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Modern Paintings

MODERN STYLE

The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.

Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.

The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.

Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.

Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Modern
Trompe l'Oeil Still Life and Landscape in Acrylic on Masonite
Located in Soquel, CA
Trompe l'Oeil Still Life and Landscape in Acrylic on Masonite Still life in the trompe l'oeil style by Richard M. Bacon (American, 20th Century). A still life with a bottle, fishbow...
Category

Early 2000s Modern Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

'Pink and White Poppies beneath Blue Skies', Whitney Museum, PAFA, AIC, ASL, ICA
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'C G Nelson' for Carl Gustaf Simon Nelson (American, 1898-1988) and dated 1956. A substantial, Modernist oil showing a profusion of white and pink poppies contra...
Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Warmth of the Desert" - Mid-Century Desert Landscape with Wildflowers
By Charles O. Fuson
Located in Soquel, CA
Beautiful, historic painting of the California desert in bloom by listed Santa Cruz artist Charles O. Fuson (American, 1898-1981). Signed "C.O. Fuson" lower left. Titled, signed on v...
Category

1950s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Cardboard

Signed Paris Modernist Framed Signed Lemons and Cattails Still Life Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive Paris school modernist still life oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas. Signed. Image size, 36H by 29L and overall 36 by 43 inches.
Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Signed Antique African Modernist Figural Landscape Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Exceptionally well painted African landscape painting. Oil on board. Framed. Signed. Image size, 22L x 26H.
Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

She Felt Everything Directly and Deeply - Figurative Surrealist Oil Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Amanda Immurs, an artist hailing from Hamilton, Canada, creates enchanting oil and watercolor artworks that bring whimsical scenes of children, animals, and flora to life. Immurs' ar...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting - Mother and Child
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Large 20th Century French Modernist Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition French School, 20th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 30 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound condition
Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Floating on a Dream (Window, Skyscape, Warm, Dreamy, ~29% OFF)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Annieo Klaas Floating on a Dream 2024 Oil on Canvas 40 x 30 inches (101.6 x 30.48 cm) Signed lower right COA provided *On stretcher frame - gallery wrapped - ready to hang Annieo K...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Horse "Grace and Power"
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting embodies the dynamics and natural grace of a horse, symbolizing the strength, freedom and pristine beauty of the animal world. The animal's gaze attracts attention - it...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Blue Nude" Modern Abstract Woman in Style of Modigliani Oil Painting on Paper
Located in New York, NY
Exploring the purity of the feminine form and the drama of French haute couture, artist Cindy Shaoul creates a dialogue between the figurative and the abstract. Her spirited composit...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Archival Paper, Acrylic

Oil on Canvas Still Life Painting of Flowers and Lavender Framed and Signed
Located in Plainview, NY
A gorgeous oil on canvas painting in a pastel tone depicting a vase with white flowers and lavenders in a vase. The painting is beautifully framed in a custom gilt carved wood frame ...
Category

1990s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nature morte au vase, Modern Oil Painting on Canvas by Claude Venard
Located in Long Island City, NY
Claude Venard, French (1913 - 1999) - Nature morte au vase, Year: 1970, Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed lower right, Size: 29.5 x 29.5 in. (74.93 x 74.93 cm), Frame Size: 35.5 x 35...
Category

1970s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

20th Century French Modernist Signed Oil Still Life Apple & Mug
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French School, late 20th century signed oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 13 x 16 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound condition
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Blue & Chanel" Modern Abstract Nude in Style Modigliani Oil Painting on Paper
Located in New York, NY
Exploring the purity of the feminine form and the drama of French haute couture, artist Cindy Shaoul creates a dialogue between the figurative and the abstract. Her spirited composit...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Archival Paper, Acrylic

Mid Century Sgraffito, Saltimbanque and the Card Player, Circle of Picasso.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Mid 20th Century sgraffito work on plaster by Jean Pierre de Cayeux. The work is signed and dated on the skirt of the card player, bottom right, and on the stretcher of the chair, bo...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Enamel

French North African Orientalist Oil Painting Hareem Interior Two Ladies
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Hareem Interior French Orientalist School, late 20th century (painted after an earlier style) oil on canvas, framed framed: 30 x 34 inches canvas: 20 x 24 inches provenance: priv...
Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

British Modernist Oil Painting Sunlit Pathway Under the Canopy of Trees
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: Jill Jackson (British, contemporary) Title: Sunlit Pathway Medium: oil on artist paper, unframed Painting : 23 x 16 inches Provenance: all the paintings we have ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Figurative Portrait of a Nude Male Model
Located in Soquel, CA
Figurative Portrait of a Nude Male Model Handsome example of a vibrant figurative of a nude male model by Katherine Kallick (American, b. 1952). Med...
Category

1980s Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Industrial Mid-20th Century WPA Modern Men Working American Scene Social Realism
Located in New York, NY
Industrial Mid-20th Century WPA Modern Men Working American Scene Social Realism George Pearse Ennis (American, 1884-1936) "Forging a Gun Tube #1...
Category

1910s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mid 20th Century French Signed Oil River Seine Paris Notre Dame Book sellers
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The River Seine, Paris French School, circa 1950's indistinctly signed lower left corner, 'P. D'arbois'? oil on board, framed oil: 5.25 x 8.25 inches framed: 12 x 15 inches private ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Cadets Football New Yorker Mag Cover Proposal American Scene Modern Illustration
Located in New York, NY
Cadets Football New Yorker Mag Cover Proposal American Scene Modern Illustration Antonio Petruccelli (1907 – 1994) Cadets Football Game New Yorker cover proposal, c. 1939 14 1/4 X 1...
Category

1930s Modern Paintings

Materials

Gouache, Board

Vintage American Modernist Dog Portrait Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist dog portrait. Finely painted. Measuring 24 by 30 inches.
Category

1980s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Black Grey and White Ball Abstract
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Male Wacky Artist Portrait Swirly Moustache French Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French Expressionist Portrait by Guy Nicod (French 1923 - 2021) watercolour on artist paper, unframed painting : 19.5 x 15.5 inches provenance: artists estate, France condition: very...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Original Antique American Landscape Fishing Delaware River Oil Painting Framed
Located in Buffalo, NY
A lovely scene adeptly painted by listed American artist and illustrator Jan Nosek (1876 - 1966) who was active in the late 19th and early 20th Century. This scene created in the ea...
Category

1910s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Midnight in the magic garden.Original Oil painting by Lilya Volskaya
Located in Zofingen, AG
The paintings are drawn with oil on the canvas. Midnight in the magic garden. Hurray! The series of paintings "My funny birds" continues. Bright contrasts. Fancy flowers. Each of the...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Lacquer, Canvas, Oil

Lotus Number Fifteen: Photo-realist Still Life Painting of Green Leaves
Located in Hudson, NY
Horizontal photo-realist still life painting on canvas of green lotus leaves on a light grey background 'Lotus Number Fifteen' by Frank Depietro, made i...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Les Pierrots by André Braunecker - Oil on paper 50x65 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Oil paint on paper with glass and frame. Signed and certified by the artist.
Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

theres nothing left to hold to
Located in Zofingen, AG
From "The Quince" series.A pink room that evokes melancholy. I contemplate a juicy fruit, once my favorite, but now it smells rotten. I'll never get over this. I remember his face, his words, his eyes. That day I lost a part of my personality, like a bitten fruit. I needed help and I got it. I was so tired of feeling and just wanted it to be over. Why did this take forever? Why is this still going on? I drew on paper a tattoo of three dots that were on your palm. This tattoo and eyes are the only thing I remember. I go to bed...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Still life with Vase of Flowers - Oil Paint by Claude Deschamps - 1950s
Located in Roma, IT
Still life is an artwork realized by Claude Decamps, mid-20th Century. Oil on cardboard.  20 x 25 cm.  Hadsigned in red in lower margin. Good conditions!
Category

1950s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Lotus 25: Photorealist Still Life Painting of Pink Flower & Green Leaves on Blue
Located in Hudson, NY
Large photo-realist still life painting on canvas of a pink lotus flower with green leaves on a sky blue background 'Lotus Number Twenty-Five' by Frank Depietro...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Walk by the lake signed F.F - Oil on canvas 103 x 56 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on canvas with frame in good statement. Total size with frame: 70 x 121 x 7 cm Signed F.F
Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

