Expressionist Portrait Paintings
EXPRESSIONIST STYLE
While “expressionist” is used to describe any art that avoids naturalism and instead employs a bold use of flattened forms and intense brushwork, Expressionist art formally describes early-20th-century work from Europe that drew on Symbolism and confronted issues such as urbanization and capitalism. Expressionist artists experimented in paintings and prints with skewed perspectives, abstraction and unconventional, bright colors to portray how isolating and anxious the world felt rather than how it appeared.
Between 1905 and 1920, Austrian and German artists, in particular, were inspired by Postimpressionists such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh in their efforts to strive for a new authenticity in their work. In its geometric patterns and decorative details, Expressionist art was also marked by eclectic sources like German and Russian folk art as well as tribal art from Africa and Oceania, which the movement’s practitioners witnessed at museums and world’s fairs.
Groups of artists came together to share and promote the themes now associated with Expressionism, such as Die Brücke (The Bridge) in Dresden, which included Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and investigated alienation and the dissolution of society in vivid color. In Munich, Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, instilled Expressionism with a search for spiritual truths. In his iconic painting The Scream, prolific Norwegian painter Edvard Munch conveyed emotional turmoil through his depiction of environmental elements, such as the threatening sky.
Expressionism shifted around the outbreak of World War I, with artists using more elements of the grotesque in reaction to the escalation of unrest and violence. Printmaking was especially popular, as it allowed artists to widely disseminate works that grappled with social and political issues amid this time of upheaval. Although the art movement ended with the rise of Nazi Germany, where Expressionist creators were labeled “degenerate,” the radical ideas of these artists would influence Neo-Expressionism that emerged in the late 1970s with painters like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente.
Find a collection of authentic Expressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
Style: Expressionist
Color: Brown
Clint Eastwood, Portrait Celebrity Oil On Board Original by Shana Wilson
By Shana Wilson
Located in Carmel, CA
Shana’s portraits adorned two covers of Time Magazine.
Shana’s work is about the face and eyes. Young face, old face, black or white. Her subjects are confused, lonely, ragged and desolate. Once we finish scrutinizing the powerful images, we notice that most of them are naked. And their nudity connects to the expression portrayed in their eyes.
There is a wholeness in Shana’s paintings, an immediacy and rawness of a world not very kind. Life had trodden on these human beings and their only solace is Shana’s loving brush.
The painting comes with a certificate of authenticity and a letter of appraisal.
"Clint Eastwood" oil on board Portrait by Shana Wilson...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Self portrait original oil on canvas painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Joan Cruspinera Muñoz was born in 1945 in Tiana, Barcelona. This Catalan artist is a painter, draftsman and painter. His training is extensive and int...
Category
1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of Woman in Pearl Necklace
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of Woman in Pearl Necklace', pastel on fine art paper (see information below), by Charles Camoin (circa 1920s) dedicated to Marie-Louise Tavernier. Regrettably, research on...
Category
Early 20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Pastel
Mister Universe - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas
2019
Signed
Unique work
Julien Wolf is a French painter born in 1981 in Strasbourg, France.
In 2007, he graduated from the DNSEP Art section at the Strasbourg Decora...
Category
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Untitled - Portrait Of A Woman With Hut - XX Century Figurative Painting
Located in Salzburg, AT
Anna Kaminska, Untitled - Portrait Of A Woman With Hut - XX Century Figurative Painting ca 1950
Category
1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
"Muse of Wonder", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
Located in Detroit, MI
Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that hearkens a response to their spirit, to find company in their character. This particular piece is the "Muse of Wonder" and is part of a set of nine that are sold separately from one another.
Encaustic painting is an ancient art form (some early icons are encaustic), where hot wax is mixed with pigment and resin, and painted while liquid. Throughout the process, everything is repeatedly fused with fire and sometimes things melt in an unintended direction. Linden’s process involves repeatedly carving parts out and filling them back in, so the works are splayed out in a loose application of hot liquid, then cut back, then washed over with brushes of hot wax again. It’s a combination of chaos and control.
The series draws inspiration from women all over the globe, as originally photographed by Mihaela Noroc for her book The Atlas of Beauty. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will go towards her project.
While internationally influenced, the pieces were painted, scraped, and carved at the artist’s hundred year old Detroit...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil
"Muse of Confidence", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
Located in Detroit, MI
Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that hearkens a response to their spirit, to find company in their character. This particular piece is the "Muse of Confidence" and is part of a set of nine that are sold separately from one another.
Encaustic painting is an ancient art form (some early icons are encaustic), where hot wax is mixed with pigment and resin, and painted while liquid. Throughout the process, everything is repeatedly fused with fire and sometimes things melt in an unintended direction. Linden’s process involves repeatedly carving parts out and filling them back in, so the works are splayed out in a loose application of hot liquid, then cut back, then washed over with brushes of hot wax again. It’s a combination of chaos and control.
The series draws inspiration from women all over the globe, as originally photographed by Mihaela Noroc for her book The Atlas of Beauty. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will go towards her project.
