Modern Figurative Paintings
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.
1980s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Pastel, Gouache
1920s Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Gouache, Illustration Board
1990s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Ink
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
19th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Photographic Paper, Acrylic, Oil, Canvas
1980s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Pastel, Gouache
1950s Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Gouache
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
1940s Modern Figurative Paintings
Masonite, Oil, Tempera
2010s Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
19th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Photographic Paper
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Gouache
2010s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
1970s Modern Figurative Paintings
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
1960s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Linocut
1970s Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
1930s Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Gouache
1930s Modern Figurative Paintings
Egg Tempera
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
1960s Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Modern Figurative Paintings
Lithograph
1940s Modern Figurative Paintings
Encaustic, Oil, Board
19th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Board, Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
2010s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
2010s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
2010s Modern Figurative Paintings
Charcoal, Paper
1990s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Linocut
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Pastel, Ink, Acrylic
1960s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Modern Figurative Paintings
Watercolor, Paper
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
Early 2000s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Charcoal
1950s Modern Figurative Paintings
Masonite, Oil
1950s Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
2010s Modern Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media, Tempera, Board
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
1990s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Linocut
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1980s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Ink, Pen
1980s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1990s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Woodcut
1930s Modern Figurative Paintings
Mixed Media
20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Watercolor
1940s Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil, Board
1960s Modern Figurative Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
1930s Modern Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil