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.
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
$5,800
Cat Face
By Pep Suari
Located in Austin, TX
By Pep Suari 39" x 39" Acrylic on Canvas
Canvas, Acrylic
Anatole Krasnyansky Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Anatole Krasnyansky: 1930-2023. Well listed Ukrainian American artist who just passed away a few months ago. He has had auction results higher than $7100. He was born in Kyiv and emi...
Acrylic, Watercolor
$2,702
Expressionist Watercolour Portrait Study, 20th Century, School of Max Pechstein
Located in Cotignac, FR
Surrealist Expressionist portrait, watercolour on paper. The painting is initial signed HP bottom right. To the backboard is an inscription: ' H M Pechstein etude portrait vers 1913 ...
Paper, Watercolor
$1,374
Elena Lukina: Solar Echoes: Chromatic Radiance. Radiant Vitality Series. 2023
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Solar Echoes: Radiant Vitality" series, Elena Lukina focuses on the interplay of chromatic vibration and atmospheric depth. Painted on a canvas, the artwork translates the rhythmic ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
Boubou - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Plants, Women, Africa
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 ...
Canvas, Acrylic
High on Love, Impressionist Animal Painting, Oil on Canvas, 2026
By Oksana 5
Located in Edinburgh, GB
"High on Love" is an expressive textured oil painting that captures a tender, intimate moment between a mother giraffe and her calf. Painted against a rich, shimmering golden backgro...
Oil
$272Sale Price|20% Off
20th Paris School Collage Cutout Artwork Wonderful Interior Design Options
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Collage" by Bernard Herzog (French, b.1935) signed and stamped verso with catalogue number photo collage cut outs on paper, unframed overall paper: 25.5 x 20 inches Highly unique ...
Acrylic
$970
Pentium II, Expressionist Painting, Vigorous Gestures Icons, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Barcelona, ES
Details: Title: Pentium II Medium: Acrylic Painting on Watercolor Paper Size: 100x 70 cm (40x 28 inches). Year: 2026 Artist: Alberto de Blobs Artist's signature: Right corner * Fra...
Paper, Acrylic
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
$1,200Sale 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
$2,094Sale Price|30% Off
Row of Plane Trees In Winter - Maussane-les-Alpilles
By Yves Brayer
Located in London, GB
'Row of Plane Trees In Winter - Maussane-les-Alpilles', Provence, watercolour and pencil on art paper, by Yves Brayer (1946). A line of Plane trees greets visitors to almost every vi...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
$4,350
Gentleman 2 - 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...
Canvas, Charcoal, Pastel, 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
Blue and Weathered - German Expressionist Pastel Portrait Painting
By Dina Gardner
Located in Boston, MA
Blue and Weathered 8.0 x 8.0 x 1.0, 3.0 lbs Pastel on wood Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "Although still exploring German Expressionism, this particular piece has a ...
Pastel
Bories-en-Provence Village Near Gordes, Large Oil on Canvas
Located in Saint Amans des cots, FR
Oil on canvas by Paul Clement (1906-), France, 1967. Bories-en-Provence near Gordes. Measurements : with frame: 106x87 cm - 41.7x34.25 inches, without frame: 100x81 cm - 39.4x31.9 in...
Canvas, Oil
$18,000
Child Resting in Chair, Expressionist Portrait by Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Child Resting in Chair" is a painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 41" x 35.75" oil on board portrait is painted in a vibrant color palette. The painting is framed in a new, black wood frame and 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...
Oil, Board
Expressionist Large Oil Painting of Two Knitters, Signed, 73x92 cm
By Jean Arène
Located in Cotignac, FR
French Mid Century Large Expressionist oil on canvas of two seated Provencale figures, Le Tricoteur, by Jean Arene. The painting is signed and dated bottom left. Painted when Arene...
Canvas, Oil
$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
A small picodon ? Julien Wolf Contemporary Expressionist Painting
By Julien Wolf
Located in Paris, FR
Oil on canvas 2017 Signed Unique work Julien Wolf is a French painter born in 1981 in Strasbourg, France. In 2007, he graduated from the DNSEP Art section at the Strasbourg Decora...
Canvas, Oil
Yellow Sycamore
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on canvas painting on panel by American contemporary artist Mark Lavatelli.
Oil, Canvas
$3,572Sale Price|20% Off
Robert Friedrich Karl Scholtz. Portrait of a young lady. 1928. Oil on canvas.
Located in Berlin, DE
Portrait of a young lady. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right. Dimensions with frame: 74 cm x 88 cm Without frame: 57.5 cm x 70.5 cm The painting has several paint chips an...
Canvas, Oil
$2,600Sale Price|20% Off
Eniyan (Human) 9 Acrylic Painting, Expressionist Style, 21st Century
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide 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 Authent...
