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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
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

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

Blonde, Watercolor Painting by Charles Levier
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Charles Levier, French (1920 - 2003) Title: Blonde Year: circa 1970 Medium: Watercolor on paper, signed l.l. Size: 16 x 11 inches Paper Size: 25 x 19.5 in. (63.5 x 49.53 cm)
Category

1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

‘Seated Woman In White Room’ Figurative Nude Female Contemporary 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

Bright Orange - Joanna Flatau, Contemporary art, Expressionist painting
Located in Paris, FR
A tribute to Amy Winehouse 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 F...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Portrait In Motion (gestural figurative portrait abstract realism woman painting
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Lucas Bononi was educated at Academy of Art University, San Francisco (2012 - 16) and Grand Central Atelier, New York (2017 - 2018). His work explores the mystery of ontology through...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mother, Oil Painting by Chaim Goldberg
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Chaim Goldberg, Israeli (1917-2004) Title: Mother Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed in English lower left and Hebrew lower right Size: 24 x 20 inche...
Category

1970s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Woman by Greg Kessler, Abstract Oil Painting 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

Who Are These Angels CIII, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This is "Who Are These Angels "CIII", an original oil painting on Gallery wrapped canvas. This large painting measures 36" x 36" x 1.5 inches. The sides are p...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

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

Will Be The Wolf
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

"Princess Diana, " an Oil Canvas signed by Alayna Rose
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Princess Diana" is an original oil painting created by Alayna Rose. This piece was created shortly after the death of Princess Diana in 1997. The painting effectively captures the distance and sadness surrounding the event. Alayna Rose did not set out to make a tribute painting...
Category

1990s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Who Are These Angels LXXI
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This piece is number 71 from my ;Who Are These Angels; series. This painting is on a gallery wrapped canvas with finished ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Who Are These Angels LXXXV
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This painting is number 85 from my series of mysterious figures titled Who Are These Angels. The piece is on a gallery wr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Margaret Thatcher
By Philip Burke
Located in Buffalo, NY
An early painting by American artist and illustrator Phillip Burke depicting Margaret Thatcher. This work was originally commissioned by Vanity Fair...
Category

1980s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Aptekareva (girl portrait oil painting abstract figurative pink glasses flowers
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Lucas Bononi was educated at Academy of Art University, San Francisco (2012 - 16) and Grand Central Atelier, New York (2017 - 2018). His work explores the mystery of ontology through...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Who Are These Angels CVI, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This is "Who Are These Angels CVI," an original oil painting on gallery wrapped canvas.


About the Artist
Naoko Paluszak began her career by ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Imperious II
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This painting is on a gallery wrapped canvas with finished black edges. It comes ready to hang.

About the Artist
Naoko Paluszak began her career ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Mexican Interior Scene Scene with Figures and Fish" Expressionistic Style
Located in New York, NY
A strong modernist oil painting depicted in the Mid Century by Russian painter Michael Baxte. Mostly known for his abstracted figures on canvas or street scenes, this piece is a wond...
Category

1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

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

Portrait of a Man
By Emmanuel Mane-Katz
Located in Long Island City, NY
An oil painting by Emmanuel Mane-Katz circa 1950. An expressionist style portrait of a man with a forlorn expression in dark gray and red tones. A...
Category

1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

Le Violoniste - Expressionist Oil, Portrait of a Violinist by Jean Albert Pougny
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed expressionist oil on canvas portrait circa 1942 by French painter Jean Albert Pougny. The work depicts a violinist in an interior. Signatur...
Category

