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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
Period: 20th Century
SCALINATA - Tribute to Massimo Campigli
Located in Napoli, IT
eliicious oil on canvas by unknown artist inspired by the works of master Massimo Campigli, in this case "La Scalinata " from the 1950s
Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Surrealist Still Life with Apples, Mid 20th Century Cleveland School Artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Still Life with Apples, 1940 Oil on canvas Signed and dated upper right 18 x 24 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of na...
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Modernist Judaica Jewish Ink Drawing Painting "New Immigrant" Off the Boat WPA
Located in Surfside, FL
An ink drawing Judaic painting by modern artist Ben-Zion Weinman. It depicts a portrait of an old Jewish man. Coming over from Europe on a ship crossing. The work is signed "Ben-Zion". Born in 1897, Ben-Zion Weinman celebrated his European Jewish heritage in his visual works as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker. Influenced by Spinoza, Knut Hamsun, and Wladyslaw Reymont, as well as Hebrew literature, Ben-Zion wrote poetry and essays that, like his visual work, attempt to reveal the deep “connection between man and the divine, and between man and earth.” An emigrant from the Ukraine, he came to the US in 1920. He wrote fairy tales and poems in Hebrew under the name Benzion Weinman, but when he began painting he dropped his last name and hyphenated his first, saying an artist needed only one name. In 1920 he settled in America, where he found little interest in his writing. He began teaching Hebrew to support himself and then in the early 1930s returned to painting. He used his art to comment on the rise of fascism in Europe, events he felt could not be adequately explored with words. Largely self-taught, Ben-Zion visited the museums of New York City to learn his new trade. His first painting on a large scale, Friday Evening (1933, Jewish Museum, New York), depicts a Sabbath dinner table as recalled from his family home. Ben-Zion supported himself by working odd jobs until the establishment of the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Under the auspices of the wpa, Ben-Zion thrived and galleries began to show his work. In 1936, after his first one-man show at the Artists' Gallery in New York Ben-Zion was a founding member of “The Ten: An Independent Group” The Ten” a 1930’s...
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

Conjuring Spirits (Jungle Drums)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Dynamic jungle drummer scene by unknown NYC American artist. Oil on canvas measuring 20 x 26 inches. Signed "T 42" in ink on verso. Anco stretchers and Grumbacher NYC store stamp con...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

1962 Vintage Mid-Century Modern Nude Portrait Oil Painting - On the Red Chair
Located in Bristol, GB
ON THE RED CHAIR Size: 71.5 x 50 cm (including frame) Oil on Board A large and very well-executed mid-century modernist oil composition, painted onto canvas and dated 1962. In this...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage Mid-Century Modern Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting - Sea Catch
Located in Bristol, GB
SEA CATCH Size: 54.5 x 87 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas A brilliantly executed and lively mid-century modernist composition in oil, painted onto canvas. In this scene, we see ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Pink Hydrangea Flower
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Acrylic on Canvas Signed P.J. Crook 'The swimming Pool' 1989
Located in Uppingham, GB
Acrylic on Canvas by P.J.Crook titled 'The Swimming Pool' with the frame painted as part of the picture as well. PJ Crook lives and works in Gloucestershire ...
Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Modern Figurative Oil Painting - The Lonely Diner
Located in Bristol, GB
THE LONELY DINER Size: 63 x 48 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas An emotive mid-century figurative composition, executed in oil onto canvas and dated 1962. The focal point of the ...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1960's French Portrait of a Stylish Fashioable Lady Signed Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Lady French School, circa 1960's indistinctly signed oil on board, unframed board: 19 x 12.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: some paint loss t...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

La Madeleine, Paris Street Scene
Located in Cotignac, FR
Mid 20th Century oil on canvas painting of a Paris street scene with the columns of La Madeleine in the distance, signed Deuvray bottom left. The canvas is on its original stretcher ...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish Figurative Oil Painting - Dance
Located in Bristol, GB
DANCE Size: 42 x 49.5 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas An endearing mid-century figurative composition, executed in oil onto canvas. In the painting, two couples engaged in a dan...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Via di San Leonardo, Florence (Italy) - Oil Paint - 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Via di San Leonardo, Florence (Italy) is an oil painting on pressed cardboard realized at the beginning of the 20th Century. Good condition (light color degradation). Frame included.
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Still life with pears - Oil Painting - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Still life with Pears is an oil painting on canvas realized at the beginning of the 20th Century. Good condition. Frame included.
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Mid-Century Modern Figurative Oil Painting, Fabian Lundqvist - Garden Vacation
Located in Bristol, GB
GARDEN VACATION Size: 67 x 59 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas A charming mid-century figurative composition, executed in oil onto canvas by the established Swedish artist Fabian ...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Modern British, Interior with an old record player, port decanter and glass
Located in Woodbury, CT
Colin Ruffell is an English painter of interiors, cityscapes, and many other unique subjects. His styles have varied and include iconic cityscapes of London, New York, Venice, Hong ...
Category

