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.
Self Portrait -21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Africa, 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, Coffee, Mixed Media
Pagoda, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A tulip poplar towers like a golden pagoda on a beautiful sunny day. The pastel light from the sky reflects its warm glow on the tree. The artwork evokes a jo...
Oil
$4,000
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
$5,966
Grades of solitude. Blue, red, women, blue faces, contrast colors, strong
Located in Oslo, NO
“Grades of solitude” is an oil painting from Alter Ego series, inspired by Carl Jung’s analytical psychology. The series explores the inner world of the self — the tension between op...
Canvas, Oil
Young Woman Fetching Water, Oil on Canvas, Signed, Circa 2000, Spain
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Title: Young Woman Fetching Water Artist: Jesús Villar (1930–2015) Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 39.4 x 20.1 in Estimated date: c. 2000 Signature: Signed lower left: "Villar...
Canvas, Oil
Light and Stone in Harmony Sway, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Soft light hits two peaks, casting soft, blue shadows on the cliffs below. In the foreground, a meadow lights up with small, dancing trees. The composition and ...
Oil
$760Sale Price|20% Off
Dracaena, Botanical Garden Plant Still-Life
Located in Soquel, CA
Fun and expressive botanical still-life painting of a Dracaena plant in front of a window by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b.1957), 1976. The bright green leaves are depi...
Canvas, Oil
$2,669Sale Price|50% Off
The Bather
Located in London, GB
'The Bather', oil on board, by Charles Kvapil (1934). The world of art has for centuries depicted bathers in one form or another. Kvapil's wonderfully allur...
Oil, Board
"Happy Fish: The Golden Kiss" (2025) – Original Oil on Canvas by Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"The Golden Kiss" (2025) is a masterpiece of emotional depth and technical brilliance within Elena Lukina’s internationally acclaimed series, "Vitality in Motion: The Koi Symphony" (...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
$1,807Sale Price|40% Off
'The Park' by M. Phidias (circa 1920s)
Located in London, GB
'The Park', oil on canvas, by M. Phidias (circa 1920s). Painted using this artist's trademark impasto, the effect is to add depth and texture to the exuberant display of hues and ref...
Canvas, Oil
Still life with watering can and cacti
Located in Genève, GE
Work on wood Golden frame Dimensions with frame :64 x 79 x 2.5 cm A close look at this work reveals the artist's astonishing mastery in depicting an apparently simple yet profoundly...
Oil, Gouache
Stolphärbre in Moonlight
Located in North Clarendon, VT
Beautiful colorist Alf Sundstrom oil on canvas painting of moonlight over a Stolphärbre in Sweden 1923. Wilhelm Alfons (Alf) Maria Sundström was born April 16, 1888 in Nansta, Gävle...
Oil
$4,244Sale Price|50% Off
Landscape
Located in London, GB
'Landscape', oil on canvas, by Charles Kvapil (1928). The artist, Kvapil, has scores of tremendous artworks which depict scenes in nature such as this one. Here, a bit of Mediterrane...
Canvas, Oil
$3,977
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...
Oil, Canvas
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
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
Promeneur au Pigeonnier, Expressionist Oil on Board Landscape, Signed
Located in Cotignac, FR
French landscape, Expressionist oil on board by Jean Arene. The painting is signed bottom left, titled dated and signed to the back and is presented in the original 'Arene' frame sup...
Oil
$1,065
Peonies in the evening garden" oil on canvas.Landscape of Liliуа Volskayaya
Located in Zofingen, AG
SHIPPED IN ROLL "Peonies in the evening garden" oil on canvas.Landscape of Lilia Volskaya. To paint this landscape, I used several techniques of oil painting on canvas. 1. The main p...
Canvas, Oil
$3,800
French Modernist Large Paris Street Oil Painting Expressionist Henry D'anty
By Henri d'Anty
Located in Surfside, FL
Large oil on canvas Paris, France street scene with house and tree. Hand signed Framed Dimensions 41 x 48.5 Canvas is 40 X 32 inches Henri Maurice D'Anty, listed French artist, Henry d'Anty 1910-1998 Born 1910 in Belleville France. Died in December 4 1998. Educated at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the Académie Julian Paris. Painter of the school of Paris. ((painter of de l'Ecole de Paris et Peintre Témoin de son Temps) He participated in numerous exhibitions and was rewarded number of prizes for his work in France and abroad D'Anty was born in Belleville, and it was here that he came to know the picturesque architectural quality of small sloping streets, sometimes broken by flights of steps, like those of Montmartre. Afterwards he moved to Saint Maurice, where he came under the spell of the banks of the Marne with its blue green reflections, the heavy river barges, sail boats, and the lock with its large dark mass, which all made their impressions, as did a later visit in northern France, long before he thought seriously about painting. But in both eye and mind, he was already storing secret visions and emotions. During a holiday in Brittany, he discovered an entirely new awareness of colors, or rather of colors of the enchanting, subtle tones which make up the varied atmospheres of the Breton scene. He is linked to both post impressionism and expressionism. He was part of the Ecole de Paris (School of Paris) and showed with Francois Arnal, Franz Priking, Isis Kischka, Roland Dubuc, Bernard Maurice Quentin, Michel Patrix, Roger Bezombes, Lucien Joseph Fontanarosa, Bernard Buffet, Jean Marzelle, Maurice Blond, Isaac Antcher, Francis Bott, Jean Jansem, Alfred Charles Weber...