While internationally influenced, the pieces were painted, scraped, and carved at the artist’s hundred year old Detroit...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil
"Muse of Mystery", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
Located in Detroit, MI
Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that hearkens a response to their spirit, to find company in their character. This particular piece is the "Muse of Mystery" and is part of a set of nine that are sold separately from one another.
Encaustic painting is an ancient art form (some early icons are encaustic), where hot wax is mixed with pigment and resin, and painted while liquid. Throughout the process, everything is repeatedly fused with fire and sometimes things melt in an unintended direction. Linden’s process involves repeatedly carving parts out and filling them back in, so the works are splayed out in a loose application of hot liquid, then cut back, then washed over with brushes of hot wax again. It’s a combination of chaos and control.
The series draws inspiration from women all over the globe, as originally photographed by Mihaela Noroc for her book The Atlas of Beauty. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will go towards her project.
While internationally influenced, the pieces were painted, scraped, and carved at the artist’s hundred year old Detroit...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil
"Muse of Transition", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
Located in Detroit, MI
Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that hearkens a response to their spirit, to find company in their character. This particular piece is the "Muse of Transition" and is part of a set of nine that are sold separately from one another.
Encaustic painting is an ancient art form (some early icons are encaustic), where hot wax is mixed with pigment and resin, and painted while liquid. Throughout the process, everything is repeatedly fused with fire and sometimes things melt in an unintended direction. Linden’s process involves repeatedly carving parts out and filling them back in, so the works are splayed out in a loose application of hot liquid, then cut back, then washed over with brushes of hot wax again. It’s a combination of chaos and control.
The series draws inspiration from women all over the globe, as originally photographed by Mihaela Noroc for her book The Atlas of Beauty. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will go towards her project.
While internationally influenced, the pieces were painted, scraped, and carved at the artist’s hundred year old Detroit...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil
"Muse of Passion", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
Located in Detroit, MI
Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that hearkens a response to their spirit, to find company in their character. This particular piece is the "Muse of Passion" and is part of a set of nine that are sold separately from one another.
Encaustic painting is an ancient art form (some early icons are encaustic), where hot wax is mixed with pigment and resin, and painted while liquid. Throughout the process, everything is repeatedly fused with fire and sometimes things melt in an unintended direction. Linden’s process involves repeatedly carving parts out and filling them back in, so the works are splayed out in a loose application of hot liquid, then cut back, then washed over with brushes of hot wax again. It’s a combination of chaos and control.
The series draws inspiration from women all over the globe, as originally photographed by Mihaela Noroc for her book The Atlas of Beauty. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will go towards her project.
While internationally influenced, the pieces were painted, scraped, and carved at the artist’s hundred year old Detroit...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil
John Begg Jr., Expressionist Portrait by Joseph Solman
Located in Long Island City, NY
In the mid-1960s Joseph Solman (American, 1909 - 2008) was commissioned to create portraits of the Begg family. This is a portrait of John Begg Jr., the son of the mid-century nuclear family...
Category
1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Masonite
"Muse of Vitality", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
Located in Detroit, MI
Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that hearkens a response to their spirit, to find company in their character. This particular piece is the "Muse of Vitality" and is part of a set of nine that are sold separately from one another.
Encaustic painting is an ancient art form (some early icons are encaustic), where hot wax is mixed with pigment and resin, and painted while liquid. Throughout the process, everything is repeatedly fused with fire and sometimes things melt in an unintended direction. Linden’s process involves repeatedly carving parts out and filling them back in, so the works are splayed out in a loose application of hot liquid, then cut back, then washed over with brushes of hot wax again. It’s a combination of chaos and control.
The series draws inspiration from women all over the globe, as originally photographed by Mihaela Noroc for her book The Atlas of Beauty. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will go towards her project.
While internationally influenced, the pieces were painted, scraped, and carved at the artist’s hundred year old Detroit...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil
"Muse of Insight", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
Located in Detroit, MI
Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that he...
Category
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil
Marian Begg, Expressionist Portrait by Joseph Solman
Located in Long Island City, NY
In the mid-1960s Joseph Solman (American, 1909 - 2008) was commissioned to create portraits of the Begg family. This is a portrait of Marian Begg, the mother in the mid-century nuclear family...
Category
1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Masonite
Mobile hyperlaxity-Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Drawing
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oilbar and charcoal on paper
2020
Signed
Unique work
Julien Wolf is a French painter born in 1981 in Strasbourg, France.
In 2007, he graduated from the DNSEP Art section at the St...
Category
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Charcoal, Oil Pastel
‘Young Man Seated’ Figurative Male Model Contemporary by Shana Wilson
By Shana Wilson
Located in Carmel, CA
Experience the extraordinary artistic talent of Shana Wilson through her captivating painting titled "Young Male Model with Black Curls." This stunning oi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
'Camille IV', Fauve Figural of Young Woman, California Post Impressionist Oil
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed verso, 'Ant McNaught', (American, born 1952), titled 'Camille VI', and dated 2020.
A substantial and vibrant, Fauve study of the head of a young woman, composed in scumbled shades of coral, jade, azure and pink. and contrasted against a terracotta background.
