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Modern Portrait Paintings

MODERN STYLE

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.

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Style: Modern
Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XXI
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XXI", oil on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an inter...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XXV
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XXV", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an inte...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XVII
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XVII", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an int...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XVIII
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XVIII", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an in...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series V
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series V", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an interm...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series VI
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series VI", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an inter...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

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...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XI
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XI", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an inter...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series I (circa 1980s-90s)
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series I", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an interm...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

'Portraits of Timeless Expressions No. 11' Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s)
Located in London, GB
'Portraits of Timeless Expressions No. 11', oil on canvas mounted on board, by Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has ...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Portrait of a Smiling Woman
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of a Smiling Woman', oil on board, by Peter Robert Keil (1983). A cheerful look on the painting's subject puts a smile on the face of the viewer as well. Her beautiful blue eyes express a contentedness suggesting life is good...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

The Reader by Alexandre de Spengler - Oil on canvas 54x73 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Alexandre de Spengler (1893–1973) was a Swiss painter and engraver active in Geneva and Paris. He is known for his land and seascapes, as well as...
Category

1950s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Huge Portrait of a Lady after Modigliani, Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Woman after Modigliani (see details verso) oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 36 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: a few minor scuffs but over...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

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...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Offset

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XXIII
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XXIII", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an in...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Nude with Lace, Pastel Study Painting by Pio Santini
Located in Atlanta, GA
This charming pastel painting on paper was designed by Pio Santini (1908-1986) and named "nude with lace". The signature, Santini, can be found in the bottom left corner of the artwo...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Pastel, Cardboard, Archival Paper

The Lament of Icarus Large Signed Oil Painting on Canvas Mythological Nudes
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
'The Lament of Icarus' Continental School, late 20th century, signed after the original painting by Herbert James Draper oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 36 x 24 inches provenance: ...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XX (circa 1980s-90s)
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XX", oil on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an interm...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Portrait - Painting by Francesco Settimj - mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on canvas realized in the mid-20th Century. Mounted on a stretcher. Good condition.
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Expressions in Bloom: Portraits from the 20th Century III - Florentine School
Located in London, GB
'Expressions in Bloom: Portraits from the 20th Century III', oil on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings thro...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

ballerina pointe shoes
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this delicate composition, the ethereal elegance of ballet is conveyed through the image of pointe shoes against a soft pink background. Pointe shoes, symbols of grace and dedica...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Spanish grape picker oil on canvas painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Lafuente - Grape harvester - Oil on canvas Spanish school signed "Lafuente". Oil measures 61x50 cm. Frameless.
Category

1950s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

English mid century oil painting Portrait of Miniature Black Poodle
Located in Woodbury, CT
English mid century oil painting Portrait of a Miniature Poodle Kate Gray was a British animal portrait painter during the last half of the 20th century. She also painted flower subj...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Early 20th century Art Deco Male nude oil painting of Narcissus
By George Frederick Hinchcliff
Located in Harkstead, GB
An incredibly striking study of the male form with the figure set against a colourful background with stylised organic forms. Attractively framed, the painting is ready to be hung an...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Testing the Water" American Modernist Interior Scene Still Life Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Incredible and rare early American modernist interior scene still life. So finely painted and a very rare and provocative subject for its time. Signed lower left. Handsomely fram...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American Modernist Young Beautiful Framed Woman Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Wonderful American modernist portrait painting. Framed. Oil on canvas. Image size, 20H by 16L.
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Seascape - Painting by Francesco Settimj - mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on wooden panel realized in the mid-20th Century by Fausta Settimj Good condition.
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series VII
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series VII", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an inte...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

A Young Oriental Woman Looking at the Mirror-Oil on Canvas - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
A young woman is an original modern artwork realized in Late 19th Century. Mixed colored oil on canvas. The artwork depicts a young woman with veil and mirror. Unreadible signatur...
Category

19th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Franklin Atwood Park, VP of Singer Mfg. Co.
Located in Soquel, CA
Portrait of Franklin Atwood Park, VP of Singer Mfg. Co. Stately portrait of Franklin Atwood Park by Arthur Trevethin Nowell (British, 1862-1940). Park is sitting for a classical portrait, wearing a suit with a blue bowtie against a dark background. Of particular note are his glasses and moustache, both rendered with expert detail. Park was the VP and Chairman of the Board for Singer Manufacturing Company and Manager of the Singer Division in Scotland when the portrait was commissioned. We show a digital image of a photographic portrait of Franklin. Signed and dated "A T Nowell. 1922" Includes paper with biographical information on the sitter. Frame size: 37.5"H x 32.5"W Canvas size: 30"H x 25"W Arthur Nowell (British, 1862-1940) was born at Garndiffath, near Pontypool, and was the youngest of six children born to the Rev. John Nowell and his wife Mary...
Category

