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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
Modernist Portrait of a Child by NY Artist Syril Frank
Located in New York, NY
Syril Frank (American, 1929-2021) Untitled, c. 1960s Oil on canvas 35 7/8 x 23 3/4 x 3/4 in. Provenance: Estate of the Artist Syril Harriet Frank was born in Brooklyn to Israel and...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Child - Painting - 1933
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on canvas realized by an unknown italian painter in 1933. Hand monogrammed and dated lower right. Good condition except for some craquelure.
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

1950's Modernist/ Cubist Painting - Man Playing Tuba
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French Landscape by Bernard Labbe (French mid 20th century) original watercolour on artist paper, unframed size: 11.75 x 8 inches condition: very good and ready to be enjoyed. prov...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

A Cherub with a Future Prime Minister Inside
Located in San Francisco, CA
The biggest surprise for new parents is how much their child’s personality is already baked-in at birth. Croatian painter Vilko Šeferov responded to this toddler’s innate intensity i...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1950s "Cubed Figures on Bench" Mid Century Figurative Gouache Original Painting
Located in Arp, TX
Donald Stacy "Cubed Figures on Bench" c.1950s Gouache paint on paper site 19"x15.75" black wood frame 21.5"x1"x18.25" Unsigned Came from artist's estate ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

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 watercolor/gouache painting on paper overall size: 111.75 x 8.5 inches condition: very good and ready to ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"Whisper of a Blooming Dream"
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Whisper of a Blooming Dream” is a work of art that reveals the subtle facets of sensuality, where passion is combined with tenderness. In the center of the picture is a woman gracef...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Rejuvenation
Located in Kansas City, MO
Stella Jae Rejuvenation 2023 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemuehle Baryta Rag 315gsm Size: 24.01 x 24.01 inches (61 x 61cm) Edition: 15 Signed, titled and dated on label COA provided...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Rag Paper, Archival Pigment

Portrait of a Young Man Sitting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Rendered with the casual elegance of a mid-century society woman’s portrait slated for her Palm Beach master suite, the subject in this work is instead a young man. The artist's sign...
Category

1950s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Reclined Nude - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Reclined Nude with Parrot is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s. Oil on canvas Beautiful and representative artwork depicting a reclin...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Cosmological abstraction n.5" by Salvador Aulestia (Barcelona 1915-Milano 1994)
Located in Milano, MI
Salvador was one of Spain's first abstract painters, exhibiting work in this style as early as 1946 in Barcelona. Subsequently he went through many painting styles, from Fauvism to P...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"A Cozy Conversation Without Words"
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting evokes a quiet, cozy atmosphere, where a young woman enjoys the peace of a home evening in the company of her beloved cat. Her gaze, turned to the side, seems to catch i...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"The Day Rises", Nude Laying Woman in Transparent Cloth Figurative Painting
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
This is a painting with mixed media collage by French artist Françoise Collandre. A graduate from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Métiers d'Ar...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media

Evening Temptation
Located in Zofingen, AG
Evening Temptation" is a painting that captures the sensual notes of a cozy evening. At the heart of the composition lies a vase with flowers, sculpted in the form of a woman's body...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Bearded man by William Goliasch - Oil on canvas
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on canvas Gilded wood frame 41 x 30,2 x 2,5 cm
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Blade sharpening" by Marie Désiré Bourgoin - Watercolor
Located in Geneva, CH
French water painter Work on paper Gilded wooden frame 42,5 x 34 x 1,5 cm
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Portrait of Harriet Toby, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
Located in Dallas, TX
Donald Vogel’s paintings reflect his interest in seeking beauty in life and in sharing pleasure with his viewers. Vogel entreats us to "rejoice and celebrate each new day, knowing it...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

The Dancer's Spirit. Mikhail Baryshnikov
Located in Zofingen, AG
This vivid portrait captures ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov in a moment of poised strength and grace. Rendered with a vivid and expressive palette, the painting highlights Barysh...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Kevin's playmate
Located in Dallas, TX
Donald Vogel’s paintings reflect his interest in seeking beauty in life and in sharing pleasure with his viewers. Vogel entreats us to "rejoice and celebrate each new day, knowing it...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Artist Self Portrait in an Orange Sweater - Fauvist Portrait
Located in Soquel, CA
Boldly colored portrait of a the artist sketching by California artist Richard "Don" Klopfer (1920-2009). The seated figure is juxtaposed to a fun and vibrant two-toned background of...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

Carnival by Stéphanie Guerzoni - Oil on cardboard
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on canvas board Brown wooden frame with glass pane 66,5 x 56,5 x 3 cm
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Seated Female Figure - Oil Paint by Domenico Morelli - 19th century
Located in Roma, IT
Seated female figure is original oil painting on panel realized by the artist Domenico Morelli (1823-1901). Hand signed overleaf. Stamp "Galleri...
Category

