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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
Portrait of William James, 1949 Oil on Board by John F. Leonard
Located in Long Island City, NY
Portrait of William James (39) John F. Leonard American (1921–1987) Date: 1949 Oil on Board Size: 16 in. x 12 in. (40.64 cm x 30.48 cm)
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Portrait of African Woman
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Woman in the Garden - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Woman in the Garden is an original modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s. Includes frame: 98 x 4 x 68 cm Mixed colored oil painting on board Antonio Feltrinelli (Milan, 1887 – Gargnano, 1942) He was born in Milan on June 1, 1887 to Giovanni Feltrinelli, the nephew of Giacomo, who was the founder of the Feltrinelli partnership. Feltrinelli was not only a prominent figure in the Italian economic and financial field, but he was also a painter, who was characterized as a strong, impetuous hot colorist, and preferred still lifes, portraits and landscapes. He started his career in 1930 at La Permanente (Milan), where he exhibited a portrait and a still life that won him the Fornara award. That same year, Feltrinelli exhibited his work at the Venice Biennial and at the Pesaro Gallery in Milan. Together with other prominent avant-garde artists, he participated in various foreign exhibitions on modern Italian painting...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Clown, Modernist Oil Painting on Board WPA Artist
Located in Surfside, FL
This portrait of a clown by Maurice Kish is part from a series of carnival figures, circus clowns and carousel horses and riders that he did in the 30s and 40s. The artist uses a vib...
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Mystery Modernist Italian Artist Portrait of a Woman in Hat
Located in New York, NY
Mystery Italian Artist Untitled (Portrait of a Woman With Hat), 1985 Oil on canvas 31 1/2 x 23 3/4 in. Framed: 33 x 25 x 3/4 in. Signed an...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Solace of My Native Land - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women, Africa
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (issued by The Gal...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Fabric, Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pencil

Abstract Gestural 'Elmo' Acrylic Painting, 2022
Located in New York, NY
‘Elmo’ unique painting is a playful bright representation of the sesame street character. Rondinone warps his subject matter intentionally, bringing a new dimension to beloved charac...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Small Dark Grey Abstract Expressionist Figurative Portrait Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Small dark grey abstract expressionist painting of a figure's face by Dick Wray. The painting is currently unframed. Artist Biography: Dick Wray, a native Houstonian, born in Heigh...
Category

1990s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

Innocence - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Figurative, Women, Africa
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (issued by The Gal...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Framed Portrait Oil Painting - Paul
Located in Bristol, GB
PAUL Size: 58.5 x 53 cm (including frame) Oil on canvas A striking and expressive mid-century portrait painting, executed in oil onto canvas. The composition depicts a male figure ...
Category

1950s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1947 Modernist Family Portrait Gouache by Lewis Lee Tilley, Framed Artwork
Located in Denver, CO
Ortez (Modernist Family Portrait) is a vibrant 1947 abstract gouache on paper by American artist Lewis Lee Tilley (1921–2005). This dynamic composition captures a family of five seat...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Portrait of a Girl - Original Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of a girl is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s. Original oil on plywood. Beautiful and representative work of a female fi...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Plywood, Oil

Portrait of a Girl, Oil Portrait Painting by Jan de Ruth
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jan De Ruth, Czech (1922 - 1991) Title: Portrait of a Girl Year: circa 1964 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.l. Size: 14 in. x 10 in. (35.56 cm x 25.4 cm) Frame Size: 21 x 17...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Painting of Young Boy
Located in San Francisco, CA
Portrait painting of young boy by California listed artist Virginia Sevier Rogers 1952 Oil on Canvas Signed and dated lower right 22" W x 27" H unframed, 30" W x 35" H framed
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

