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Expressionist Paintings

EXPRESSIONIST STYLE

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.

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Style: Expressionist
Colorful woman portrait
Located in Zofingen, AG
"In this oil piece, I have channeled sheer vibrancy, blending expressionism with elements of pop art. The woman's portrayal bursts with emotive color, suggesting a blend of thoughtfu...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

My Galaxy
Located in Zofingen, AG
"In this oil painting, I've poured my fascination with the cosmos onto canvas, creating a vibrant expression of energy and emotion. The abstract form intertwines with impressionist t...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

My Galaxy
My Galaxy
$1,590 Sale Price
20% Off
Tulips on a turquoise background. Oil on cardboard, 47 x 45, 5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Tulips on a turquoise background. Oil on cardboard, 47x45,5 cm Aleksandr Rodin (1922-2001) Painter Born in a family of farmers. Wife Rasma Lace - art scholar. Studied at the Staling...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Tableau n°63 by Jean Krillé - Oil on wood 41x60 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Of Germanic descent, the painter Jean Krillé was born in 1923 in Switzerland. His father, writer and poet, oriented him towards art and culture. From the age of 16, he enrolled at th...
Category

1980s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tableau n°57 by Jean Krillé - Oil on wood 50x70 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Of Germanic descent, the painter Jean Krillé was born in 1923 in Switzerland. His father, writer and poet, oriented him towards art and culture. From the age of 16, he enrolled at th...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tableau n°61 by Jean Krillé - Oil on cardboard 50x60 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Of Germanic descent, the painter Jean Krillé was born in 1923 in Switzerland. His father, writer and poet, oriented him towards art and culture. From the age of 16, he enrolled at th...
Category

1980s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Seaside Play
Located in Zofingen, AG
"This piece captures a moment of serene companionship between a woman and her dog by the sea, enveloping the viewer in a sense of peacefulness. I used oil to bring out the vibrant co...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Seaside Play
Seaside Play
$1,270 Sale Price
20% Off
Meeting on the pond
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I sought to capture an intimate interplay between the inhabitants of a tranquil pond. My brushstrokes dance between expressionism and impressionism, melding rea...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Mauve Giverny Lake" Expressionist Lake Scene with Lily Pads
Located in Austin, TX
By Pep Suari 39" x 78" Acrylic on Canvas Framed About the Artist: Pep Suari, an artist based in Mallorca, skillfully captures the bright, distinctive light of the Mediterranean in ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Taormina
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...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Rock-A-Nore beach, Hastings
Located in Deddington, GB
Rock-A-Nore beach, Hastings by Georgie Dowling [2021] original Oil paint on canvas Image size: H:25 cm x W:35 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:25 cm x W:35 cm x D:2cm Sold Unfra...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Obstacles Ahead, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
She takes a deep breath and gets ready for her day. The path is clear at the moment but she knows she will run into obstacles. Here is that woman. Always observing and preparing for ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Donna con vestito rosso" olio cm. 50 x 70 1979
Located in Torino, IT
woman,red, Italian painter Edgardo CORBELLI (Turin, 1918 - 1989) From the traditional composition of the 1930s, the painting of Corbelli leads to technical and expressive results do...
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Spectacle, year 2002, 26"x32" oil on canvas, framed size 36x42 in.
Located in La Canada Flintridge, CA
The painting sizes are 26x32 in. with framed sizes are 36x42 inches. The composition from Mysterious Theater series, Robert Elibekian specialized in ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

spheres, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Spheres are conceived as a hologram of growing fruits, turning branches and invisible forces taking place in the inner quantic space where marvelous animals strive to survive, a remi...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Rural landscape with a boat
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I've woven tranquility with exuberant colors, capturing nature's quiet melody. I've layered impressionistic touches onto a realist framework, creating a dance o...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Shepherd’s Delight, Pixie Willoughby, Original Abstract Landscape Painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Shepherd’s Delight [2021] original Acrylic on canvas Image size: H:61 cm x W:61 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:61 cm x W:61 cm x D:4cm Sold Unframed Please note that insitu im...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Three figures. Oil on canvas, 65x60, 5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Three figures. Oil on canvas 65x60,5 cm Aleksandr Rodin (1922-2001) Painter Born in a family of farmers. Wife Rasma Lace - art scholar. Studied at the...
Category

1980s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Lynda Minter, A Pathway Winter Evening, Original Landscape Painting
Located in Deddington, GB
A Pathway Winter Evening By Lynda Minter [2021] Original Oil paint on canvas Image size: H:40 cm x W:40 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:40 cm x W:40 ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Relaxing bath, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Relaxing bath Bernard Simunovic, Germany, 2022 Acrylic on Canvas, 110 x 155 cm :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Original Painting on Panel Titled: "Let em Live”
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Born in Tallahasee Fl, William started his artistic career as a color consultant for his family's Design and Painting company that took on constant projects of custom painted interio...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

Blooming balcony
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this vibrant oil painting, I've captured a lush, secluded nook that speaks to the soul's yearning for serenity. The interplay of light and shadow dances with the splendor of bloom...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Annunciation
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original acrylic on paper by American female artist Jackie Felix from the artist Blue Mary period. This work is currently featured in the exhibition at Benjaman Gallery "Over the...
Category

1990s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2017 - Acrylic Paint on Masonite, Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Acrylic paint on masonite.
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

Woman portrait. 1955, oil on canvas, 50.8 x 40.6 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Woman portrait. 1955, oil on canvas, 50.8 x 40.6 cm Provenance Bonhams
Category

1950s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hello Loretta
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on MDF by contemporary conceptual painter Rob Lynch. This work was part of a recent pop up exhibition The Dreamer Who Dreams, which was curated to raise money for Th...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Fiberboard

Road to the sea
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, I've channeled the boundless journey of the soul towards the horizon, where land meets sea. The blend of expressionism and impressionism captures the dance of light...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nocturnal, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Autumn Rose paints delicate pastel flowers and foliage in striking contrast to a dark background. The artwork emulates luscious plants kissed by soft m...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Ecstatic Fatigue, abstracted female figure, nude
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on board. Abstracted, expressionist, figurative. Cool and warm greys with heightened color.
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Cancer Dentist
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on MDF by contemporary conceptual painter Rob Lynch. This work was part of a recent pop up exhibition The Dreamer Who Dreams, which was curated to raise money for Th...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Fiberboard

"Lilies", Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Instagram: @chebotaru.a "Lilies," created in 2023, is a painting that depicts red lilies in close-up. Executed in a decorative style, the composition centers around one large lily su...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Charles V (after van Dyke) classical contemporary bold horse colorful brushwork
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A richly painted, expressionist homage to Van Dyke. Active, movement in an equestrian portrait based on a baroque painting. Oil on board.
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

The artist and his muse
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original mid century portrait of an artist and his muse or model inside his studio. This work is signed "Simon" although a definitive artist has not been determined.
Category

1960s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Third Eye
Located in Buffalo, NY
An unsigned large scale oil on un-stretched canvas, created in the 1970's. This work is meant to hang pinned to the wall.
Category

1970s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Majestic Mountains, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
I was inspired to paint these majestic mountains from Glenorchy, New Zealand because of a painting class I took online. The scene lends itself almost perfectly to a balanced perspec...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Post Soviet Avant Garde Judaica Rabbi Playing Violin (the Klezmer Fiddler)
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Contemporary Subject: People Medium: Oil Surface: Canvas Dimensions: 24" x 18" Yuri Yefimovitch Brusovany was born on November, 15th 1949 in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Russia. His father was a Jew from Gomel. His mother descended from the prominent family of Samoiloff Actors. This family was well-known all over Russia for a long time. Since 1820 names of the actors from the Samoiloffs' Dynasty never left the theatre posters. It was the largest family tree in the history of Russian scenic art. The central figure in the dynasty was V.V. Samoiloff (1834 - 1877) lived at the same time with Feodor Dostoevsky, Karl Brullov and Leo Tolstoy. V.V. Samoiloff, P.V. Samoiloff and V.A. Michurina-Samoilova were buried at the Alexander Nevsky...
Category

1990s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Helen Howells, Light across the Estuary, Original Oil Painting, Seascape Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Helen Howells Light across the Estuary Original Oil Painting on Canvas Oil Paint on Canvas Canvas size: H 76 cm x W 102 cm x D 3.5cm Sold – Un...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Research & Development Figural 3 & 4
Located in Buffalo, NY
A pair of paintings in one singular frame presentation by American contemporary artist Bruce Adams Art is the R&D for culture. Artists Conduct the R&D for society. In the late tw...
Category

1990s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Mid Century Expressionist European Nighttime Steet Scene
Located in Surfside, FL
Moody, Expressive European oil painting. signed illegibly lower right. it looks to be German or Austrian.
Category

20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Bright sunset", Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
One of a kind original Oil painting by Ukrainian artist Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska - Canvas painting stretched and ready to hang (NOT FRAMED. The sides are painted with acrylic. ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Artist at his studio" - Horizontal indoor purple and yellow painting.
Located in Miami, FL
The artist is creating inside his studio.
Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

"Riding the Crest of Waves". Hendaye. France., Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Instagram: @chebotaru.a "Riding the Crest of Waves," painted in 2020 in the city of Hendaye, France, is a canvas depicting the evening beach of the Bay of Biscay in a mild storm. In ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Lady with Cats, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Diana Elena Chelaru presents an expressionist portrait of a lady with her two cats. She communicates her love for them through gentle caresses as they sleep. Flowers and organic shapes decorate her beautiful rich plum dress...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Hot Flash, figure, red colors, bright swirling patterns
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Watercolor, mixed media, using resists. Janet Morgan’s explosive art captures the exuberance and deep wisdom we humans yearn to experience. Her sense of...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper

"Two Lovers" Expressionist Depiction of Two Figures
Located in Austin, TX
"Two Lovers" - Expressionist Depiction of Two Figures Artist: Pep Suari Medium: Oil paint on canvas Size: 40" x 32.5" A romantic contemporary expressionist painting of two lovers emb...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Passion" - Vertical expressionist female kneeling nude with flowers in ochre.
Located in Miami, FL
Romantic and expressionist nude artwork on canvas.
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Love Song Coney Island theme women bathers strong vibrant colors humor reds
Located in Brooklyn, NY
oil on canvas signed and dated on reverse. Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are romantic, yet thought provoking fantasies. His whimsical works are alive with boundless imagination, wry wit and fearless color. His shrewd social observations often translate into eerily humorous figurative scenes and narratives. Mr. Basso’s works evoke a high level of inquiry. The fanciful, yet keenly observed characters are unpredictable and evocative. The viewer vacillates between surprise, delight, and consternation. .) Seeking emotional honesty, he looked to the work of several "mentors": Max Beckmann, Francisco Goya, Willem de Kooning , Philip Guston , Marsden Hartley and Albert Pinkham Ryder...
Category

1980s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

The swimmer, Painting, Oil on Wood Panel
Located in Yardley, PA
Imaginary portrait of a boy floating on the water. The uncertainty of the image induces the viewer to think about a boy swimming in the sea as well as about a memory from a dream, wh...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Grazing on the Common Rachael Dalzell Acrylic on Canvas with Tray Frame
Located in Coltishall, GB
Highland cattle grazing on Coltishall Common on a cold misty morning Rachael’s paintings are large, colourful and expressive. Her free and lively use of paint through various techn...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Burst of color XXVIII - Summer dance, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Extra large abstract painting on tones of Payne's gray (blue gray), Prussian blue (dark blue - navy), red orange and yellow. Abstract painting created with gestural energetic and exp...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Haystacks in Nordmany
Located in New York, NY
This is a period when the artist saw the light differently and the journey all started in 1971. Bernard Buffet, the artist, was searching for subjects, looking to paint what he saw ...
Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