1970s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

"People on Horseback" Eva Peron Mural Sketch
Located in Austin, TX
By Gustav Likan This piece depicts a couple on horseback followed by a man in a red military uniform. A dog runs by the group. This pieces is from the Eva Perón commissioned mural sk...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Lanscape with river - Oil Paint - 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Landscape with River is an oil painting on cardboard realized at the beginning of the 20th century. Good condition. Frame included.
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Spanish postwar children oil on burlap painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Agusti Ferre Pino (1884-1960) - Children - Oil on burlap Oil measurements 100x97 cm. Frame measurements 107x104 cm. Painter trained at the La Lonja School of Fine Arts. He became kn...
Category

1930s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Burlap, Oil

Figurative Portrait of a Nude Male Model
Located in Soquel, CA
Figurative Portrait of a Nude Male Model Handsome example of a vibrant figurative of a nude male model by Katherine Kallick (American, b. 1952). Med...
Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

La Salute le Soir - Venice - Modern Landscape Oil Painting by André Hambourg
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed, dated and titled figures in a landscape oil on canvas by French modernist painter Andre Hambourg. This beautiful piece depicts a view of the gondolas on the canal in Venice a...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Heal Heart Heal. Contemporary Mixed Media Painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
"Heal Heart Heal" Original Oil and gold leaf on arches paper, cracked varnish finish. Matted Signed and dated Image 5" x 7"
Category

1990s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Old Man: Contemporary Figurative Painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
Sympathetic portrayal of old age, really very pretty work by this British artist. oil and gold leaf on arches paper, cracked varnish finish. Matted and very good condition
Category

1990s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

1940's French Signed Modernist Oil Painting Nude Figure in Room Interior
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nude in Interior by Maurice Delavier (French mid 20th century) signed and dated 1944 oil on board, unframed board: 18.5 x 14.5 inches inscribed verso provenance: private collection, ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Woman with Arms Crossed
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Woman with Arms Crossed Mixed media collage-painting on stone chip surface, mounted on fabric, mounted on wood support by the artist, 1955 Signed and dated lower center Image size: 1...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Other Medium

R. QUEYRIE, Walking the Streets, Oil on Hardboard, 1950s
Located in Saint Amans des cots, FR
Oil on hardboard signed R. QUEYRIE, France, 1950s. "Walking the streets". With frame: 55x47 cm - 21.65x18.5 inches - without frame: 46x38cm - 18.1x15 inches. 8F format. Signed "R. Qu...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Vows Are Spoken Only To Be Broken. Ca 1965.The Flip Hairstyle.Blonde Nude Female
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Tony Giles. English ( b.1925 - d.1994 ). Vows Are Spoken Only to be Broken Oil on Board. Signed lower right. Image size 39.6 inches x 29.5 inches ( 100.5cm...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

The kiss
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas American box in black and silver wood 116.5 x 116.5 x 3.5 cm
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

'Montmartre, Place du Tertre', Paris, Woman Modernist, AIC, Smithsonian, Carmel
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Patricia Cunningham' for Patricia Stanley Cunningham (American, 1907-1984) and painted circa 1965. The first woman to serve as president of the Carmel Art Assoc...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

1960's French Modernist Large Oil Painting Christ Preaching to Crowd
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Christ Preaching to the Crowd French Modernist artist, circa 1960's period oil on board, framed framed: 27 x 31 inches board: 20 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, France co...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Beau Temps en Aout - Deauville - Modern Landscape Oil Painting by André Hambourg
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed figures in landscape oil on canvas circa 1980 by French modernist painter Andre Hambourg. This beautiful piece depicts families enjoying a day out at the seaside in the height...
Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Lady Reading In Orange Interior
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Boys Swimming Industrial Landscape WPA Mid 20th Century Social Realism Modernism
Located in New York, NY
Boys Swimming Industrial Landscape WPA Mid 20th Century Social Realism Modernism Henry Schnakenberg (1982 - 1970) Boys Swimming Industrial Landscape 11 1/2 x 15 1/2 sight Oil on Canvas Signed lower left 14 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches, Framed Bio In many cases, American artists visited the Armory Show in New York in 1913, and returned to their studios to react to or against what they saw. However, for Henry Ernest Schnakenberg it was much more life altering. Prior to visiting this important exhibition of American and European modernist art...
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Tom Davison "Morning Rush", Oil on board
Located in Glenview, IL
"Morning Rush" by British painter Tom Davison (1934 - 2018) is a large oil on board representing human figures moving about in what appears to be a large l...
Category