La femme aux fleurs (Portrait de Mathilde See)
Located in New Orleans, LA
Paul César Helleu is regarded among the most sought-after society portraitists of his era, and his Belle Époque works rival those of his contemporaries John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini. He is best remembered for capturing the era's most beautiful socialites, including Consuelo Vanderbilt, the Duchess of Marlborough, the Comtesse de Loriol Chandieu and the Comtesse Mathieu de Noailles, among others. This work, however, stands out in that it captures the charming likeness of one of his art world cohorts, Mathilde See, a Parisian-born decorator and painter of floral still lifes. She is the essence of the modern woman, captured in her fashionable dress as she strolls along the flower-lined streets of Paris. Commanding in size, Portrait de Mathilde See fully displays Helleu's mastery over the medium of pastel. The muted palette of greys and blues is typical of the artist, bringing a harmony and cohesiveness to the composition. Furthermore, Helleu cleverly alludes to See's own artistic output with a backdrop of vibrant floral blooms, enlivening the canvas and complementing the greens and blues of the peacock feather adorning her hat. The portrait is all the more significant thanks to its provenance. It was previously in the collection of A. Alfred Taubman, one of America's most successful entrepreneurs and one-time owner of Sotheby's. Considering Taubman encountered some of the most noteworthy and beautiful works of art ever made through his auction house, the fact that he chose this portrait by Helleu to grace his collection is a testament to its import. Born in Brittany in 1859, Helleu moved to Paris in 1876 in order to study at the École des Beaux-Arts. Like so many other artists of his generation, he was trained there under the Academic master Jean-Léon Gérôme. That same year, he also attended the Second Impressionist Exhibition...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Linen, Pastel

America impressionist portrait young boy 1937 Modern Figurative Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
A fantastic modern portrait of a young boy. This work is signed what appears to be Paul Sellers and dated 1937, but we have not found information on the artist. The work dated 1936...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

I adore your boogies-woogies. Figurative painting with popular dancers and music
Located in Segovia, ES
I love your “Boogies-woogies”, (Adoro tus "Bugisvugis"). Figurative painting with popular dancers and musicians. Acrylic on canvas. Measurements in centimeters: 97 x 130 x 3 cm. Fram...
Category

Early 2000s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

John and Caroline Kennedy, Oil Painting on Canvas by Carlos Irizarry
Located in Long Island City, NY
A touching portrait by Puerto Rico born American artist, Carlos Irizarry depicting Caroline Kennedy, five years old, resting on the shoulder of her fa...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1947 Expressionist Oil Painting Flute Player Musician Boris Deutsch WPA Artist
Located in Surfside, FL
Boris Deutsch (American Lithuanian Russian, 1892-1978) "The Flute Player," 1947 Oil paint on canvas, Hand signed and dated upper left, Provenance: gallery label (Pasadena Art Museu...
Category

1920s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage Large Signed American Modernist Interior Scene Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist signed portrait oil painting by Sidney Gross (1921 - 1969). Oil on canvas. Signed.
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Girl “Iiris”
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting embodies a deep connection between humanity and nature. The woman seems to personify the iris, highlighting that humans are part of nature and that the beauty of the nat...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

How Sure Can You Be? McCall's Magazine Illustration of Loving Couple
Located in Miami, FL
Alexander Sharpe Ross - or Alex Ross. This work is a perfect artistic statement with every formal element in perfect harmony. It's a masterf...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Gouache

An Introspective, Modern 1940s Portrait of a Seated Young 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 ...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Couple on the balcony. Large format young woman and man portrait.
Located in Segovia, ES
"Couple on the balcony" is an interior scene of a young woman and a young man sitting comfortably watching the street from their balcony. Oil on canvas by Spanish artist Alfredo Rold...
Category

