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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
Fisherman
Fisherman

Fisherman

By Pep Suari

Located in Austin, TX

By Pep Suari 39" x 39" Acrylic on Canvas

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Young Boy Playing Marbles, Expressive Post-Impressionist Study
Young Boy Playing Marbles, Expressive Post-Impressionist Study

Young Boy Playing Marbles, Expressive Post-Impressionist Study

Located in Genève, GE

Dimensions with frame: 48 x 34,5 x 5 cm. Monogrammed "E.G." in the lower right corner and dated. This intimate and vividly textured oil painting depicts a young child absorbed in pl...

Category

Early 20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Bison 4

Bison 4

By Lisa Bostwick

Located in Bozeman, MT

Lisa Bostwick has had pieces exhibited at the Legion of Honor, Napa Valley Museum, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art and the de Young Museum. Her North Am...

Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel

Passion - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women, Music
Passion - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women, Music

Passion - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women, Music

By Kehinde Oyafajo

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Girl Thinking, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist
Girl Thinking, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist

Girl Thinking, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist

By Bernard Harmon

Located in Doylestown, PA

"Girl Thinking" is a painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 40" x 30" oil on board portrait of a young woman is painted in a vibrant color palette. The painting is framed in a new, black wood frame and signed "B Harmon" on verso. Figurative expressionism in the style of Alice Neel. Bernard Harmon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1935. Harmon was primarily a portrait painter and a well loved teacher in the Philadelphia area. A graduate of the Philadelphia Museum School and Temples Tyler School of Art, Harmon traveled extensively in Europe and South America. Beloved by many, Harmon taught in the Philadelphia School District for 32 of his 54 years of life. Beginning his career as an art teacher at West Philadelphia High School, in the early 1960s he became one of the district's artists in residence, traveling from school to school to demonstrate for students how an artist works. Returning to the classroom, Harmon joined the art department at Central High School where he taught for 14 years and became an innovator in art curriculum, developing a program offering advanced placement art classes to gifted students. In his final years Harmon became a supervisor, mentoring teachers and overseeing programs in the Philadelphia school systems District #1. During his short life Harmon taught collage preparatory art classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, summer classes at the University of the Arts, and a Saturday program for gifted children at Drexel University. Among Harmon's portraits were commissioned by Philadelphia Jazz organist Jimmy Smith and Mayor Richardson Dilworth. Bernard Harmon was active in promoting African American Artist throughout his life time. He organized many early shows such as the "Afro American Artists 1800 - 1969" at the Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center in 1969. He was considered a Renaissance man by friends and colleagues for his interests not only in art but music and theater as well. He was familiar and friends with many other African American artists such as Doc Thrash, Selma Burke...

Category

1960s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Framed Expressionist Flowers Pastel Painting, Circa 1900
Framed Expressionist Flowers Pastel Painting, Circa 1900

Framed Expressionist Flowers Pastel Painting, Circa 1900

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

Aurelio Tolosa y Alsina (Barcelona, 1861 - Barcelona, 1938) was a painter and decorator who developed his artistic activity mainly around the city of Barcelona. He was a pupil at fir...

Category

Early 1900s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

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

Girl at Desk, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist
Girl at Desk, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist

Girl at Desk, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist

By Bernard Harmon

Located in Doylestown, PA

"Girl at Desk" is an oil on board portrait painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon of a young woman, presumably a student, sitting by her desk. This work features a second portrait on verso of an elegant older woman. The painting is 40" x 36" in size and is signed "Harmon" on verso. Figurative expressionism in the style of Alice Neel. Bernard Harmon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1935. Harmon was primarily a portrait painter and a well loved teacher in the Philadelphia area. A graduate of the Philadelphia Museum School and Temples Tyler School of Art, Harmon traveled extensively in Europe and South America. Beloved by many, Harmon taught in the Philadelphia School District for 32 of his 54 years of life. Beginning his career as an art teacher at West Philadelphia High School, in the early 1960s he became one of the district's artists in residence, traveling from school to school to demonstrate for students how an artist works. Returning to the classroom, Harmon joined the art department at Central High School where he taught for 14 years and became an innovator in art curriculum, developing a program offering advanced placement art classes to gifted students. In his final years Harmon became a supervisor, mentoring teachers and overseeing programs in the Philadelphia school systems District #1. During his short life Harmon taught collage preparatory art classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, summer classes at the University of the Arts, and a Saturday program for gifted children at Drexel University. Among Harmon's portraits were commissioned by Philadelphia Jazz organist Jimmy Smith and Mayor Richardson Dilworth. Bernard Harmon was active in promoting African American Artist throughout his life time. He organized many early shows such as the "Afro American Artists 1800 - 1969" at the Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center in 1969. He was considered a Renaissance man by friends and colleagues for his interests not only in art but music and theater as well. He was familiar and friends with many other African American artists such as Doc Thrash, Selma Burke, Paul Keene...

Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Life Changes in Noise - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Mixed Media
Life Changes in Noise - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Mixed Media

Life Changes in Noise - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Mixed Media

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Pastel, Acrylic

Her Shattered Heart - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral
Her Shattered Heart - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral

Her Shattered Heart - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral

By Awofadeju Solomon

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

A soul that finds happiness after a broken heart and she decides to be single for the rest of her life. She wanted to travel, live abroad, gain new experiences and didn’t want to sta...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Love and Bond 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Whites, Black
Love and Bond 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Whites, Black

Love and Bond 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Whites, Black

By Faith Gbadero

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

There is a common thread that binds us all, and that is our shared humanity. Everyone has a general desire in their heart - to be seen, heard and understood. Each of us has dreams, f...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Winter Shadows 31, Eleanor Woolley, Original Night Time Painting, Affordable Art
Winter Shadows 31, Eleanor Woolley, Original Night Time Painting, Affordable Art

Winter Shadows 31, Eleanor Woolley, Original Night Time Painting, Affordable Art

By Eleanor Woolley

Located in Deddington, GB

Winter Shadows 31 [October 2021] original Oil Paint on Canvas Image size: H:15 cm x W:15 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:15 cm x W:15 cm x D:3cm Sold Unframed Please note t...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Big Rio, Original Contemporary Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting on Linen
Big Rio, Original Contemporary Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting on Linen

Big Rio, Original Contemporary Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting on Linen

Located in Boston, MA

Big Rio, Original Contemporary Expressionist Landscape Painting 48" x 48" x 1.75" (HxWxD) Oil on Linen This large square-format work by artist Carol Tippit Woolworth features a stunning color palette of rich greens and reds combined with muted blues, purples, and orange tones. There is a balance, both with the color, but also with the composition as the Rio Grande wraps around the curves in the Southwestern landscape, opening up towards the viewer and simultaneously guiding your eye around to the landscape in the distance. This Mexican desert appears calm and a bit desolate, but also bursting with life and energy through the colors used and the loose, energetic mark making that is characteristic of expressionist landscape works. Artist Commentary: The Rio Grande About the Artist: Art has always been a central part of Carol's life. Constantly drawing as a child, the passion to create something two dimensional has continued to this day, through oil and gouache. Carol currently lives in Santa Fe, NM and exhibits at Smilow Mathiesen Gallery on Canyon Road. She graduated with a BA in Art through the University of California at Santa Barbara, with an emphasis in Painting, but has continued to study at various art institutions (Parsons NYC; Silvermine Artists Guild, CT; Rohaton Art Center, CT; Delaware College of Art & Design (DCAD), DE) throughout her career. She now teaches painting at DCAD (Continuing Education), has several private art students, and leads painting workshops in France twice a year. She also works as a self-employed graphic designer. Carol has always been interested in France, the French landscape and French culture. She loves the fields and hilltop towns,and the strong clean lines and shapes they create. The past couple of years this influence has dominated her work. Her landscapes are a constant search for color, contrast, and shapes. Recently Carol has discovered the natural beauty of Lancaster County PA and Northern New Mexico, and is applying her French vocabulary to these new areas. Another influence early on was of an artist whom she babysat for, and who lived across the street, in Santa Barbara: Priscella Bender Shore. She eventually became her favorite art teacher and mentor at the Santa Barbara Community College. Priscella's work was of women in a swimming pools, reflecting and refracting light. They were both figurative and abstract. This images haunted Carol's memories until she could recently recreate the swimming pool paintings...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Expressionist Tree Landscape
Expressionist Tree Landscape

Expressionist Tree Landscape

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Vibrant Tree, 1955. Signed "I. Pitsch" and dated upper right. Oil on canvas measuring 18 x 20 inches. Unframed.

