Portrait Paintings
Artist Comments
Sitting on a silver stool, a woman immerses herself in mysterious and romantic thoughts. Against the dripping blue background, her warm skin tone radiates. Her eyes, intentionally obscured, add an element of intrigue to the painting. The artwork comes with a matte black wood frame measuring 2 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 Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
A red-haired woman in a black dress captivates with a sultry gaze, complemented by a black veiled headpiece that adds a layer of drama to her look. The title of the artwork not only references the accessory but also holds the essence of her spirit. The piece comes with a matte black 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 Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Fabric, Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A woman wears a face of uncertainty, with slightly furrowed eyebrows and a contemplative gaze. Bold and powerful brushstrokes with vivid oil colors capture the intensity of her emotion. The portrait evokes a feeling of intrigue and second-guessing. The artwork comes with a Larson-Juhl...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Watercolor
Artist Comments
Five women gather together, each striking a unique pose in their continuous yellow scalloped skirt. Pompom-like shapes dangle from below their hair, complementi...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil Pastel, Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Board, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil, Oil Pastel, Paper
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Paper, Oil, Oil Pastel
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Paper, Oil, Oil Pastel
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Varnish, Panel
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Pen
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Wood Panel, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
20th Century Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Acrylic, Varnish, Panel
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Wood Panel, Oil
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.