Canvas, Oil
CHERRY
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, I imbued a whimsical essence, capturing innocence through naive strokes and a pop art vibe. I harmonized acrylic and oil to craft a texture-rich surface, like a tap...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Mediterranean Village of Mallorca oil on canvas painting
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Artist: Bernat Sanjuan i Tarré (Barcelona, 1915 – Deià, Mallorca, 1979) Title: Mediterranean Village of Mallorca Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 65 × 92 cm (25.6 × 36.2 in) Framed:...
Canvas, Oil
The red apple. Mother and daughter, family, rural landscape, village, ancestors
Located in Oslo, NO
“The Red Apple” shows an old and a young woman as one figure. They share the same body, the same presence — youth and age together. The apple recalls the story of Eve. It stands for ...
Canvas, Oil
Yellow Ambitions -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Surrealism Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
“Thus wrote I, since my One Love was torn from me. I cannot work: I cannot think: I seek distraction here: I seek distraction there: but this is all my truth, that I Who love have lo...
Linen, Oil
"Horses in the field" with yellow popular trees
Located in New York, NY
"Horses in the field" is unique by the artist, because of the location where they are grazing among the yellow popular trees.
Oil
Seeing Autumn, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A lone tree stands in the middle of a vast meadow, with a single cloud hovering over it. Its leaves, painted in shades of yellow and red, subtly hint at the c...
Oil
$1,800
Fractured Innocence - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, 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 Ola...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,567Sale Price|45% Off
Hillside in Galilee
Located in North Clarendon, VT
Fantastic estate find, Hillside in Galilee by Arieh Allweil. A beautiful expressionist painting by an exceptional artist. Oil on board, signed lower right, 15" x 11" painting, 20" x ...
Oil
$1,250
This is One not Two - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
$11,980Sale Price|30% Off
Piazza di Spagna Roma
By Yves Brayer
Located in London, GB
'Piazza di Spagna, Roma' oil on canvas, by Yves Brayer (1933). At the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is one of the most famous squares in Rome. It owes ...
Canvas, Oil
$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
Guoqiang Ning Portrait Original Oil Painting "Blue Fantasy"
Located in New York, NY
Title: Blue Fantasy Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 15 x 12 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This painting is ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,600
Love and Bond 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Whites, Black
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
A better society is not built solely by wealth or power, but by shared values. By the courage to love without condition, the strength to treat all as equals, and the wisdom to honor ...
Canvas, Oil
Into The Light 2 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Surrealism, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
A garden of broken vows— where lilies bloom with ash in their throats and mirrors drip with the sweat of secrets. Two shadows entwine, Yet one dissolves into smoke, The other crumble...
Linen, Oil
$790
Nature-Inspired Painting, Tropical Flora in Brown and Green, Modern Nature Forms
Located in Barcelona, ES
This painting explores an intimate and imaginative relationship with nature, transforming tropical flora into expressive, living forms. Rather than depicting a specific landscape, th...
Paper, Wax Crayon, Acrylic
Hydro-Genesis: Luminous Flux – Museum Scale Masterpiece (145x100)
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
Tulips Red 3
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Tulips Red 3" bursts with life, a vivid floral painting where passion blooms in every detail. Red tulips take center stage, their vibrant hues energized by touches of blue, yellow, ...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$7,300
Kinetic Azure: Deep Turquoise Abstract Expressionism – Large Palette Knife Oil
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this monumental 80x120 cm work from her 2024 pivotal collection, Elena Lukina redefines the boundaries of contemporary marine abstraction. 'Kynetic Azure' is not merely a depictio...
Canvas, Oil
1940s Signed German Impressionist Oil of Rio de Janeiro in Style of Max Slevogt
Located in Soquel, CA
German Impressionist Painting of Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara Bay and Sugarloaf Mountain in style of Max Slevogt This vivid landscape painting offers a panoramic view of Rio de Janeir...