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Parade Large Oil Painting
Parade Large Oil Painting

Parade Large Oil Painting

By Jürgen Görg

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

"Parade" Oil, graphite on linen canvas, canvas 46x39 with frame 63x55. Jurgen Gorg was born in 1951 in​ Dernbach Germany. His formative years were spent in Koblentz, before moving ...

Category

1980s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil, Graphite

Let The Poor Breathe -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Africa
Let The Poor Breathe -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Africa

Let The Poor Breathe -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Africa

By Olajide Kuti

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

Cros Dei Pin Beach, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, Oil on Canvas, 1990s
Cros Dei Pin Beach, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, Oil on Canvas, 1990s

Cros Dei Pin Beach, St. Jean Cap Ferrat, Oil on Canvas, 1990s

Located in London, GB

'The Cros Dei Pin Beach at St. Jean Cap Ferrat', oil on canvas, by Yvon Grac (circa 1990s). Sun, crowds and the glittering Riviera — Grac at his most joyful. This animated beach scen...

Category

1990s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Boubou - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Plants, Women, Africa
Boubou - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Plants, Women, Africa

Boubou - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Plants, Women, Africa

By Josue M Pierre

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Josue M Pierre ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Prince Choko - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa
Prince Choko - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa

Prince Choko - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa

By Daniel Oguche Junior

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 Dan...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Charcoal

Lonewolf - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa
Lonewolf - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa

Lonewolf - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa

By Daniel Oguche Junior

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 Dan...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ejima (Twins) - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Women, Love
Ejima (Twins) - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Women, Love

Ejima (Twins) - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Women, Love

By Daniel Oguche Junior

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 Dan...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Charcoal

Snow Mountains - Acrylic Landscape Mountain Painting

Snow Mountains - Acrylic Landscape Mountain Painting

By Vian Borchert

Located in Boston, MA

Snow Mountains 8.0 x 10.0 x 0.5, 1.0 lbs Acrylic Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "Landscape painting depicting snow mountains." About the Artist: Vian Borchert is an ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

On a Clear Day, Oil Painting
On a Clear Day, Oil Painting

On a Clear Day, Oil Painting

By George Peebles

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Waves gently roll towards the shore, reflecting shades of blue and green under a bright sky. Tall grasses in the foreground sway lightly, adding texture to th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Embracing Self -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Women
Embracing Self -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Women

Embracing Self -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Women

By Olaniyi Timothy

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Made of layers, memories, lessons, scars, and hopes. Some parts are soft, some messy, some still taking shape, but all of them matter. You are texture, movement, and story. You don’t...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Research & Development Figural 3 & 4

Research & Development Figural 3 & 4

By Bruce Adams

Located in Buffalo, NY

A pair of paintings in one singular frame presentation by American contemporary artist Bruce Adams Art is the R&D for culture. Artists Conduct the R&D for society. In the late tw...

Category

1990s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

From Papa's Time -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories
From Papa's Time -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories

From Papa's Time -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories

By Oluwaseun Ojebiyi

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

This painting reflects how memories shape identity. The man in color stands in the present, holding a vintage camera, against the image of an older generation in grayscale, taking us...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Maximilien Luce La Cueilleuse de Fruits
Maximilien Luce La Cueilleuse de Fruits

Maximilien Luce La Cueilleuse de Fruits

By Maximilien Luce

Located in Dallas, TX

Maximilien Luce (French, 1858-1941) La Cueilleuse de Fruits oil on newsprint laid down to board signed Luce (lower right) Sight: 13 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (34.3 x 16.5cm) Frame: 17.5 x 10 I...

Category

1880s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Newsprint

Central Park
Central Park

Central Park

By Denes de Holesch

Located in Sheffield, MA

Denes Holesch Hungarian, 1910-1983 City Skyline Oil on board 21 ¾ by 26 in, w/ frame 30 by 34 in Signed lower left Denes Holesch (Denes de Holesch) was born in 1910 in Beszterceban...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

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.