The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.
A Large, Compelling 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Standing Male Model
Located in Chicago, IL
A Large, Compelling 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Standing Male Nude Model by John Warren Ekstrom (Am. 1929-2020). A unique and well executed studio figurative painting by ...
Oil, Masonite
$557Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of a Lady in Blue Carrying a Sheef of Wheat British Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of A Lady in Blue by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil painting on board , framed framed: 14 x 12 inches board: 12 x 10 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds co...
Oil
Hidden Portraits III
Located in London, GB
'Hidden Portraits III', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$135Sale Price|20% Off
Portrait of a Female Deep In Thought British Modernist Pencil Sketch
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Female Portrait by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) pencil sketch on brown artist tracing paper , unframed painting: 3.75 x 4.5 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds condit...
Pencil
Hidden Portraits X
Located in London, GB
'Hidden Portraits X', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing ar...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,193Sale Price|20% Off
Prisms of Identity: A Portrait Series V
Located in London, GB
'Prisms of Identity: A Portrait Series V', Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This new collection represents some of the most appealing works we have acquired to date from our Flor...
Canvas, Acrylic, Board
$850
A Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Young Woman by Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A captivating, 1930s portrait painting of a young woman by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A sensitive, skilled portrait of a young female model, most likely h...
Oil, Masonite
A Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Seated Young Woman by Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A captivating, Modern 1930s portrait painting of a young woman in a black sweater by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A skilled and expressive portrait of a sty...
Board, Oil
Echoes of the Atelier IV
Located in London, GB
Echoes of the Atelier IV, acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an agein...
Canvas, Acrylic, Board
Echoes of the Atelier I
Located in London, GB
Echoes of the Atelier I, acrylic on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing art professor fro...
Acrylic, Board
$1,139Sale Price|30% Off
'Feminine Forms: Harmony in Curves', German School (circa 1980s)
Located in London, GB
'Feminine Forms: Harmony in Curves', oil on board, German School (circa 1980s). Two nude figures portrayed in the abstract posture differently. Both are curvaceous and Rubenesque. Re...
Oil, Board
$1,476Sale Price|40% Off
Portrait of a Young Woman
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of a Young Woman', oil on board, by Peter Robert Keil (1983). A wide-eyed woman gazes out to the viewer with an inquisitive gaze. The artist's use of exuberant colours beli...
Oil, Board
Monumental Vintage American Modernist Woman with Flowers Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist portrait oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 48 by 50 inches overall. Handsomely framed in...
Oil
“Fishermen” by C. Stoitzner - Oil on Canvas - 37.5x58cm
By Konstantin Stoitzner
Located in Geneva, CH
Arwork sold with frame (81.5 x 60.5 x 7.5 cm) Konstantin Stoitzner (1863–1933) was an Austrian painter renowned for his landscapes, genre scenes, portraits, and still lifes. Born ...
Canvas, Oil
$3,063Sale Price|20% Off
Huge 20th Century French Signed Oil Classical Music Orchestra Concert Scene
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Orchestra signed by Guy Nicod (French 1923 - 2021) oil on canvas, unframed painting : 32 x 40 inches provenance: artists estate, France condition: very good and sound condition
Canvas, Oil
Hidden Portraits VIII
Located in London, GB
'Hidden Portraits VIII', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing...
Canvas, Acrylic
$428Sale Price|20% Off
Lady in Yellow Shawl Portrait In Green Landscape Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Lady in Yellow Shawl signed initials by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil painting on board unframed size: 5 x 4 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds condition: very goo...
Oil
$3,375Sale Price|25% Off
'Woman in Blue', Danish Royal Academy, Brooklyn Museum, Kolding
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Initialed lower left, 'A.S.' for Anton Schroder (Danish, 1893-1965) and dated 1953. A substantial, modernist oil painting of a young woman, shown seated and gazing to her left with ...
Canvas, Oil
$998Sale Price|29% Off
Seated Woman in Blue oil on canvas painting
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Artist: Sanz Title: Seated Woman in Blue Date: Late 20th Century Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 91 × 61 cm (35.8 × 24 in) Frame: Unframed Signature: Signed Sanz lower left Conditi...