19th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Soul mates
Located in Zofingen, AG
The majestic presence of a lion, depicted with a vibrant, expressive palette and bold brushstrokes, captures the essence of deep mental and emotional connections. The lion's command...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Contemplation and Purring
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Contemplation and Purring" captures a serene moment of harmony between a relaxed young woman and two playful cats. The woman, in gentle repose, embodies tranquility and introspecti...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Abstract Expressionist Artists Self Portrait
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract Expressionist Self Portrait in Black and Grey Dynamic self portrait by Michael William Eggleston (American, b. 1948). Greyscale acrylic paint on paper. Unsigned, but acquire...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Laid Paper

Portrait of Young Giuseppe Garibaldi - Oil on Copper - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of young Garibaldi is mixed colored painting realized by Anonymous artist of the XIX century. Oil on copper. Rare portrait of a young Garibaldi. Includes frame 39 x 3 x 29.
Category

19th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Copper

Portrait of a child carrying a carafe
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas Molded frame in plaster and gilded wood 76 x 56 x 7 cm
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Romy: Contemporary Mixed Media Figurative Painting by John Emanuel
Located in Brecon, Powys
John Emanuel embarking on a series of works using new life models. Unusual for a artist who has over the last 40 years only had 3 previous sitters. Now working with Sarah Jane and Ro...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Gouache, ABS

"Modernist Portrait" Mid-20th Century Spanish Oil Painting on Canvas Framed
Located in New York, NY
A strong modernist oil painting depicted in the 1940's by Spanish painter Julio Moises. Mostly known for his abstract figures on canvas, this piece is a w...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"American Geisha" - Figurative Portrait in Oil on Linen
Located in Soquel, CA
"American Geisha" - Figurative Portrait in Oil on Linen Modern portrait of a woman by American painter, Patricia Gren Hayes (b. 1932). The woman is s...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen, Stretcher Bars

Myself as a Big Boss in New York - Large Figurative Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
Fine large 20th century oil on canvas self portrait of the artist as a Big Boss in New York. Inscribed twice with title on the reverse. Excellent quality work by an unknown artist. P...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1970s Modern Figurative -- Madre del Mundo
By Rodrigo Ramirez Pimentel
Located in Soquel, CA
Evocative modern figurative painting of a mother and family in a calming but somber palette by Rodrigo Ramirez Pimentel (Mexican, b. 1945), 1973. Imprimatura and impasto reveals artist's first take had mother looking out at world (can be seen when viewed at side angle) with artist ultimately deciding to have mother looking down at what she's carrying with family behind her and one figure looking like angel of death. Signed and dated "R. P. -73" lower right corner. Unframed. Image size: 36"H x 24"W. Born in Zináparo, Michoacán in 1945, Rodrigo Pimentel is one of the most talented Michoacan artists whose career is well known to many specialists in Mexican art. His work is part of the Permanent Collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City and other important collections in Mexico and the world. Rodrigo Pimentel studied at the ENAP, and became a pupil of several teachers who were still struggling for classical academic education: Santos Balmori, Francisco Moreno Capdevila...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Woman in the Morning Sun - Large Scale Portrait in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Woman in the Morning Sun - Large Scale Portrait in Oil on Canvas Modern portrait of a woman by American painter, Patricia Gren Hayes (b. 1932). The portrait is close-up and off-cent...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Partial Nude with Hat
Located in Kansas City, MO
Daniel Brennan Title: Partial Nude with Hat Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 1969 Size: 51 x 31.75 inches Framed in a simple wooden frame (52 x 32.25 x 1 inc...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Jerusalem Hasidic Family Oil Painting Israeli Judaica Yossi Stern Bezalel School
Located in Surfside, FL
Jossi Stern Hungarian Israeli 1923- 1992) Untitled (Figures, Chassidic Family, Father and Sons), Oil on canvas, Hand signed lower right, Provenance: gallery label (Safrai Art Gall...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Grandmother
Located in Kansas City, MO
Lee Heinemann Grandmother Acrylic on Canvas Year: 2007 Size: 16in diameter, 0.5in deep Signed and dated by hand on verso COA provided Ref.: 924802-1704 Tags: Portrait, Vibrant, Drip...
Category

Early 2000s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Grandmother
Grandmother
$588 Sale Price
21% Off
Sabine
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas Golden wooden frame 69.5 x 60.5 x 3.5 cm
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Heavy Impasto Portrait of a Man Expressionist Piece "Tally Ho"
Located in Soquel, CA
Heavy Impasto Portrait of a Man Expressionist Piece by Harald Dry Schmidt Abstract expressionist portrait of a man with his hand raised by California artist Harald "Harry" Dry Schmi...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Portrait, Two Women, Oil on Canvas
Located in Surfside, FL
From the late 1920s to the eve of World War II, Anton Vorauer was an art professor at the Vienna Fine Art Academy. While painting at the Parthenon during the Nazi invasion of Greece,...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Model with Swan - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Model with swan is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s. Oil on plywood. Beautiful and representative artwork of a female figure. Anton...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

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

Figure in the shadow - Oil Painting on Canvas by N. Gattamelata -1968
Located in Roma, IT
Figure in the shadow is an original modern artwork realized by N. Gattamelata in 1968. Mixed colored oil on canvas Includes frame Hand signed and dated on the back.
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a lady
Located in Wien, 9
In elegant clothing and a pompous hat, the lady looks out from the side of the picture. The narrow neckline and the sideways positioning create a strict and controlled impression. Th...
Category

