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.
Impasto Poppies, Elena Lukina, Original Large Impasto Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Impasto Poppies" captures the essence of a dream inspired by the sun-kissed hills of Tuscany. It's a vibrant ode to idyllic summer days, where soft horizons meet the bold energy of ...
Canvas, Oil
$923
'Venice, an Approach' , mixed media original painting circa 2003. signed work
Located in Frome, Somerset
'Venice , an Approach', mixed media on paper circa 2003.. painting 35cm x 50cm. Signed lower middle Antique glazed limewood frame and mounting 63cm x 82cm. A work by Gradwell on tone...
Mixed Media
Giner Bueno 183 playa original painting
By Giner Bueno
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Giner Bueno (1935-2000) Painter from Alicante, son of the painter Luis Giner Valls. He studied at the School of Arts and Crafts of Valencia and finished his studies in Paris, where...
Acrylic
Copons Flower Park original acrylic
By Joan Copons
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Original work of the Spanish artist Joan COPONS. -Barcelona-jardin. original acrylic painting
Canvas, Oil
$4,051Sale Price|20% Off
The pine trees. 1968, oil on canvas, 50 x 73 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Arijs Skride (1906.24.IX Madonna parish – 1987.22.XI Riga), painter. Arijs Skride was born into a farmer's family. Wife Gundega Vaska – graphic artist. At the age of 15, he passed ...
Canvas, Oil
$5,171Sale Price|24% Off
First Blossom
Located in Coltishall, GB
Inspired by Rachaels winter dog walks along the Norfolk Broads with her lovely dog Sandy. Rachael Dalzell's paintings are colourful and expressive. Her free and lively use of paint...
Canvas, Wood, Acrylic
"Impressions" (2023) By John McCaw, Expressionist Mixed Media Painting
By John McCaw
Located in Denver, CO
John McCaw's (US based) "Impressions" is a beautiful original expressionist mixed media on board painting that depicts poppies and stems growing upwards, resting in a shelf on of art...
Mixed Media, Board
Kynetic Azure Oil Painting on Canvas, Expressionist, 2010+, Unframed
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this monumental 80x120 cm work from her 2024 pivotal collection, Elena Lukina redefines the boundaries of contemporary marine abstraction. 'Kynetic Azure' is not merely a depictio...
Canvas, Oil
Dream Mystique
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Dream Mystique Artist signed and titled, new frame canvas 24x20 Wallace Bassford was an American painter and illustrator, born in 1900 in St. Louis Missouri, he attended the St. Loui...
Canvas, Oil
$4,726Sale Price|20% Off
Bouquet of fluttering butterfly
Located in Zofingen, AG
Bouquet of fluttering butterfly These Oxalis houseplants flutter their wings like butterflies. A flower has grown in my house. In this painting, I sought to capture the ephemeral be...
Canvas, Oil
Expressionist Figurative Acrylic Painting, "Warrior Woman"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original expressionist acrylic and vinyl painting on canvas. Its dimensions are 36"x36". It is unframed. A certificate of authenticity will follow delivery of this work. This is a figurative painting of a warrior woman...
Canvas, Acrylic, Vinyl
Monet's garden, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The view is reminiscent of Monet's garden in Giverny in late summer. Perspective leads the viewer into the depths of the landscape where light forms the focal point of the compositio...
Acrylic
$1,427Sale Price|20% Off
Cherries bloom. 2010, acrylic on paper, 49x70 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Cherries bloom. 2010, acrylic on paper, 49x70 cm Dzidra Bauma (1930) Dzidra Bauma works in watercolor technique. She paint figural compositions, portraits, landscapes, flowers and ...
Paper, Acrylic
Threshold with Blue Curtain, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This semi-abstract painting explores the relationship between built structure and the soft boundary suggested by a blue curtain. Jagged and straight lines intro...
Acrylic
View from a Window, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Three chairs occupy a sunlit room, with one propped in front of a window that opens onto a lush garden. Blue curtains, one with playful zigzag edges, hang again...
Acrylic
Unreachable by Design, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A woman sits comfortably on a blue chair. In a world of constant alerts and demands, she chooses to be present. By leaving her phone behind, she reclaims her rh...
Acrylic
The Teapot’s Tale, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A reflective teapot anchors this vibrant still life, its chrome surface mirroring the surrounding fruits, which glow like punctuation in a quiet narrative. Latt...
Acrylic
The View Within, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A cross-shaped window frame divides the composition into emotional quadrants: hope, turbulence, reflection, and restraint. Dynamic brushwork and vivid colors pu...
Acrylic
Where the Keys Remember You, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A piano and violin emerge from dreamlike forms. In this painting, artist Lynne Meneses pays tribute to the legacies of masters and her beloved parents, who brou...
Acrylic
$1,560Sale Price|20% Off
Killed in Action (Paramour Lover 2) -21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
After a long journey her paramour lover was killed during an intense firefight in the military service, she was shocked when she heard about this cause her dead lover had told her on...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Peaches" (2025) Still Life of Fruit and Ceramic, Acrylic/Charcoal Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Leigh Ann Van Fossan's "Peaches" is a charming acrylic and charcoal painting, created on canvas, which depicts peaches resting on a plate near a pitcher of sweet cream. Van Fossan w...
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
West End, colorful gestural abstract painting
By C. Dimitri
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Abstract cityscape indebted to Matisse's "View of Notre Dame."
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil, Permanent Marker
Afternoon, Modern Portrait Oil Painting by Jan de Ruth
By Jan De Ruth
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jan De Ruth, Czech (1922 - 1991) Title: Afternoon Year: circa 1965 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed Size: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.64 cm) Frame Size: 26 x 22 inches
Oil
SAKURA - Cherry blossom, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Hoang Phuong
Located in Yardley, PA
Cherry blossoms are very loved by the Japanese people, so in fact they exist as a symbol and the national flower of Japan. For the Japanese, Sakura zensen symbolizes beauty, fragilit...
Acrylic
Colorful vase by Jean Krillé - Oil on wood 92x65 cm
By Jean Krille
Located in Geneva, CH
Of Germanic descent, the painter Jean Krillé was born in 1923 in Switzerland. His father, writer and poet, oriented him towards art and culture. From the age of 16, he enrolled at th...
Oil
J. Meunie Tree Almond Blossom Vertical original acrylic painting
By Julen Meunie
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
" ALMOND BLOSSOM original acrylic painting. framed Julien was born in 1948 in Vichy, France. He studied art and theater in Clermont-Ferrand at the same time as finishing his degree ...
Wood, Oil
$9,750
"Wild and Beautiful II" - Colorful Impasto Abstract Floral Inspired Oil Painting
Located in Carmel, CA
Sveta Hessler (Russian, born 1973) "Wild and Beautiful II" 2025 Oil Paint, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the back of the painting. Sveta Hessler explodes the traditional ...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
Field of wild tulips
Located in Zofingen, AG
As the artist, I poured my passion into this canvas, capturing the vivid dance of colors and light across a wild tulip field. The robust oils carry the vibrancy of nature's palette, ...
Canvas, Linen, Oil
Anonimo pank, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Large Abstract portrait Painting, black&White on canvas ,work by Dimitris Pavlopoulos Painting created with acrylic . Colors: Black &White , Abstract Canvas Collection 2021 Size:...
Acrylic
$38,582Sale Price|20% Off
Ball. 1920's, oil on canvas, 65x92 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Ball. 1920's, oil on canvas, 65x92 cm Provenance: Romans Suta daughter Tatjana Suta (1923-2004) Artwork not signed Romans Suta Born on April 28, 1896 in the vicinity of Cesis (Lat...
Canvas, Oil
$675Sale Price|20% Off
Flowers. 1997. Canvas, oil, 59x40 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Flowers. 1997. Canvas, oil, 59x40 cm
Canvas, Oil
What Lies Ahead, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Heading into the crowd we see what lies ahead and where the crowd in front of us has been. It's a memory, a blur for them for us there is time to take notice, see things clearly, not...
Oil
Pink Lady
By Jackie Felix
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on canvas painting by American modern female artist Jackie Felix.
Canvas, Oil
Haydn Suite II, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
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...
Acrylic
$1,250
"Nymphs" two voluptuous female nudes, gestural abstracted figures, clear colors
By Tom Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
oil painting on board, an expressionist figurative homage to the work Diana and her Nymphs, by Rubens. Active, direct brushwork, flesh tones
Oil, Board
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Between Absence and Memory -21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Africa, People
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Between Absence and Memory explores the fragile space where presence lingers even after it is gone. Through the dialogue of figures and silhouettes, the work reveals how absence is n...
Canvas, Coffee, Mixed Media
$2,000
Balls and Strikes coney islandbeach brooklyn denizens summer baseball bathers
Located in Brooklyn, NY
this is an oil on cradled wood board, framing recommended but not necessary. the paint was mixes=d with a pumice like material to give it a rough sandy feel ABOUT Stephen Basso Ste...
Oil
$356Sale Price|20% Off
Blooming terrace
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work, I wanted to capture the essence of serenity and vibrancy coexisting. The delicate dance of light and shadow through the blossoms is a fleeting moment I've brought to st...
Canvas, Oil
Still Life with Bouquet of Roses, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
In this piece, I've intertwined the raw passion of expressionism with the delicate touch of impressionism and the grounded nature of realism. Through the strokes of my oil paints, I'...
Oil
$11,256Sale Price|20% Off
Pastel Still Art
Located in Zofingen, AG
"In creating this piece, I poured my heart into capturing the sublime dance between light and shadow, using oil to meld expressionism with a touch of impressionistic flair. The soft ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,604Sale Price|20% Off
Small city center. 2013. Cardboard, oil, 97x123 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Street view. 2013. Cardboard, oil, 97x123 cm
Oil, Cardboard
Helen Howells, Half Tide, Original Seascape Painting, Contemporary Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Half Tide by Helen Howells [2021] Original Oil on Canvas Image size: H:75 cm x W:120 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:75 cm x W:120 cm x D:3.5cm Sold Unframed Please note that in...