Oil
$541Sale Price|20% Off
1950's Modernist Painting - Portrait Of Figure On Gold
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Gold Man by Bernard Labbe (French mid 20th century), stamped verso original watercolour/gouache painting on paper overall size: 111.75 x 8.5 inches condition: very good and ready to...
Watercolor, Gouache
$1,708Sale Price|40% Off
Portrait of a Man
By Yvonne Guégan
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of a Man', oil on canvas, by Yvonne Guégan (circa 1970s). This is not a portrait of the reclusive billionaire, Howard Hughes. Regrettably, we d...
Canvas, Oil
An Introspective, Modern 1940s Portrait of a Seated Young Female Ballet Dancer
Located in Chicago, IL
A captivating, Modern 1940s portrait painting of a young female ballet dancer by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A skilled and expressive studio portrait of a ...
Masonite, Oil
Hidden Portraits VII
Located in London, GB
'Hidden Portraits VII', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Vintage American Modernist Surreal Figural Nude Portrait Large Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist nude portrait oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a modern molding. Excellent condition, ready to ...
Oil, Board
$867Sale Price|20% Off
Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series III
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series III", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an inte...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Crying Clown Portrait in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Crying Clown Portrait in Oil on Canvas Portrait of a sad clown by San Francisco artist John Peers (American, 1922-2009). This portrait is closely fra...
Canvas, Oil
$620Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American School Signed Modernist Woman Portrait Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nicely painted American modernist interior portrait oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas. Signed. Image size, 28H by 22L.
Canvas, Oil
$135Sale Price|20% Off
Mother and Child in a Yellow and White Dress British Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Mother and Child signed initials by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil painting on thin card , unframed double sided painting: 5 x 4 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswold...
Oil
$1,980Sale Price|20% Off
Antique Black American Modern Artist Framed Interior Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Incredible early American modernist portrait by Stephen H Booker (1933 - 2016). Oil on canvas. Signed verso. Finely framed. Measuring 24 by 28 inches overall and 16 by 20 paintin...
Canvas, Oil
$3,289Sale Price|30% Off
Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on canvas. cm 60.5 x 2 x 50 Nice Oil painting (Italian School of XIX century) with a rapid sign and intense colors backgrpound. Some color cracking on left margin and top edge, ...
Oil
Two Female Portraits - Tempera by Mino Maccari - 1920s
By Mino Maccari
Located in Roma, IT
To Female Portraits is an original modern artwork realized in the early 20th Century by the Italian artist Mino Maccari (Siena, 1898 - Rome, 1989). Original painting. Tempera on pap...
Tempera
Mid-Century Modern Man - Portrait in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Subtle and moody portrait of a Pensive man by Joan Tidwell (American, 1930-2002). The sitter in the portrait is a middle-aged man looking slightly downwards, wearing a collared shirt. This piece is completed in a tan and green palette, creating a somber feeling. Of particular note are the confident, thick brushstrokes - each one is well-placed in the modernist style. Similar in some ways to Picasso's portraits. Signed "Joan Tidwell" on verso Unframed. Canvas size: 30"H x 22"W oan Gay Tidwell (American, 1930-2002) was born and raised in Hollywood, CA, where she had some success as a child actor. Later, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Washington with a Master's Degree in English Literature and Drama. Tidwell moved to the Bay...
Canvas, Oil
$1,952Sale Price|40% Off
Portrait of Boy in a Chair
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of Boy in a Chair', gouache on art paper, by Raymond Debiève (circa 1960s). Here the artist paints a young boy, very probably his son, Vincent, sitting in a chair posing fo...
Paper, Gouache
"Joni" - Mid Century Modern Portrait of a Girl in Yellow Dress in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
"Joni" - Portrait of a Girl in a Yellow Dress in Oil on Canvas Skillful portrait of a young girl by Morris Zirlin (American, 1913-1990). A young girl with wide brown eyes poses for ...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$822Sale Price|30% Off
Portrait of a Boy with Teddy Bear oil on canvas painting
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Author: Bernard Leemker (Groningen, 1899 – 1990) Title: Portrait of a Boy with Teddy Bear Date: 1984 Technique: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 55 × 45 cm — 21.7 × 17.7 in Support / Mounti...