Canvas, Acrylic
$4,000Sale Price|20% Off
Onigele Yii Oil Painting of Black Woman in Ankara Head Tie
By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The painting "Onigele Yii" depicts a striking black African woman wearing a vibrant Ankara head tie, known as gele, in the Yoruba language. Rendered with oil on canvas, the artwork c...
Fabric, Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
Jordi Curós Ventura – Portrait of a Young Woman with Flowers, – Oil on Can
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Jordi Curós Ventura – Portrait of a Young Woman with Flowers, 1970s – Oil on Canvas – 55 × 45 cm An expressive oil painting by Spanish artist Jordi Curós Ventura (1930–2017), depict...
Canvas, Oil
$5,153
The Resonance: Second Sight Oil Painting on Caravaggio Linen for Luxury Home
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
The Resonance: Second Sight — Flesh of Vibration is an original oil painting from the series The Inner Mirror: Echoes of Identity, 2013. At the core of the artwork is the profound th...
Canvas, Oil
Triptych "Ocean of possibilities"oil abstraction of Volskya Lilya.
Located in Zofingen, AG
Triptych "Ocean of possibilities"oil abstraction of Volskya Lilya. Do all artists have equal opportunities? Is talent an illusion or a gift from God? Whose paintings will remain in t...
Canvas, Oil
$491Sale Price|20% Off
Mid-20th Century French Expressionist Landscape River and Colorful Mountains
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Expressionist Landscape signed gouache painting on artist paper painting: 9.75 x 12.75 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: very good and sound condition Descr...
Gouache
The Structural Luminescence, Fine Art Botanical Abstraction Oil Painting
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"The Structural Luminescence" by Elena Lukina (2022), from the conceptual series "The Architecture of Fragility". Executed as an authentic Alla prima oil painting on stretched canvas...
Canvas, Oil
Émile Bernard (French, 1868-1941) Self Portrait
Located in Dallas, TX
Émile Bernard (French, 1868-1941) Autoportrait Self Portrait executed circa 1915 Oil on canvas Signed Emile Bernard (lower right) 20 x 18 1/2 in. (50.8 x 47cm) Frame: 28.5 x 26.5 x ...
Canvas, Oil
$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
Oil on canvas “Beach at dusk”, Ronald, after Georges Laporte, France
Located in Valladolid, ES
One of a kind oil on canvas depicting a seascape at dusk, signed Ronald, an artist from the second half of the 20th century. The composition features two distinct zones: the upper h...
Canvas
$272Sale Price|20% Off
20th Paris School Collage Cutout Artwork Wonderful Interior Design options!
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Collage" by Bernard Herzog (French, b.1935) signed lower corner signed and stamped verso with catalogue number photo collage cut outs on paper, unframed overall paper: 25.5 x 20 in...
Photographic Film, Magazine Paper
$961Sale Price|30% Off
Jazz Night Abstract Expressionist Oil on Board, Signed, 39.2x30 cm
By Thierry Miramon
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late 20th century abstract expressionist oil on board representation of a lively jazz night by French artist, Thierry Miramon, signed top left and pres...
Acrylic, Board
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
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
$1,713Sale Price|40% Off
Still Life with Pineapple, Expressionist Oil on Panel, Circa 1960s
Located in London, GB
'Still Life with Pineapple', oil on panel, by Lucien Martial (circa 1960s). Like human life, fruit is perishable and ephemeral, and thus many believe th...
Oil, Board
Man Original Figurative Drawing, Expressionist, Carbon Pencil, 1960s
By A. Costa
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Man. original figurative drawing painting. virtual frame Barcelona, 1904 - Barcelona, 1965 It was formed in Buenos Aires, in the Circle of San Lucas of Barcelona and the FAD. He wa...
Carbon Pencil
The Observer of Serene Horizons, Impressionist Oil Painting, Canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"The Observer of Serene Horizons" by Elena Lukina (2017), from the series "The Earthly Sanctuary: Serene Horizons Art". This textured canvas captures a serene moment of urban contemp...
Canvas, Oil
$3,500
Still Winter Snow, Original Painting on Canvas, Hand Signed, 12x24 in. Stretched
Located in Aventura, FL
Original oil on canvas painting. Hand signed on front; signed and titled on verso by the artist. Canvas is stretched. Artwork is in excellent condition. Stretched. Certificate of au...
Canvas, Oil
$462
Richard Snowden (1950-2014) Impressionist 20thC Oil Painting Yorkshire England
Located in Cirencester, GB
ARTIST: Richard Snowden (1950-2014) British TITLE: "A Little Bit Left Of Horse Bay, Yorkshire" SIGNED: lower right MEDIUM: oil on canvas SIZE: 57cm x 48cm inclusive of frame CONDIT...
