Skip to main content

Academic Paintings

ACADEMIC STYLE

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. 

to
160
165
181
145
111
153
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
13
310
195
236
21
10
19
16
9
10
5
10
4
8
4
41,745
38,167
23,259
8,370
4,701
3,514
3,235
2,618
1,223
1,169
938
884
393
269
413
314
26
471
248
129
111
110
99
86
77
60
55
43
43
40
39
39
36
35
32
31
29
715
649
375
372
60
62
36
9
6
4
450
61
429
316
Style: Academic
Mountain Landscape with Animals and Figures
Mountain Landscape with Animals and Figures

Mountain Landscape with Animals and Figures

Located in Atlanta, GA

A student of Regnault and of Bertin, Jean-Charles Joseph Rémond exhibited at the Salon from 1814 to 1848. He was awarded his first grand prize in 1821 for "L'enlevement de Proserpi...

Category

19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Figures at a mill
Figures at a mill

Figures at a mill

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

English school, 18th Century Figures at a mill Gouache on paper 4.5/8 x 7.1/2 in. (11.8 x 19 cm.)

Category

19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

The Declaration Of Love
The Declaration Of Love

The Declaration Of Love

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

COLIN François (1798-1864) The Declaration of love Oil on canves signed low left Old frame regilded with leaves Dim canvas : 41 X 57 - Dim frame : 56 X 71 cm COLIN François (1798-1...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Riva d'Arno in Florence

Riva d'Arno in Florence

Located in Roma, RM

Domenico Bresolin (Padua 1813 - Venice 1890), Riva d'Arno in Florence Oil on canvas applied to cardboard 26 x 40 cm. Not signed. INFO: to get more information Publications: D. Ri...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Boy in a squero in Venice

Boy in a squero in Venice

Located in Roma, RM

Domenico Bresolin (Padua 1813 - Venice 1890), Boy in a squero in Venice Oil on canvas applied to cardboard 27 x 16 cm initialed (DB) lower left. Publications D. Ritter, Venedig in...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

GRISAILLE 19th Century - Cherubs Are Playing Music
GRISAILLE 19th Century - Cherubs Are Playing Music

GRISAILLE 19th Century - Cherubs Are Playing Music

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

GRISAILLE 19th Century (anonymous) Cherubs asleep Part of "Rococo Style" made famous by François Boucher (1703 - 1770) Oil on canvas Circa 1850 Frame re-gilded Dim canvas : 50 X 70 c...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Letter By Georges Croegaert
The Letter By Georges Croegaert

The Letter By Georges Croegaert

By Georges Croegaert

Located in New Orleans, LA

Georges Croegaert 1848-1923 Belgian The Letter Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower right) Oil on panel A cardinal pauses while composing a letter in this oil on panel by Belg...

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Venice, Canal and characters
Venice, Canal and characters

Venice, Canal and characters

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

BIRCK Alphonse (1859-1942) Venice, the Canal with chraracters oil on canvas signed low left Old frame gilded with leaves Size canvas : 51 X 60 cm - Size frame : 70 X 80 cm BIRCK Al...

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

In the diner

In the diner

Located in Roma, RM

Antonio Maria Fabrés y Costa (Barcelona 1854 - Rome 1938), In the Restaurant (1880) Oil painting on panel 14 x 21 cm signed and dated on the right.

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Portrait of Theresa Rogers
Portrait of Theresa Rogers

Portrait of Theresa Rogers

By Leon Kroll

Located in Miami, FL

Portrait of Theresa Rogers Housed in a period hand carved wood frame. Some scatter minor paint loss and stretcher marks otherwise presents very well Signature: Signed lower right T...

Category

1930s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

A. LEONARD - Flower Girl and her Dog
A. LEONARD - Flower Girl and her Dog

A. LEONARD - Flower Girl and her Dog

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

A. LEONARD (19th-20th) Flower Girl and Her Dog Oil on canvas signed low left Old Frame regilded with Leaves Dim canvas : 46 X 38 cm Dim Frame : 55 X 46 cm

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Landscape With Washerwoman
Landscape With Washerwoman

Landscape With Washerwoman

By Theodore Levigne

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

LEVIGNE Théodore (1848-1912) Landscape With Washerwoman Oil on canvas signed low right Old Frame regilded with leaves Dimensions canvas : 55 X 73 cm Dimensions frame : 70 X 85 cm LE...

Category

1880s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Painting 19th Century - Portrait of Young Lady
Painting 19th Century - Portrait of Young Lady

Painting 19th Century - Portrait of Young Lady

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

ERNEST BLANC-GARIN (1843-1916) Portrait of a Young Lady around 1880 Oil on wood panel signed low Old Original frame gilded with leaves Dimensions wood : 40 X 30 cm Dimensions frame : 62 X 53 cm ERNEST BLANC-GARIN (1843-1916) Belgian Painter 19th Century Born 8 October 1843 in Givet (France) Died 1916 in Brussels (Belgium) Painter of Portraits and Urbanscapes. In Brusssels he was taught by Jan Portaëls (1818-1895); then in Paris by Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889) He took part in the Salon de Paris from 1868. After a trip to Italy in 1870, he came back to Brussels for creating a private Art Academy providing a very liberal teaching. His portraits are made with a lot of freedom and gracefulness. Bibliography : Dictionary of Artists E. Benezit Book II / 373 Gérald SHURR : Les petits Maîtres de la Peinture 1820- 1920 Book V

Category

1880s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait at the Painter's workshop
Portrait at the Painter's workshop

Portrait at the Painter's workshop

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

Francesco Brunery (1849–1926) Portrait at the Artist's Workshop Oil on wood panel Old frame gilded with leaves Dim panel : 30 X 24 cm Dim frame : 54 X 46 cm Francesco Brunery (1849...

