist, late 20th century possibly a copy of an earlier work judging from the style oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 24 x 20 inches provenance: private col...

Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Nude Male Posed On Yellow Chair French Modernist Oil Painting
Nude Male Posed On Yellow Chair French Modernist Oil Painting

Nude Male Posed On Yellow Chair French Modernist Oil Painting

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Nude Portrait 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 provenance: from a private ...

Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Nude Figure Posed In Pink Tone Room Interior French Modernist Oil Painting
Nude Figure Posed In Pink Tone Room Interior French Modernist Oil Painting

Nude Figure Posed In Pink Tone Room Interior French Modernist Oil Painting

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Nude Figure In Pink Interior by Jacqueline Boisselot (French, late 20th century) oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 9 x 10.75 inches Provenance: private collection, Paris Condition: ver...

Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

'Woman in Blue', Danish Royal Academy, Brooklyn Museum, Kolding
'Woman in Blue', Danish Royal Academy, Brooklyn Museum, Kolding

'Woman in Blue', Danish Royal Academy, Brooklyn Museum, Kolding

Located in Santa Cruz, CA

Initialed lower left, 'A.S.' for Anton Schroder (Danish, 1893-1965) and dated 1953. A substantial, modernist oil painting of a young woman, shown seated and gazing to her left with ...

Category

1950s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Port of Saint-Malo', French Modern School
'Port of Saint-Malo', French Modern School

'Port of Saint-Malo', French Modern School

Located in London, GB

'Port of Saint-Malo', oil on canvas affixed to board, French Modern School (1984). Although the artist dated this painting '84, it depicts a nostalgic view of the port of Saint-Malo in Western France's, Brittany in 1884 judging by the clothing worn by the characters depicted. The crowd on the shoreline is watching a sailboat regatta starting just inside the port's breakwater. A rather rare sunny day in Brittany brought out the parasols of the sitting ladies on the edge of the old ramparts. The walled city...

Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Signed 20th Century French Oil Painting Figure Sleeping Park Bench Carousel Fair
Signed 20th Century French Oil Painting Figure Sleeping Park Bench Carousel Fair

Signed 20th Century French Oil Painting Figure Sleeping Park Bench Carousel Fair

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

The Park Bench by Laure Noetzin-Azam (French 1929-2024) pupil of André LHOTE signed oil on canvas, framed framed: 19 x 23 inches canvas: 18 x 22 inches Provenance: all the paintings ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Abstract Expressionist Figurative Homage to Willem de Kooning
Abstract Expressionist Figurative Homage to Willem de Kooning

Abstract Expressionist Figurative Homage to Willem de Kooning

By Michael Pauker

Located in Soquel, CA

Abstract Expressionist Figurative Homage to Willem de Kooning's "Women Singing" Colorful and dynamic abstract expressionist figurative mixed media painting contemporary piece, featu...

Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Magazine Paper, Stretcher Bars

Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.
Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.

Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.

Located in Roma, IT

Oil on canvas. cm 60.5 x 2 x 50 Nice Oil painting (Italian School of XIX century) with a rapid sign and intense colors backgrpound. Some color cracking on left margin and top edge, ...

Category

18th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Modern figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Modern figurative paintings 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 figurative paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, yellow, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Antonio Feltrinelli, Sunil Das, Suhas Roy, and Clarence Holbrook Carter. 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 Modern figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1 and tops out at $743,750, while the average work sells for $2,376.