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
$4,500
Eclipse with Four Characters, Oil on Canvas, Signed, 1928, Framed
Located in Saint Amans des cots, FR
Oil on canvas by Amedee de La PATELLIERE, France, 1928. Eclipse with four characters. With frame: 63x54 cm - 24.8x21.25 inches ; without frame: 41x33 cm - 16.15x13 inches. Format 6F...
Canvas, Oil
$2,040Sale Price|20% Off
Still Becoming -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
A young woman stands with a camera in her hands. Behind her sits a childhood photograph, worn at the edges, held together by memory and time. The two images merge in a single frame. ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,560Sale Price|20% Off
Days of Promise -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
There was a time when love carried no doubt. The couple in the background shares a moment that feels simple yet full of meaning. Their laughter, their closeness, and the soft light a...
Canvas, Oil
$687
"Dreaming nude" Contemporary abstract figurative nude woman's body on paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Dreaming Nude” — a contemporary expressive figurative painting of a nude female figure by French artist Natalya Mougenot, created in mixed media (acrylic paint and acrylic pen) on h...
Paper, Acrylic
The Geometry of Shimmering Light, Impressionist Oil Painting, Canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"The Geometry of Shimmering Light" by Elena Lukina (2022), from the series "The Architecture of Fragility". In this artwork, the artist transcends the traditional botanical subject, ...
Canvas, Oil
$3,120Sale Price|40% Off
Modern Liberty, Large-Scale Rainbow Abstract Expressionism
By D.S. Silver
Located in Soquel, CA
Bold, bright, and colorful, this large-scale abstract expressionist piece by D.S. Silver, a San Francisco, California bay area abstract expressionist, explores abstracted modern libe...
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
Registry of unauthorized incarnations. Mystery painting, philosophy, psychology
Located in Oslo, NO
A red background holds traces of blue and white beings, half-formed, half-remembered. They seem to gather in quiet defiance, as if claiming a place in a world that never asked for th...
Canvas, Oil
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...
Canvas, Charcoal, Pastel, Acrylic
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Quiet Strength 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Oil, Modern, Fashion
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
Church in the Square
Located in Sheffield, MA
Élisée Maclet French, 1881-1962 Church in the Square Oil on board 18 ¼ by 24 in, w/ frame 26 ¼ by 32 in Signed lower left Born in Lihons-en-Santerre April 12, 1881, Elisée Maclet b...
Oil
Moment of the Evening, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The seascape painting captures the quiet beauty of the coast just before sunset. Sharp blades of grass frame the foreground while calm blue water stretches towa...
Oil
Elena Lukina: Radiant Vitality. Gold. Solar Echoes Series. 2022
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In the landscape "Radiant Vitality" (2022), which serves as a pivotal anchor within the "Solar Echoes" series, Elena Lukina focuses on the interplay of chromatic vibration and atmosp...
Oil, Linen
$7,140Sale Price|20% Off
Original Serg Graff "Card Sharping" Fantasy Outsider Art, Surreal Poker Scene
By Serg Graff
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This extraordinary large-scale original painting by Serg Graff titled “Card Sharpening” is a wildly imaginative and deeply narrative work blending outsider art, naïve primitivism, fantasy symbolism, and surreal storytelling into one unforgettable composition. Executed in acrylic and oil on canvas, the painting depicts an eccentric underground poker tournament taking place inside the abandoned tavern “Poker Face.” Around the vivid green gaming table...
Acrylic
$5,880
Streaming Light, Yountville Napa, Original Painting on Canvas, Signed, 24x36 in.
Located in Aventura, FL
Original oil on canvas painting. Hand signed n front; signed and titled on verso by the artist. Canvas is stretched. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity i...
Canvas, Oil
$46,500
Untitled
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Fairfield, CT
Hunt Slonem is a renowned painter known for producing Representational imagery and combining Abstract Expressionism. Slonem was born in Kittery, York County, ME. He attended Skowhega...
Oil
$2,120Sale Price|20% Off
Solitude Gaze - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa
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
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
Lonewolf - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa
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
Expressionist Oil Painting Paris Scene View Architectural Visionism Olivier Foss
By Oliver Foss
Located in Surfside, FL
Hand signed upper right Oil painting on canvas, Unframed "Street Scene" by Olivier B. Foss is an iconic artwork representational of mid-century French Expressionist painting. The ...
Canvas, Oil
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
In Bloom - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Realism, Nude, Black and White
By Sayeed Momoh
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
As in the process of the creation of In Bloom, a blatant ensembling of thoughts and becoming lurked around the process, masked and dropped against a suspended figure in an intimate-a...
Paper, Charcoal