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Expressionist Paintings

EXPRESSIONIST STYLE

While “expressionist” is used to describe any art that avoids naturalism and instead employs a bold use of flattened forms and intense brushwork, Expressionist art formally describes early-20th-century work from Europe that drew on Symbolism and confronted issues such as urbanization and capitalism. Expressionist artists experimented in paintings and prints with skewed perspectives, abstraction and unconventional, bright colors to portray how isolating and anxious the world felt rather than how it appeared. 

Between 1905 and 1920, Austrian and German artists, in particular, were inspired by Postimpressionists such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh in their efforts to strive for a new authenticity in their work. In its geometric patterns and decorative details, Expressionist art was also marked by eclectic sources like German and Russian folk art as well as tribal art from Africa and Oceania, which the movement’s practitioners witnessed at museums and world’s fairs.

Groups of artists came together to share and promote the themes now associated with Expressionism, such as Die Brücke (The Bridge) in Dresden, which included Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and investigated alienation and the dissolution of society in vivid color. In Munich, Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, instilled Expressionism with a search for spiritual truths. In his iconic painting The Scream, prolific Norwegian painter Edvard Munch conveyed emotional turmoil through his depiction of environmental elements, such as the threatening sky.

Expressionism shifted around the outbreak of World War I, with artists using more elements of the grotesque in reaction to the escalation of unrest and violence. Printmaking was especially popular, as it allowed artists to widely disseminate works that grappled with social and political issues amid this time of upheaval. Although the art movement ended with the rise of Nazi Germany, where Expressionist creators were labeled “degenerate,” the radical ideas of these artists would influence Neo-Expressionism that emerged in the late 1970s with painters like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente.

​​Find a collection of authentic Expressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Expressionist
A Party

A Party

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Born in 1962, Bludov was educated at the Faculty of Graphics at the Kiev State Art Institute in 1990. He is a member of the Union of Artists of Ukraine and a professor of art at the ...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

No Photos Please

No Photos Please

By Todd White

Located in Toronto, ON

42" x 31" Unframed Original - Oil on Canvas Hand Signed by Todd White Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood scenes with contrasting colors serving the viewer’s eyes a...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

CRISTAL PINTADO - REY - CORNUCOPIA MADERA
CRISTAL PINTADO - REY - CORNUCOPIA MADERA

CRISTAL PINTADO - REY - CORNUCOPIA MADERA

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

Interesante cristal pintado, representando a un Rey. Va con una cornucopia de madera tallada dorada, del siglo XIX. El cristal esta en buen estado. La cornucopia tiene diversas falta...

Category

Mid-19th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Root, " Acrylic on Canvas
"Root, " Acrylic on Canvas

"Root, " Acrylic on Canvas

By Bruno Surdo

Located in Chicago, IL

Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Mixed Media

Cottage with Flowering Vines
Cottage with Flowering Vines

Cottage with Flowering Vines

Located in Sheffield, MA

Isabelle Ferry American, 1865-1937 Cottage with Flowering Vines Oil on canvas 13 ⅛ by 16 ⅞ in, w/ frame 17 ⅛ by 21 in Estate stamped verso Provenance: Estate of the artist Private...

Category

Early 20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Season, Oil Painting
The Season, Oil Painting

The Season, Oil Painting

By George Peebles

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A serene and mysterious atmosphere envelops a snow-covered landscape. Traces of grass dot the foreground, while a shroud of fog softly blurs the distant tree ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Flower field. Summer., Painting, Acrylic on Glass
Flower field. Summer., Painting, Acrylic on Glass

Flower field. Summer., Painting, Acrylic on Glass

By Iryna Kastsova

Located in Yardley, PA

Flower field. Summer. A celebration of colorful flowers and herbs on a summer day creates an atmosphere of relaxation, harmony and bliss. Abstract expressionism. The painting is pain...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Seeing Autumn, Oil Painting
Seeing Autumn, Oil Painting

Seeing Autumn, Oil Painting

By George Peebles

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A lone tree stands in the middle of a vast meadow, with a single cloud hovering over it. Its leaves, painted in shades of yellow and red, subtly hint at the c...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Snowman and Christmas trees
Snowman and Christmas trees

Snowman and Christmas trees

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this oil painting, I've captured a whimsical winter moment filled with joy and serenity. The snowman, graced with a cheerful smile, stands as a symbol of the simple pleasures and ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Christmas Tree at the City Hall Square 40X50
Christmas Tree at the City Hall Square 40X50

