During the Renaissance, the first European fine art academies were established in Italy and would guide the style and standards of visual culture in the following centuries. Academic art became dominant across the continent in the 17th century, with artists coming together to offer instruction in this style of painting and sculpture.
The academic art period represented a significant change from the previous era when painters, sculptors and other artists were part of guilds and seen more as artisans than purveyors of culture. While patronage from the elite and the church remained pivotal, young artists were able to support themselves for the first time through academic exhibitions and an independent marketplace. The leading academies included the French Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture founded in Paris in 1648 (which became the Académie des Beaux-Arts after the French Revolution) and the London Royal Academy of Arts formed in 1768 under the inaugural leadership of painter Joshua Reynolds.
Academy students sketched drawings based on prints, sculptures and, finally, live models. Movements including neoclassicism and romanticism were particularly popular in these art schools and institutions where the influence of Raphael and Nicolas Poussin was prominent. Beaux Arts architecture and furniture design drew on these movements, too, and, as they also originated at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the disciplines share common ground with academic painting and sculpture.
Although academic art was a major shift for artistic status when it began, by the middle of the 19th century it was viewed as stodgy and resistant to new ideas, with the subject matter of artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-Léon Gérôme generally limited to allegorical or mythological themes. Impressionism, realism and the other movements that engaged with contemporary issues that followed were direct reactions to the academic tradition, although it continued to inform the avant-garde as artists like Gustav Klimt and Pablo Picasso started their practices as academic realists.
Find a collection of academic paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
Roses, Impressionism, Still Life, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Roses Size: 19.5" x 23.5" x 0.8'' in...
Canvas, Oil
$1,400Sale Price|30% Off
Seashore, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Seashore Size: 16" x 21.5" x 0.8'' i...
Canvas, Oil
$1,500Sale Price|25% Off
Stack, Landscape Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Stack Size: 16" x 21" x 0.8'' inch, ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,050Sale Price|30% Off
Lavenders, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Lavenders Size: 15.5" x 23.5" x 0.8'...
Canvas, Oil
$750Sale Price|25% Off
Beehives, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Beehives Size: 12" x 17" x 0.8'' inc...
Canvas, Oil
The gift of flowers / - The depth of allegory -
Located in Berlin, DE
Conrad Kiesel (1846-1921), The gift of flowers. Oil on wood, 43 x 35 cm, 69 x 61 cm (frame), signed at lower left "Conrad Kiesel pxt [pinxit]", about 1900. In a magnificent gilt stuc...
Oil
Flower Sellers, Figurative, Original Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Year: 2019 Style: Impressionism Title: Flower Sellers Size: 16" x 20" x 0.8'' inch, (41x51x2cm), Unframed, Stretched on wooden bar, Ready to Hang, Artist Bio Ara H. Hakobyan is an Armenian artist and art critic, Doctor of Sciences (arts, 2017), professor (2018) and a member of Artist Union of the Republic of Armenia (1999). Ara H. Hakobyan was born in 1973 in Yerevan in the family of art historian Hravard Hakobyan. In 1997 Mr. Hakobyan graduated from the Yerevan State Academy of Arts, Department of Painting. During 1997-2000 Ara Hakobyan...
Canvas, Acrylic
Flowers on a white table cloth, Original Oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2019 Style: Impressionism Title: Flowers on a white table cloth Size: 24" x 30" x 0.8'' inch, (61x76x2cm), Unframed, Stretched on wooden bar, Ready to Hang, Artist Bio Ara H. Hakobyan is an Armenian artist and art critic, Doctor of Sciences (arts, 2017), professor (2018) and a member of Artist Union of the Republic of Armenia (1999). Ara H. Hakobyan was born in 1973 in Yerevan in the family of art historian Hravard Hakobyan. In 1997 Mr. Hakobyan graduated from the Yerevan State Academy of Arts, Department of Painting. During 1997-2000 Ara Hakobyan...
