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.
$2,200
Les Non-Dits (The Unsaid) 1, - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
From The Things We Don’t Say Out Loud Series Men deserve flowers, too not just after the struggle but in the middle of it while becoming is still happening There are parts of us we l...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Armonía floral - Óleo sobre panel - Firmado y enmarcado
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmado por el artista en la parte inferior y fechado del año 1971 Se presenta enmarcada la obra Medidas obra: 48 cm. de altura x 69 cm. de ancho Medidas marco: 73 cm. de altura x...
Oil
Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Hyacinths
Located in Bristol, GB
HYACINTHS Size: 52 x 42 cm (including frame) Oil on Board An expressive and beautifully textured mid-century floral still life painting, executed in oil onto board. The composition...
Oil, Board
Twin Soul - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern, Women, Love
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This painting, Twin Soul, explores the invisible bond that connects two bodies, two individuals, two spirits. Though they appear as separate individuals, they share a profound sense ...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
"The Tempest" Large Crashing Surf and Rocks Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage original seascape oil painting by Abraham Rappaport. Oil on canvas. Measuring: 39 by 30 inches overall, and 29 by 23 1/2 artwork alone.
Oil
$2,425
Saudade I. Richard K Blades. Painting of sea at sunset. Turner influence.
Located in Coltishall, GB
Saudade - a deep, melancholic, and often sweet longing or nostalgic yearning for someone or something absent, typically someone loved. Combining feelings of sadness for the absence w...
Oil, Board
$514
"Pure Joy" Contemporary figurative woman's portrait acrylic painting on paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
Original Contemporary Figurative Painting of a Woman, 50 × 50 cm (19.7 × 19.7 inches), Acrylic and Acrylic Pen on Professional Acid-Free French Paper By French Artist Natalya Mougeno...
Paper, Acrylic
Nikolai Sinezouboff (1891- 1956) - "Night Street Scene"
Located in Wien, AT
A captivating and atmospheric nocturnal masterpiece by the renowned Russian avant-garde and École de Paris painter, Nikolai Sinezouboff (Nicolas Sinezouboff). The composition center...
Oil
$8,108
Taormina
By Erich Waske
Located in Wien, 9
Deling with the work of Erich Waske today, one encounters first of all a number of reasons why this outstanding artist has fallen into such undeserved oblivion. In addition to the de...
Oil, Canvas
The Lobsters Oil Painting, Expressionist Style, 21st Century, Unframed
Located in Miami, FL
Her work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged. Her work create...
Canvas, Oil
'The Guitarist' by Carlo Striccoli (circa 1960s)
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas, a pensive interior portrait (circa 1960s) by Carlo Striccoli depicting a woman standing beside her guitar propped on the floor, her hand resting lightly on its neck. D...
Canvas, Oil
Held in Between - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Women, Child
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...
Canvas, Oil
Lost and Found - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Expressionism, Art Deco
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Torn between facing your reality or trying to push it off you, what lengths would you go to to find yourself and put yourself on the track? Life will keep coming at us all, but we've...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Two Worlds Apart 1 -21st Century Contemporary Figurative Expressionism, Art Deco
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
These paintings are diptychs, but can also stand alone. Finding yourself in a situation where you're torn between being happy and just letting the thoughts of the day weigh you down....
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Dual Identity - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Expressionism, Art Deco
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Dual Identity talks about the friction between the Western world and trying to uphold the traditions of our forefathers. These days, fashion has evolved, and our local fabrics are n...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Ife Olooyin - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Expressionism, Art Deco
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Ife Olooyin is a contemporary figurative painting that explores the connection between love, and human relationships. The interaction between the man and woman suggests intimacy and ...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Eta Oko - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Expressionism, Art Deco
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Ẹ̀ta òkò is the name given to triplets Three masterpieces that cannot be assailed Three shimmering stones birthed into a home. Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. Th...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Agbeke in Her Element - 21st Century, Contemporary, Expressionism, Art Deco
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This painting depicts a young lady sitting, taking in her thoughts about who she is, a young lady who has bright hopes and aspirations for the journey ahead. The Adinkra symbols on t...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Abike Relax - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Expressionism, Art Deco
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Àbíké Relax" captures a serene moment of repose, portraying the figure in a state of tranquil surrender amidst everyday intimacy. This artwork embodies themes of release and divine c...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
1991 Vintage Original Swedish Mini Still Life Oil Painting - Cake & Blooms
Located in Bristol, GB
CAKE & BLOOMS Size: 35 x 30 cm (including frame) Oil on board This interior oil composition, dated 1991 on reverse, is an inviting and charming still-life painting that embodies the...