Christmas Tree at the City Hall Square 40X50

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this vibrant oil painting, I've captured the essence of wintertime festivity and warmth amidst the chill. The brushstrokes convey movement, reflecting the bustling energy of holid...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1950's Expressionist Judaica Painting "I Lit All My Candles" Hanukkah Menorah
1950's Expressionist Judaica Painting "I Lit All My Candles" Hanukkah Menorah

1950's Expressionist Judaica Painting "I Lit All My Candles" Hanukkah Menorah

By Hildegard Rath

Located in Surfside, FL

Hildegard Rath, (1909-1994) painter, author, teacher, and lecturer, Born in Wurttemberg, Germany, in the Black Forest region of Germany. Hildegard Rath became a painter of landscape, portraits, still lifes, and marine subjects and also a muralist. Her father was a bank president, her mother a sculptor, writer, and illustrator of children's books. At the age of 15, Miss Rath painted her first portrait in oil as a birthday present for her father and thereafter every opportunity for study was given to her. She went to art school at the Atelier House in Stuttgart, Germany and at the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste in Berlin. She studied with Lotte Laserstein...

Category

1950s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Haydn Suite II, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Haydn Suite II, Painting, Acrylic on Paper

Haydn Suite II, Painting, Acrylic on Paper

By Karin Goeppert

Located in Yardley, PA

A floral painting on aged reclaimed yellowed music paper. This work needs to be framed. The sheet is about 30 x 23 cm / 12 x 9 in :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece com...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

1970s Expressionist Acrylic. 'Seated Figure'.
1970s Expressionist Acrylic. 'Seated Figure'.

1970s Expressionist Acrylic. 'Seated Figure'.

Located in Cotignac, FR

An expressionist portrait of a seated figure, acrylic on paper by French artist Alain Caucat. Signed bottom right. Also signed and dated to the back of the framing board. Presented u...

Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Contentious Conversation, Original Painting
Contentious Conversation, Original Painting

Contentious Conversation, Original Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
With sunlight streaming in from the left, the trees engage in a playful banter about who gets the spotlight. Overlooking a small pond alongside the shrubs, th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

The Winter Sun - original winter landscape
The Winter Sun - original winter landscape

The Winter Sun - original winter landscape

Located in Zofingen, AG

The evening expressionist painting with the snowy forest and the setting Sun is a beautiful wall decor, the painting is full of different colours, combinations of warm and cold shade...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Stolphärbre in Moonlight
Stolphärbre in Moonlight

Stolphärbre in Moonlight

Located in North Clarendon, VT

Beautiful colorist Alf Sundstrom oil on canvas painting of moonlight over a Stolphärbre in Sweden 1923. Wilhelm Alfons (Alf) Maria Sundström was born April 16, 1888 in Nansta, Gävle...

Category

1920s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Fantasy with Flowers 63
Fantasy with Flowers 63

Fantasy with Flowers 63

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Fantasy with Flowers" (series of 200+ pictures)   paper 59x42cm  On the paper acrylic, oil pastel, felt-tip pen, ink, gold leaf, pencils, silver,mixed media. Flowers are a smile of ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper

L'église Saint Séverin, Paris

L'église Saint Séverin, Paris

Located in Atlanta, GA

Student at the Jules Marinist Christmas, Edme Emile Laborne was a refined painter of cityscapes and landscapes. Paris, the Loire Valley, southern Spain...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Beauties Series: Beauty and the Bird
Beauties Series: Beauty and the Bird

Beauties Series: Beauty and the Bird

By Jackie Felix

Located in Buffalo, NY

An original acrylic on paper expressionist painting by American contemporary female artist Jackie Felix. This painting from Felix's Beauty Series was exhibited in the artist's solo ...

Category

1980s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Silver Leaf

Wild Horses, Oil Painting on Canvas by Jalal Gharbi
Wild Horses, Oil Painting on Canvas by Jalal Gharbi

Wild Horses, Oil Painting on Canvas by Jalal Gharbi

Located in Long Island City, NY

A large oil painting of stampeding Wild Horses by Tunisian-born artist, Jalal Gharbi (1920 - 2005). The painting measures 48 x 60 inches and the frame 56.5 x 68.5 inches.