Canvas, Oil
Flowers with a Statue, Still Life, Original Oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2019 Style: Impressionism Title: Flowers with a Statue Size: 24" x 30" x 0.8'' inch, (61x76x2cm), Unframed, Stretched on wooden bar, Ready to Hang, Artist Bio Ara H. Hakobyan is an Armenian artist and art critic, Doctor of Sciences (arts, 2017), professor (2018) and a member of Artist Union of the Republic of Armenia (1999). Ara H. Hakobyan was born in 1973 in Yerevan in the family of art historian Hravard Hakobyan. In 1997 Mr. Hakobyan graduated from the Yerevan State Academy of Arts, Department of Painting. During 1997-2000 Ara Hakobyan...
Canvas, Oil
Still Life in Blue and Yellow, Original Oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2019 Style: Impressionism Title: Still Life with Blue and Yellow Size...
Canvas, Oil
Autumn in the Yard, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2017 Style: Impressionism Title: Autumn in the Yard Size: 18" x 14" x...
Canvas, Oil
Waves, Seascape, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2017 Style: Impressionism Title: Waves Size: 20" x 27.5" x 0.8'' inch...
Canvas, Oil
On the Rocks, Coastal, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2017 Style: Impressionism Title: On the Rocks Size: 24" x 25" x 0.8''...
Canvas, Oil
Young People on the Rocks, Figurative, Original Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Year: 2016 Style: Impressionism Subject: Young People on the Rocks Size...
Canvas, Acrylic
Fly to the Sky, Original Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Year: 2018 Style: Impressionism Subject: Fly to the Sky Size: 20" x 28"...
Canvas, Acrylic
City Park, Impressionism, Original Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Year: 2019 Style: Impressionism Title: City Park Size: 16" x 20" x 0.8'...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
Torah Scholar, Shimshon Holzman
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Shimshon Holzman (1907-1986) Title: Torah Scholar Year: 1962 Medium: Watercolor and graphite on wove paper Size: 13.75 x 19.75 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Signed...
Watercolor, Graphite
$2,000
French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Paris depuis l’Hotel de Ville
Located in Paris, IDF
Rapidography & acrylic onto canvas Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in hi...
Canvas, Acrylic
$546Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Anatomical Study of Horse's Pelvic Girdle
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Study of Horse's Pelvic Girdle Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Pencil on Paper Size: 19.75 (Height) x 12.75 (Width) Signed: No Cond...
Pencil
$546Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Anatomical Pencil Study of Horse’s Limb
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Pencil Study of Horse’s Limb Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Pencil on Paper Size: 20 (Height) x 13 (Width) Signed: No Condition: G...
Pencil
$546Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Anatomical Study of a Horse's Shoulder
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Study of a Horse's Shoulder Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Pencil on paper Size: 20 (Height) x 13.5 ...
Pencil
$464Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Anatomical Study of a Horse's Limb
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Study of a Horse's Limb Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Pencil on paper Size: 20 (Height) x 13.75 (Width) Signed: No Condition: Lig...
Pencil, Color Pencil
$546Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Study of Children Watching Horses Cross a Bridge
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Study of Children Watching Horses Cross a Bridge Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Ink on card Size: 6.5 (Height) x 14.75 (Width) Signed: No Co...
Ink
Seashore, Coastal, Original oil Painting on linen, Framed
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2021 Style: Impressionism Subject: Seashore, Size: 28.5" x 39.5" x 0...
Canvas, Oil
“Voilier en Bretagne”
Located in Southampton, NY
“Voilier en Bretagne” or “Sailboat in Brittany” is an oil painting on a wooden panel by the French artist, Eugene Jacquet. Signed by the artist lower right. Circa 1880. Condition i...
Oil, Board
Georg von Urlaub - Moscow - The Beard Control at the City Gate
Located in Wien, AT
A monumental, museum-quality historical masterpiece by the renowned Russian-German painter and Academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts, Georg Johann Christian von Urlaub (1845-19...
