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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. 

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Style: Academic
Children's Book Cover - Mid-Century Blond Girl - Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
Pioneering Female Illustrator Barbara Briggs Bradley was an in-demand illustrator in the 1950s. Merrill Publishers of their famous children's books hired Barbara Briggs Bradley to d...
Category

1950s Academic Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Gouache, Pencil

Countryside by A. Ecuyer - Gouache on paper 30x37 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on ark paper
Category

1950s Academic Paintings

Materials

Gouache

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Le Sacré Coeur de Montmartre
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 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...
Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mountain's view by M. Völlmy - Oil on wood 40x50 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Oil paint on wood with original frame. Total size with frame: 60x50x5 cm
Category

1950s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ella Wetzko-Ehrenberger, Still Life With Chrysanthemums, Oil Painting
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This enchanting still life by Austrian artist, Ella Wetzko-Ehrenberger (1874-1945), depicts an arrangement of chrysanthemums, oyster shell, statuette and pearl necklace. It’s a refin...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still life pear and grape - Oil on canvas 25x30 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Oil on canvas with frame unsigned Total size with frame 31x39 cm
Category

20th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Nymphs Dancing
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
PICOU Henri Pierre (1824-1895) Nymphs Dancing Oil on canvas signed and dated 1881 low left Old frame regilded with leaves Dim canvas : 62 X 82 cm Dim frame : 80 X 100 cm PICOU Henri Pierre (1824-1895) French Painter 19th century Born on February 27th, 1824 in Nantes - Died on July 17th, 1895 in Nantes Painter of History, allegorical subjects, genre paintings, Symbolist. Pupil of Paul Delaroche...
Category

1880s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

British, 19th Century oil painting of harvest time in the English countryside
By David Hamilton
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
David Hamilton (British, circa 1888) Harvest time Oil on canvas Signed and dated `David Hamilton 1888’ (lower right) 20.1/8 x 16 in. (51.2 x 40.8 cm.)
Category

19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

19th Century French oil painting of a nymph playing pipes, a female nude
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Charles Cres (French, 1850-1907) A Wood Nymph playing the pipes signed and dated `Ch. Crès/ 1884’ (lower right) oil on canvas 25.7/8 x 15.1/2 in. (65.8 x 39.4 cm.) Charles Cres was born in Briare in the province of Loiret. As early as 1875 he exhibited at the annual Paris Salon and was subsequently awarded...
Category

19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 11
Located in Paris, IDF
Rapidography & acrylic on paper 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, Acrylic

Cherubs Musicians in pair
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Mathilde LEHAUT (1816- nc) Cherubs Musicians in oval pair Two Oils on wood signed low Framed by Gault (Paris) - Gold leaves Dim wood panel (each) : 27 ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Chateau de Foix
Located in Paris, IDF
Rapidography & ink on paper 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 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 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

Early 2000s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Venice with characters
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
COUSIN Charles (1807-1887) Venice With Characters Oil on canvas signed low right Old frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 65 X 54 cm Dim frame : 91 X 80 cm COUSIN Charles (1807-1887) French painter 19th century Portraits, Landscapes, Waterscapes He was a frequent of the Leon Bonnat...
Category

1880s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Flower Girl - Genre Scene 18th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
LEVIGNE Théodore (1848-1912) The Flower Girl and The Puppy Oil on canvas signed and dated 1883 low left Old Frame regilded with leaves Dimensions canvas : 120 X 70 cm Dimensions frame : 137 X 88 cm LEVIGNE Théodore (1848-1912) French Painter 19th-20th century Lyon School Born 1848 in Noirétable (Loire) - Died 11...
Category

1880s Academic Paintings

Materials

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...
Category

Early 2000s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, India Ink

Still-Life With Roses and China Jewel Box
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Hortense DURY-VASSELON (1860-1924) Still Life with Roses and China Jewel Box Oil on canvas signed and dated 1905 low left DIm canvas : 63 X 50 cm Di...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Venice Laguna with Gondola
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
ADAM-LAURENS Suzanne Adrienne, aka Nanny (1861-1915) Venice, Lagoon with gondolier Oil on canvas signed lower left Frame gilded with leaf canvas size: 55 X 42 cm Frame size: 64 X 77 cm French painter born in Crest (Drôme ) February 20, 1861 Died in 1915 Landscape...
Category