Double Feature
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original expressionist oil on canvas painting by American female artist Jackie Felix.
Category

1980s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Modernist Family Outing with Dog (Picnic in the Park) Ben Benn Oil Painting WPA
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Modern Subject: People Medium: Acrylic Surface: Canvas Country: United States Dimensions: 20" x 24" Scene of a family leisurely gathering together in a park to picnic and enjoying their day by the artist Ben Benn. Ben Benn, Russian/American (1884-1983) Ben Benn, a Russian-born American still-life and Post Impressionist landscape painter who was part of the first generation of artists in America to try to digest the lessons of Cubism Benn Benn was a pioneer American modernist whose independent style defied stylistic classification. Despite excursions into Cubism and Abstract Expressionist style, Benn “seems always to have been a ‘subject’ painter. Considering this, it is remarkable that he remained visible at all during the 50’s and early 60’s, when prejudice against the representational amounted nearly to a proscription of it.” Benn’s prominence in the art world over 6 decades was reaffirmed at a 90th birthday show at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington , D.C. in 1974. Benn was born Benjamin Rosenberg in the town of Kamenets Podolsk in the Russian empire in 1884. This town was the regional capital of an area in what is today, SW Ukraine, and was historically known as Podolia. the Rosenberg family chose, along with thousands of others, to immigrate from Podolia to the United States in 1894 or 1899. “Between 1904 and 1908 Benn attended the National Academy of Design and he studied at the Arts Students League In New York City. He spent most of his career in New York City including memberships with the American Society of Painters and Sculptors, American Artists Congress and the Woodstock Artist Association. Academy curriculum stressed portraiture built up with broad, painterly brushstrokes, a technique that remained the foundation of Benn’s style. In his first group show, in 1913, he exhibited with Max Weber and Man Ray. By the mid teens his canvases were bolder in color and more decorative in style. In 1916, Benn participated in the important "Forum Exhibition of Modern American Painters...
Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jaspar, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Oil on loose canvas 215cm x 125cm PLEASE NOTE: This comes rolled in a tube and will need to be mounted by your local framers - it is too large to ship mounted. This beau...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil

WINTER SALE! Winter landscape 50X70 oil painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this serene oil on canvas, I aimed to capture the quiet majesty of a snow-covered landscape. The brushwork evokes a soft, almost ethereal atmosphere, where the gentle flow of the ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Angel above the City 40X50
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I channeled expressionistic energy to capture a guardian of the urban expanse. Her elongated form, draped in ethereal fabric, glides over the cityscape, showeri...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

WINTER SALE! The river in winter 50X70 oil painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I sought to capture the serene stillness of winter, with oil paints delicately layered to create a landscape that invites reflection. The gentle pinks and cool blues m...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Christmas wish 60X90
Located in Zofingen, AG
In the soft embrace of oil pastels, I've lovingly woven a tapestry of pure innocence and wonder. My brushstrokes carry the gentle weight of dreams, as this young muse, with fairy win...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Forest in January days 40X40
Located in Zofingen, AG
I poured my soul into this canvas, channeling the serene stillness and gentle crispness of a January day. With oils, I melded impressionism and expressionism, capturing the dance bet...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Icy river in the Christmas forest 50X70
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I've poured my soul into capturing the raw, serene beauty of nature's embrace during the winter. I've blended expressionism with touches of realism to evoke the stilln...
Category

2010s Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Expressionist paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Iryna Kastsova, Maria Asuncion Raventos, Masri Hayssam, and Evelyne Ballestra. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Expressionist paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available.

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