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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.

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Style: Expressionist
Young Man, Expressionist Portrait by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Young Man" is an oil on canvas portrait painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The painting is 26" x 36" in size, signed on the lower right. Figurative ...
Category

1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Portrait Boy" Oil Painting 14.5" x 20" inch (1930) by Shaaban Zaki
Located in Culver City, CA
"Portrait Boy" Oil Painting 14.5" x 20" inch (1930) by Shaaban Zaki signed & dated Shaaban Zaki came from a lower-middle-class family who was mostly government employees, but he wa...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Worship Joanna Flatau Contemporary art portrait painting woman attraction animal
Located in Paris, FR
Acrylic paint on canvas Unique work Hand-signed by the artist Joanna Flatau was born in Varsaw, Poland. She graduated from Varsaw History of Arts University and from the Fine Arts ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Peace at home Sergio Moscona Contemporary art painting human comedy drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Acrylic paint on canvas Hand-signed by the artist
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Watercolor Portrait of a Soldier in a Large Black Frame
Located in Pasadena, CA
In this watercolor portrait, framed in a large black frame, the viewer is captivated by the three-quarter head depiction of a middle-aged soldier. Th...
Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Peek a Bunny
Located in Toronto, ON
22" x 22" Framed Original - Oil on Canvas Hand Signed by Todd Whit Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood scenes with contrasting colors serving the viewer’s eyes as t...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Coffee time Sergio Moscona Contemporary art painting colour human comedy
Located in Paris, FR
Acrylic paint, ink and collage on paper Hand-signed and dated lower left by the artist
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic

Swedish Abstract Figurative Oil Painting 2013 - Friday Evening
Located in Bristol, GB
FRIDAY EVENING Size: 33 x 24 cm Oil on canvas A striking figurative abstract composition, titled ‘Friday Evening’ and dated 2013 on reverse. Bold outlines and rich colours intertwi...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish Oil Framed Painting - Portrait in Sepia
Located in Bristol, GB
PORTRAIT IN SEPIA Size: 72 x 56 cm (including frame) Oil on Board A large and striking mid century modernist portrait in oil, painted onto board. With a very distinctive dark sepia...
Category

1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Pharaoh Group" Oil Painting 13" x 17" inch (1955) by Shaaban Zaki
Located in Culver City, CA
"Pharaoh Group" Oil Painting 13" x 17" inch (1955) by Shaaban Zaki Shaaban Zaki came from a lower-middle-class family who was mostly government employees, but he was distinguished f...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Wood, Oil

Words in the mouth Sergio Moscona Contemporary art tondo human comedy colour
Located in Paris, FR
Acrylic paint and ink on paper Tondo (diameter 30 cm) Hand-signed and dated lower right by the artist
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic

Boxing Ring. Boxed Knocked to Floor with 10 Count, Red and Black, Esquire Mag
Located in Miami, FL
Illustration legend Bob Peak depicts a boxer that has fallen to the matt and is being given the 10-count by the referee. Peak captures that peak moment of drama and then exaggerates...
Category

1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Still scared Sergio Moscona Contemporary art painting colour human comedy red
Located in Paris, FR
Acrylic paint, ink and collage on paper Hand-signed and dated lower right by the artist
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic

MUJER MUY ENFADADA
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
We can see a very expressive woman who looks very angry, very interpretable.
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Parnassus madness-Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
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

Geez ! - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
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

Recovery - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
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

Sporadic fulmination-Julien Wolf 21st Century Contemporary Expressionist Drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Pastel 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

I told you to see it Sergio Moscona Contemporary art tondo human comedy colour
Located in Paris, FR
Acrylic paint and ink on paper Tondo (diameter 30 cm) Hand-signed and dated lower right
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic

Self Portrait. Original Oil Painting Austrian 19th Century
Located in London, GB
Joseph Weidner Austrian 1801 - 1870 Self Portrait Oil on canvas, signed lower left Image size: 23 x 19 inches (58.5 x 48.5 cm) Original gilt swept fra...
Category

1860s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Coach André Bard - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary figurative painting
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas Signed Unique work
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Patrick's cave - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Oil pastel, India ink 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 se...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, India Ink