1970s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Waiting Game
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dickens Chang Born 1948 He designed posters for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Chang was born in Honan, his name was Zhang Jianguo before he came to the United States. The fol...
Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

1950's French Impressionist Painting Ladies Gossiping On The Town Bridge
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Ladies Gossiping by Y. Blanchon, French 1950's Impressionist artist signed gouache on artist paper stuck on paper, unframed size: 12.5 x 19.5 inches provenance: from a large private ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gouache

Daughter's portrait. Cardboard, oil, 98x77 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Daughter's portrait. Cardboard, oil, 98x77 cm Laimdots Murnieks has said: "I am a sunny artist. The sun and a woman are the center of the world. It is not for nothing that the sun a...
Category

1970s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Portrait. Cardboard, oil, 47x45 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Portrait. Cardboard, oil, 47x45 cm Laimdots Murnieks has said: "I am a sunny artist. The sun and a woman are the center of the world. It is not for nothing that the sun always comes...
Category

1970s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

1950s French Modernist Colorist Signed Oil Painting Portrait of Fashionable Lady
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Fashionable Lady by Maurice Delavier (French 1902-1986) signed oil on canvas, unframed dated 53' canvas: 16.5 x 13 inches provenance: private collection, France conditi...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Beauchamps Chaud a Trouville - Modern Landscape Oil Painting by André Hambourg
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed figures in a landscape oil on canvas circa 1980 by French modernist painter Andre Hambourg. This beautiful piece depicts families enjoying a day out at the seaside - bathers r...
Category

1980s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Blue Figure Outlines
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Jerusalem Samovar Israeli Judaica Eliezer Weishoff Oil Painting Bezalel Artist
Located in Surfside, FL
Eliezer Weishoff (Israeli, 20th century) Still life of kettle (Russian samovar) over a warmer, 1973 Acrylic or oil on canvas Signed, dated and signed ...
Category

1970s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Oil, Canvas

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Three Figures In Washed Out Tones
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Antique American School Modernist WPA Winter Ice Skating Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive American modernist winter landscape. Detailed and well painted skating scene. Oil on canvas. Nicely framed.
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1950's French Modernist Colorist Signed Oil Painting St. Mark's Square Venice
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Piazza San Marco, Venice by Maurice Delavier (French 1902-1986) signed oil on canvas, unframed dated 58' canvas: 21.5 x 25.5 inches provenance: private collection, France, with exhib...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Three Blue Abstract Figures
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Pere Creixams Spanish Woman, Oil on Canvas
Located in Saint Amans des cots, FR
Oil on canvas by Pere Creixams Pico (1893-1965), School of Paris, ca.1920. Beautiful Spanish woman. Provenance: Charpentier Gallery, 76 rue du Faubourg Saint Honore, Paris (Sotheby's...
Category

1920s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage Mid-Century Expressionist Figurative Swedish Oil Painting - Garden Dance
Located in Bristol, GB
GARDEN DANCE Size: 54.5 x 46.5 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas An enchanting and playful figurative landscape composition, executed in oil onto canvas by Swedish artist Uno Vall...
Category

1970s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Swedish Mid century modern Impressionist landscape of a Village
Located in Woodbury, CT
Choosing to acquire a Swedish mid-20th-century modern Impressionist landscape by Helge Cardell is an opportunity to bring a harmonious blend of artistic innovation and natural beauty...
Category

1950s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Portrait of African Woman
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

1960's French Expressionist Oil Painting Portrait of Christ Crucifixion
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Christ (The Crucifixion) by Jean Pierre Stagnaro (French, 1960's) signed, titled and dated verso oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 18 x 15 inches provenance: private collection, France...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Sat Figure In Pink Robe
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ovoid, geometrical figural surrealist acrylic painting, Cleveland School artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Ovoid, 1992 Acrylic on canvas Signed and dated lower right 7.75 x 7.75 inches 9 x 9 inches, framed Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a...
Category

1990s Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

1950's French Post Impressionist Signed Oil Portrait of Young Lady with Flowers
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Young Lady by Anna de Banguy (French mid 20th century) signed oil on board, framed framed: 29 x 23 inches painting: 23 x 17 inches provenance: private collection, Franc...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ancient Chinese Coin Series Figural Abstract by Anna Wu Weakland
Located in Soquel, CA
Figural abstract inspired by Chinese art and calligraphy featuring a large totem-like form in textured earth tones with black Chinese characters in bold, black brushstrokes by Anna Wu Weakland...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Oil, Cardboard

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Red Figure Sketch
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting African Model In Purple
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Days Like This
Located in Cliffside Park, NJ
David Sherwin Parker is an American artist who showed his artistic talent in childhood. He is known for creating classic paintings and prints with various subjects like western lands...
Category

Late 20th 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.

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