Oil, Board
$23,000
"Rolling Hills" by Rehfeld - Expressionist Muted Earth Tone Cloudy Landscape
Located in Carmel, CA
Steven H. Rehfeld (American, born 1954) "Rolling Hills" 2020 Oil paint, canvas, stretcher bars The artist signed the back of the painting. In "Rolling Hills", Steven H. Rehfeld rend...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
Series DENIA SPAIN part #6/10
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Denia (Spain) in all its infinite attraction. A city of medieval character. Small and narrow streets are replaced by broad alleys leading to the port, to the sea. Unique relief with...
Oil
Women. maternity, pregnant, care, mother, daughter, small, framed, happy
Located in Oslo, NO
A bright, sun-drenched landscape in beige, red and warm yellow, with two women. One of them is pregnant, her rounded figure becoming part of the landscape’s soft, organic shapes. The...
Canvas, Oil
Forgotten but Not Gone, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Robert Hofherr presents a derelict structure forgotten in the woods in a bold expressionist style. A blue underpainting and high-energy palette bring the...
Acrylic
$655Sale Price|35% Off
Still life with peonies. 1989, paper, watercolor, 62x70 cm
By Dzidra Bauma
Located in Riga, LV
Still life with peonies. 1989, paper, watercolor, 62x70 cm Dzidra Bauma (1930) Dzidra Bauma works in watercolor technique. She paint figural composition...
Paper, Watercolor
Ignasi Mundo. Barcelona watercolor original paper expressionist painting
By Ignasi Mundó
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Barcelona watercolor original paper expressionist painting. framed MUNDO Ignasi Ignasi Mundó trained at the School of La Lonja, with Joaquín Mir, Mariano Pidelaserra and Manolo Hugu...
Watercolor
Tenderness" landscape with tree-like peonies of summer Volskya Lily.
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Tenderness" landscape with tree-like peonies of summer Volsky Lily. A very delicate, light painting with your favorite colors. Stylish. It will fit into any interior. It is sold wit...
Canvas, Varnish, Oil
$1,500
Escapade 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern, Africa
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This piece was born from a moment of stillness, a quiet observation of how we carry entire landscapes within us. I kept thinking about how we often stand between mountains we did not...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$2,000
Raventos SEA AND BLUE SKY original expressionist mixed media canvas
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
RAVENTÓS Mª Assumpció – (San Sadurní d’Anoia, Barcelona 1930). Raventos trained at the elite Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. Raventós expanded her studies in etching and...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$1,256Sale Price|30% Off
Early 20th Century Swiss Alps Village Landscape, Oil on Board, Framed
By Otto Hamel
Located in Soquel, CA
Substantial small painting of a Swiss Mountain village by Otto Hamel (German, 1866-1950). Signed "Otto Hamel" lower right. Presented in a giltwood frame. Image, 9.5"H x 13"L. A Germ...
Oil, Board
Mid Century Portrait of Actress Paula Laurence - Wife of Joseph Hirshhorn
By Lily Harmon
Located in Miami, FL
Quick and loose expressionist portrait of stage and screen actress Paula Laurence Portrait of Paula Laurence (1916-2005). Oil and graphite on linen. Signed top right. Exhibited: "Lil...
Canvas, Oil, Graphite
Flamingo, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The combination of expressionism, realism and semi-abstraction creates an intense, emotional experience that highlights the beauty of nature and its harmonious coexistence. Dynamic b...
Oil
Cosmical Language Oil Painting on Canvas, Expressionist, 21st Century
Located in Miami, FL
Evelyne Ballestra's work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged....
Canvas, Oil
Deep Sea Mermaid. Mermaid with large red fish deep greens and ochers
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on linen canvas signed titled and dated on reverse Stephen Basso's highly origional pastels and oil paintings are romantic yet thought provoking images. His whimsical works are a...
Linen, Wood, Oil
$2,250
Passion - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women, Music
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, Acrylic
"James Dean" Original Oil On Canvas Painting ( 48 x 72 )
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
(Designers: Custom framing is available for this item) Quotes in the Painting If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live on after he's dead, then maybe he ...
Oil
American Modernist Oil Painting Gestural Landscape WPA Artist Group of 10
Located in Surfside, FL
Born in 1897, Ben-Zion Weinman celebrated his European Jewish heritage in his visual works as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker. Influenced by Spinoza, Knut Hamsun, and Wladyslaw R...
Oil, Wood Panel
$1,832Sale Price|20% Off
Peony Paradise" is an interior painting by Volskaya Lilia.
Located in Zofingen, AG
shipped in roll Peony Paradise" is an interior painting by Volskaya Lilia. The painting is executed in light, bright colors. The luxurious peonies are strategically placed at the e...
Oil, Canvas
MidCentury Expressionist Portrait Painting, Oil on Canvas, Circle Ludwig Meidner
Located in Cotignac, FR
Mid century Expressionist oil portrait on canvas by Lirondo. The painting is signed and dated bottom right. This artwork presents a striking, expressionist portrait of a contemplati...
Canvas, Oil
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
$548
"Tender waiting" Contemporary figurative painting of a woman oil on canvas
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Tender Waiting" is a 2026 contemporary figurative oil painting created with oil paints on cotton stretched canvas by French artist Natalya Mougenot, depicting a woman sitting in a h...
Canvas, Oil
Port de Centuri (Cap Corse) - Óleo sobre tabla - Firmado y enmarcado
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va firmada en la parte inferior, fechada del año 1980 y titulada Medidas de la obra: 38 cm x 60 cm. Medidas del marco: 51 cm x 73 cm. El estado de conservación de la obra ...
Oil
Ducks in Central Park, New York, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Ducks gracefully glide on a pond, echoing the harmonious rhythm of Central Park. The vibrant blue water reflects the bridge and surrounding fiery autumn foliage...
Oil
Snow Mountains - Acrylic Landscape Mountain Painting
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 ...
Acrylic
$74,329
Nature morte au réchaud by Bernard Buffet - Still life, painting, Oil on panel
Located in London, GB
*PLEASE NOTE UK BUYERS WILL ONLY PAY 5% VAT ON THIS PURCHASE. Once an order is placed we will arrange the VAT of 20% to be reduced to 5% Nature morte au réchaud by Bernard Buffet (1...
Oil, Panel
$120,000
Alte Fischerhutten - Expressionist Oil Painting of Fisherman’s Village, 1949
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Alte Fischerhütten (1949) by Max Pechstein is an oil on canvas in which the artist transforms a humble cluster of weathered fishing huts into a study of light, form, and atmosphere. Broad, rhythmic brushstrokes delineate the worn timbers and thatched roofs, while a sky streaked with lavender and rose imbues the scene with a quiet, almost meditative luminosity. Pechstein's bold outlines and flattened perspective are tempered by a late-career restraint, allowing the simple geometry of dunes, huts, and sea to resonate with an almost timeless calm. The artwork is signed lower right, "HMPechstein 1949" and signed verso, "Alte Fischerhütten 1949 HMPechstein” Provenance: Private Collection, Europe Lempertz, Cologne, June 15, 1966, lot 531 Selected Artists Galleries, New York, acquired by 1970 Private Collection, New York, acquired from the above Private Collection, by descent from above Phillips, New York, Wednesday, November 15, 2023, lot 123 Private Collection, acquired from the above Literature: Aya Soika, Max Pechstein The Catalgoue raisonne of oil paintings, Volume II 1919–1954, Munich, 2011, no. 1949/12, p. 490, illustrated Hermann Max Pechstein was born on December 31, 1881, in Zwickau, into a working-class family headed by his father, a textile-mill craftsman. Drawn to art early on, he apprenticed as a decorative painter from 1896 to 1900 before enrolling at Dresden’s School of Applied Arts and, from 1902, studying under Otto Gussmann at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. His academic grounding—unique among his future peers—laid a solid foundation for the bold, expressive work that would follow. In 1906 Erich Heckel invited Pechstein to join Die Brücke, the pioneering Expressionist collective, and he quickly became one of its most active members. Exposure to ethnographic wood carvings in Dresden in 1905 spurred his first woodcuts, and travels to Italy (1907) and Paris (1908)—where he befriended the Fauvist Kees van Dongen—expanded his palette and compositional daring. After relocating to Berlin in 1908, he co-founded the New Secession in 1910, serving as its chairman and gaining acclaim for richly colored prints inspired by Van Gogh, Matisse, and the Fauves. With the outbreak of World War I, Pechstein’s peripatetic life took him from internment in Japan to service on the Western Front in 1916. In the revolution’s aftermath, he aligned with radical socialist art...
Canvas, Oil
Jordi Sarrà – “Charity”, 1983 – Oil on Canvas – 28.5 × 23.5 cm
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Jordi Sarrà – “Charity”, 1983 – Oil on Canvas – 28.5 × 23.5 cm Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 1983 by the artist. Artwork: 27 × 22 cm (10.6 × 8.7 in.). Framed: 28.5 × 23.5 cm (11.2...
Canvas, Oil
$4,067Sale Price|30% Off
The Yellow Pitcher: 1939 Expressionist Still-Life Oil on Canvas
Located in London, GB
'The Yellow Pitcher', oil on canvas, by Charles Kvapil (1939). A prolific painter of bouquets, the artist created dozens of tableaux with flowers as sub...
Canvas, Oil
The Azure Solitude of a Fading Day, Impressionist Fine Oil Painting, Canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"The Azure Solitude of a Fading Day" by contemporary artist Elena Lukina, created in 2020 as a significant work for the archive collection "The Interior of an Echo: Domesticated Wild...
Canvas, Oil
Woman Reading in an Interior, Expressionist Oil Painting
Located in Genève, GE
Dimensions with frame: 46,5 x 41,5 x 5,5cm. Signed and dated "Eloise 68" along the right edge. This expressive portrait depicts a seated woman captured within a domestic interior, h...
Canvas, Oil
Screened Porch, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A colorful interior scene features a blue armchair beside a small orange side table topped with a vase of flowers. Tall windows...
Acrylic
Tree of Life – Impressionist Landscape Garden Oil Painting Wall Art
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Tree of life" (2023) is a conceptual and metaphysical centerpiece within my "Garden of Resonance" series, exploring the eternal theme of spiritual rebirth. With this large-scale oi...
Canvas, Oil
$1,850
Gazing Through Ankara 2, Expressionist Oil on Canvas, Unframed
By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"Gazing Through Ankara" is a captivating series of paintings that celebrates the beauty, diversity, and individuality of black African women through the exploration of eyewear and An...
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
$2,748
Crazy sun. Bright, houses, yellow, blue, landscape, semi abstract, fantasy
Located in Oslo, NO
Yellow here refuses to behave like light. It pushes through the landscape, swallowing distance and turning familiar forms into something uncertain. Blue holds its ground, cooling the...
Canvas, Oil
Farewell. Childhood, emotional, balloon, landscape, bright, rural, house, bright
Located in Oslo, NO
During this long and short life we say goodbye to many things. We say goodbye to childhood, to people, to countries, to our dreams and hopes, and even to our beliefs. We also say goo...
Canvas, Oil
Water lily inspiration
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In creating this painting, I was inspired by the tranquil beauty of water lilies. I aimed to capture their serene essence and the dynamic interplay of light on water. This piece blen...
Canvas, Oil
Onyx blue tone and black female nude sculptural qualities
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An early experimental work by the artist it combines a loosely painted head combined with a hard sculptural body.
Canvas, Oil
Benavente Solís Coast BeachB original figuratif acrylic painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
landscape- original figuratif acrylic painting .virtual framed of the Spanish artist BENAVENTE SOLIS. Watercolor on paper. Perfect state During its first exhibition in Paris, the...
Watercolor
$1,191Sale Price|20% Off
Family on a Bench at the Port, Expressionist Oil on Board, 1970s
Located in London, GB
'Family Seated on a Bench at the Port', oil on board, by François Diana (circa 1970s). A painting with a very wholesome, homespun theme harks back to a more innocent time. A family i...
Oil, Board
Côte d’Azur
Located in Sheffield, MA
Michel Dureuil French, born 1929 Côte d’Azur Oil on Canvas 15 by 18 ¼ in, w/ frame 22 ¾ by 25 ¾ in Signed lower right Michel Dureuil was born in Paris...
Oil