1920s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Portrait - Tempera on Board by Virgilio Guidi - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait is an original artwork realized by Virgilio Guidi in the half of 20th century. Tempera on board Good conditions. Includes frame. Hand-signed on the lower right. Virgili...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Tempera, Board

Vintage American Modernist Woman Portrait Large Oil Painting
By Jared Fitzgerald
Located in Buffalo, NY
Contemporary modernist American portrait oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Measuring 20 by 40 inches.
Category

1990s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Woman in the Style of Modigliani in Acrylic (Red Background)
Located in Soquel, CA
Portrait of a Woman in the Style of Modigliani in Acrylic (Red Background) Portrait of a woman in the style of Amedeo Modigliani by an unknown artist (20th century). The woman has d...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Illustration Board

Reclining Nude Woman with Cat Painting by Charles Burdick
By Charles Burdick
Located in New York, NY
Charles Burdick (1924 - 2016) Untitled (Reclining Nude) Oil on paper (?) Sight: 7 x 10 1/4 in. Framed: 14 x 16 1/4 x 3/4 in. Signed lower right: Burdick Excellent midcentury style r...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Boy with Duffle Coat - Original hansigned oil on paper
Located in Paris, IDF
Rene GENIS (1922-2004) Boy with Duffle Coat Original watercolor and oil painting on paper Signed bottom middle 31 x 23 cm (c. 12 x 9 inch) Excellent condition
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

1960's Portrait of Parisian Lady in Pearls & Black Dress Signed Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Mrs Helene Kernel, Paris 1964" by Jacques Falcou (French 1912-1975) signed, titled and dated verso oil on canvas, framed in original period French frame framed: 30.5 x 25 inches can...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

1950s "Purple Head" Mid Century Oil and Pastel Portrait Original Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
Donald Stacy "Purple Head" c.1950s Gouache and oil pastel on paper 13.75" x 17" unframed Unsigned Came from artist's estate Donald Stacy (1925-2008) New Jersey Studied: Newark School of Fine Art The Art Students League Pratt Graphic Arts Center University of Paris 1953-54 University of Aix-en-Provence 1954-55 Faculty: Art Department of the New School Museum of Modern Art School of Visual Arts Stacy Studio Workshop Exhibitions: Grand Central Moderns George Wittenborn The New School Print Exhibitions, Chicago University of Oklahoma Honolulu Museum Monclair Museum Wisconsin State College Louisiana Art Commission Philadelphia Print...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel, Gouache

Abstract Figure - Painting by Behçet Safa - 1960s
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Figure is an original contemporary artwork realized by the artist Behçet Safa (1934-2018). Mixed colored oil on canvas. Hand signed and dated on the back.
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paint, Oil

Antique American Modernist Framed Young Woman Portrait Social Realist Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nicely painted American school modernist portrait. Oil on canvas. Framed. Ready to hang excellent condition.
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Contemporary Modernist Naïve Style Portrait Oil Painting - Welsh Lady in Purple
Located in Bristol, GB
WELSH LADY IN PURPLE Size: 25.5 x 20.5 cm (including frame) Oil on board A small and engaging portrait composition , painted in a naïve style in oil onto panel, by British artist Ma...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Abundance of Blooms with Grapes and Roses Still Life Large Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abundance of Blooms with Grapes and Roses Continental School, late 20th century most likely a pastiche work after an earlier composition oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 36 x 24 inch...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

1970 Haitian Mod Gold Painting Portrait of African American Woman Emilcar Simil
By Emilcar Similien (SIMIL)
Located in Surfside, FL
Feu de Joie 1970 hand signed and dated. Measurements: 25.75 X 25.75 Framed. Image is 23.75 X 23.75 Emilcar Similien, known as Simil was born in 1944 in St. Marc. He finished elementary school in St. Marc and high school in Port-au-Prince. From 1965 until 1971 he studied at the Academy of Beaux-Arts in Port-au-Prince, where he took courses in painting, sculpture, and art history. Simil uses his images of women only as means for displaying patterns, color, and the sparkle of gold jewelry on black skin. He paints with acrylics on Masonite of any size. His surfaces are smooth and polished. Simil delights in beauty, elegance, and grace. This is done in a silhouette style reminiscent of Kara Walker. Emilcar Simil (Similcar) is known for Acrylic painting in high colors of black skinned female figures. He is of the generation of Haitian artists that include Bernard Sejourne, Prospere Pierre-Louis, Levoy Exil, Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Henri Calixte, Paul Dieuseul, Laurent Casimir, Frantz Zephirin, Denis Smith, Philton Latortue, Philome Obin, Préfète Duffaut, Fernand Pierre...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic Polymer, Acrylic

Lady Portrait by Alexandre de Spengler - Oil on canvas 46x38 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Alexandre de Spengler (1893–1973) was a Swiss painter and engraver active in Geneva and Paris. He is known for his land and seascapes, as well as...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Harlem Renaissance Signed Ellis Original Abstract Portrait Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract painting. Oil on board, circa 1940. Signed. Image size 22L x 30H. Housed in a period modern frame.
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Figure Study" Joseph Solman, Blue and Sepia, Pastel Colors Seated Study
Located in New York, NY
Joseph Solman Figure Study, circa 1959-60 Signed with initials lower left Gouache on Racing Form newspaper Sight 9 x 7 inches Provenance Private Collection, Montecito, California Pr...
Category

1950s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache, Newsprint

Mother and Child
Located in San Francisco, CA
This modern mid-century composition of mother and child is by Fernando Oramas (1925-2016.) It is an interesting composition, with the mother in side profile and her child staring ahead at the viewer. The painting is composed of oil on canvas and measures 18” x 14” (24” x 20” framed). It is signed in the lower right. On the reverse is Oramas’ name and address in Mexico. Oramas lived in Mexico in the 1950s and 1960s and this painting appears to date from that time, based on the style and the frame. The painting is in very good condition. The distressed wood frame goes very well with the painting. It is in fair to good condition, with some light scuffs on the edges that allow the wood color to show through the grey stain of the frame as well as a very small bit of separation between the pieces of the frame. Please look at the signature photo for a good image of a section of the frame. Oramas had a major exhibition of his work in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2016. Oramas studied at the School of Fine Arts of the National University, located in the old convent of Santa Clara, in the Center of Bogotá, where he met teachers, trained in renowned academies in Europe. Ignacio Gómez...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

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...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Modern British portrait of a Bassett Hound in oils
Located in Woodbury, CT
Wonderful late 20th century portrait of a Bassett Hound dog. Painted in England circa 1996 the artist was capable of painting the most amazing character in this portrait. Oils on...
Category

1990s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Side Show Barker - Original Modernist American Fair Scene Oil Painting
Located in Marco Island, FL
From the Michael Hall Collection, this is a great American scene showing the excitement of the fair. It depicts a time when men wore coats and ties and women had hats at the fair be...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mother and Child II
Located in London, GB
'Mother and Child II', watercolour on fine art paper (1970), by Raymond Debiève. In a clear nod to Picasso's influence both stylistically and in terms of subject matter (Picasso pain...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

'Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Tie' French School (1956)
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of a Young Man in a Red Tie', gouache and ink on art paper, French School (1956). Step into the world of mid-20th century European art with a striking portrait that capture...
Category

1950s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Gouache

Expressions in Bloom: Portraits from the 20th Century XIV - Florentine School
Located in London, GB
'Expressions in Bloom: Portraits from the 20th Century XIV', oil on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings thro...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

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...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Frida
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting "Frida" explores the depths of the human soul through the image of the renowned Mexican artist. Inspired by Frida Kahlo's unique personality, this piece conveys her com...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Young Woman - Painting by Francesco Settimj - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on canvas mounted on board, realized by Francesco Settimj in 1930s. Good condition.
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

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.
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique Early American Signed Female Modernist Portrait Original NY Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist portrait oil painting by Salpi Miriam Mavian (Born 1908). Oil on canvas, circa 1930. Signed. Displayed in a giltwoo...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Modern portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Modern 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 blue, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Kevin Foote, Alkis Matheos, Robert Chapman, and Albert Decaris. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Modern portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 2 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 $800,000, while the average work sells for $2,250.

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