Oil
$72Sale Price|20% Off
Francis Bacon 'Portrait of Michel Leiris', 2017, Vintage
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This is a reproduction of a Francis Bacon's painting Portrait of Michel Leiris, originally created in 1976. This work is a notable example of Bacon's ability to capture the psycholog...
Offset
Manner of Marcel Vertes Portrait of a Lady Oil Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
Mid century, manner of Marcel Vertes, 20th century painter, printmaker and illustrator.
Canvas, Oil
$2,500
Sephardic Jewish Men Vibrant Judaica Vintage Oil Painting Israeli Artist Goldman
Located in Surfside, FL
This depicts Middle Eastern jewish men of Sefardic descent. At least one appears to be a Rabbi. ALBERT GOLDMAN Born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1922, Albert Goldman started drawing and ...
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of Woman with Fuchsia, Early 20th Century Still Life
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Woman with FUCHSIA, 1935 Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right 31.75 x 27 inches 37 x 32.25 inches, framed Untitled Still Life ver...
Oil
Polish Jewish Chassidic Rabbi Judaica Art Oil Painting Konstantin Szewczenko
Located in Surfside, FL
Konstanty Szewczenko (1910-1991), signed oil Judaica Oil Painting, Chassidic Rebbe, Polish. Frame: 17 X 15.25 Image: 11.5 X 9.5 Konstantin Shevchenko studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Warsaw in the years 1927 - 1928. Then, in 1932 he studied painting under the guidance of Kowarski and Pruszkowski at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. Practiced easel painting, mostly judaic hassidic rabbi portraits, genre scenes. Among others, a portrait Moscicki, Rydz - Rydz, and after the war Rokossowski.He worked as a set designer. In the years 1934 - 1935 was production designer Variety Theatre. He collaborated with publishing houses with illustrations. He exhibited in Warsaw, Poland, Vienna, Austria and New York. In 1947 he took part in Exhibition Independent Artists Group) and abroad (solo exhibition at the Gallery G. Tomalsky in New York, 1964) . He is one of many great Jewish Polish artists that included Leopold Gottlieb, Maurycy Gottlieb, Henryk Hechtkopf, Leopold Pilichowski, Isidor Kaufmann, Lazar krestin, Alois Heinrich Priechenfried and Itshak Holtz. His works are in the collection of the Museum of the Polish Army. He was an Polish, Austro-Hungarian painter of Jewish themes...
Canvas, Oil
$5,500
Modern Cubist Inspired Male Portrait Painting of a Bearded Man with a Red Tie
Located in Houston, TX
Modern Cubist inspired portrait painting by the iconic Houston based artist David Adickes. The work features a male figure wearing a white jacket, blue shirt, and red tie. Signed in ...
Acrylic
$2,114Sale Price|25% Off
Ballerina - Oil Paint by Miroslava Vrbová-Štefková - mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Dancer is a beautiful oil on panel realized by Vrbová-Štefková in the mid-20th Century. Signed and framed, 60 x 50 cm. Good condition.
Canvas, Oil
$788Sale Price|20% Off
Rare New York City Oil Portrait by Modernist Artist Lisa Mangor, ca 1940’s
Located in Baltimore, MD
This is a highly stylized portrait of a lady by known and listed artist Lisa Mangor. Ms.Mangor was born in Russia in 1890 and came to New York likely around the beginning of World W...
Oil
Early Modern American Portrait, Pennsylvania/Massachusetts, Frank Anderson Trapp
Located in Baltimore, MD
This is a very stylized and powerful portrait by the noted artist Frank Anderson Trapp. It is dated 1940, and is very much in the modern style of French painters Ferdinand Leger...
Oil
$537Sale Price|20% Off
Posed Female Nude Pencil Sketch 20th Modernist Century Drawing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nude Male Sketch by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century size: 25.5 x 19.75 inches pencil drawing on thin paper, unframed condition: very good and ready to enjoy with a sma...
Pencil
$387Sale Price|25% Off
Portrait of Young Woman - Painting by Francesco Settimj - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on wooden panel realized by Francesco Settimj in 1930s. Good condition.
