Portrait Paintings
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Plywood, Spray Paint, Acrylic
1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1930s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Paper, Oil
Artist Comments
A woman sits at the edge of a pool, with the blue moon framing her and adding to the contemplative atmosphere of the scene. The layers of paint on the water reveal the several color transformations of the background before settling into the inky blue-black night sky. The artwork comes with a matte black wood frame measuring 1.5 inches deep and 0.75 of an inch thick.
About the Artist
Malia Pettit sees her artistic process as an act of “liberating the paint†and “allowing for the unexpected to occur.†Her portraits of women stem from a fascination with glossy magazines and their portrayal of models, actors and celebrities. Her work has been especially influenced by Chantal Joffe...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Oil
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
Artist Comments
With closed eyes and a subtle tilt of her head, a woman confidently flaunts her shimmery eyeshadow, tonal highlights, and plump red lips. Against the beige backdrop, her dolled-up face and glowing skin create a captivating contrast. The playful touch of green tips on her curly hair adds a fun element to the sensual quality of the piece. The artwork comes with a Larson-Juhl matte natural frame measuring 2.25 inches deep and 0.25 inches thick.
About the Artist
Malia Pettit sees her artistic process as an act of “liberating the paint†and “allowing for the unexpected to occur.†Her portraits of women stem from a fascination with glossy magazines and their portrayal of models, actors and celebrities. Her work has been especially influenced by Chantal Joffe and John Singer Sargent. She currently resides in Louisiana after having lived in both California and England for several years. When she’s not painting, she is a full-time mom and enjoys exploring estate sales, antique stores and used bookstores.
Words that describe this painting: portrait, woman, face, hair, lips, people, pop, oil painting, beige
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Oil
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A woman exudes timeless elegance with her white sunglasses and bold red lipstick. Paint drips from the beach towel wrapped around her hair, suggesting the presence of water. The portrait's warm palette and loose brushstrokes capture the chic atmosphere of a summer day in the South of France. The artwork comes with a matte white wood frame measuring 1.5 inches deep and 0.75 inches thick.
About the Artist
Malia Pettit sees her artistic process as an act of “liberating the paint†and “allowing for the unexpected to occur.†Her portraits of women stem from a fascination with glossy magazines and their portrayal of models, actors and celebrities. Her work has been especially influenced by Chantal Joffe...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A woman wearing a floral brooch on her shoulder and a scarf covering her hair captivates with a riveting gaze. The pale blue and warm gray background, along with her peach flesh tones, give the portrait a vintage touch. The artwork comes with a Larson-Juhl matte natural wood frame measuring 1.25 inches deep and 0.65 of an inch thick.
About the Artist
Malia Pettit sees her artistic process as an act of “liberating the paint†and “allowing for the unexpected to occur.†Her portraits of women stem from a fascination with glossy magazines and their portrayal of models, actors and celebrities. Her work has been especially influenced by Chantal Joffe...
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
Early 2000s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Oil, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
1970s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Wood, Paint, Ink, Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Bo...
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Fabric, Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Pencil, Stencil, Wood, Felt Pen, Board, Wood Panel, Acrylic, Spray Paint...
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Fabric, Canvas, Acrylic
20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Paint, Plywood, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Pop Art Portrait Paintings
Plexiglass, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Shop Antique and Vintage Portrait Paintings
An elegant and sophisticated decorative touch in any living space, portrait paintings have remained popular throughout the years and are widely loved pieces of art for display in many homes today.
Portrait paintings are at least as old as ancient Egypt, where realistic, lifelike depictions of the recently deceased — commonly known as “mummy portraits” — were painted on wooden panels and affixed to mummies as part of the burial tradition.
For centuries, painters have used portraiture as a means of expressing a subject’s nobility, societal status and authority. Portraits were given as gifts in Renaissance Europe, and a portrait artist might have been commissioned to help mark a significant occasion such as a wedding or a promotion to high office. Prior to the advent of photography, which eventually replaced painted portraits as a quicker and more efficient way of capturing a person’s essence, the subject of a portrait had to sit for hours until the painter had finished. And during the 18th century in particular, if an artist commissioned for a portrait struggled with how to adequately memorialize and capture a subject’s likeness, sometimes a portrait painting wasn’t completed for up to a year.
Whether it’s part of the gallery-style approach to your living-room or dining-room walls or merely inspiration as you devise an eye-grabbing color scheme in your home, a portrait painting is a timeless decorative object for any interior. A landscape painting or sculpture might give you the kind of insight into a specific region of the world or a different culture that you can ascertain only through art. Similarly, when you take the time to learn about the subject of a portrait painting that you bring into your home — the sitter’s history, the relationship between the sitter and the artist should one exist, the story of how the portrait came to be — that work can become intensely personal in addition to its place as an object for an art-hungry corner of your apartment or house.
On 1stDibs, visit a vast collection of famous portrait paintings or works by emerging artists. Search by medium to find the right portrait paintings for your home in oil paint, synthetic resin paint and more. Find portrait paintings in a variety of styles, too, including contemporary, Impressionist and Pop art, or search by artist to find unique works created by painters such as Mark Beard, Steve Kaufman and Montse Valdés.