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mid 20th Century oil painting of Venice by French artist Clement Serveau
Mid 20th Century oil painting of Venice by French artist Clement Serveau

Mid 20th Century oil painting of Venice by French artist Clement Serveau

By Henri Clement Serveau

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

A beautiful and bold composition of La Cad'oro in Venice with clear blue skies above and a cubist reflections of the buildings below in different shades of blues and turquoises. H...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

La lagune le matin, Venise, 1968-69, oil on paper laid on canvas by Jean Jansem
La lagune le matin, Venise, 1968-69, oil on paper laid on canvas by Jean Jansem

La lagune le matin, Venise, 1968-69, oil on paper laid on canvas by Jean Jansem

By Jean Jansem

Located in Les Acacias GE, GE

Jean Jansem (1920-2013) La lagune à Venise, 1968-1969 Huile sur papier marouflée sur toile Signée en bas à droite 50 x 65 cm Bibliographie: Cette oeuvre est enregistrée dans les archives de l’Association des Amis de Jean Jansem. Figurera dans le catalogue critique de l’oeuvre de Jean Jansem actuellement en préparation par l’association des amis de Jean Jansem Historique: L’artiste a longuement séjourné à Venise, notamment à Mazzorbo et la lagune a toujours eu une place bien particulière dans l’oeuvre et le coeur de Jansem. L’artiste y aura réalisé nombre de dessins et une trentaine de toiles seulement, dont chacune, représentation de l’eau et du ciel, est le témoin de l’imprégnation pérenne de la lumière si spécifique de la lagune dans l’oeuvre de l’artiste. Cette œuvre est une bien belle démonstration de cette utilisation magistrale de la lumière. Artiste français d'origine arménienne, né en 1920 en Turquie, Jansem arrive en France...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Laid Paper

"This is Not a Tree, " Mixed Media on Canvas, 2022
"This is Not a Tree, " Mixed Media on Canvas, 2022

"This is Not a Tree, " Mixed Media on Canvas, 2022

By Bruno Surdo

Located in Chicago, IL

Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic

Bradley Chance Hays "Dance of the Wild" Modern Watercolor Horse Equine Painting
Bradley Chance Hays "Dance of the Wild" Modern Watercolor Horse Equine Painting

Bradley Chance Hays "Dance of the Wild" Modern Watercolor Horse Equine Painting

Located in Saratoga Springs, NY

"Dance of the Wild" is a 29.5x21.5 (framed dimensions) 21 x 15 (unframed dimensions) original a mixed media ink and watercolor painting by Bradley Chance Hays. An expressive waterco...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Ink, Mixed Media, Archival Paper, Watercolor

Beyond The Pretty Faces 1 -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women

Beyond The Pretty Faces 1 -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women

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. About Artist Ola...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

'Arms Crossed' Figurative Expressionist Painting
'Arms Crossed' Figurative Expressionist Painting

'Arms Crossed' Figurative Expressionist Painting

By La Ba Quan

Located in Rye, NY

‘Arms Crossed’ is a medium size vertical expressionist figurative oil on canvas painting created by Vietnamese artist La Ba Quan in 2011. Featuring a palette made of grey, soft blue, green and pink, the painting brings to mind the fascinating aura of a Chaim Soutine. This expressionist painting is dominated by the tortuous lines of the man’s silhouette...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Kinetic Motion: 18x24cm Impasto Oil on Canvas Panel (2024)
Kinetic Motion: 18x24cm Impasto Oil on Canvas Panel (2024)

Kinetic Motion: 18x24cm Impasto Oil on Canvas Panel (2024)

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Kinetic Motion" is a vibrant 2024 original oil study from the prestigious series Gravity of Light: Marine Chronicles. Created as an intimate 18x24 cm work on professional canvas pan...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Fantasy with Flowers 9
Fantasy with Flowers 9

Fantasy with Flowers 9

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Fantasy with Flowers" (series of 200+ pictures)   paper 59x42cm  On the paper acrylic, oil pastel, felt-tip pen, ink, gold leaf, pencils, silver,mixed media. Flowers are a smile of ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper

Night fragrance XVII, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Night fragrance XVII, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Night fragrance XVII, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Located in Yardley, PA

The new work of the artist continues a series of works called "Night Flavors". This is the 17th work in this series. Plants, flowers, recognizable and sometimes unreal, created by th...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

French Expressionist School of Paris Oil Painting Women with Umbrellas Rainy Day
French Expressionist School of Paris Oil Painting Women with Umbrellas Rainy Day

French Expressionist School of Paris Oil Painting Women with Umbrellas Rainy Day

By Michel De Gallard

Located in Surfside, FL

Michel De Gallard, France (1921-2007). Oil on canvas signed lower left, Silver gilt and dark wood frame. Provenance: Label on verso Galerie de la Presidence, Paris, Titled: 'Femme...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Woven Identities 5 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Woven Identities 5 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Woven Identities is a body of work that explores the intersection of indigenous African heritage and modern global culture. In these paintings, I focus on hairstyle, tribal marks, dr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

One More Shot 4 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Sport, Football, Green

One More Shot 4 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Sport, Football, Green

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. About Artist Eli...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

The white bench

The white bench

By André Brasilier

Located in New York, NY

Here the artist captures his wife leisurely sitting on a bench while in NYC and from his paintings of New York.

Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Performer Expressionist Oil Painting
Performer Expressionist Oil Painting

Performer Expressionist Oil Painting

By Nicola Simbari

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Performer Artist signed lower right, canvas 28"x31"75 Nicola Simbari was born in Italy and grow up in Rome. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, and in the 1940s he beg...

Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

"Harvest" Working Women Hungarian European Modernism Expressionism 1926 WPA Era
"Harvest" Working Women Hungarian European Modernism Expressionism 1926 WPA Era

"Harvest" Working Women Hungarian European Modernism Expressionism 1926 WPA Era

By Stephen Csoka

Located in New York, NY

"Harvest" Working Women Hungarian European Modernism Expressionism 1926 WPA Era. 10 x 11 inches oil on board. Painted in Hungary. Stephen (Istvan) Csoka was born in Gárdony, Hungary on January 2, 1897 and died in New York in 1989. He is best remembered as a painter and etcher of portraits, nudes, landscapes, genre, and horses. Csoka studied at the Budapest Royal Academy of Art and his memberships include Associate of the National Academy of Design in New York City; the Society of American Etchers in Brooklyn, NY; the Society of Brooklyn Artists; and the Hungarian Etchers Association. Csoka's exhibitions and awards include a medal at the Barcelona International Exhibition in 1929; a prize at the City of Budapest Exhibit in 1930; prizes at the Society of American Etchers in 1942 and 1945; prizes at the Library of Congress in 1944 and 1946; a prize at the Society of Brooklyn Artists in 1944; a prize at the Philadelphia Watercolor Club in 1945; the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1945; the Carnegie Institute in 1943, 1944, and 1945; the Art Institute of Chicago in 1944; the Los Angeles Museum of Art in 1945; the National Academy of Design from 1940 through 1945; one-artist shows at the Contemporary Artists in 1940, 1943, and 1945; and the Minneapolis State Fair in 1943. *Stephen continued to recieve awards and exhibit his work throughout his life. In 1997, Hofstra Museum sponsored a Retrospective/Centennial exhibition in honor of his birth. Collections representing Csoka's work are the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; the British Museum, London, England; the Bezalel National Museum, Jerusalem, Israel; the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio; Whistler House Museum of Art, Lowell, MA; the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH; the Sheldon Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, IN; the Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL; the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN; the Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe, NM; the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary; Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, the Museum of the City of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary; the Library of Congress, Washington, DC; Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA; Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, GA; Hofstra Museum, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY; Holocaust Museum, Glen Cove, NY; National Academy of Art, New York, NY; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA; New York Historical Society, New York, NY;New York Public Library, New York, NY; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Peabody Museum, Cambridge, MA; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA; Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA; Livingston Arts Center, Mount Morris, NY; Ball State Teachers College, Muncie, IN; City College, New York, NY; Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY; Hungarian Consulate, New York, NY; Hungarian Heritage, New Brunswick, NJ; Hunter College, New York, NY; IBM Collections; Princeton Print Club...

Category

1920s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Georges Braque (French, 1882-1963) - Nature Morte au Pot
Georges Braque (French, 1882-1963) - Nature Morte au Pot

Georges Braque (French, 1882-1963) - Nature Morte au Pot

By Georges Braque

Located in Dallas, TX

Georges Braque (French, 1882-1963) - Nature Morte au Pot Signed ‘G Braque' (underlined) bottom right Oil on canvas Canvas: 18 x 21.75 in. (45.7 x 55.2cm) Framed: 26 x 30 inches Executed circa 1959 Provenance: Galerie Beyeler, Basel, Switzerland. Galerie de l'Élysée (Alex Maguy...

Category

1950s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Paint

Expressionist paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist 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, orange, purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Iryna Kastsova, Maria Asuncion Raventos, Masri Hayssam, and Evelyne Ballestra. 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 Expressionist paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available.