Early 2000s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

L'Atelier Mourlot by Fernand Leger
Located in New York, NY
This colorful lithographic poster was printed in 1982 at the Atelier Mourlot in Paris was printed for an exhibition of Atelier Mourlot prints in Tokyo at Seibu Department Stores, 198...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Dancer 1969. Oil on canvas, 92.5x92.5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Dancer 1969. Oil on canvas, 92,5x92,5 cm The artist's portrayal of the dancer captures the grace and elegance associated with ballet. The ballerina's pose and body language convey ...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage Mid-Century Modern Nude Figurative Portrait Oil Painting - Angela
Located in Bristol, GB
ANGELA Size: 69 x 58 cm (including frame) Oil on Board A brilliantly executed mid-century modernist style figurative nude composition, painted in oil onto board. The focal point of...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Clown, Early 20th Century Playful Oil Painting on Board
Located in Surfside, FL
This portrait of a clown by Maurice Kish is part from a series of carnival figures, circus clowns and carousel horses and riders that he did in the 30s and 40s. The artist uses a vibrant color palette and controlled brushstrokes to depict the subject in a realistic way. The imagery of Maurice Kish (1895-1987), whether factories or carousels, reliably subverts expectations. His vision hovers just around the unraveling edge of things, where what is solid and clear becomes ambiguous. He is fascinated, often delighted, by the falling apart. This unexpected, fresh perspective results in oddly affecting pictures of a now long-gone New York. Born Moishe in a town called Dvinsk, Russia (what is now Daugavpils, Latvia), Kish came with his family to New York when he was in his teens. The family settled in Brownsville, and for the rest of Kish’s life Brooklyn remained his home, though he moved from one neighborhood to another. He was close to his parents, who recognized his talent and supported his desire to become an artist. Kish attended the National Academy of Design as well as Cooper Union. His fellow students included many other immigrants and children of immigrants who were particularly receptive to the Modernism coming from Europe. As his career progressed, Kish himself applied different strains of Modernism to different purposes. For him, the story was held above all else. For years, Kish used the skills he acquired in art school to earn his living at a Manhattan glass...
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Man in Red and Blue" Mid 20th Century Portrait Painting Dated 1959
Located in Rochester, NY
Modernist portrait of a young man in rich reds and blues. Signed on reverse H. Friedlander, 1959. Oil on board. Unframed.
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Lady - Mid Century French Figurative Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
A beautiful mid 20th century french modernist oil on board portrait of a lady. Excellent quality and condition figurative work and ever so decorative! Presented in a carved wood fram...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Reflections on the ballet. 1986, canvas, cardboard, oil, 60x80 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Reflections on the ballet. 1970, canvas, cardboard, oil, 60x80 cm Laimdots Murnieks (1922-2011) studied at Cesis and Jelgava teachers’ institutes (1938 – 44). He graduated from the ...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Golden Flute, Acrylic Oil , Charcoal on Canvas by Master Indian Artist “In Stock"
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Shuvaprasanna Bhattacharya - Golden Flute - 25 x 25 inches (unframed size) Acrylic & Charcoal on Canvas Should you wish to receive it framed and ready to hang it would measure approximately 31 x 31 inches and cost 500 usd to ship . One of the most popular series of the Master Artist, The Golden Flute is the artists more romantic rendition of Art. The iconic figures of Krishna, Radha, and Ganesha that found lyrical expression in the Icons series are modern representations and sophisticated idealizations of the same images in the popular media. Krishna is a cosmic musician, and the tune he creates by playing his transcendental flute is embodied with cosmic energy. When Krishna is depicted as being between the age of 5 and 8, it is always with his flute. Therefore, during this period, he is aptly called Murlidhara (murali means “flute,” and dhara means “hold”), signifying the one who holds the flute. He is never without it, whether he is with his mother, on the grazing grounds with his herd of cows, among his cowherd companions or roaming around on the Jamuna banks. Gopis lose their selves in this tune. For them, music becomes the voice of love, which is too passionate and secretive. Style : The city of Kolkata has always figured prominently in his work. His themes come from his personal interactions with its urban milieu - its sickness and sordidness, its violence and vulnerability and all that compounds its existential agony. Shuvaprasanna has depicted varying moods of the city and its people, its places, and all its facets that make the city distinctive. He doesn't merely portray reality as 'matter of fact' and his presentation of reality often has dream-like elements in it. In terms of technique, Shuvaprasanna boasts a precise, finely executed style that yields an unmistakable visual intensity. He works comfortably in an assortment of media, including oil on canvas, charcoal, and mixed media. About the Artist and his work : Born : In Calcutta, 1947. Education : Graduated from Indian College of Art (R.B. University, Calcutta) in 1969. Exhibitions : Shuvaprasanna has had several gallery and museum exhibitions, including at the Tao Art Gallery and at the Chawla Art Gallery, Square One Mall. Several works by the artist have been sold at auction, including 'ABODE' sold at Waddington's 'Fine Prints & Photography Auction...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Oil

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...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

A Vibrant, 1950s Modern Portrait of a Young Black Man by Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A captivating, 1950s Mid-Century Modern portrait painting of a young black man by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A sensitive, skilled portrait of a young Afri...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Antique American School Modernist Tropical Portrait Signed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school modernist portrait oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Image size, 20L x 18H.
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Jewel"
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim’s of Lambertville is proud to offer this artwork by: Gershon Benjamin (1899 - 1985) An American Modernist of portraits, landscapes, still lives, and the urban scene, Gershon ...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Bubblers. Figurative painting. Landscape with figures in Renaissance setting
Located in Segovia, ES
The Bubblers (Los Burbujeros.. Figurative painting. Landscape with figures in Renaissance setting. Acrylic on canvas. Author: Igor Fomin. Measurements in ce...
Category

Early 2000s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Arnolt Bristol - Blue Sports Car Mid-Century Good Life - Playboy Cartoon
Located in Miami, FL
The punchline on many of these 1950s cartoons fades, but the visuals more than hold up - they shine. The sleek, graphic style of painting with flat, broad areas of color shows that ...
Category