Italian Tuscany Figurative Expressionism Female Nude ink on paper 20st
Located in Florence, IT
The painting is signed and dated: L. NOCENTINI 91. The style of Ladislao Nocentini can be defined as a sort of Figurative Expressionism: his i...
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Players' transfer -Julien Wolf 21st century, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
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

Wacky felucca Julien Wolf Contemporary art painting expressionnist outsider
Located in Paris, FR
Oil paint on canvas Hand-signed on the back by the artist “At first glance, we are invited to a colorful carnival. Everything is movement here! As if Julien Wolf had tried to captur...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

First pressure Julien Wolf Contemporary art painting expressionnist colour
Located in Paris, FR
OIl paint on canvas Hand-signed on the back by the artist “At first glance, we are invited to a colorful carnival. Everything is movement here! As if Julien Wolf had tried to captur...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lynx speak Nicolas Kennett 21st Century Bristish painting portrait expressionist
Located in Paris, FR
Oil paint on wood panel Signed on the back "Incanto" or the enchantment of shifting "Nicolas Kennett revisits the organic world through painted and sc...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Wood Panel, Oil

A small picodon ? Julien Wolf Contemporary Expressionist Painting
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas 2017 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

"Faccia Ubriaca" by Enzio Wenk, 1993-1997 - Mixed Media on Canvas, Portrait
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Drunken face". Mixed media on canvas.
Category

1990s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Survival colour - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Pastel 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

Mister Universe - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
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

What should I do with the ball ? Julien Wolf Contemporary Expressionist Painting
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
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas Signed Unique work
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Is the sun burning your retina ?Julien Wolf, Contemporary Expressionist painting
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

From here 2 hours and a half' wait! Julien Wolf Contemporary Expressionist Paint
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

Supper is not over ! - Julien Wolf, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
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. In 2007, he graduated and obtained the DNSEP Art and Decorative Art section...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

ATTITUDE
Located in Aventura, FL
Original oil on canvas painting. Hand signed on front; signed and titled on verso by the artist. Canvas size 36 x 12 in. Framed. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of a...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Italian Tuscany Figurative Expressionism Male Nude ink on paper 20st
Located in Florence, IT
The painting is signed and dated: L. NOCENTINI 91. The style of Ladislao Nocentini can be defined as a sort of Figurative Expressionism: his i...
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Ride Joanna Flatau Contemporary art portrait painting colour woman dog smoking
Located in Paris, FR
Acrylic paint on canvas Unique work Hand-signed lower right by the artist Joanna Flatau was born in Varsaw, Poland. She graduated from Varsaw History of Arts University and from th...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Untitled, Boy Eating Watermelon
Located in Miami, FL
The work looks much better in person with snappy bright colors that form a complex abstract composition of interconnected shapes. Hand-signed by artist, sticker label, The Work is Signed lower left - Provenance: Forum Gallery, New York - Label on verso Swann Gallery...
Category

1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait
Located in Atlanta, GA
Eugène Lavieille began his career engraving works by Jean-François Millet and Charles Emile Jacque and was, by 1841, studying with the greatest French landscape painter of the centur...
Category

19th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Telekinesis lesson Julien Wolf Contemporary art painting expressionist red raw
Located in Paris, FR
Oil paint on canvas Hand-signed on the back by the artist “At first glance, we are invited to a colorful carnival. Everything is movement here! As if Julien Wolf had tried to captur...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Terrace Theater - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Drawing
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

Mobile hyperlaxity-Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Drawing
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

He grabs it by the tail - Julien Wolf, Contemporary Expressionist Painting
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 a Girl, 1954 Oil Painting by Ernest Crichlow
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ernest Crichlow, American (1914 - 2005) Title: Portrait of a Girl Year: 1954 Medium: Oil on Board, signed and dated l.r. Size: 19.5 in. x 15.5 in. (49.53 cm x 39.37 cm) Frame...
Category

