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.
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
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Woven Identities 2 - 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...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
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
"Lighthouse of Peggy's Cove" - Impasto Expressionist Coastal Landscape Painting
By Sandra Pratt
Located in Denver, CO
"Lighthouse of Peggy's Cove" is a beautiful original impasto oil painting, created on linen panel by American artist Sandra Pratt, which depicts a lighthouse on a rocky peninsula, st...
Oil, Board
Giner Bueno Reparando Las Redes Painting, Acrylic Canvas, Framed
By Giner Bueno
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Giner Bueno (1935-2000) Reparando Las Redes Painter from Alicante, son of the painter Luis Giner Valls. He studied at the School of Arts and Crafts of Valencia and finished his stu...
Canvas, Acrylic
Provence Fishing Harbour French Expressionist Original Painting
By Akos Biro
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
AKOS BIRO (HUNGARIAN 1911-2002) watercolour / gouache, size: 9.75 x 6.25 inches Beautifully colourful, original painting by the very popular and highly regarded Hungarian/ French pa...
Oil Pastel, Gouache
Shower at Night, Painting, Acrylic on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
Acrylic work on archival quality paper depicting a man taking a shower at night. A faint light coming from an adjacent room. Done with the alla prima technique. The work would be v...
Acrylic
Autorretrato - Técnica mixta sobre tabla - Firmado - Año 1991
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmado por el artista en la parte inferior y fechado del año 1991 En la parte trasera, va titulado "autoretrato" y nuevamente fechado del año 1991 La obra se presenta enmarcada co...
Mixed Media
$1,023
Barca amarrada en el muelle - Óleo sobre tela - Año 1974 - Sin enmarcar
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmado por el artista en la parte inferior En la parte trasera, va nuevamente firmado y fechado del año 1974 Se presenta sin enmarcar la obra Medidas obra: 50 cm. de altura x 61 ...
Oil
$1,136
Port de La Selva (Girona) - Óleo sobre tela - Año 1974 - Sin enmarcar
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmado por el artista en la parte inferior En la parte trasera, va nuevamente firmado, fechado del año 1974 y titulado Se presenta sin enmarcar la obra Medidas obra: 50 cm. de al...
Oil
Puerto de Barcelona - Óleo sobre tela - Año 1974 - Sin enmarcar
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmado por el artista en la parte inferior En la parte trasera va nuevamente firmado, fechado del año 1974 y titulado Se presenta sin enmarcar la obra Medidas obra: 50 cm. de alt...
Oil
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Moments We Shared 2 -21st Century Contemporary Nature, Animals, Horses Landscape
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
Israeli Judaica Old Jewish Woman Sewing Expressionist Oil Painting
By Adolf Adler
Located in Surfside, FL
Adolf Adler 1917 - 1996 Adolf Adi Adler was born in Romania in 1917. Attended the Art College of Kluj Romania in 1950. (in Satu Mare, original home city of the Satmar Hasidic group)...
Canvas, Oil
ANNA TAMAYO 7.19.2 Barcelona Port Olimpic Acrylic Painting, Expressionist
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Anna Tamayo. 1971.An expressionist painter seeks to capture her mood in each of her works. She does this through themes ranging from the most realistic urban landscapes to the most d...
Wood, Acrylic
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
Don't Rush Life 3 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Where am from Bandana was once a common style, we called it Big Boy Style, then it's seem to me like a style or fashion only, because our elder brothers only allowed to used it but n...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$520Sale Price|20% Off
The Hangover -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Modern
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, Acrylic
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Woven Identities 7 - 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...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Benavente Solís Poppies Red Green Landscape original painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
landscape- original figuratif watercolor painting framed of the Spanish artist BENAVENTE SOLIS. Watercolor on paper. Perfect state . During its first exhibition in Paris, the Fren...
Watercolor
$407Sale Price|60% Off
Expressionist Oil on Board: The Life-Drawing Class, Circa 1960s
Located in London, GB
'The Life-Drawing Class', oil on board, by French (likely) artist M David (circa 1960s). A swirling, colourfully vivacious artwork that is immediately attractive and captivating. A l...
Oil, Board
Raventos Blue Navy Sunrise original abstract mixed media
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
original abstract painting. virtual framed RAVENTÓS Mª Assumpció – (San Sadurní d’Anoia, Barcelona 1930). Raventos trained at the elite Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. ...