1940s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Adolf Feder Miniature Oil Painting of a Jewish Rabbi Sensitive Judaica Portrait
Located in Surfside, FL
Adolphe Aizik Feder (Ukrainian, 1886-1943), alternate spelling Adolf Feder "Portrait of a Rabbi" Oil painting mounted to board. Signed (upper left). Sight size, 6 3/4 by 5 1/8 inches; overall as framed, 8 3/8 by 6 3/4 inches. Adolphe Féder (1886 – 1943) was a Jewish-Ukrainian painter and illustrator. He moved to France in 1908, where he remained until his deportation and subsequent murder at the hands of the Vichy regime. Adolphe Feder is best-known today for the artwork he produced of those interned with him in the Drancy internment camp. Born to Jewish Ukrainian merchant parents, in 1905 Féder found himself involved in the revolutionary Bund Labor Movement. His involvement in the organization would force him to flee to Berlin, Germany at the age of 19. Following his time in Berlin, Féder moved to Geneva, Switzerland before moving to Paris, France in 1908 to study at the Académie Julian. At the Académie he studied painting and worked closely with the French Impressionist, Henri Matisse in his workshop. In 1926, Féder made a trip to British Mandate Palestine (Israel). On his trip he encountered many Judaic elements, which he painted. The trip's impact on him yielded many of his most notable paintings such as "Juif à barbe tenant un plateau" ("Bearded Jew holding a tray"). When Féder returned to Paris, he brought many of these paintings back with him, which garnered him recognition in the Parisian artistic community. Before Féder was sent to Auschwitz he painted prisoners and guards in the Drancy internment camp. When Nazi troops marched across France in 1942, Féder, aged 52, tried to get in contact with the French Resistance but was caught by the Pétain militia. He and his wife were arrested on 10 June 1942 and imprisoned in Cherche-Midi prison; he was transferred to the Drancy internment camp in September 1942. In Drancy, Féder continued to paint, creating portraits of those around him such as the other prisoners and guards. His paintings stopped with his deportation to the Auschwitz concentration camp on 13 December 1943 where he was murdered. Féder's wife, Sima Féder, donated Féder's works from inside Drancy to the Ghetto Fighters' House upon her death in 1967. Féder's success came in 1912 when his landscape works were displayed at the Salon d'Automne. He continued to paint following this including a series of 45 illustrations created for a book of poetry by French poet Arthur Rimbaud. The book received a limited run of 350 copies in 1924, but was commended for its watercolor illustrations. When Féder's work appeared in the Fearon Galleries in 1923, his work received great praise. A monograph on Féder was written in 1929 by Gustave Kahn. (also known as Aizik Féder or Айзик Федер) He was associated with The School of Paris, Ecole de Paris, which was not a single art movement or institution, but refers to the importance of Paris as a center of Western art in the early decades of the 20th century. Between 1900 and 1940 the city drew artists from all over the world and became a centre for artistic activity. School of Paris was used to describe this loose community, particularly of non-French artists, centered in the cafes, salons and shared workspaces and galleries of Montparnasse. Before World War I, a group of expatriates in Paris created art in the styles of Post-Impressionism, Cubism and Fauvism. The group included artists like Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Amedeo Modigliani and Piet Mondrian. Associated French artists included Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, Jean Metzinger and Albert Gleizes. The term "School of Paris" was used in 1925 by André Warnod to refer to the many foreign-born artists who had migrated to Paris. The term soon gained currency, often as a derogatory label by critics who saw the foreign artists—many of whom were Jewish—as a threat to the purity of French art. Art critic Louis Vauxcelles, noted for coining the terms "Fauvism" and "Cubism", Waldemar George, himself a French Jew, in 1931 lamented that the Ecole de paris, School of Paris name "allows any artist to pretend he is French. it refers to French tradition but instead annihilates it. The artists working in Paris between World War I and World War II experimented with various styles including Cubism, Orphism, Surrealism and Dada. Foreign and French artists working in Paris included Jean Arp, Joan Miro, Constantin Brancusi, Raoul Dufy, Tsuguharu Foujita, artists from Belarus like Michel Kikoine, Pinchus Kremegne, and Jacques Lipchitz, the Polish artist Marek Szwarc and others such as Russian-born prince Alexis Arapoff. A significant subset, the Jewish artists, came to be known as the Jewish School of Paris...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Paul Manes - Woman with Pearls, Painting 2016
Located in Greenwich, CT
Paul Manes was born May 4, 1948 in Austin, Texas. He began his professional career in New York City in the early 1980s. His art has been widely exhibited in America and Europe and hi...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Oil

Soul Gazing
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Oluwafemi Akanmu is a Nigerian artist known for his exceptional talent in creating striking artworks that reflect the beauty and complexity of African culture. "Soul Gazing" is one o...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil, Acrylic

Depository VI
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
It is imperative to say that one cannot separate the African culture and the use of proverbs. Prof. Chinua Achebe who was a novelist, poet, and one of the dominant figures of modern...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

"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

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

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

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

Oil, Canvas

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

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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