1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Cloud" Figurative Nude Oil Painting 47" x 24" inch by Sergey Dolmatov
Located in Culver City, CA
"Cloud" Figurative Nude Oil Painting 47" x 24" inch by Sergey Dolmatov Year: 2010
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Altai. Belukha Mountain" Oil Painting 24" x 16" inch by Sergey Dolmatov
Located in Culver City, CA
"Altai. Belukha Mountain" Oil Painting 24" x 16" inch by Sergey Dolmatov Year: 2006
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Twins" Oil Painting 35" x 24" inch by Sergey Dolmatov
Located in Culver City, CA
"Twins" Oil Painting 35" x 24" inch by Sergey Dolmatov
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Toy Seller" Oil Painting 35" x 45" inch by Andrey Remnev
Located in Culver City, CA
"Toy Seller" Oil Painting 35" x 45" inch by Andrey Remnev ARTIST BIO: "My birth place is Yakhroma town, in the vicinity of Moscow. It is situated on high hills, from where broad Bruegelian vistas are open. The uneven terrain with significant differences of high and low; a canal between the Moskva river and the Volga; small rivers, woods and villages; a nearby ancient town of Dmitrov, which is equal to Moscow in age; ships cruising the canal and trains outdistancing them – all this I saw from my window since my early years. It was a view that embraced all the diversity of the world. This is why I can say that the impressions of my childhood and youth – beautiful nature and remarkable people – are the most important ones. In the museum of Moscow's St. Andronic Monastery I copied the best examples of the old Russian painting...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Night. Silence." Oil Painting 39" x 29" inch by Sergey Dolmatov
Located in Culver City, CA
"Night. Silence." Oil Painting 39" x 29" inch by Sergey Dolmatov Year: 2010
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Strelka. Beginning" Oil Painting 25.5" x 29.5" inch by Andrey Remnev
Located in Culver City, CA
"Strelka. Beginning" Oil Painting 25.5" x 29.5" inch by Andrey Remnev ARTIST BIO: "My birth place is Yakhroma town, in the vicinity of Moscow. It is situated on high hills, from where broad Bruegelian vistas are open. The uneven terrain with significant differences of high and low; a canal between the Moskva river and the Volga; small rivers, woods and villages; a nearby ancient town of Dmitrov, which is equal to Moscow in age; ships cruising the canal and trains outdistancing them – all this I saw from my window since my early years. It was a view that embraced all the diversity of the world. This is why I can say that the impressions of my childhood and youth – beautiful nature and remarkable people – are the most important ones. In the museum of Moscow's St. Andronic Monastery I copied the best examples of the old Russian painting...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Disappearing" Oil Painting 27.5" x 39" inch by Sergey Dolmatov
Located in Culver City, CA
"Disappearing" Oil Painting 27.5" x 39" inch by Sergey Dolmatov Year: 2010
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"The Keeper" Oil Painting 24" x 35" inch by Sergey Dolmatov
Located in Culver City, CA
"The Keeper" Oil Painting 24" x 35" inch by Sergey Dolmatov Year: 2010
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Botanica" Oil Painting 20" x 14" inch by Andrey Remnev
Located in Culver City, CA
"Botanica" Oil Painting 20" x 14" inch by Andrey Remnev ARTIST BIO: "My birth place is Yakhroma town, in the vicinity of Moscow. It is situated on high hills, from where broad Bruegelian vistas are open. The uneven terrain with significant differences of high and low; a canal between the Moskva river and the Volga; small rivers, woods and villages; a nearby ancient town of Dmitrov, which is equal to Moscow in age; ships cruising the canal and trains outdistancing them – all this I saw from my window since my early years. It was a view that embraced all the diversity of the world. This is why I can say that the impressions of my childhood and youth – beautiful nature and remarkable people – are the most important ones. In the museum of Moscow's St. Andronic Monastery I copied the best examples of the old Russian painting...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"With thoughts about…" Oil Painting 39" x 31" inch by Sergey Dolmatov
Located in Culver City, CA
"With thoughts about…" Oil Painting 39" x 31" inch by c Year: 2009 Size framed: 44" x 36" inch
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"The Kunafeh Merchant" Oil Painting 27" x 31" inch (1960) 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

The Masquerade by Jean Jansem
Located in La Canada Flintridge, CA
The Masquerade, oil painting signed lower right JANSEM. The painting size is 38"x51" with framed (original frame) size 47"x60". Excellent in condition. From 1934 – 1936 he attended ...
Category

1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

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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