This California Post-Impressionist and Abstract Expressionist artist studied at the Esalen Institute with Erin Gafill...
Category
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
Diminutive Mid Century Expressionist Clown Portrait #1
Located in Soquel, CA
Small portrait of a clown with colorful, expressionist brushstrokes by Marjorie Blake (American, 1920-1994). Signed "M. Blake" in the lower right corner...
Category
1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
'Camille VI', Fauve Figural of Young Woman, California Post Impressionist Oil
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed verso, 'Ant McNaught', (American, born 1952), titled 'Camille VI', and dated 2018-2020.
This California Post-Impressionist and Abstract Expressionist artist has studied at the Esalen Institute with Erin Gafill...
Category
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
Girls at the Gate, Oil Painting by Wellington Virgolino de Sousa
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Wellington Virgolino de Sousa, Brazilian (1929 - 1988)
Title: Meninas No Portao (Girls at the Gate)
Year: 1974
Medium: Oil on board, signed lower
Size...
Category
1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
John Begg Sr., Expressionist Portrait by Joseph Solman
Located in Long Island City, NY
In the mid-1960s Joseph Solman (American, 1909 - 2008) was commissioned to create portraits of the Begg family. This is a portrait of John Begg Sr., the patriarch of the mid-century ...
Category
1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
‘Seated Woman In White Room’ Figurative Nude Female Contemporary by Shana Wilson
By Shana Wilson
Located in Carmel, CA
Shana’s portraits adorned two covers of Time Magazine.
Shana’s work is about the face and eyes. Young face, old face, black or white. Her subjects are confused, lonely, ragged and ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Recovery - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas
2019
Signed
Unique work
Julien Wolf is a French painter who was born in Strasbourg in 1981, France.
He graduated in 2007 at the DNSEP Art and Decorative Art section...
Category
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of a Girl, Oil Painting by Sandu Liberman
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Sandu Liberman, Romanian/Israeli (1923 - 1977)
Title: Portrait of a Girl
Year: Circa 1970
Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r.
Size: 13 x 10 in. (33.02 x 25.4 cm)
Frame Size:...
Category
1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Parnassus madness-Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas
2018
Signed
Unique work
Julien Wolf is a French painter born in 1981 in Strasbourg, France.
In 2007, he graduated from the DNSEP Art section at the Strasbourg Decora...
Category
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Jeremy on acid - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary figurative painting
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas
Signed
Unique work
Category
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
He grabs it by the tail - Julien Wolf, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas
2019
Signed
Unique work
Julien Wolf is a French painter who was born in Strasbourg in 1981, France.
He graduated in 2007 at the DNSEP Art and Decorative Art section a...
Category
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of Woman by Greg Kessler, Abstract Oil Painting by Greg Kessler
By Greg Kessler
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Greg Kessler, American (1966 - )
Title: Woman in Crop Top Gesturing
Year: circa 2000
Medium: Oil on Canvas (unsigned)
Size: 26 x 18 in. (66.04 x 45.72 cm)
Category
Early 2000s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Will Be The Wolf
By Monika Dalek
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Will Be The Wolf.
Monika Dalek Polish contemporary artist.
She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz. Diploma defended 2008 at the Faculty of Visual...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
Mujer de Juchitan
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Raul Anguiano, Mexican (1915 - 2006)
Title Mujer de Juchitan
Year: 1974
Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.l., signed, dated and titled verso
Size: 25.5 x 37.25 in. (64.77 x 94...
Category
1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
"The Kunafeh Merchant" Oil Painting 27" x 31" inch (1960) by Youssef Sida
By Youssef Sida
Located in Culver City, CA
"The Kunafeh Merchant" Oil Painting 27" x 31" inch (1960) by Youssef Sida
Signed and dated
1960
Youssef Sida
1922-1994
Born in 1922 in Damietta, and in ...
Category
20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood
Arthur Miller Thinks - Expressionist Figurative Painting of Arthur Miller
Located in New York, NY
Bernard Aptekar's Arthur Miller Thinks is a large 65.5 x 53.5 inches expressionist figurative oil painting. It portrays American playwright Arthur Miller. The main colors are blue, green, and pink. The surrealistic and expressionistic language used to covey the message, as well as the use of a palette with low contrast colors, has its roots in the work of Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, who Apterkar met at age of 11.
The outcome is an imagery of an extraordinary visual impact and absolutely unique to Aptekar's own creative process. Arthur Miller, the author of the play "Death of a Salesman...
Category
Early 2000s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
Margit
By Otto Tetjus Tugel
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Presenting a rare oil on panel by German artist Otto Tugel.
Otto Tugel worked in Germany before settling in New York. This is an early oil on panel, signed in monogram, dated 1925.
Category
1920s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Panel
Expressionist portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist portrait 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 portrait paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of orange, red, purple, blue and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Bernard Harmon, Julien Wolf, Shana Wilson, and Masri Hayssam. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Fabric and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Expressionist portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 3.5 inches across are also available. Prices for portrait 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 $190,000, while the average work sells for $3,000.
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