1950s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Gouache, Illustration Board

"The Lamp Lighter" Texas Mid-Century Modern Everett Spruce (1908-2002) EXHIBITED
Located in San Antonio, TX
Everett Spruce (1908 - 2002) Austin Artist Image Size: 18 x 15 Frame Size: 28 x 25 Medium: Oil on paper / Mixed Exhibited at a University of Texas Faculty art show in 1947 Unsigned Biography Everett Spruce (1908 - 2002) The following, submitted by a researcher of the Ashworth Collection of Native American and Western Art, is from the artist's obituary in the Fort Smith, Arkansas "Times Record" newspaper, October 20, 2002. Everett F. Spruce, well-known artist, teacher, professor emeritus, died Friday, Oct. 18, 2002, at age 94. Everett Spruce was born on a farm in Conway to William E. and Fannie McCarty Spruce. He came to Dallas, at age 17, on a scholarship to study at the Dallas Art Institute, under Olin Travis and Thomas M. Stell Jr. In 1931, he became gallery assistant at the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts and in 1934 married Alice V. Kramer, a fellow art student. He was one of the "Dallas Nine" group of Southwest artists...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Mixed Media

Self Portrait by American Modernist, Signed and Dated, 1925
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Self Portrait" by Philadelphia born modernist painter Leon Kelly, is a moody and atmospheric self portrait of the artist in younger years at age 24. The 18" x 16" oil on board, fram...
Category

1920s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Soldier. 1950. Cardboard, author technique, 39, 5x20 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Soldier. 1950. Cardboard, author technique, 39,5x20 cm Artwork depicts a soldier in motion. Author has used a mixed media technique on cardboard. Both the soldier himself and the fe...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Paint, Mixed Media, Cardboard, Stencil, Other Medium

Oil on canvas "Woman with grapes", 1933+ by Søeborg Axel (1872-1939)
Located in Gent, VOV
This captivating oil on canvas by Axel Søeborg depicts a woman elegantly holding a bunch of grapes. Painted in 1933, this artwork showcases the artist's masterful use of color and li...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Girl with Scarf (Whimsical, Art Nouveau, Mid-Century, ~40% OFF LIMITED TIME)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Daniel Brennan Girl with Scarf Oil on Canvas Year: 1960s Size unframed: 42 x 32 inches (106.68 x 81.28 cm) Size framed: 43.5 x 33.5 x 1.5 inches (110.49 x 85.09 x 3.81 cm) Signed alo...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"The Vision" Modern Blue, Red, and Yellow Abstract Geometric Portrait Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Blue, red, and yellow abstract modern portrait painting by Texas artist Robert Sandman. The work features a well dressed man with part of his face obscu...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Portrait of a Woman
Located in Astoria, NY
Molly Guion (American, 1910-1982), Portrait of a Woman, Oil on Canvas, depicting woman in dark dress with pearl necklace and gold brooch, signed to reverse, unframed. 30.25" H x 24.2...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Women portraits. 2.pcs., paper, mixed media, 10, 2x5, 3 cm, 13, 9x10, 2 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Women portraits. 2.pcs., paper, mixed media, 10,2x5,3 cm, 13,9x10,2 cm Adolfs Zardins (1890 08 II Riga, Latvia – 1967 07 II Jurmala, Latvia), painter. Only in 1990 his relatives giv...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media, Watercolor

Portrait of a Young Man Oil Painting Celebrated 20th Century Artist
Located in London, GB
Oliver Messel 1904 - 1978 Portrait of a Young Man Oil on canvas, signed and dated 'Oliver Messel 1930' (on the stretcher) Image size: 30 x 25 inches (76.2 x 63.4 cm) Original frame Oliver Messel was born to Leonard and Maud Messel, née Sambourne, on the 13 January 1904 and was the youngest of three children. The family moved to Nymans, the Messel family home in Sussex, from nearby Balcombe in 1915. The house remained in the family until 1953 when it was bequeathed to the National Trust, following a fire in 1947 which destroyed a large portion of the house. The Messels originated from a line of German Jewish bankers on Leonard’s side, however, both family lines boast a number of artistic influences, including Maud’s father. Maud was brought up at 18 Stafford Terrace, Kensington (now known as the Linley Sambourne House Museum), amongst collections of antique porcelain and eighteenth-century furniture, and with a host of artistic visitors such as Henry Irving and Oscar Wilde. Oliver’s own upbringing appears to be influenced by his mother's, as the Messel family were also affiliated with artists and writers and were keen collectors of art, filling their home with textiles, paintings and collections of European and Asian fans from travels abroad. It was amongst such treasures that Oliver, Anne and Linley spent their childhood, in addition to the beauty of Nyman’s extensive gardens. Oliver was schooled at Eton but rather than going up to university was encouraged by family friends, gallery owner Archie Propert and painter and sculptor Glyn Philpot, to attend art school. In 1922 he enrolled at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, where he studied under Henry Tonks. Here, he met the artist Rex Whistler with whom he remained firm friends until Whistler’s death in WW2. Upon leaving the Slade in 1924 Oliver was apprenticed to the studio of portrait artist John Wells, where he learnt various Old Master painting techniques, and met artists such as Jacob Epstein, Augustus John and William Orpen. Whilst at the Slade Oliver developed his interest in Papier Mâché masks, a pastime popular amongst many art students at the time. Whilst apprenticed to artist John Wells several of Oliver’s masks were exhibited at the Claridge Gallery, London, alongside pieces by Whistler and other young artists. These were seen by Serge Diaghilev, director of the Ballet Russes, and Charles B. Cochran, a theatrical producer, both of whom made Oliver offers of work. His first job in the theatre was creating masks for the Ballets Russes’ Zéphyr et Flore, 1925, designed by the French artist Georges Braque, followed by numerous musical revues for Cochran, including Wake Up and Dream!, 1929, with music by Cole Porter. It was during these revues, working with Porter and Noel Coward, that Oliver also began to design headdresses and costumes. In 1932 he was rewarded with his first full commission to design both costume and sets for Helen!, directed by Max Reinhardt. The production design is still celebrated today for its innovative approach and ground-breaking ‘white on white’ aesthetic, which referenced ‘Greek temples, Rococo drapes, Baroque colonnades and Louis XIV carousels’. The success of Helen! led to further offers within the theatre including Reinhardt’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Old Vic in 1937, starring Vivien Leigh as Titania and Robert Helpmann as Oberon, the Jean Cocteau play The Infernal Machine in 1940, and Christopher Fry’s translation of Jean Anouilh’s Ring Round the Moon, 1950. One of Oliver’s best-known productions during this period was the Russian ballet The Sleeping Beauty, performed by Sadler’s Wells Ballet in 1946 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Encompassing over 200 costumes and four set changes, Oliver’s romantic designs were celebrated for bringing colour back to post-war London, and variations on his designs are still used today. Additional designs for the ballet included Comus in 1940, for which he was released from war duties, and Homage to the Queen, choreographed by Frederick Ashton and performed in 1953 for the Queen’s coronation. His first opera was in 1940 for Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Royal Opera House, followed by a series of productions at the newly founded Glyndebourne Opera House in Sussex, for which Oliver also designed the proscenium arch. He triumphed in 1956 designing a season of four different productions for their Mozart bicentennial, also providing illustrations for the programme covers. His popularity also spread beyond theatre to film, were he worked on over eight different feature films including Romeo and Juliet, 1936, directed by George Cukor. During a three-month research trip to Italy Oliver collected over 3,000 reference images including postcards of artwork by Piero della Francesca, Giovanni Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci, along with prints and photographs of textiles and architectural features. A production of Gabriel Pascal’s Caesar and Cleopatra, 1946, starring Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains, was celebrated for Oliver’s ability to recreate the opulence and luxury of ancient Egypt under the constraints of wartime rationing. Such was his skill that Vivien Leigh in a letter to Oliver declared that “I have of course told Pascal that nobody in the world must do the costumes except you.” He was later nominated for an Academy Award for his work on his final film Suddenly, Last Summer, 1959; an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ American Southern Gothic mystery. Having started his artistic career as a portrait apprentice, capturing the faces of family and friends, Oliver continued to develop this practice until the end of his life.  His style is said to have been influenced by Glyn Philpot, the Messel’s family friend who encouraged Oliver from an early age in his pursuit of art and design. His most prolific period came in the 1950s during which he produced over 50 portraits, which were shown in exhibitions in New York, London and Barbados. The exhibitions included both well-known faces and anonymous sitters captured on Oliver’s travels, and a number of these works have entered private collections. He continued to paint after moving to the Caribbean in 1966, capturing society figures and the rich and famous including fashion designer Carolina Herrera and Bianca Jagger. His style remained unchanged throughout his career, using the same soft painterly strokes and subtle palette as in his theatre designs. By far his greatest contribution in addition to theatre and film was Oliver’s interior and architectural designs. Another, much celebrated commission included Rayne shoe shop in Old Bond Street, where he created jewel-like interiors using the same practice of scaled models as his set designs. Other notable interior designs include those for Norwich and Bath Assembly Rooms, Flaxley Abbey in Gloucestershire, Rosehill Theatre in Cumbria and the Reader’s Digest offices in Paris. However, upon moving to Barbados in 1966, Oliver embraced a new career envisioning architectural concepts for private houses, hotels and public buildings, utilising his experience with interior design to furnish them with bespoke items of furniture and textiles. His first project was Maddox, the deserted eighteenth-century plantation house bought by himself and his partner Vagn Riis-Hansen in 1964. The existing building and gardens were remodelled to Oliver’s designs embracing an inherent theatricality with views out to sea. These were framed by terraces and verandas which extended out from the living rooms creating what is often referred to as a Caribbean style of ‘indoor-outdoor’ living. For the woodwork he used a shade of green that is now known as ‘Messel green’ and often associated with the island of Barbados. Oliver was born into a wealthy family; he travelled extensively and was exposed to art and culture from a young age. A privileged youth, his name is often mentioned amongst the ‘Bright Young Things’, for whom costume parties at country houses and jaunts to Europe on a whim became a thing of fable. This informal group included people such as Cecil Beaton (a life-long friend whom Oliver first met at Eton), Lord Berners, Noel Coward, John Betjeman, Harold Acton, Nancy Mitford, Edith Sitwell, Stephen Tennant...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Damenportrait
Located in Wien, 9
Die Arbeit von Albert Bertalan war ein Spontankauf aufgrund der offensichtlichen Qualität der Arbeit, noch bevor ich etwas über den Künstler recherchieren konnte. Das Label „Ecole de...
Category

1920s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American Modernist Forsyth Georgia Street Scene Southern Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist street scene with two women. Rare oil painting by John Melza Sitton (Born 1907). Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. In excellent original condition. Handsome...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

If Only You Knew the Power of the Dark Side
Located in London, GB
Marco’s background is in engineering and architecture, making him familiar with mathematical design and the awareness of geometry. When he decided to create art, he was naturally dra...
Category

2010s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

The Saint - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
The Saint is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s. Original oil on canvas. Beautiful and representative work of a female figure sur...
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Paint

Deity of Human Origin #6
Located in San Francisco, CA
Sergio Nates Deity of Human Origin #6, 2022 Acrylic on canvas 33 x 20 inches This one-of-a-kind acrylic painting on canvas is stretched across wooden stretcher bars. Sergio Nates (...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Bauernkinder
Located in Wien, 9
The extensive work of Vilma Eckl covers a period of more than seventy years. Her incomparable artistic talent and her essential contribution to the history of art can be seen in her ...
Category

1920s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lesendes Mädchen
Located in Wien, 9
The extensive work of Vilma Eckl covers a period of more than seventy years. Her incomparable artistic talent and her essential contribution to the history of art can be seen in her ...
Category

1920s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sitzende Frau
By Fritz Schmidt
Located in Wien, 9
signed on the lower left The painting can be categorised in the tradition of New Objectivity. The picture shows a real scene, the woman depicted stares into space with a serious and...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Elegant Lady in Pink Dress with Parasol by Beach Original French Oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"A Day by the Sea" French School, 20th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 29 x 21 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound condition
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Original Arthur Smith Modernist Erotic Painting
Located in New York, NY
Arthur Smith (American, 1897-1972) Untitled, 20th century Oil on board 8 x 9 7/8 in. Framed: 14 1/4 x 16 3/8 in. Signed lower left: A Smith Arthur Smith is a listed American paint...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Ich in meinen Bildern
Located in Wien, 9
Der begnadete Zeichner Karl Anton Fleck wurde vor kurzem mit einer Personalen in der Albertina geadelt. In dieser Ausstellung fehlte allerdings etwas ganz Entscheidendes: Eines der w...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Oil Painting Woman Portrait French Armenian Modernist Jean Jansem Ecole De Paris
Located in Surfside, FL
Jean Jansem (Hovhannes Semerdjian) 1920-2013 Hand signed upper left corner Dimensions: 14 X 9.5 Framed 21 X 16.75 Jean Jansem (Hovhannes Semerdjian) 1920-2013 Bursa, Ottoman Turki...
Category

Mid-20th Century 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

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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