1890s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

A. Costa 24 Woman original Figurative academician drawing painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Woman. original figurative academician drawing painting Barcelona, 1904 - Barcelona, 1965 It was formed in Buenos Aires, in the Circle of San Lucas of Barcelona and the FAD. He was f...
Category

1960s Academic Paintings

Materials

Carbon Pencil

Sailor with Rope (Figurative Painting of a Man by Mark Beard, Bruce Sargeant)
Located in Hudson, NY
Academic, nautical style figurative oil painting of a handsome sailor against an ocean landscape "Sailor with Rope" painted by Mark Beard as Bruce Sargeant (pseudonym in homage to th...
Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Le pont de Saint Gérmain de Couilly (sur le Grand Morin)
Located in Washington, DC
Exhibited: Salon, Société des Artistes Français, Paris, 1879 (no. 647)
Category

1870s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Roses Arrangement
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
MITTON, Mathilde (1849 - 1919) Roses Arrangement Oil on canvas signed low left Old original frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 90 X 113 cm Dim frame : 116 X 140 cm MITTON, Mathilde (1849 - 1919) French painter 19th-20th century - Lyon School Born in Amplepuis in 1849 - Died in Lyon in 1919 She studied with André Perrachon (1828-1909), Charbonnier and Elie Laurent...
Category

1890s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Sideways Glance
Located in Washington, DC
Signed with monogram lower right
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Treasured Volume
Located in Washington, DC
Signed and dated '1879' lower right Exhibited: Royal Society of British Artists, London, 1880
Category

1870s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Divertimento in the Music Salon
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
GUIDI Giuseppe (1881-1931) Divertimento in the Music Salon Oil on canvas signed low right Old frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 70 X 100 cm Dim frame :...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Party To The Castle in 18th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A Party To The Castle in the 18th Century Oil on canvas with a signature G.Weiss low left Old frame regilded Dim canvas : 46 X 38 cm Dim frame : 66 X 58 cm
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Daydreaming
Located in Washington, DC
Ideal head by 19th-century American painter.
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Sweet Roses
Located in Washington, DC
Signed and titled lower left
Category

1870s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Young Beauty
Located in Washington, DC
An Orientalist figurative or genre painting by Conrad Kiesel.
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

“Matterhorn”
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a wonderfully detailed miniature painting of the Matterhorn. Signed and titled verso. Attributed to the artist William Archibald Wall. Dated 6/50 verso...
Category

1850s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Fiberboard

Olivia Unveiling to Viola (from Twelfth Night)
Located in Washington, DC
Exhibited: Birmingham Royal Society of Artists, 1879 “Autumn Exhibition of the Birmingham Royal Society of Artists.” The London Times, 25 August 1879. T...
Category

1870s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sitting Pretty (Pomeranian Pups)
Located in Washington, DC
Signed and dated '1901' lower left
Category

Early 1900s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Alpine Cottages”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautiful oil on canvas painting of Alpine cottages by the German artist, Karl Schaette. Signed lower left “Schaette, Muchen”. Condition is very good. Slight crazing in the trees. Tiny repaired puncture in the sky. Circa 1930. The painting is framed in its original Newcomb Macklin gold leaf frame. Overall measurements framed are 36.5 by 36.5 inches. Provenance: A Long Island, New York estate. Carl Schaette (1884 - 1951) was active/lived in Germany. Carl Schaette is known for Landscape painting and belonged to the Munich school...
Category

1930s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Summer
Located in Washington, DC
Exhibited: Royal Academy, London, 1880, no. 355 (as Summer)
Category

1880s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Teaching him a New Trick
Located in Washington, DC
19th Century Dutch
Category

1890s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Courtship and The Shepherd's Family (a pair)
Located in Washington, DC
19th Century Dutch
Category