Oil
$1,084Sale Price|20% Off
Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series IX
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series IX", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an inter...
Canvas, Oil, Board
"Georgia Moonshiner, c. 1935" by Athos Menaboni (1895-1990) American WPA Era Oil
Located in Yardley, PA
A fantastic WPA-era painting of a Georgia moonshiner by famed Italian-American artist Athos Menaboni (1895-1990). This work depicts an older man sporting a brown hat, brown jacket, ...
Masonite, Oil
$4,200
Young Swimmer (Modern, Academic Style Portrait Painting in Antique Gold Frame)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative oil on canvas painting of a young athletic male 24 x 20 inches, 29.5 x 23.5 inches vintage gold painted wood frame signed B. Sargeant in red in upper right hand corner T...
Oil, Canvas
$1,039Sale Price|20% Off
Prisms of Identity: A Portrait Series I
Located in London, GB
'Prisms of Identity: A Portrait Series I', Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This new collection represents some of the most appealing works we have acquired to date from our Flor...
Canvas, Acrylic, Board
$2,850
Modernist Portrait of St. Francis, Original Oil on Canvas, Signed Tarmo Pasto
By Tarmo Pasto
Located in Soquel, CA
Modernist Portrait of St. Francis, Oil on Canvas, Signed Compelling modernist oil on canvas portrait of St. Francis by Dr. Tarmo Pasto (American, 1906-1986). Presented in a taupe pa...
Canvas, Oil
"Portrait of Miss Cacheux" by Armand Cacheux - Oil on Canvas - 65x80 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Artwork sold with frame (92 x 76.5 cm) Armand Cacheux (1868–1965) was a Swiss painter and engraver born in Geneva. He studied at the Geneva School of Fine Arts under Barthélemy Menn...
Canvas, Oil
$8,150
The Blue Dress Young Woman Oil on Canvas Painting by Maurice Ehlinger
By Maurice Ambroise Ehlinger
Located in Atlanta, GA
Maurice Ambroise Ehlinger (1896–1981) — Portrait of Mademoiselle France Noël, 1957. Radiating timeless Parisian elegance, this exceptional mid-century oil on canvas by noted French p...
Canvas
$683Sale Price|20% Off
20th Cent French Modernist Oil Painting Captivating Portrait Woman Black Dress
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Woman in a Black Dress by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century 10.5 x 9.5 inches oil on canvas, unframed condition: very good and ready to enjoy provenance: f...
Oil
Polish Jewish Art, The Rabbi, Judaica Oil Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
Konstanty Swewczenko (1910-1991), signed oil Judaica Oil Painting, Polish. Konstantin Shevchenko studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Warsaw in the years 1927 - 1928. Then, in 19...
Canvas, Oil
$976Sale Price|20% Off
Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XII
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XII", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing art professor from the Istituto di Arte di Porta Romana, Florence, Italy. The professor released works of artists whom he mentored over the years. We are unsure who painted the series we acquired as several are just signed, 'Giacomo', or, left completely unsigned, yet many are clearly by the same artist. This one is in good overall condition and has been newly framed with a French-style linen slip. The canvas is textural like one of the vintage maps...
Canvas, Oil
$1,017
JEAN MARC (1949-2019) 20th CENTURY FRENCH MODERNIST PAINTING - PORTRAIT OF FACE
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Portrait" by Jean Marc (French 1949-2019) watercolour on artist paper signed and dated 97' double sided painting: 12.5 x 9.5 inches provenance: private collection, South of Fran...
Watercolor
$564Sale Price|20% Off
Posed Male Nude Pencil Sketch 20th Modernist Century Drawing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nude Male Sketch by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century size: 25.5 x 19.75 inches pencil drawing on thin paper, unframed condition: very good and ready to enjoy provenance...
Pencil
$570
A Charming Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Young Man by Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A Charming, 1960s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Young Man by Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). With wonderful expressionist brushwork and a vibrant palette, the painting most like...
Oil, Masonite
René Mels (1909-1977) Portrait of a young man, oil on canvas signed
Located in Paris, FR
René Mels (1909-1977) Portrait of a young man, signed lower right oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm Framed : 77.5 x 64.5 This impressive portrait is obviously tou...
Oil