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Portrait Paintings For Sale
Style: Modern
Style: Impressionist
Style: Photorealist
Ballerina - Oil Painting by Miloslava Vrbova - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Oil Painting on panel realized by Miloslava Vrbova (1909-1991) in the mid-20th century, depicting an elegant reclyned ballerina.
Hand signed.
Good condition, framed.
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
An Ideal Head of a Woman
Located in Greenwich, CT
In the tradition of Modigliani, Maurer's depictions of women are expressive and lively. America had very few modernists who painted in this manner but Maurer is famous for exactly t...
Category
1920s American Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Gesso, Oil, Board
"Italian Chair" (2024) Original Oil Portrait Painting by Michael Carson
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Carson's (US based) "Italian Chair" (2024) is an original, handmade oil painting.
About the Artist:
Mike Carson is a Minneapolis painter, and graduate of the Minneapolis Col...
Category
2010s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
1987 American Artist Mase Lucas Painting on Canvas Portrait of a Nostalgic Woman
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This is an original vintage acrylic mixed-media painting on canvas painting Titled " Nostalgic Woman on a Divan" By American Artist Mase Lucas.
Mase Lucas has been a studio artist ...
Category
20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Self-portrait (portrait of man)
By Wesley Lea
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Wesley Lea (1914-1981).
Self-portrait, ca. 1940.
Oil on canvas, 12 x 17 inches.
Signed lower left center "WESLEA" as was his practice in 1930s-40's.
Unframed.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
“Charlotte as a ballerina 3” Original vertical figurative impressionistic
Located in Oslo, NO
This artwork captures a moment of serene introspection. A ballerina, dressed in a delicate tutu, is seated on a dark, plush sofa. The play of light and shadow across her form is mast...
Category
2010s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Portrait of a Girl. What is Love?
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, a girl is portrayed deep in thought, contemplating the nature of love, creating an atmosphere of tenderness and gentle introspection. Her dreamy gaze reflects her i...
Category
2010s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Mystery Modernist Italian Artist Portrait of a Topless Woman
Located in New York, NY
Mystery Italian Artist
Untitled (Portrait of a Topless Woman), 1983
Oil on canvas
27 1/2 x 23 1/2 in.
Framed: 28 1/2 x 24 1/2 in.
Signed lower right
Category
1980s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Woman in Yellow Evening Dress, Mid Century Modern Pulp Art Figurative Portrait
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful pulp art figurative portrait of a brunette woman in formal yellow evening gown with gloves by unknown California artist, circa 1960s. Unsigned. Acqu...
Category
1960s American Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Cardboard
Mid Century Modern Vintage Swedish Abstract Figurative Painting - Figure in Blue
Located in Bristol, GB
FIGURE IN BLUE
Size: 48.5 x 42.5 cm (including frame)
Acrylic on card
A striking mid-century modernist abstract figurative painting that presents a seated figure rendered in deep, e...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
The smokers. Figurative painting. Colorful landscape with figures smoking.
By Igor Fomin
Located in Segovia, ES
The smokers. Figurative painting. Colorful Landscape with figures.
Acrylic on canvas.
Measurements in centimeters: 89 x 146 x 3 cm. / Framed: 114 x 171 x 5 cm.
In inches: 35.04 x 57.48 x 1.18 ". / Framed: 44.88 x 67.32 x 1.9 "
In the background, a beautiful city with classical buildings and a a forest; in the foreground, a small park where smokers gather next to the fountain crowned by a cupid holding a cigarette between his fingers. It is a group of six men and three women. They all smoke. They enjoy the smoke as they blow it out of their mouths, making shapes with it and interacting with each other in various poses.
Hands emerge from the trees of the nearby forest holding lighted matches between their fingers as a lure to attract smokers to the darkness of the forest. A very dreamlike image to represent the temptation of the forbidden.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Fomin is a storytelling artist. He is a storyteller in his everyday, anecdotally narrating the funny side of life, and he is a storyteller in his professional life, bringing to the canvas realistic popular scenes set in fairy-tale settings where the subject matter is always treated with irony and humor.
The titles of his paintings tell us about eccentric characters of an era, a culture, a society (which one?) - it doesn't matter, it is a distorted reality with a romantic and sentimental touch, which takes us to references such as Brueghel the Elder, El Bosco and Chagall, within an aesthetic and chromatism typical of Renaissance painting where Fomin develops his original scenes playing with the design of spaces, landscapes, buildings, characters and costumes. A stage director who makes us smile, but also reflect on his original interpretation of the human being, because this is the main protagonist of his paintings.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Igor Fomin...
Category
Early 2000s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Marternity
Located in Geneva, CH
Artist born in Vienna, Austria in 1887.
Died in 1970 in Geneva.
Work on canvas
Category
1940s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Shelter me
Located in Zofingen, AG
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
"Shelter Me" is an evocative portrayal of the human need for protection and emotional safety. The central figure, with her eyes closed in a serene, almost meditati...
Category
2010s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Raquel. Large format interior with woman portrait and still-life
Located in Segovia, ES
"Raquel" is an interior scene of a young woman, stretched out comfortably on a sofa, surrounded by flowers and fruit. She gazes placidly at the artist, who is portraying her dressed in a nightgown and a colorful dressing gown.
Oil on canvas. 2003
Measurements: 90 x 200 cm / 35,43 x 78,74"
The rich range of colors used and the relaxed gesture of the model envelop the atmosphere of comfort that prevails in the works of this author because, according to his words: “When I use a model I want her to be very comfortable, rested, calm and relaxed. I am not interested in movement in my work, as it always ends up too artificial for my taste and would interfere with the ambiance I am trying to create”.
The flattened perspectives, the fractured surfaces, and the graphic stylizations refer to the cubism of Picasso and Juan Gris. There are echoes of Modigliani in the treatment of his female models and we can detect an homage to Gauguin and Matisse, in his playful and sensual manipulation of color.
In 2003 Ediciones Sammer publishes in a deluxe edition the book Alfredo Roldán written by the sculptor David Gamella where a large part of his work is reproduced. This painting, Raquel, is reproduced on the cover of the book and also inside on a double page (294-295).
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Alfredo Roldán (Madrid- Spain, 1965) is a self-taught artist who, at the age of 22, began selling his works at street markets. In 1994 he won the award granted by the City Council of Madrid with the painting “El Baño Azul”, which now hangs in The Museum of Modern Art of Madrid. That year he began to work with the renowned British dealer...
Category
Early 2000s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century French Signed Oil Portrait of a Woman
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Young Woman
French artist, mid 20th century
signed oil on board, frames
Framed: 29 x 23 inches
Board : 22 x 15 inches
Provenance: private collection, France
Condition:...
Category
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Crying Clown Portrait in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Crying Clown Portrait in Oil on Canvas
Portrait of a sad clown by San Francisco artist John Peers (American, 1922-2009). This portrait is closely fra...
Category
1970s American Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Benjamin" Benjamin Franklin Impressionistic Colorful Abstract Oil Painting
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
This painting depicts an impressionistic and abstract portrait of Benjamin Franklin. The thick brush strokes and fun marks creates an atmosphere reminiscent of the impressionists fro...
Category
2010s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
18th c Original Oil on Canvas, Attrib. THOMAS PATCH (UK, 1725-1782) Caricature
Located in Palm Coast, FL
Up for sale is an unusual unique antique 18-century original oil painting on board depicting a figure of a gentleman wearing a white wig and is dressed in a red jacket and white jab...
Category
18th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Ray Simonini, "Penny" 16x8 Impressionist Pig Farm Animal Oil Painting on Canvas
By Ray Simonini
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
This painting by artist Ray Simonini titled "Penny" is a 16x8 farm animal oil painting on canvas featuring a portrait of a pink pig against a ...
Category
2010s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Antique Dutch Impressionist Oil Painting Portrait of a Country Lady
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Country Lady
Dutch Impressionist, late 19th century
oil on wood - looks like a cigar box lid?
framed
framed: 11 x 8.5 inches
board: 8...
Category
Late 19th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Polish Jewish Chassidic Rabbi Judaica Art Oil Painting Konstantin Szewczenko
Located in Surfside, FL
Konstanty Szewczenko (1910-1991), signed oil Judaica Oil Painting, Chassidic Rebbe, Polish.
Frame: 17 X 15.25
Image: 11.5 X 9.5
Konstantin Shevchenko studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Warsaw in the years 1927 - 1928. Then, in 1932 he studied painting under the guidance of Kowarski and Pruszkowski at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. Practiced easel painting, mostly judaic hassidic rabbi portraits, genre scenes. Among others, a portrait Moscicki, Rydz - Rydz, and after the war Rokossowski.He worked as a set designer. In the years 1934 - 1935 was production designer Variety Theatre. He collaborated with publishing houses with illustrations. He exhibited in Warsaw, Poland, Vienna, Austria and New York. In 1947 he took part in Exhibition Independent Artists Group) and abroad (solo exhibition at the Gallery G. Tomalsky in New York, 1964) . He is one of many great Jewish Polish artists that included Leopold Gottlieb, Maurycy Gottlieb, Henryk Hechtkopf, Leopold Pilichowski, Isidor Kaufmann, Lazar krestin, Alois Heinrich Priechenfried and Itshak Holtz. His works are in the collection of the Museum of the Polish Army. He was an Polish, Austro-Hungarian painter of Jewish themes...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Ballerina - Oil Paint by Miroslava Vrbová-Štefková - mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Dancer is a beautiful oil on panel realized by Vrbová-Štefková in the mid-20th Century.
Signed and framed, 60 x 50 cm.
Good condition.
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Washington" George Washington American Impressionistic Oil Painting on Canvas
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
This painting depicts an impressionistic and abstract portrait of George Washington. The thick brush strokes and fun marks create an atmosphere reminiscent of the impressionists from...
Category
2010s American Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of Kitty and Silver Ship - British Edwardian Impressionist oil painting
Located in London, GB
This stunning, large British Edwardian Impressionist portrait oil painting is by noted portrait painter James Jebusa Shannon. Painted circa 1909 the sitter is his eldest daughter, Kitty. She is holding a family heirloom, the silver ship which has been depicted in several of shannon's works. The painting of his daughter, just on the cusp of entering womanhood, was dear to the artist and stayed within the family long after his death. The vibrant reds and bold brushwork, so unmistakable Shannon, make this an excellent example of a very personal and precious Edwardian family portrait oil painting.
Provenance. The Artist.
Lady Florence Shannon.
By descent to Kitty Shannon Keigwin, the Artist's daughter.
By descent to Julia Gibbons, the Artist's granddaughter.
Estate of Julia Gibbons to the present owner.
Exhibited. "Seeking Beauty: Paintings by James Jebusa Shannon," Debra Force...
Category
Early 1900s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
A Naked Beauty Lying with her Fan
Located in St. Albans, GB
Léon Laurent Galand
1872 – 1960
Signed and dated 1928 bottom left
Artwork Size: 25.75 x 36" (66 x 92cm)
Artwork Size with Frame: 32.75 x 43" (83 x 109cm)
Oil on Canvas
Discounted ...
Category
1920s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Lady in Pink - Victorian Impressionist art female portrait oil painting
Located in London, GB
An original circa 1890 oil on canvas which is unsigned and attributed to the circle of James Abbot McNeil Whistler. A fine late Victorian portrait oil painting. It depicts a stunnin...
Category
19th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Fishermen
Located in London, GB
'The Fishermen', oil on canvas, by Anna Costa (circa 1970s). Cassis is a small, Provencal fishing village in southern France, located about 45 minutes east of Marseille and 45 minute...
Category
1970s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, 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 Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Elegant Early 20th-Century French Portrait of a Woman in Red Gown signed oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of an Elegant Lady in a Red Gown
David Junes (French 1874-1938)
signed oil on canvas, unframed
Canvas : 25 x 14 inches
Provenance: private collection, the South of France
C...
Category
Early 20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Elegant Portrait of Lady in Rococo Attire Fine 19th Century French Oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of an Elegant Lady
by Victor Charles GUÉRIN (1815-1881)
signed oil on canvas, unframed
Canvas : 25.5 x 21.5 inches
Provenance: private collection, France
Condition: very good condition
Description: This enchanting 19th century painting by the elegance of a lady dressed in lavish Rococo-style attire. Set against the backdrop of grand European architecture, the woman is depicted in a voluminous blue and gold gown...
Category
Late 19th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Circa 1900 American Victorian Impressionist Painting of a Woman with a Shawl
Located in New York, NY
This is an American Victorian impressionist painting of a young lady in an orange dress and a shawl over her.
It is signed left with initials F.B.
Oil on canvas
Overall Measuremen...
Category
20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas
1960's Portrait of Parisian Lady in Pearls & Black Dress Signed Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Mrs Helene Kernel, Paris 1964"
by Jacques Falcou (French 1912-1975)
signed, titled and dated verso
oil on canvas, framed in original period French frame
framed: 30.5 x 25 inches
can...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Fashion Lady, Oil Painting by Erik Freyman
By Erik Freyman
Located in Long Island City, NY
An Art Deco painting of a Fashionable Lady by contemporary artist Erik Freyman.
Watercolor with pastel on paper, signed in pencil
Size: 15 x 12 in. (38.1 x 30.48 cm)
Category
1990s American Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel
Fading Oil on Panel Female Figurative/ Portrait Texas Artist 32" x 32"
By Karen Offutt
Located in Houston, TX
Karen Offutt approaches Fading 30 x 30, oil on panel with an atmospheric sensitivity combining shape, tone line, and color. Karen is best known for her figurative paintings. Karen...
Category
2010s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Portrait of Old Woman - Painting by Francesco Settimj - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on plywood realized in 1930s.
Painted on both sides, recto and verso.
Good condition.
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Portrait of a Man
By Yvonne Guégan
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of a Man', oil on canvas, by Yvonne Guégan (circa 1970s). This is not a portrait of the reclusive billionaire, Howard Hughes. Regrettably, we d...
Category
1970s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
woman in profile oil on canvas painting portrait
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Alexandre Siches (1921-2009) - Woman in profile - Oil on canvas
Oil measures 35x27 cm.
Frameless.