1910s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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. 
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lady with Fur - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Lady with fur is an original modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s. Mixed colored oil painting on canvas. Includes frame 110x3x79 cm Not signed. Antonio Feltrin...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paint, 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

Kostacis with his hummingbirds Figurative popular scene in a Renaissance setting
Located in Segovia, ES
Kostacis with his hummingbirds. Figurative popular scene in Renaissance atmosphere. Acrylic on canvas. Dimensions in centimeters 81 x 100 x 2 cm. Framed 105 x 124 x 5 cm. Dimensions In inches: 31.89 x 39.37 x 0.79 " . Framed 41.34 x 48.82 x 1.97 " Kostacis with his hummingbirds. Figurative Popular scene in Renaissance atmosphere. Acrylic on canvas. Outside scene where a group of people seem to experience extraordinary sensations surrounded by hummingbirds. In an urban environment with a Renaissance flair, the characters, dressed in original clothes of plural inspiration, seem to react ecstatically by the effects of the hummingbirds, which Kostacis seems to have under control with his wealthy and wise aura. The studied composition, the chromatic harmony, and the subtlety of the design of all the elements that make up the scene, give this painting a classic beauty. The author adds to all this his own brushstrokes of fine humor that wrap the whole theme in a casual irony, the same which surrounds all the stories that Igor Fomin...
Category

Early 2000s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Self-Portrait, Modern American Oil Painting by Ben Benn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Benn, Polish/American (1884 - 1983) Title: Self-Portrait Year: circa 1920 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 44 x 30 in. (111.76 x 76.2 cm) ...
Category

1920s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Medusa - Painting by Francesco Settimj - mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on canvas mounted on cardboard. Realized by Francesco Settimj in the mid-20th Century. Hand signed lower right. Good condition except for some minor losses of colors on edges.
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

"The Prestidigitator", Man with Doves and Cards Figurative Acrylic Painting
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
A graduate from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Métiers d'Arts in Paris, Françoise Collandre entered the fine art workshops in the city of Paris in painting and engraving and has ...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Modernist Portrait of St. Francis
Located in Soquel, CA
Modernist Portrait of St. Francis Compelling modernist oil on canvas portrait of St. Francis by Dr. Tarmo Pasto (American, 1906-1986). Presented in a taupe painted wood frame. Signed "Tarmo Pasto" bottom right, and titled "St. Francis" bottom center. Image size, 25.5"H x19.5"L. Dr. Pasto was a long-time contributor to the California art scene, as well as an art teacher and psychologist to many successful artists. He also authored a book on art, "The Space-Frame Experience in Art", published in 1964. He, however, was mainly known to the world for introducing the works of one of his patients, Martin Ramirez...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Framed Watercolor Portrait of Two Women – Figurative Exterior Scene Art
Located in Denver, CO
This vibrant modernist watercolor on paper by Lloyd Moylan features a captivating portrait of two women seated in an outdoor landscape. Richly painted in a harmonious palette of pink...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Portrait of Man, Modern Oil on Canvas Painting by John F. Leonard
Located in Long Island City, NY
Portrait of Man (16) John F. Leonard American (1921–1987) Date: circa 1965 Oil on Canvas, unsigned Size: 16 in. x 12 in. (40.64 cm x 30.48 cm)
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Portrait, Modern Oil on Board Painting by American Artist John F. Leonard
Located in Long Island City, NY
Portrait (52) John F. Leonard American (1921–1987) Date: circa 1965 Oil on Board, unsigned Size: 20 in. x 15 in. (50.8 cm x 38.1 cm)
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Vintage Mid Century Modern Figurative -- Seated Samurai Original Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Vintage Mid Century Modern Figurative -- Seated Samurai Original Oil on Canvas A quiet mood of this warrior is captured by listed California artist Molly E. Brubaker (American, 1922...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Morning Coffee", Portrait of People Street Background Figurative Painting
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Original painting on canvas by French artist Françoise Collandre. A graduate from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Métiers d'Arts in Paris, Françoise Collandre entered the fine a...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Vintage American School Museum Interior "Studying Anatomy" Humorous Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school museum interior oil painting by Nathaniel E. Reich. Oil on board, circa 1940. Signed. Image size, 32L x 24H. Housed in a period wood frame.
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Auto Portrait
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Jirayr Zorthian(1911-2004), went through two Turkish massacres before age eight. He left Turkey at age nine with his family and spent a year in Padua, Italy, waiting for his visa to ...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Helene Sardeau (The Artist’s Wife)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
(Note: This work is part of our exhibition Connected by Creativity: WPA Era Works from the Collection of Leata and Edward Beatty Rowan) Fresco, 20 x 16 inches unframed, 22 x 18 inch...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Plaster, Mixed Media

"Seated Figure with Red Beret" Modern Abstract Figurative Portrait Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Modern abstract figurative portrait painting by Houston, TX artist David Adickes. The work features a central elongated male figure with a well-kept beard dressed in a yellow striped...
Category

Early 2000s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

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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