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
Is the sun burning your retina ?Julien Wolf, 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
Bingo rattle Julien Wolf Contemporary art painting expressionnist outsider
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oil paint on canvas
Hand-signed by the artist on the back
“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
Peek a Bunny
By Todd White
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
$11,400
Coffee Peloton Series XVII, Eliza Southwood, Coffee Artwork, Original Painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Coffee Peloton Series XVII by Eliza Southwood [2021]
original
Coffee on paper
Image size: H:42 cm x W:59.5 cm
Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:42 cm x W:59.5 cm x D:0.1cm
Sold U...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Coffee
"Pharaoh Group" Oil Painting 13" x 17" inch (1955) by Shaaban Zaki
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
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
Telekinesis lesson Julien Wolf Contemporary art painting expressionist red raw
By Julien Wolf
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
Wacky felucca Julien Wolf Contemporary art painting expressionnist outsider
By Julien Wolf
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
Collective farmer. 1980, watercolor on paper, 57, 5x58 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Collective farmer. 1980, watercolor on paper, 57,5x58 cm
Dzidra Bauma (1930)
Dzidra Bauma works in watercolor technique. She paint figural compositions,...
Category
1980s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
$900 Sale Price
20% Off
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
Oil, Wood Panel
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
Patrick's cave - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Drawing
By Julien Wolf
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
Sporadic fulmination-Julien Wolf 21st Century Contemporary Expressionist Drawing
By Julien Wolf
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
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
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
Players' transfer -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
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
$4,480 Sale Price
30% Off
Terrace Theater - 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
Untitled - Mysterious Figure in Black Pancho and Expressive Hands
Located in Miami, FL
Haunting yet beautiful with a simple graphic composition and monochromatic palette. The stylized and overly expressive hands are a hallmark of Kingman's style.
Hand-signed by artist...
Category
1960s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Oil
Dance with me - Joanna Flatau, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist painting
Located in Paris, FR
Acrylic paint on canvas
Signed
Unique work
Joanna Flatau was born in Varsaw, Poland.
She graduated from Varsaw History of Arts University and from the Fine Arts Varsaw Academy in ...
Category
2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
What should I do with the ball ? Julien Wolf 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
Geez ! - 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
"Contemplation" Black, Pink, Red, Oil on canvas 30"x40" Original by Masri
Located in Carmel, CA
Masri is a passionate Italian, US-based artist whose work has been exhibited in USA, the UK, Germany, Lebanon, Italy and Norway. His work is varied and known especially in Europe, an...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Faccia Ubriaca" by Enzio Wenk, 1993-1997 - Mixed Media on Canvas, Portrait
By Enzio Wenk
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Drunken face".
Mixed media on canvas.
Category
1990s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Mixed Media
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
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
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
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
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
Survival colour - Julien Wolf, 21st Century, Contemporary Expressionist Drawing
By Julien Wolf
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
From here 2 hours and a half' wait! Julien Wolf Contemporary Expressionist Paint
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
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
Les Mants
Located in New York, NY
Les Amants ( two lovers) is a very clear painting of very high quality for paintings of this size. It is very distinctive, very colorful and powerful.
If interested call us through t...
Category
1980s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Price Upon Request
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
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
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
Price Upon Request
The Crystal Ball
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Noted German Expressionist artist Fritz Schwaderer(1901-1974), , was classically schooled in fine art in Germany in the early-mid 1920as.
...
Category
1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Price Upon Request
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
Canvas, Oil
Joseph Heller Thinks About Catch-22 - Portrait Painting with Pastel Colors
Located in New York, NY
Aptekar's paintings are often a political and social commentary of the contradictions inherent to the human mankind. The surrealistic and expressionistic language used to covey the message, as well as the use of a palette with low contrast colors like light blue, green and pink, has it's 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. The title of this artwork "Joseph Heller...
Category
Early 2000s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dody in the Afternoon
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Noted German Expressionist artist Fritz Schwaderer, was classically schooled in fine art in Germany in the early-mid 1920’s. Schwaderera...
Category
1940s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Price Upon Request
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
Price Upon Request
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.