Category

1890s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Prospector firing Rifle  ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art
Prospector firing Rifle  ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art

Prospector firing Rifle ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art

By Robert Riggs

Located in Miami, FL

Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel ( composite wood panel ) Robert Riggs was a gay man. Being gay in American during the 1940's time was something not to flaunt in public. Rigg's had to communicate his underlying feelings in more symbolic ways. Throughout Riggs' oeuvre, one sees continuous references to strong hunked out manly men and vulnerable boys. It is a core element of is iconography and is described in a powerful graphic style. In “Prospector firing Rifle,” there is a Dick Pic. Riggs is clearly making a sexual statement about the moment of climax. The long, straight rifle explodes and is captured at the moment of its peak climax. Meanwhile, the two bags of gold clearly resemble the other part of the male anatomy. Riggs was a thoughtful and meticulous visual thinker, and nothing in any of Riggs’s compositions was haphazardly placed. In tribute to the artist’s suppressed feelings, I have given this work a second title “Happiness is a Warm Gun...

Category

1940s Academic Paintings

Materials

Tempera

Women with Resting Minotaur

Women with Resting Minotaur

By Jesus Nodarse

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Oil Painting of a women with a sleeping Minotaur. Light neutral white painting by Cuban Artist Jesus Nordarse. 18 x 18 inches.

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Dorothy Thompson (The Wild Rose) - Female Artist
Portrait of Dorothy Thompson (The Wild Rose) - Female Artist

Portrait of Dorothy Thompson (The Wild Rose) - Female Artist

Located in Miami, FL

A charming portrait of a beautiful blue-eyed girl in a pink dress holding flowers in her hand. It's based on Renaissance portraits where the subject is pushed to the foreground and i...

Category

1920s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Landscape with windmill
Landscape with windmill

Landscape with windmill

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

KUWASSEG Charles Euphrasie (1838-1904) Landscape with Windmill Oil on canvas signed low right New Golden frame Dim canvas : 75 X 108 cm Dim frame : 104 X 140 cm KUWASSEG Charles Euphrasie (1838-1904) French Painter 19th Century born on September 29, 1838 in Draveil (Essonne). Died in October 1904 in Paris Painter, Watercolor Lively landscapes, seascapes, panoramas Charles Kuwasseg...

Category

1870s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Georgian Contemporary Art by Ramaz Chantladze - Untitled 12
Georgian Contemporary Art by Ramaz Chantladze - Untitled 12

Georgian Contemporary Art by Ramaz Chantladze - Untitled 12

Located in Paris, IDF

Oil on canvas Ramaz Chantladze is a Georgian artist was born in 1960 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. He studied at Jacob Nikoladze School of Art. In 1979-1985 he studied at...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Chateau de Foix
French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Chateau de Foix

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Chateau de Foix

Located in Paris, IDF

Rapidography & ink on paper + white frame 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 his artworks on paper or onto canvas. The rapidograph is a special pen with a capillary tubular tip in which flows a black pigment, an ancient drawing tool...

Category

1990s Academic Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Swing des Orangés

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Swing des Orangés

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...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Reve d'Aivasovsky

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...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Versailles

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Versailles

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...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Sky is the Limit

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Sky is the Limit

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...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Avant l'Orage

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Avant l'Orage

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...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Landscape of Mountains
Landscape of Mountains

Landscape of Mountains

By MOSNY Henry

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

MOSNY Henry (19th Century) Landscape of Mountains Oil on canvas signed below and dated 1882 Black and Golden wood Frame Dim canvas : 73 X 92 cm Dim Frame : 92 X 112 cm MOSNY Henry (...

Category

1880s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Calligraphy 2
Calligraphy 2

Calligraphy 2

Located in Atlanta, GA

Born in 1969 1991, Graduated top of his class at Iranian Society of Calligraphy, Tehran 1993, Graduated from the Wood Industry & Paper-making, Tehran Sol...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Calligraphy 1

Calligraphy 1

Located in Atlanta, GA

Born in 1969 1991, Graduated top of his class at Iranian Society of Calligraphy, Tehran 1993, Graduated from the Wood Industry & Paper-making, Tehran Sol...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Rochefort Harbour in early 19th Century
Rochefort Harbour in early 19th Century

Rochefort Harbour in early 19th Century

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

Richard FAXON (1816 - 1875) Rochefort Harbour with Galleons Oil on canvas signed low right New golden frame Size canvas 73 X 50 cm Size frame 69 X 95 cm FAXON Richard (1816-1875) ...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Stony Brook Village
Stony Brook Village

Stony Brook Village

By Marc Dalessio

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

Dalessio faithfully depicts a Long Island town, picturesque with a large white church in the background. Marc Dalessio was born in 1972 in Los Angeles, California. Even in his earlie...

Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Academic paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Academic 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 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, purple, pink, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Karen Darbinyan, Mark Beard, Kyna de Schouël, and Elizabeth Zanzinger. 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 Academic paintings, so small editions measuring 4.14 inches across are also available. Prices for 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 $140 and tops out at $700,000, while the average work sells for $4,850.