Canvas, Oil
Young Woman By The Sea Cost
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Young Woman By The Sea Cost Artist signed lower right, canvas 35hx39w Nicola Simbari was born in Italy and grow up in Rome. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, and in ...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$1,687Sale Price|20% Off
City landscape. Talsi. Cardboard, oil, 52.5x74 cm
Located in Riga, LV
City landscape. Talsi. Cardboard, oil, 52.5x74 cm Aleksandr Rodin (1922-2001) Painter Born in a family of farmers. Wife Rasma Lace - art scholar. Studied at the Stalingrad School of...
Oil, Cardboard
Cask and Copper Pot Still Life, Oil on Canvas, Signed, 1995, Framed
By Susan Lyon
Located in Soquel, CA
Gorgeous cask and copper pot still life by Susan Lyons (American, 20th Century). Presented in a wooden frame. Signed "Lyons" and dated "95" lower right. Image size, 28"H x 30"W. Sus...
Canvas, Oil
$3,350
Different Yet The Same - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Oil, 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 (Issued by the Gal...
Canvas, Oil
$3,500
“Blue Macaw, 1975” by Aubrey Williams, Guyanese Tropical Bird Gouache Signed
Located in Yardley, PA
This striking gouache captures Williams’s lifelong fascination with the natural world, filtered through his expressive modernist sensibility. The bird emerges from a hazy gray field,...
Paper, Gouache
Bouquet of Roses
Located in New York, NY
A very rare composition by the artist Jean-Pierre Cassigneul, the woman holds a beautiful Bouquet of Roses by the artist, she is wearing a chapeau in front of a painting showing th...
Oil
Carl Rabus “Brussels Harbor Scene” 1937 – Vintage European Maritime Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Experience the vibrant atmosphere of 1930s Brussels through this exceptional original acrylic on board harbor scene by celebrated German artist Carl Ra...
Acrylic
$790Sale Price|20% Off
Still life with flowers and apple. Oil on paper, 39. 5 x 30 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Still life with flowers and apple. Oil on paper, 39. 5 x 30 cm Victor Karnauh (1950, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR – 2012, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine) – a painter, a monu...
Paper, Oil
Monica Angle Contemporary Painting Large Scale Landscape Abstract 2014
By Monica Angle
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original acrylic on paper by American contemporary artist Monica Angle created in 2014. This work is being sold unframed. Wholesale framing is available in a variety of presenta...
Paper, Acrylic
$2,507Sale Price|20% Off
Above the dam. 1990. Cardboard, tempera. 80x100cm
Located in Riga, LV
Vladimir Glushenkov (1948-2009) (May 21, 1948, Riga - December 26, 2009, Riga) - painter, graphic artist, poet, translator. Vladimir Glushkenkov was born in family with Russian-Poli...
Tempera, Cardboard
Oil painting on board "Rough sea with steamer on the horizon" by S.A.Vinogradoff
Located in Gavere, BE
Sergey VINOGRADOV ( 1869 - 1938 ) Rough sea with steamer on the horizon Sergei Arsenievich Vinogradov ( Russian: 1869–1938 ) was a Russian-Soviet Impressionist painter; known for l...
Gold Leaf
$19,800
A Look at the Menu
By Marcel Dyf
Located in Sheffield, MA
Marcel Dyf French, 1899-1985 A Look at the Menu Oil on Canvas 21 ¼ by 25 ½ in, w/ frame 27 ¾ by 32 ¼ in Signed lower right Marcel Dyf (Marcel Dreyfus) was born in Paris on October ...
Oil
Blooming garden by the pond, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
In this oil painting, I poured my soul into capturing the enchanting interplay of light and shadows, where blooms dance above tranquil waters. Merging realism with impressionistic to...
Oil
La Toilette No. 60.
By Rudolf Bauer
Located in New York, NY
Lithograph printed on tan wove newsprint-type paper. Signed in pencil and in the stone. 15 3/4 x 12 3/4". Sheet Size: Image Size 8 1/4 x 6 3/4". Rudolf Bauer (1889-1953) executed hi...
Lithograph
Shuk Machane Yehuda Jerusalem Market Israeli Oil Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
similar in style to David Azuz a new Expressionist Israeli market scene possibly by Roz Rice.
Canvas, Oil
Water lilies shine on the surface of the lake, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
, , , blossom, , g,, flower, lotus flowers Flowers in the morning dew The most beautiful flowers are in the early morning. When the dawn just dawned, the petals began to g...
Acrylic
French Countryside Part II
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This painting captures the beauty of the French countryside. I was inspired by the peaceful and vivid colors found in this quaint French village. I depicted t...
Acrylic
3 funny fashionistas. Original impasto Miniature Oil Gift Art.
Located in Zofingen, AG
This original oil painting captures the joyful spirit of three funny fashionistas. The artist's use of impasto creates a textured surface that brings these characters to life with pl...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard