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.
Expressionist Oil Painting of Young Woman By The Sea Cost, 1970s
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
Study of Flowers, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The Matisse-inspired still life offers a free-form, uninhibited depiction of wildflowers. Visual elements surrounding the floral arrangement keep the scene from...
Acrylic
"Secret Garden" (2023) by Leigh Ann Van Fossan, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Leigh Ann Van Fossan's "Secret Garden" (2023) is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a path surrounded by colorful flowers and trees arching over. Van Fossan was born in...
Canvas, Oil
'Still Life on a Table', Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, Pompidou Center, Nice
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left "Vigny" for Sylvain Vigny (French, 1903-1970) and painted, circa 1935, on artists board prepared by Maison Franco, 19 Rue Pastorelli, Nice. Born in Vienna, Sylvain...
Oil, Cardboard
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
Woman with Red Hair
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Baron Robert Heinrich Freiherr von Doblhoff (1880 Vienna - 1960 ibid.) Woman with Red Hair Ink and watercolor on paper, image measures 6.25 x 7.25 inc...
Ink, Watercolor
On the far shore
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The painting depicts a secluded corner of a remote shore. The azure water contrasts beautifully with the rocky coastline. This is no ordinary beach—it is a sanctuary where one can es...
Oil
$1,188Sale 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
$3,480Sale Price|20% Off
Gentleman 1 - 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
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
Ray of Hope - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Floral, Women
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
$695
What are you dreaming about? Kind, warm, empathy, inner voice, friendship, pet
Located in Oslo, NO
A girl stands with her eyes closed, her deer beside her—two beings breathing in the same silence, bound by something older than words. This is an oil painting from "Alter Ego" seri...
Oil, Canvas
$9,277Sale Price|36% Off
Woman Surrealism Oil on Canvas Painting, Expressionist, Framed, 2000s
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Artist: Alvar Suñol Title: Figurative Composition Date: c.2000 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions (canvas): 81 x 100 cm (31.9 x 39.3 in) Framed: Yes Condition: Excellent Alvar Suñol –...
Canvas, Oil
The Architecture of Radiance, Impasto Botanical Oil Painting, Fine Art
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"The Architecture of Radiance" by Elena Lukina (2022), from the series "The Architecture of Fragility". This authentic Alla prima oil painting on stretched professional Caravaggio ca...
Canvas, Oil
'Still Life of Flowers', Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, Budapest
By Bordas Ferenc
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Oil still-life of a bouquet of ocher, rose, cobalt, lavender, and ivory wildflowers, informally arranged in a goblet against a background of rust and periwinkle. Signed lower right...
Canvas, Oil
$5,473Sale Price|45% Off
¨Topiaria¨. Expressionist colorful garden. Big format Oil on canvas
Located in Segovia, ES
Topiaria. Big format Oil on canvas Beautiful garden by Chico Montilla. Measurements: (H) 130 x (W) 195 x 3 cm. Framed 142 x 207 x 5 cm. Colorful expressionist view of a garden with plants that have been given artistic form through the topiary art...
Canvas, Oil
$3,896
The advisor. Bright, warm, inner world, faces, strong, strange, psychology
Located in Oslo, NO
“Adviser” shows a figure surrounded by creatures that feel half-memory, half-warning. The face is calm, almost distant, while the forms around it shift like unspoken hints. Bright am...
Canvas, Oil
Joseph Solman, "Girl Reading" Expressionist Interior Figure Painting
Located in Rockport, MA
Painting size without frame: 8"x12" Painting size with frame: 12"x16" Painting is signed lower left corner. An expressive interior portrait by renowned American modernist Joseph So...
Oil, Board
Café de la Gare - Mid 20th Century French Expressionist Figurative Oil Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
A superb mid 20th century French expressionist oil on canvas depicting a café de la gare (station café) as inscribed on the reverse. Numerous well dressed figures stand at the café ...
Canvas, Oil
$3,750Sale Price|25% Off
Zimbeaux's Garden by Graydon Foulger, Original Oil 30x36"
Located in Loveland, CO
Zimbeaux's Garden by Graydon Foulger 30x35" image size (37x43" including the frame) Original Oil on Canvas, Signed lower right as pictured. The painting demonstrates the artist's hig...
Oil
$1,600Sale Price|20% Off
My Mind: Expressionist Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Unframed
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
$695
Tranquility. Blue, small, night, landscape, gift sized, village, quiet, calm
Located in Oslo, NO
A quiet landscape rests in shades of blue and soft carmine, as if evening has gently settled over a dream. The hills dissolve into one another like slow breathing, and the air feels ...
Oil, Canvas
$1,228Sale Price|30% Off
The Mill Watercolor and Graphite on Paper, Cubist Style, Circa 1930s
Located in London, GB
'The Mill', watercolour and graphite on paper, adhered on canvas, by Louis Latapie (circa 1930s). A colourful wintery scene, the bare trees are like wireless ...
Canvas, Paper, Watercolor, Graphite
Irises in the Garden
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this vibrant fusion of emotion and color, I've layered acrylics, oil pastels, and colored pencils to craft a garden alive with movement. My brushstrokes echo expressionist fervor,...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Satin Paper
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
Fractured Innocence - 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...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,800
Gouache Watercolor Painting, Nantucket Harbor Boats American Deaf Modernist Art
Located in Surfside, FL
Abstract harbor scene with boats, in bold, vivid colors on heavy mould made paper. Hand signed and dated, 1980 22 X 30 not frame Robert Freiman, deaf from birth, was born in March 1917 in New York City. He attended an oral program near his home and later transferred to the Lexington School for the Deaf when he was six. Early in his childhood, his love for drawing, painting and studying became apparent, and as an adult, he continued his studies in New York at the National Academy of Design, Pratt Institute, the Art Students League and the Parsons School of Design. In Paris, France he studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Bob Freiman was especially focused on painting portraits and figures in motion in various mediums, especially the mixed-media combination of watercolor, acrylic and pen. Among his subjects were acrobats, ballet dancers, cyclists and other athletes. He as well focused on abstracts for a time, discovering new media in his works with quick brushwork and expressive movements. In the latter part of his career, his style became abstract and surreal with images of metaphysical landscapes with architectural elements such as arches, towers, pyramids and castles floating in the air. The famed art critic Pierre Rouve wrote: “It is therefore refreshing to see them revitalized by the colourist wealth and virile handwriting of Robert Freiman, probably the best American water-colorist since John Marin. He worked in Provincetown and Nantucket and regularly exhibited there. He showed at Doll & Richards gallery of Boston alongside John Chetcuti, Lloyd Goodrich, Tod Lindenmuth, William Meyerowitz, Dwight Shepler...
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
Pacific Seaside Sunset, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
An oversized abstract seascape, inspired by the incredible sunsets along the California coast., The transient beauty of a sunset by the sea is expressed with vigorous brushstrokes an...
Acrylic
Cascading Waves of the Caribbean, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Yardley, PA
In this dynamic oil painting, I've captured the power and grace of the sea, blending impressionism with touches of realism to evoke the raw beauty of nature. The vibrant hues and exp...
Oil
St Tropez on the French Riviera, Oil on Board Painting by Ramon Dilley
Located in Atlanta, GA
Ramon Dilley — Coastal View of Saint‑Tropez, Oil on Board Painting, 1985 A vibrant and atmospheric oil on board painting by Ramon Dilley (French, 1932–2020), capturing the luminous charm of Saint‑Tropez with the artist's signature blend of color, rhythm, and Mediterranean warmth. The composition unfolds across a hillside of red‑roofed houses descending toward the harbor, where sailboats rest against a backdrop of rolling hills and expressive skies. Dilley's confident brushwork and saturated palette infuse the scene with movement and sunlit vitality. The painting is presented in its original Montparnasse‑style gilded wood frame, richly carved and perfectly suited to the work's spirited Provençal character. The reverse bears the handwritten inscription "St‑Tropez, rue de la Citadelle, 6/1/85", anchoring the piece to a precise moment and place in the artist's career. A compelling addition for collectors of French modern painting and Mediterranean landscapes, this piece offers both decorative appeal and strong provenance. A highly decorative and collectible artwork for interiors seeking French Riviera charm, vintage coastal art...
Board, Oil
$166Sale Price|20% Off
"Burst of spring colors " (Contemporary semi-abstract expressive floral art)
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This artwork belongs to my “Floral” series which is full of expressive brush strokes where I could experience a floral theme. It is a bold and eclectic mix of art which radiates str...
Paper, Acrylic
Judaica Oil Painting Altneuschul Maharal Synagogue Prague
By Hovik Muradian
Located in Surfside, FL
14.5 X 16.5 with frame HOVIK MURADIAN Born in 1964 in Yerevan, Armenia ,he now lives and works in Prague, Czech Republic. His pictures are in private collections in Germany, Franc...
Oil
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Woven Identities 8 - 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
$2,690Sale Price|46% Off
Series "The Imaginary traveler nº29" Expressionist corner with flowers and cat.
Located in Segovia, ES
Series "The Imaginary traveler nº29" Expressionist corner with flowers and cat. Oil on linen by Chico Montilla. Measurements: (H) 100 x (W) 81 x (D) 2 cm. Framed (H) 112 x (W) 93 ...
Linen, Oil
$2,910Sale Price|40% Off
In The Artist's Studio - Abstract Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, 1984
By D.S. Silver
Located in Soquel, CA
Large scale abstract painting of another abstract painting on artist's easel by California artist D. Silver (American, 20th Century), 1984. Signed and dated lower right corner and on...
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Woven Identities 4 - 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
"Business News" (2009) by Jann T. Bass, Original Oil Painting of Landscape
Located in Denver, CO
"Business News" (2009) by Jann T. Bass is an original handmade oil painting that depicts two men sitting on a park bench. This painting measures 9 x 12 inches and is ready to hang.
Oil, Board
$3,478
Women. Landscape, landscape, modern, contemporary, semiabstract, warm colors
Located in Oslo, NO
This painting feels like stepping into a dream. Women in flowing black dresses stand quietly in warm, golden light. There's a softness in their mystery like they carry secrets, but t...
Canvas, Oil
$4,800
Large Expressionist Acrylic Canvas Painting "Laurelhurst Park" Portland Oregon
Located in Portland, OR
A large Expressionist acrylic on canvas painting by William James ( Jack ) McLarty 1919-2011, the painting signed & titled "Laurelhurst park", 2003. Jack McLarty was very much a key ...
Oil
Expressionist Colorful Landscape Oil Paint : San Antonio
Located in Segovia, ES
San Antonio . Oil on canvas by Spanish artist Chico Montilla. Measurements: (H) 65 x (W) 81 x 2 (D) cm. Framed 85 x 101 x 5 cm. San Antonio, another expressionist view of the countr...
Canvas, Oil
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
Sisters in Yellow 3: Expressionist Acrylic Painting on Canvas
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. A sister is a gi...
Canvas, Acrylic
Olja Ivanjicki "Florence or Hell of l'Inconnue De La Seine" Oil Painting c.1965
Located in San Francisco, CA
Olja Ivanjicki "Florence or Hell of l'Inconnue De La Seine" original oil circa 1965 Original oil on board. Dimensions 26" wide x 42" high. The frame m...
Oil
Lily pond
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In crafting this tranquil scene, I've poured my soul into the serene play of light and reflections, seeking to capture the pond’s subtle dance of water and lily pads. My use of oils ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,560Sale Price|70% Off
“The Horse Race" #50 A Pierre Bosco (Italy/France, 1909-1993) circa 1950s
By Pierre Bosco
Located in SANTA FE, NM
“The Horse Race" #50 A Pierre Bosco, (1909-1993) Oil n canvas Signed lower right 12 x 15 inches “The savage art of Bosco bears its rudeness and its mystery. It is an art of pure ex...
Canvas, Oil
$2,600Sale Price|20% Off
In Her Solace - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Women, Modern
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In such a world, so chaotic. Snares and spells revolving. Finding one’s peace can be very demanding. Living life, very. Man cannot live without a pacifier, one that helps him recove...