Canvas, Oil
19th Century gouache of a visit to Pompei on the Grand Tour
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Neapolitan school (early 19th Century) A visit to Pompei on the the Grand Tour Gouache on paper Inscribed ‘Porzione del quartiere a Pompei’ and ‘In Nap...
Paper, Gouache
$4,500
"Portrait of Fanny Adam" Mary Jane Peale, Mid-19th Century, Early Portrait
Located in New York, NY
Mary Jane Peale Portrait of Fanny Adam, 1857 A scanned photograph of the back of the canvas taken prior to relining shows the inscription "Fanny Adam / painted by / Mary J. Peale / P...
Canvas, Oil
Pair French Franco-Prussian Historical Military War Propaganda Oil Paintings
Located in Portland, OR
A pair of incredibly rare, very large scale historical oil on canvas paintings, Franco-Prussian War, signed and dated 1870, by Charles Louis Lucien Müller (1815-1892). Academic ...
Oil
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - 7eme Symphonie
Located in Paris, IDF
Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His wor...
Canvas, Oil
Samantha Haring, "Enough" Oil on paper on panel
Located in New York, NY
Samantha Haring "Enough," 2024 Oil on paper on panel 20 x 20 in. (hari024)
Paper, Oil, Panel
Samantha Haring "Sic Transit" Oil on paper on panel
Located in New York, NY
Samantha Haring "Sic Transit," 2023 Oil on paper on panel 16 x16 in. (hari020)
Paper, Oil, Panel
Fossils, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Fossils" is an oil painting that depicts nude forms suspended in air between highway and underpass. Elizabeth Z...
Oil
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Humeurs Éthérisées
Located in Paris, IDF
Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His wor...
Canvas, Oil
Koala Bear Painting, Photorealism, Gouache and Watercolor, 1970s
By John Ruthven
Located in Miami, FL
John Ruthven is recognized as the “20th-century Audubon. In this very detailed and meticulously rendered work the artist depicts a Koala in an iconic and proud pose and a Photoreali...
Watercolor, Gouache
$18,728
Painting 19th Century Fox Hunting Scene With Characters Horses and Dogs
By Joseph August Knip
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
KNIP August (1819 - 1859) Starting Fox Hunting day in Baden-Baden Oil on canvas signed low right dated 1837 Old original frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 81 X 118 cm Dim frame :...
Oil
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Noblesse Oblige
Located in Paris, IDF
Artwork located in Los Angeles, USA Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibit...
Oil, Canvas
"Crossing", Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Crossing" is an oil painting that depicts an elderly man crossing the high water of a river with a young child on...
Oil, Panel
Magnolia Grandiflora, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Magnolia Grandiflora" is an oil painting that depicts a nude figure in the foreground with a bright red backgroun...
Oil, Panel
The Water Tower
Located in Greenville, DE
Coastal landscape painting by Giovanni Casadei, "The Water Tower." Oil on panel. Framed dimensions 12.5 x 17.5 inches. Casadei’s approach to painting is to communicate to the viewer ...
Oil, Panel
small oil landscape "Village 3"
Located in Zofingen, AG
small oil landscape on cardboard “Village 3”, drawn by Natalya Shiporina, signed to the verso. The painting is part of a series of three paintings...
Cardboard, Oil
Antique SUNSET VIEW OF SAN LAZZARO, VENICE
Located in New York, NY
Up for sale is a wonderful Italian Venetian Sunset painting by Bernhard Stange (1807-1880). Painting for sale depicts SUNSET VIEW OF SAN LAZZARO, VENICE It is absolutely colorful a...
Oil
Courtship Oil Painting on Canvas, Academic Style, 20th Century, Framed
Located in Naples, Florida
Courtship by Belgian artist Edward Antoon Portielje (1861–1949). This intimate interior scene reflects Portielje's celebrated ability to capture quiet moments of everyday life with ...