1860s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

At the Stream
By Philip Hermogenes Calderon R.A.
Located in Washington, DC
Signed and dated '1864' lower left
Category

1860s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Girl with Bouquet
Located in Washington, DC
Monogrammed lower right
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

British 19th Century oil painting of a mill at the riverside by Alfred Vickers
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Alfred H. Vickers (British, 1853-1907) A Mill at the Riverside Oil on canvas Signed, ‘A.H Vickers.’ (lower right) 10 x 12 1/8 in. (25.5 x 31 cm.)
Category

19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Flower Gathering
Located in Washington, DC
Signed and dated '1873' lower left
Category

1870s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study for Roses Du Matin
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist. Dimensions Framed: 13.5" x 15.5" x 2.5"; Unframed: 7.875" x 10" Exhibited Artist's Choice, American Legacy Fine Arts, P...
Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Nude Woman
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful female nude in profile. European, ca. 1920-30. Oil on canvas, 31.5 x 35.75 inches; 35.5 x 39.75 inches framed. Sign indistinctly upper right. A few areas of paint loss (v...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Pres St Raphael
Located in Washington, DC
Fine 19th Century American marine painter. Museum level quality and very good condition
Category

19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Composition of Roses With Lute and score
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
GODCHAUX Emile (1860) Big Composition of roses with Oil on canvas signed low right Frame gilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 90 X 129 cm Dim frame : 118 x 159 cm GODCHAUX Emile (1860 - nc) French School - 19th century - Born in 1860 Painter of genre scenes, landscapes, waterscapes, marines, flowers, still lives. He sold his paintings on the public place, and sometimes in Lotteries. He is related to Alfred Godchaux...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

French School 18th Century - Seaside Landscape With Roman Ruins and Galleon
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
French School 18th Century In the taste of Joseph VERNET (1714-1789) Seaside Landscape with Roman Ruins and Galleon Oil on canvas Old Frame regilded with leaves Dim canvas : 61 X 73...
Category

Late 18th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

“View of Switzerland”
By John William Casilear
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautiful oil on fiberboard painting of a view of Switzerland done by the American artist, John William Casilear. Signed with monogram lower left. Condition is excellent. Circa 1857/1858. The painting is housed in a contemporary frame. Overall framed measurements are 6 5/8 by 8 5/8 inches. lProvenance: Long Island, New York collector. Biography John William Casilear was born in New York City on June 25, 1811. Like his fellow Hudson River School landscapists Asher B. Durand and John F. Kensett, he worked as an engraver before turning to painting. In 1826 Casilear was apprenticed to the engraver Peter Maverick (1780-1831), and at first he primarily executed bank notes. Durand encouraged him to attempt other subjects, however, and during the 1830s he madeengravings after some of the most prominent paintings of the day, including Daniel Huntington's The Sybil (New-York Historical Society). In 1832 he began submitting engravings to the National Academy of Design exhibition and he first showed paintings there in 1836. In 1833 Casilear was elected an Associate of the Academy; he was elevated to full Academician status in 1851. In 1840 Casilear accompanied Durand, Kensett, and another painter, Thomas P. Rossiter (1818-1871), on a trip to Europe. There the artists studied and copied paintings...
Category

1850s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Fiberboard

Marines - Boats are Leaving for Fishing in Brittany
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
GILBERT Pierre-Julien (1783-1860) Marines - Boats are Leaving for Fishing in Brittany Two Oils on wood panels in pair signed both low right Old frames re-gilded with leaves Dim wood ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

'Piano And Violin Recital', Paris Salon, Royal Academy, Still Life of Tulips
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left, 'Alf. Broge' for Carl Harald Alfred Broge (Danish, 1870-1955) and dated '1918'. Alfred Broge first studied with Helger Gronvold and, from 1889 to 1891, at Denmar...
Category

1910s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cat and Kitten on the Desk
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
LE ROY Jules Gustave (1853 - 1922 ) Cat and Kitten on the Desk Oil on canvas signed low left Old Frame regilded with leaves Dim canvas : 46 X 38 cm Dim frame : 58 X 50 cm LE ROY J...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil

Young Lady and Cupid in The Park
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
C.BRIAND Young Lady With Cupid in The Park Oil on canvas circa 1880 signed low right Old Frame gilded with leaves Size canvas : 65 X 55 cm Size frame : 93 X 82 cm
Category

1880s Academic Paintings

Materials

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...
Category

19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Wood Panel, Oil, Board

At the Camp (Academic Figurative Painting of Young Male Hunter by Mark Beard)
Located in Hudson, NY
Academic style figurative oil painting on canvas of a young man undressing in a rural camp setting with a mountain landscape in the distance "At the Camp", Painted by Mark Beard as ...
Category

2010s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still Life, Flowers and Fruit
Located in Greenwich, CT
A stunning and dramatic still life by noted Belgian 19th century artist, David De Noter. Framed in a complimentary Empire style 22 karat hand carved frame....
Category

1860s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Two Borzois by Otto Eerelman
Located in New Orleans, LA
This monumental painting is by the celebrated Dutch artist Otto Eerelman, one of 19th-century Europe's most popular and important animal portraitists, an...
Category

19th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jupiter and Mercury received by Philemon and Baucis
Located in Greenwich, CT
Canvas size: 57 3/4 x 45 1/2 inches A striking and impressive French Academic painting in a high quality Italian style gold leaf frame. Gorguet was an Academic French artist who was trained by Boulanger, Gerome, Bonnat and Morot. His academic training was so strong that he was asked by the Opera House to illustrate many of their posters and he made his living illustrating many books of the time. In the market today this is most of what circulates and comes to light by the artist. He was ultimately made a professor of Drawings at L’Institut. However, Gorguet was also a Symbolist artist and did works aligned with the Art Nouveau movement. Many of these works are quite impressive but rarely have surfaced in the art market. Jupiter and Mercury Received by Philemon and Baucis is more of an Allegorical work and Gorguet switched gears to do a painting which would garner International attention at the important Concourse du Prix de Rome competition. 1891 was a year where the competition would be stiff and he knew he had to do an impressive painting with a compelling historical or allegorical content. In this painting, Gorguet is depicting their Jupiter and Mercury’s arrival at their home and the indication that Philemon and Baucis will share what they have with them despite their poverty-stricken means. The technical execution of this work is exceptional as the figurative work is done masterfully and any small detail within the canvas demonstrates tremendous attention of subtlety of tone and modeling. An example is the strand of cloth that crosses Jupiters chest and the delicate shades of pink and gray and how it is modeled. More than ever, the academic artists of this period are to be appreciated for the quality and creativeness of their work. And the timelessness of these classical allegories are still applicable to our lives today. So we predict a turn back toward work like this as qualitatively we know it will never be done again. Story of Jupiter and Mercury Visiting Philemon and Baucis (one interpretation) According to ancient Roman mythology and Ovid's Metamorphoses (8.631, 8.720.), Philemon and Baucis had lived out their long lives nobly, but in poverty. Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods, had heard of the virtuous couple, but based on all his previous experiences with humans, he had serious doubts as to their goodness. Jupiter was about to destroy mankind but was willing to give it one final chance before starting over again. So, in the company of his son Mercury, the wing-footed messenger god, Jupiter went about, disguised as a worn and weary traveler, from house to house among the neighbors of Philemon and Baucis. As Jupiter feared and expected, the neighbors turned him and Mercury away rudely. Then the two gods went to the last house...
Category

1890s Academic Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Anatomy Drawing of a Horse - Original French Artwork Equestrian Anatomy Study
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Anatomy of a Horse by Robert Ladou (French 1929-2014) original drawing stuck on card in blue folder/ thick paper, unframed drawing: 12 x 19 inch...
Category

20th Century Academic Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Crayon, Watercolor, Pencil, Color Pencil

“Orientalist Markeplace”
Located in Southampton, NY
Circa 1865 marketplace painting by the American artist, George Washington Nicholson. Signed lower left. Oil paint on wooden panel. Condit...
Category

1860s Academic Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

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.

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