American Modernist Town Scene Painting by Pennsylvania artist Joseph M. Plavcan
Located in Baltimore, MD
This colorful late spring scene is most likely around Erie, Pennsylvania. Artist and teacher Joseph M. Plavcan generally painted around the area in which he lived for over 50 years. Joseph Michael Plavcan was born near Pittsburg, in Braddock. He attended the Pennsylvania Academy in 1926, studying with renowned New Hope artist Daniel Garber. Through a scholarship, he went to Europe to study. He returned to Erie in 1932 and became an art instructor, teaching for the next 38 years. Plavcan went far beyond teaching trade school requirements and instilled a true sense of sophisticated artistry in his students. During his artistic career, he exhibited often in Philadelphia, Washington, New York and Chicago. This painting, oil on canvas, demonstrates Plavcan’s style, utilizing figurative abstraction with a modernist color palette. The paint is not over applied and areas are treated with smooth broad brush strokes. The hint of late blooming leaves are dashes of paint applied in a fast yet confident manner. Plavcan’s sense of light, demonstrated in the distant church tower is spot on. While not signed, there are two official estate stamps on the reverse that attest to the authenticity of Plavcan’s work. The piece measures 16” x 20” and appears to be canvas applied to a back board. This was likely done by the former retailer, Hudson House Galleries in Hagerstown, Maryland. That shop was a fine regional art gallery and antiques shop for decades until its closure about five years ago. The painting is nicely framed in a modernist gold wood frame with a subtle pink liner. The overall framed dimensions are about 20” x 24”. The painting is in very good condition, bright and crisp. There is a very minor vertical crease above the peak of the house that is truly barely noticeable from any distance. Other than that, all is fine with the work and its frame. This strong, colorful work by Joseph Plavcan...
Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

How Sure Can You Be? McCall's Magazine Illustration of Loving Couple
Located in Miami, FL
Alexander Sharpe Ross - or Alex Ross. This work is a perfect artistic statement with every formal element in perfect harmony. It's a masterf...
Category

1940s Modern Paintings

Materials

Gouache

The Whispers Had Changed - Figurative Portrait Watercolor Graphite Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Amanda Immurs, an artist hailing from Hamilton, Canada, creates enchanting watercolor artworks that bring whimsical scenes of children, animals, and flora to life. Immurs' art is gro...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Graphite

Villa by I. Ch. Goetz - Oil on canvas 41x32 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on canvas Unsigned work
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Milly
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
George Petrie (1790–1866) - Romantic Irish Landscape, Oil on Canvas This captivating oil on canvas by the renowned Irish artist George Petrie, often referred to as the "Father of Ir...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Milly
Milly
$1,633 Sale Price
30% Off
Boats in Harbour, Looking out to the Sea, Colourful French Watercolour, The Port
Located in Cotignac, FR
Watercolour view of boats in a port, looking out to sea, by French Painter Jean-Paul Claveau. The painting is signed and dated bottom left and presented in painted wood frame, with c...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Bold Blue Vase with Red Flower on a Vibrant Yellow Background British Oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: Jill Jackson (British, contemporary) Title: Bold Blue Vase Medium: gouache on artist paper, unframed Painting : 18 x 12.5 inches Provenance: all the paintings we...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Paintings

Materials

Gouache

Still Life of Two Pears in Acrylic on Archival Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Still Life of Two Pears in Acrylic on Archival Paper Vibrant still life by California artist Christine Cohen (American, b. 1943). This piece is a close-up still life of two pears, a...
Category

Early 2000s Modern Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Polo Pony
Located in Atlanta, GA
A passion for horses, equestrian pursuits, and painting define Brooke Major's life and career. A native of Atlanta, GA, Brooke Major has been living and working as a professional art...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Couple - Oil Paint attr. Edgar Stoebel - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
The couple  is an artwork attribuited to Edgar Stoebel (1909-2001).  81 x 54 cm; no frame. Oil painting on canvas. Good conditions! 
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Queen of Angels over Hollywood
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Presenting a just discovered an Iconic Hollywood original oil on canvas by American artist David Rose(1910-2016.) Rose's formal study of art began in the 1...
Category

1970s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

"View in the Court of Rue Du' Jardinet"
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a oil on academy board painting by the American artist, Alvin Raffel. Signed and titled verso. Circa 1930's. Condition is good. Small puncture in the ...
Category

1930s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Walking my Baby Back Home" by L. A. Spowart - Large White and Yellow Figurative
Located in Carmel, CA
Lesley Anne Spowart (American, born 1957) "Walking my Baby Back Home" 2021 Acrylic Paint, Mixed Media, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the bottom left and back of the painti...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Untitled, Figurative, Brush & Ink on Paper by Jogen Chowdhury "In Stock"
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Jogen Chowdhury - Untitled Brush & Ink on Paper 8.2 x 5.8 inches, 2023 (Unframed & Delivered) Modern Indian artist Jogen Chowdhury executed Still life drawing in Ink, pastel. Alway...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel

'Figurative Abstract', Woman Artist, Art Institute of Chicago, San Bernardino
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Stamped, verso, with certification of authenticity for Suzanne Gertz (American, 1938-2003) and painted circa 1985, partial signature lower right. Suzanne Gertz first studied at the...
Category

1980s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Graphite

Modern X2 #1
Located in Kansas City, MO
John Ferry Modern X2 #1 Medium: Oil on Panel Year: 2019 Size: 6.5x16.5 in Signed, dated and inscribed by hand Framed COA provided Ref.: JF-19-34 “Ferry’s w...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Bitcoin Graffiti Abstract Canvas Art, Cryptocurrency Bitcoin Painting H45"XW70"
Located in Sherman Oaks, CA
Bitcoin Graffiti Abstract Canvas Art, Cryptocurrency Bitcoin Painting H45"XW70" Innovative and Contemporary Original New Media vs Painting Abstract ...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Varnish, Archival Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Untitled, Edition - 5/5, Woodcut on Paper by Jogen Chowdhury "In Stock"
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Jogen Chowdhury - Untitled Edition - 5/5 Woodcut on Paper Print Size - 7.1 x 9.6 inches Paper Size - 9.5 x 14.8 inches 2019 (Unframed & Delivered) Modern Indian artist Jogen Chowdh...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper, Woodcut

LADY WITH PICK FAN
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Biography from the niece of the artist from during his lifetime. Paintings acquired from the artist.s estate. Max Turner 1925 - 2019 Max Lamar Turner Painter, Sculptor, Teacher and Author. Max Turner was born in Omaha, Nebraska on July 28, 1925. His father was Lance Howard Turner and his mother Mary Irene Turner. In 1927, his family moved to Bingham Canyon, Utah where Max's father extracted copper from a creek that he had diverted to pass through his garage. The town was located in a narrow canyon on the eastern face of the Oquirrh Mountains. In 1938, when Max was 13, his family moved to Midvale, Utah. After completing high school, Max went to work laying rail until he was inducted into the U.S. Navy to serve during W.W. II. There he took an aptitude test and was initially assigned to the medical corp., later transferring to the dental unit. Max was stationed at Port Hueneme, Ventura County, California through the end of the war. When he was discharged in 1946, he remained in Southern California, living in the Los Angeles area. He met a man named Larry Torres and they formed a partnership to do silk screen work primarily for the Colby Poster Printing Company. This lasted about 10 years until the Colby building caught fire and burned down. In 1958, Max began working for Slade Novelty company that made doll parts using a product called plastisol. A year later, Max began producing plastic parts through his own business. One day, a couple of kids brought in a shrunken skull they had made and asked Max if he could reproduce it. Max said he could and he looked around for a business to work with for this task. He ultimately decided he could create his own machine shop to make molds. As a result, Max purchased a lathe, drill press, grinder and other tools to create his own machine shop and went into business making molds. He built a clientele and in 1973, he moved his machine shop to Glendale, California. Painter, Sculptor, Teacher and Author: Max recalls the day when his interest in art took a new direction. He happened to be in a paint store to purchase some supplies when he saw a card posted on a wall that read, "Come paint with Connie Marlo". Max had been interested in art since his youth and he was frequently impressed with paintings displayed by local artists at various community events. Consequently, he decided to go to Connie's Saturday morning art class at a studio on North La Brea Avenue (between Sunset and Hollywood) in Los Angeles. But, as fate would have it, he immediately took a detour from this class when he found a piece of paper on the floor of the studio referencing another art class dealing with compositions, patterns, rhythms and color harmony. The instructor's name was Hal Reed, a former art student of the Russian/American Master, Nicolai Fechin. Hal owned the building (previously the Will Foster Studio) and had founded the Art League of Los Angeles. When Max found Hal, he asked Hal if he could join his class. Hal said "No, the class was full" but he said Max could monitor the class in the back of the classroom. Max took him up on the offer and began observing the weekly class. During the class, Hal told his students that they should practice what they were learning by going to "live model" classes. Max began attending these classes where he learned how to draw figures. After a few months, Hal and Max became good friends. Hal was so impressed with Max's work that he offered Max the opportunity to teach at another location that Hal was opening in the San Fernando Valley. Max accepted the offer and began teaching his own art class. For Max, it was a quick jump from learning to teaching. Max then found that several of his students had to commute to his art class from the west end of the "Valley". To better serve this group of students, Max decided to relocate to another studio in Calabasas. Max continued teaching, and at this time he was producing very impressive portraits, both oil paintings and charcoal drawings from live models (Max never worked from photos). Max demonstrated real talent, and the style of his drawings and paintings were being compared to those of Nicolai Fechin. And, like Fechin, Max also had an interest in sculpting. One day, Max decided to design and cast a bronze owl sculpture to put in his Calabasas Fine Art Gallery. Later, someone approached Max when he was at the foundry and asked him about his success selling the owl sculpture. The individual who asked this question was convinced that there was a broader market for these sculptures and he ordered a dozen of the owl sculptures from Max. This encouraged Max to do more castings. Some of the new castings were antique sculptures he found and reproduced. As this new business grew, he decided to establish his own foundry, employing up to 15 workers. The business continued for many years, up until the late 1990's when Max got tired of the foundry business and sold it. Max, who was now in his 70's, decided to move on to his next venture as an artist, dedicating himself to doing the actual sculpting of original art. He loved the creativity of sculpting and he had his sculptures cast at local foundries, ironically the same ones that used to be his competition. Max was now fully engaged in his new artistic direction and, over time, he produced a large body of work. He created very impressive sculptures, including about 100 full-size sculptures. He sold some of these to high-end clientele, the Foundry at SLS Las Vegas, and to Hollywood studios. Even though Max now seemed to be totally in his element, he somehow also found time to continue to teach painting classes at the California Art Institute in Westlake Village in Los Angeles. At the institute, he specialized in figure work. Max continued to draw, paint and teach, but he says he stopped sculpting when he turned 90. Max produced four books showcasing his drawings and paintings. The first is "Faces, The Drawings of Max Turner", copyright 2000, that showcases nearly 100 of his portrait drawings. Within the "Acknowledgements" section, he lists Hal Reed and Joseph Nordmann, two former students of Nicolai Fechin. In 2006, Max produced his second book titled "Figures and Faces", reflecting not only portraits but also figure drawings and paintings. It is a wonderful book of Max's work, but it is currently difficult to find. The third book is titled "Faces 2, The Paintings and Drawings of Max Turner", copyright 2009, which includes 75 portrait paintings and drawings. In the "Preface" of this book, Max describes growing up in a small and isolated mining town during the Great Depression. He states that as a kid, he had little exposure of any culture or view of what the rest of the world was like. His neighbor was the trash collector and Max would sometimes go through his truck looking for anything of value. Among other things, he found magazines like Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Red Book, with covers that frequently showed drawings or paintings of faces. Max states that these images were the very first source of inspiration for him. He says that he began looking more carefully at people's faces and if they had character, he would draw them. By drawing them, Max says that he was making them part of his world, his world of "Faces". In 2018, Max published his newest book showcasing his drawings and paintings. It is titled "Max Turner's Figure Sketches". This softbound book includes 76 pages and over 120 drawings and paintings. In the Introduction, Max explains "I have found that when approaching the figure, one should begin with the gesture. After having captured the essence or feeling of the pose, one can then proceed to build on it." The figure sketches in this wonderful book reflect a Master's work that consistently captures the "gesture"-showing the emotion, movement and expression. Two more books are on the horizon for Max, both dealing with his passion for sculpting. His first, "The Sculpture of Max Turner" is a compilation of his commercial and noncommercial pieces throughout his career. The second, "Terra Cotta Sculpture by Max Turner" is a complete collection of figures done at the California Art Institute. These much anticipated books should be out later in 2018. Max now considers himself primarily a sculptor. But others in the art world are more than impressed with his drawings and paintings as well. His portraits are often described as having a Fechin-esque appearance, referring to the style of Nicolai Fechin. When Max observed those first art classes given by Hal Reed, it should be noted that Hal had previously been a student of the Russian/American Master Nicolai Fechin in the early to mid-1950's. In fact, Hal was a student in the last art class that Fechin taught before he unexpectedly died in 1955. Hal was so strongly influenced by Fechin that he later produced two 30-minute art instruction videos as part his Art Video Productions wherein he specifically described Fechin techniques that he learned in Fechin's class. The Fechin style and techniques were in play when Max later met Hal. Over the years, many of Max's art students, art collectors, gallery owners, as well as the Director of the Monterey Museum of Art have commented on the Fechin-esque qualities of Max's wonderful charcoal drawings and paintings. So, while Max may consider himself primarily a sculptor, his drawings and paintings are also impressive and very much sought after. When Nicolai Fechin died in 1955, three of the nine students in his last art class became life-long friends. Max subsequently became friends with not only Hal Reed, but also with prior Fechin students Joseph Nordmann and Albert Londraville...
Category

1990s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Girl “Iiris”
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting embodies a deep connection between humanity and nature. The woman seems to personify the iris, highlighting that humans are part of nature and that the beauty of the nat...
Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Simka Simkhovitch WPA Artist Painting Gouache American Modernist Beach Scene
Located in Surfside, FL
Simka Simkhovitch (Russian/American 1893 - 1949) This came with a small grouping from the artist's family, some were hand signed some were not. These were studies for larger paintings. Simka Simkhovitch (Симха Файбусович Симхович) (aka Simka Faibusovich Simkhovich) (Novozybkov, Russia May 21, 1885 O.S./June 2, 1885 N.S.—Greenwich, Connecticut February 25, 1949) was a Ukrainian-Russian Jewish artist and immigrant to the United States. He painted theater scenery in his early career and then had several showings in galleries in New York City. Winning Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissions in the 1930s, he completed murals for the post offices in Jackson, Mississippi and Beaufort, North Carolina. His works are in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, the National Museum of American Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Born outside Kyiv (Petrograd Ukraine) into a Jewish family who owned a small department store. During a severe case of measles when he was seven, Simcha Simchovitch sketched the views outside his window and decided to become an artist, over his father's objections. Beginning in 1905, he studied at the Grekov Odessa Art School and upon completion of his studies in 1911 received a recommendation to be admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts. Though he enrolled to begin classes in architecture, painting, and sculpture at the Imperial Academy, he was dropped from the school roster in December because of the quota on the number of Jewish students and drafted into the army. Simchovitch served as a private in the 175th Infantry Regiment Baturyn [ru] until his demobilization in 1912. Re-enrolling in the Imperial Academy, he audited classes. Simka Simkhovitch exhibited paintings and sculptures in 1918 as part of an exhibition of Jewish artists and in 1919 placed 1st in the competition "The Great Russian Revolution" with a painting called "Russian Revolution" which was hung in the State Museum of Revolution. In 1922, Simkha Simkhovitch exhibited at the International Book Fair in Florence (Italian: Fiera Internazionale del Libro di Firenze). In 1924, Simkhovitch came to the United States to make illustrations for Soviet textbooks and decided to immigrate instead. Initially he supported himself by doing commercial art and a few portrait commissions. In 1927, he was hired to paint a screen for a scene in the play "The Command to Love" by Fritz Gottwald and Rudolph Lothar which was playing at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway. Art dealers began clamoring for the screen and Simkhovitch began a career as a screen painter for the theater. Catching the attention of the screenwriter, Ernest Pascal, he worked as an illustrator for Pascal, who then introduced him to gallery owner, Marie Sterner. Simkhovitch's works appeared at the Marie Sterner Gallery beginning with a 1927 exhibit and were repeated the following year. Simkhovitch had an exhibit in 1929 at Sterner's on circus paintings. In 1931, he held a showing of works at the Helen Hackett Gallery, in New York City and later that same year he was one of the featured artists of a special exhibit in San Francisco at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park. The exhibit was coordinated by Marie Sterner and included four watercolors, including one titled "Nudes". He is of the generation of Russian Soviet artists such as Isaac Pailes, Serge Charchoune, Marc Chagall, Chana Orloff, Isaac Ilyich Levitan, and Ossip Zadkine. In 1936, Simkhovitch was selected to complete the mural for the WPA Post office project in Jackson, Mississippi. The mural was hung in the post office and courthouse in 1938 depicted a plantation theme. Painted on the wall behind the judge’s bench, “Pursuits of Life in Mississippi”, a depiction of black workers engaged in manual labor amid scenes of white professionals and socialites, was eventually covered over in later years during renovations due to its stereotypical African American imagery. Simka painted what he thought was typical of Jackson. His impression of pre-civil rights Mississippi was evidently Greek Revival column houses, weeping willow trees, working class families, and the oppression of African Americans. He painted African American men picking cotton, while a white man took account of the harvest and a white judge advised a white family, calling it Pursuits of Life in Mississippi. Though clearly endorsed by the government and initially generally well-received, the mural soon raised concerns with locals as the climate toward racial segregation began to change. The main concern was whether depictions that show African Americans in subjugated societal roles should be featured in a courtroom. The following year, his painting "Holiday" won praise at an exhibition in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1940, Simkhovitch's second WPA post office project was completed when four murals, "The Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Orville W. Mail Boat", "The Wreck of the Crissie Wright", "Sand Ponies" and "Canada Geese" were installed in Beaufort, North Carolina. The works were commissioned in 1938 and did not generate the controversy that the Jackson mural had. The main mural is "The Wreck of the Crissie Wright" and depicts a shipwreck which had occurred in Beaufort in 1866. "The Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Orville W. Mail Boat" depicted the lighthouse built in 1859 and the mail boat that was running mail during the time which Simkhovitch was there. The boat ran mail for the area until 1957. "Sand Ponies" shows the wild horses common to the North Carolina barrier islands and "Canada Geese" showed the importance of hunting and fishing in the area. All four murals were restored in the 1990s by Elisabeth Speight, daughter of two other WPA muralists, Francis Speight...
Category

1930s Modern Paintings

Materials

Gouache, Board

"The Victorian Sentinel" - Mid-Century Architectural Landscape in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
"The Victorian Sentinel" - Mid-Century Architectural Landscape in Oil on Canvas Helen Landgraf (American, 1916-1999) was a teacher in the San Juan Unified School District. She was...
Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XIII
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XIII", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an int...
Category

1980s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Imposture, 2010
Located in Atlanta, GA
Taulé was born in 1945 in Sabadell, Barcelona. His father imparted the taste for painting to Antoni as a boy as the young artist watched him paint. After his primary studies, he began studying architecture in Barcelona and graduated in 1970. In 1965, he arrived in Paris and worked in architectural firms. It was Sartre's Paris, the construction of Unesco, the year of Le Corbusier's death and the end of Chandigarh, the French Cinematheque and Antonioni's films. Since the age of 14, he has never stopped painting and made his first personal exhibition in 1966 at the Academie de Belles Arts in Sabadell. Upon receiving his degree in architecture, he worked on the construction of l’Université autonome de Barcelone for a year. In 1971, he was asked to work on the development of a large shipyard on the small island of Formentera. There he met Laetitia Ney of Elchingen, who he would go on to marry. He devoted himself entirely to painting, and Formentera, like Paris, became one of his favorite places in both his life and to work. His first exhibition in Paris was in 1975 with Mathias Fels, presented to him by Hervé Télémaque—showing many paintings of his young daughter Djamilla, then three years old. The exhibition was titled, Espace hors temps (Space out of Time), with a foreword by Alain Jouffroy. In 1976, Taulé exhibited Contre-Jour (Against Day) at Fabien Boulakia on rue Bonaparte with a preface by Gérald Gassiot-Talabot and in Barcelona at the Aimé Maeght gallery—an exhibition visited by Joan Miró and Alexander Calder. In 1977, he exhibited at the Beaubourg gallery, with then associates Nahon and Trigano. In 1983, he met Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar, who wrote the novella Fin d’étape (End of Stage) for Taulé That same year, he was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by Jack Lang...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Restaurant Bistro Bar Interior with Figures Drinking, Signed French Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, indistinctly signed lower left, dated 1999 Title: The Bar Interior, lovely conversation piece. Medium: oil painting on board, unframed Size: boar...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

English Dog Oil Painting Boxer Dog beside Open Fireplace in Home Signed Original
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Hazel Morgan, British 20th century Boxer dog by fire signed oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 20 x 24 inches canvas: 16 x 24 inches provenance: priva...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

'African Idol' — Mid-Century African-American artist
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Charles Elmer Harris (Beni E. Kosh), Untitled (African Idol), watercolor, c. 1950s. Estate stamped verso, 'Beni E Kosh COLLECTION' and numbered '570' in ink. A fine, spontaneous wat...
Category

1950s Modern Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Modern paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Modern 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, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Bernard Labbe, Christel Haag, Sunil Das, and Antonio Feltrinelli. 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 Modern paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available.

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