Acrylic, Cardboard
In Line
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "In Line" 1974 in a oil painting on canvas by Irish artist Rita Lipton, b.1916. It is signed and dated at the lower left corner by the artist. The canvas size is 24 x 12...
Oil
Violet Tulips: paper, oil pastel, 70x100cm. Very Thick paper
Located in Zofingen, AG
Experience the vivid tactile beauty original oil pastel artwork by contemporary artist Rakhmet Redzhepov. Created on ultra-thick, premium paper, this piece showcases the artist's mas...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$1,273Sale Price|20% Off
Houses in Twilight: Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting, c. 1950
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Author: Francisco Salès (Barcelona, 1904 – Paris, 1976) Title: Houses in the Twilight Technique: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 50 x 73 cm (19.7 x 28.7 in) Dimensions with frame: 58 x 81 ...
Canvas, Oil
Polish Etruscan-Inspired Mid-Century Figurative Mixed Media on Paper, circa 1970
Located in NANTES, FR
This signed mixed media artwork on paper by Léon Levkovitch, created circa 1970, presents a compelling vision of the human figure inspired by ancient Etruscan art. A central, elongat...
Paper, Mixed Media
$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
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Blue Testament 3 -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, Acrylic
$3,080Sale Price|20% Off
Beautiful in my Skin - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Fashion
By Gobe Joseph
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 Gob...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
3 funny fashionistas. Original impasto Miniature Oil Gift Art.
By Elena Lukina
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
Meneses coast original watercolor paper expressionist painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
coast original watercolor paper expressionist painting. This Catalan painter, settled for years in Mallorca, offers a series of landscapes in which the natural is treated in the imp...
Watercolor, Handmade Paper
Isles of Passing Light, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A coastal landscape features silhouetted evergreens and islands set against a radiant, cloud-filled horizon. Energetic, sweeping brushstrokes unify the dynamic ...
Oil
French Modernist Biblical Style Oil Painting Group Figures Desert Journey
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
**Title** French Modernist Biblical Style Oil Painting Group Figures Desert Journey **Key Details** **Artist:** French School, indistinctly signed and dated **Title:** Group of Figu...
Canvas, Oil
Tulips Blue in the Wind : paper, oil pastel, 70x100cm. Very Thick paper
Located in Zofingen, AG
Capture the fluid elegance of nature with 'Tulips Blue in the Wind,' a large original oil pastel painting by contemporary artist Rakhmet Redzhepov. Executed on heavy, premium-grade p...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$2,360Sale Price|20% Off
Sisterhood -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Modern, Love
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, Acrylic
Codorniu Majorca Expressionist Acrylic Painting on Canvas, 21st C.
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
original expressionist acrylic painting. frame Painter and draftsman born in Ciutat de Mallorca in 1943. In 1959 moved his address to Barcelona. He was a student of the School of A...
Canvas, Oil
$2,680Sale Price|20% Off
Don't Rush Life 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Africa Men
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Where am from Bandana was once a common style, we called it Big Boy Style, then it’s seem to me like a style or fashion only, because our elder brothers only allowed to used it but n...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$3,600Sale Price|20% Off
Cap of Many Colors, Expressionist Acrylic on Canvas, 21st Century
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"Cap of Many Colors" is a captivating artwork that features a man wearing a colorful cap that is reminiscent of a rainbow. The piece is both visually striking and thought-provoking, leaving a lasting impression on viewers long after they have finished admiring it. Created by Rotimi Godwin...
Canvas, Acrylic
Female Nude Sitting Figure - Expressive Oil Painting
Located in Hallein, AT
Agata Czeremuszkin-Chrut was born in 1983 in Czestochowa, Poland. She graduated from the Academy of the Fine Arts in Wroclaw (2008) with the Master degree in Painting. In 2007 she st...
Canvas, Oil
Hydro-Genesis: Luminous Flux – Museum Scale Masterpiece (145x100)
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this monumental 145x100 cm canvas, the proprietary "Ordered Chaos" method is pushed to its technical and emotional limits. Part of a profound, decade-long study titled Hydro-Genes...
Canvas, Oil
$1,752Sale Price|20% Off
Emancipation Oil and Acrylic Painting, Expressionist, 21st Century
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
This painting conveys the enthusiasm for freedom of self-expression regardless of the restriction to decide what you are and what you want to express by the way you dress and the way...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$2,040Sale Price|20% Off
Sable - 21st Century Contemporary, Expressionist Portrait, African Woman, Face
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, Acrylic
$1,955Sale Price|20% Off
Young Woman with Pearl Necklace, Oil on Canvas, 1920s Framed Art
Located in Genève, GE
An expressive and highly atmospheric portrait signed J. Prina, depicting a seated young woman adorned with a pearl necklace and dressed in an elegant light-colored gown. Executed in ...
Oil, Canvas
House on a Hillside, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A hillside home appears from an elevated viewpoint in this Fauvist landscape painting. Late afternoon sunlight intensifies the colors, turning browns into reds ...
Acrylic
$520Sale Price|20% Off
Blue Sky - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract Expressionism, Modern, Interior
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, Acrylic
"Colors of smile"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This vibrant portrait captures the unfiltered delight and innocent wonder of childhood. Rendered in a bold, expressionistic palette, warm tones of crimson, gold, and magenta bring th...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Path to the Sunlit Arch – Impressionist Garden Landscape Oil Painting
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
This vibrant oil painting is an evocative landscape painting titled The Path to the Sunlit Arch created by the internationally registered artist Elena Lukina in 2012. As a comfortin...
Canvas, Oil
$1,750
Raventos Vertical Green Window original expressionist acrylic painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
original expressionist acrylic painting. RAVENTÓS Mª Assumpció – (San Sadurní d’Anoia, Barcelona 1930). Raventos trained at the elite Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. ...
Acrylic
Remembering, Original Seascape Painting, Contemporary Art
Located in Deddington, GB
'Remembering' is an original seascape painting by Helen Howells. 'Remembering' was inspired by my beloved South Wales Coastline, and was painted during lockdown. Harnessing my memori...
Canvas, Oil
$2,280Sale Price|20% Off
Looking Beyond 4: Expressionist Acrylic Painting on Canvas
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
Rise and Shine, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Soft morning light bathes winter trees in a warm glow. A house peeks out from behind the branches, partially hidden within the landscape. Minimal detail is used...
Acrylic
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
RED SHORE 2 - original painting by Paula Craioveanu Landscape
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Red Shore 2 ", acrylic on canvas, 50x100cm, / 19.6x39.3in. Comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. Shipped stretched or rolled, prices vary. DHL express to th...
Canvas, Acrylic
Magnolia, Still Life Painting, Oil on Canvas, 2021
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A vibrant expressionist painting depicting lush blooming magnolia branches. Delicate white and soft pink blossoms contrast against a deep, textured background of dark greens, blues, ...
Oil
$5,960Sale Price|20% Off
Serenity -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral Mixed Media
By Gobe Joseph
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 Gob...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Mixed Media
$1,900
Bountiful. Mature female figure with plant strong vibrant green and red color
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on wood signed and dated on reverse Stephen Basso's highly origional pastels and oil paintings are romantic yet thought provoking images. His whimsical works are alive with boun...
Wood, Oil
$1,800Sale Price|20% Off
Her Shattered Heart - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
$454
Contemporary abstract floral painting purple flowers on paper "Amethyst dream"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Amethyst Dream” is a contemporary abstract floral painting by French artist Natalya Mougenot, created as part of her ongoing series dedicated to floral compositions. The work evokes...
Paper, Acrylic
Tulips Red 7
Located in Zofingen, AG
I poured vibrant energy into this piece, blending acrylic, oil pastel, and colored pencil to create bold, expressive tulips that burst with life. The fusion of expressionism, impress...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$2,200Sale Price|20% Off
State of Mind 4: Unframed Acrylic Expressionist Painting, 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
I. Mundo Barcelona street original watercoler painting
By Ignasi Mundó
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
BARCELONA STREET original watercoler painting. MUNDO Ignasi Ignasi Mundó trained at the School of La Lonja, with Joaquín Mir, Mariano Pidelaserra and Manolo Hugué. In 1945 he recei...
Paper, Wax
$4,433Sale Price|35% Off
Les Champs V, Abstract Expressionist Acrylic on Canvas. 160cm x 130cm.
Located in Cotignac, FR
A large contemporary Abstract Expressionist Color-Field acrylic on canvas by French artist, Christian Manoury. Signed to the back of the canvas. Inspired by the wonderful countrysid...
Canvas, Acrylic
$436Sale Price|20% Off
A Village river
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I've merged the vibrant fluidity of impressionism with the vivid reality of fine art. I wanted the tranquility of the village river to envelop the viewer, the expressi...
Canvas, Oil