Oil, Board
In Her Solitude - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Women, Modern
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In her solitude, she finds clarity. The world outside may move at an unforgiving pace, but here, in the quiet, she breathes. She sits with her thoughts, letting them rise and fall li...
Canvas, Acrylic
Alfonsas Dargis "The Old Country"
Located in San Francisco, CA
Alfonsas Dargis:1909-1996. Listed artist who was born in Lithuania and emigrated to the Rochchester N.Y. area in 1951. He has auction results up to ? $1700 but has sold for much high...
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
Obìnrin Bí Òkúta (Women Like Stone) - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Oil
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
The Genesis of Spring – Large Scale Abstract Masterpiece (100x100)
Located in Zofingen, AG
"The Genesis of Spring: A Visual Symphony of Vitality" Part of the "Koi Symphony" Collection (2020–2025) The Concept: Beyond the Surface In this monumental 100x100 cm canvas, Elena L...
Canvas, Oil
Holding up to Memories, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A solitary woman leans into a vast, swirling blue field. Spiraling strokes of orange and yellow shimmer like stars, adding warmth to the cool, dominant palette....
Acrylic
Fantasy with Flowers 66
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Fantasy with Flowers" (series of 200+ pictures) paper 59x42cm On the paper acrylic, oil pastel, felt-tip pen, ink, gold leaf, pencils, silver,mixed media. Flowers are a smile of ...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
On the same wave. Couple painting, love, blue, sea, man and a woman, fish, large
Located in Oslo, NO
A man and a woman float in gentle harmony, surrounded by flying fish moving through soft turquoise and deep blue. The scene is calm yet surreal, a space between dream and sea, presen...
Canvas, Oil
$2,200
"Nestled" - Rural Midwestern Winter Landscape, Acrylic/Charcoal Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Leigh Ann Van Fossan's "Nestled" is a charming acrylic and charcoal painting, created on canvas. Artist Statement: "This emotional, impulsive, and nostalgic work captures a familiar...
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
$4,030Sale Price|35% Off
Stone Head Oil Painting on Board, Expressionist, Circa 1950s, Framed
Located in Vancouver, CA
Herbert Siebner (1925-2004) was a German-born Canadian painter whose work is characterized by its expressive use of color and texture, and its exploration of themes of war, exile, an...
Oil, Board
Untitled 5 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern, Women
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 Born in 1993 in...
Canvas, Acrylic
$3,350
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
Golden Sunset
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this vivid painting, I unleashed a symphony of color through expressive brushstrokes, merging acrylic and oil to capture the ephemeral beauty of a dramatic sunset. It dances betwe...
Oil, Acrylic, Cardboard
$5,350
Attitude - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women Fashion
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The painting titled “Attitude” captures the very ‘essence’ of his subjects who they are and what they represent outside of their roles experiences obligations and accomplishments. Ma...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Jardin des Tuileries
By Gabriel Spat
Located in Sheffield, MA
Gabriel Spat American, 1890-1967 Jardin des Tuileries Oil on board 8 ⅛ by 11 ⅛ in, w/ frame 13 ¾ by 17 in Signed lower left Gabriel Spat spent most of his career in France painting...
Oil
Le service a cafe
Located in New York, NY
catalogue : Bernard Buffet Vo.11 by Yann le Pichon, 2 page color reproduction (474 & 475) . catalogue reference # 840. Actual canvas size: 89 x116 cm. (35 1/...
Oil
$887Sale Price|21% Off
The Secret in Her Eyes, Romantic Realism Oil on Canvas Painting, 1980s
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Technical Sheet - Title: *The Secret in Her Eyes* - Artist: Rosendo González Carbonell - Technique: Oil on canvas - Dimensions: 24 x 20 inches - Framing: Unframed - Style: Romantic realism...
Canvas, Oil
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
Dance Moves, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The painting captures a lively scene where a group of people dances joyfully, lost in the music with closed eyes. Their vibrant clothing and fluid movements i...
Acrylic
$600
"Abstract Overhead Parking Lot" (2005) Expressionist Cityscape, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Subject matter to me is a vehicle for me to explore how I observe life. My urban influences are an assembly of varied fabrics stitched together to form a tapestry. It is not to re...
Oil, Panel
"Shadow Lace" (2017) Expressionist Winter Still-Life, Watercolor Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Subject matter to me is a vehicle for me to explore how I observe life. My urban influences are an assembly of varied fabrics stitched together to form a tapestry. It is not to re...
Oil, Panel
J. Meunie 6 Tree Almond Blossom Vertical original acrylic painting
By Julen Meunie
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
" ALMOND BLOSSOM original acrylic painting. framed Julien was born in 1948 in Vichy, France. He studied art and theater in Clermont-Ferrand at the same time as finishing his degree ...
Wood, Oil