Canvas, Oil
The Musical Performance oil on panel by Antonio Ermolao Paoletti
Located in New York, NY
The Musical Performance by Antonio Ermolao Paoletti An italian genre painting showcasing two boys playing a trumpet and a guitar for their sist...
Oil, Wood Panel, Board
The New Pet by Edmund Adler Austrian Genre Painting Children in Courtyard
By Edmund Adler
Located in Naples, Florida
An oil on canvas by Austrian painter Edmund Adler (1876–1965), titled "The New Pet". The composition depicts four children gathered in a courtyard, absorbed in a moment of shared cur...
Oil
Formal Portrait of a Chinese Man in Traditional Dress
Located in Miami, FL
Dressed in traditional clothing, a handsome Chinese man is depicted as he sits resolutely with one hand on his leg and the other holding a baton. Female Artist Joyce Ballantyne...
Canvas, Oil
"The Informal Gathering" — 1913 Oil on Canvas Figurative Rural Landscape
By César Pattein
Located in Naples, Florida
"The Informal Gathering" by César Pattein (French, 1850–1931) is a signed and dated 1913 oil on canvas measuring 23 x 32 inches, depicting a charming rural scene of young girls gathe...
Canvas, Oil
Pasture with Cows
By Rémy Cogghe
Located in Atlanta, GA
Born in Mouscron in the Belgian province of Hainaut, Cogghe attended the Academy of Roubaix where he studied under Constantin Mils. In 1876, Cogghe was admitted to the École Nationa...
Canvas, Oil
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
"Rowboat in a Summer Landscape" George Bacon Wood, Pleine Air Landscape
Located in New York, NY
George Bacon Wood Rowboat in a Summer Landscape Signed lower left Oil on wood panel 6 1/4 x 8 inches Born in Philadelphia, landscape painter George Bacon Wood, Jr., studied at the ...
Oil, Wood Panel
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Reve d'Aivasovsky
Located in Paris, IDF
Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His works e...
Oil, Canvas
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - La Cathédrale Engloutie
Located in Paris, IDF
Artwork located in Los Angeles, USA. Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as i...
Canvas, Oil
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - L'Insoutenable Légèreté
Located in Paris, IDF
Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His works e...
Oil, Panel
$12,000Sale Price|20% Off
Wheels of Industry Past and Present, Golden Age of Illustration - Standard Oil
Located in Miami, FL
This Golden Age of Illustration painting juxtaposes modern and ancient industrial practices. Giant eclectic generators from the current ti...
Gouache, Board
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Swing des Oranges
Located in Paris, IDF
Artwork located in Los Angeles, USA. Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in th...
Oil, Panel
"Still Life with Figure"
Located in Southampton, NY
This painting is an oil on canvas mounted to a wood panel. It is signed with his monogram signature JTA lower right. The work is unframed. Axton was born in Fort Leavenworth, Kan...
Oil, Canvas
Two Arches, Prospect Park Brooklyn, sunlight architectural urban landscape
By Gregory Frux
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on Canvas
Canvas, Oil
Solitude
Located in New Orleans, LA
Signed “G-Seignac” (lower right) Oil on canvas French Academic painter Guillaume Seignac was renowned for his masterful treatment of the idealized nude. His languishing female subje...
Canvas, Oil
A Very Fine Italian Oil on Canvas Titled "The Solo Violinist or Violin Teacher "
Located in LA, CA
A very fine Italian oil on canvas titled "The Solo Violinist" by Luigi Da Rios (Italian, 1844-1892), depicting an interior 18th century room scene of a single violinist player; withi...
Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Oil
A Fine Italian 19th Century Oil on Canvas "A Young Man Napoleonic Bicorne Hat".
Located in LA, CA
Napoleone Luigi Grady (Italian, 1860-1949) A Very Fine Oil on Canvas "A Young Man Bicorne Hat". The beautifully executed artwork depicting a posing young boy in full period celebrato...
Oil
French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Barfleur
Located in Paris, IDF
Rapidography & Indian ink on canvas Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he consta...
Canvas, India Ink