Alexandre Siches Piera (1921-2009)
Catalan painter with an innate capacity for dra...
Category
1960s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
“Portrait of a Man”
Located in Southampton, NY
Powerful oil on board original painting of a portrait of a man’s head by the American National Academy artist John R. Grabach. Signed lower left, “John R.Grabach N.A.” Signed verso ...
Category
1950s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Expressive Male Portrait Mid-20th Century French Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Expressive Male Portrait
French, mid 20th century
from the studio collection of Simone Forge (1930's-1950's female French artist)
oil on canvas, unframed
Canvas: 24 x 19.75 inches
Pr...
Category
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Family
Located in London, GB
'The Family', gouache on fine art paper (1984), by Raymond Dèbieve. In a clear nod to Picasso's influence both stylistically and in terms of subject matter ...
Category
1980s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Historically Important American Army Soldiers in Paris Cafe WPA Ashcan Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American oil painting. Oil on canvas. Measuring 18 by 22 inches.
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Lady - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli- 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Lady is an orignal modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s.
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas.
Not signed.
Antonio Feltri...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paint, Oil
1930's French Portrait of Moody Atmospheric Lady Artists Working Sketch Oils
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Jean La Forgue (French 1901-1975)
oil on unstretched canvas, unframed
painting: 20 x 16.75 inches
provenance: the artists estate, France
condition: the painting is on unstretched can...
Category
Early 20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
1940's French Impressionist Oil Portrait of Young Blonde Haired Lady
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Blonde Lady
by Louise Alix (French, 1888-1980) *see notes below
provenance stamp to the back
oil painting on board, unframed
measures: 18 high by 15 inches wide
condit...
Category
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Attitude in Diaphanous, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Suchitra Bhosle's "Attitude in Diaphanous" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a woman, within a dark interior, wearing a transparent white dress as she rests a hand o...
Category
2010s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Venice Landscape Italian Oil on Canvas Painting in Gilt Wood Frame, Belle Epoque
Located in Firenze, IT
This delightful turn of the century (early 20th century) oil on canvas painting represents an Italian landscape with one of the most famous squares in the world: Piazza San Marco in ...
Category
Early 20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Antique American Impressionist Opera Scene Signed Elegant Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nicely painted American impressionist oil painting by Richard W. Baldwin (1920 - 2012). Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.
Category
1930s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Woman in Sunlight, Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ashot Muradyan
Work: Original Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind
Medium: Oil on Linen
Year: 2023
Style: Impressionism,
Subject: Woman in Sunlight,
Size: 22" x 25" x ...
Category
2010s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of Seated Young Woman - British 30's art Impressionist oil painting
Located in London, GB
This lovely portrait was painted by the noted British Impressionist portrait painter Walter Ernest Webster. It depicts a young woman and was painted circa 1930 in an impressionist pa...
Category
1930s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Young Painter - Oil Painting - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Young painter is an artwork realized by an unknonw artist of the early 20th century.
Oil painting on cardboard.
A young woman with a delicate face is about to paint with a palette...
Category
Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
Red ribbon
Located in Oslo, NO
This artwork is a mesmerizing portrait that showcases a delicate interplay of color and texture. The profile of a young woman is captured in serene contemplation, her features render...
Category
2010s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Antique American Opera Scene Signed Rare Illustration Framed Genre Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Incredible early American illustration of an opera scene by Richard W. Baldwin (1920 - 2012) . Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.
Category
1940s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Artist's Family Portrait - British American Impressionist art oil painting
Located in London, GB
This stunning British American Impressionist portrait oil on canvas painting is by Sir James Jebusa Shannon circa 1905. The painting is of the artist and his wife Florence and daught...
Category
Early 1900s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Portrait of a woman. Flora
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting “Flora” depicts a young woman in a serene and contemplative state with her eyes closed, symbolizing inner peace and connection with nature. Inspired by the Roman goddess...
Category
2010s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
English mid century oil painting Portrait of Saluki dog
Located in Woodbury, CT
Wonderful English mid century portrait of a Saluki dog.
Kate Gray was a British animal portrait painter during the last half of the 20th century. She also painted flower subjects.
...
Category
1960s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Pair of Vintage Native American Portraits
Located in Soquel, CA
Pair of two vintage portraits of Native American figures, one older and one younger, in profile with braids and headdresses by Victor S. ...
Category
1960s American Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
Antique American School Signed Modernist Woman Portrait Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nicely painted American modernist interior portrait oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas. Signed. Image size, 28H by 22L.
Category
1960s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of Young Lady in Red - British 20's Impressionist oil painting interior
Located in London, GB
Painted circa 1920 by the noted British Impressionist portrait painter Walter Ernest Webster, this lovely oil painting depicts a beautiful young woman in an impressionist palette.
Si...
Category
1920s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Portrait Paintings for Sale on 1stDibs
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.