Canvas, Acrylic
Vintage Modernist Beach Sunset Vibrantly Toned Seascape Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage French expressionist beach scene. Framed. Measuring: 10 by 15 inches overall and 4 by 9 painting alone. Signed. Excellent condition, ready to hang and enjoy.
Oil, Board
Flowers n°2 Still Life Painting, Oil on Wood, Expressionist, 1941
Located in Genève, GE
Signed and dated "Fleurs Genève 1941 n°2", inscription on the verso. Dimensions with frame: 59 x 46 x 5 cm This expressive still life depicts a bouquet of flowers arranged in an orn...
Oil, Wood Panel
$1,200
Interspecies Communication, colorful mythological swirling pattern orange tones
By Janet Morgan
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Watercolor, mixed media, using resists and metalic paints and old pastels. For Octopus and cephalopod fans. Janet Morgan’s explosive art captures the exu...
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
MUSIC ROOM with HARP - INTERIOR oil large painting 100x70cm /40x27.5in FRAMED
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Music Room with Harp" Oil on canvas. Part of Interior series. Large original, one-of-a-kind, painting 100x70cm / 40x27.5in Shipped stretched and framed. 1st dibs covers up to $200 o...
Canvas, Oil
$695
Sunny corner. Small, framed, gift sized, landscape, happy, bright, sun, houses
Located in Oslo, NO
This painting is from the series "We and Our Mountains". Artwork is painted in the shades of orange, red, and gold evoking a sunlit landscape full of life and calmness. Nestled bet...
Canvas, Oil
$1,669
The call of the ancestors. Family painting, mother and daughter, green artwork
Located in Oslo, NO
“The Call of the Ancestors” is part of Alter Ego series, inspired by Carl Jung’s psychology. The oil painting shows a young woman and her mother in a rural landscape. The scene is q...
Canvas, Oil
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
Displaced Beauty - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Woman
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Displaced Beauty challenges the shifting standards of beauty shaped by social media and societal expectations. The figure stands as a quiet resistance, embracing natural African feat...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Trying to Leave Myself 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, People
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 Emma...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$7,965
Do Not Go Gentle Into that GoodNight-Original-British Awarded Artist-EnglishRose
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Taking on the inspiration of the legendary poet, Dylan Thomas, the poem, Do not go gentle into that good night, is a painting celebrates life in its ageing; as Rosa Albertine only flowers once in early Summer with the most festive blooms and heavenly scents, a symbol of a fully lived life. Painted Plein Air, in Artist's own garden of her very own planted memorial roses. This is Rosa Albertine, the first Old English variety Artist Shizico Yi planted in 2016 in her garden before her late dog died; Old English Roses...
Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Oil, Acrylic
$520Sale Price|20% Off
Unwind 1 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, 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
$3,896
Manyfaced. Man, masculine, inner world, faces, fish, bright, strong, strange
Located in Oslo, NO
“Many faced” is an oil painting from Alter Ego series, inspired by Carl Jung’s analytical psychology. The series explores the inner landscape of the self — the tension between opposi...
Canvas, Oil
$2,680Sale Price|20% Off
One Mind With Many Thoughts - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Sometimes, our thoughts can be the enemy. We need to be careful about our thoughts because we can lose ourselves. Life can be tough, filled with challenges and difficulties, but it's...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$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
$520Sale Price|20% Off
Siblings 1 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, 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
$3,840Sale Price|39% Off
20th Century Bucks County Colorful Landscape Painting, Italian artist
By Louis Bosa
Located in Beachwood, OH
Louis Bosa (American, 1905–1981) Bucks County, 1934 Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right 17.5 x 21.5 inches 25.5 x 29 inches, framed Born in Codroipo, a small village only a f...
Oil
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Quiet Strength 2 - 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
$1,800Sale Price|20% Off
Finding Solace - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Floral
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,740
Elena Lukina, "Spring Pond" Contemporary Impressionist Water Oil Painting, 2023
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
Original oil painting "Spring Pond" by contemporary artist Elena Lukina, created in 2023 for the "Liquid Reflections: The Floating Garden" series. The vertical composition masterfull...
Canvas, Oil