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.
'Summer Bouquet', Society of Western Artists, De Young Museum, Oakland Museum
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left, 'Clifford Holmes' (American, 1876-1963) and created circa 1955. Titled, verso, 'Mixed Bouquet' and inscribed with artist's Hayward, California address. The desce...
Canvas, Oil
$650
Mid-Century Painting of a Red Barn & Mill Scene by Illinois Artist Stan Dudek
Located in Chicago, IL
A brightly-colored, Mid-Century Modern painting of a red barn & mill scene by notable Illinois artist Stan Dudek. After years of driving from his home in the far west suburbs to his...
Canvas, Oil, Board
$378Sale Price|20% Off
Cocker Spaniel Dog Portrait Oil Painting Dorothy Johnson
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Cocker Spaniel Dog Portrait Oil Painting Dorothy Johnson Artist: Dorothy Johnson Medium: Oil on canvas laid to board, mounted within card mat, unframed. Size (including mount)...
Oil
"The Morning Paper"
By Elsa Warner
Located in San Francisco, CA
"The Morning Paper" 1949, a fine original tempera painting on board by listed artist Elsa Warner (1900-1988). Elsa Warner was born on June 6, 1900 in Illinois. After studying at the ...
Tempera, Board
$757Sale Price|30% Off
Bernard Labbe French Modernist Cubist Village Landscape Gouache Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title Bernard Labbe French Modernist Cubist Village Landscape Gouache Painting Key Details Artist: Bernard Labbe, French, mid 20th century Title: French Landscape Medium: Original wa...
Watercolor, Gouache
"Untitled, " 1950s Modern Abstract Painting
By Stanley Bate
Located in Westport, CT
Thisoil painting on masonite board, "Untitled," by Modernist Stanley Bate was created circa 1950, part of his earlier body of work. The dark, heavy line work combined with bright col...
Oil, Board
$500
Falling Bottles, Still Life in Blue Tones, Patterns and Layers, Unique Cyanotype
By Gio Bellagio
Located in Barcelona, ES
"Falling Bottles" is a contemporary still-life monotype cyanotype portraying different bottle shapes. This is a unique piece made by layering paper cutouts and different exposures us...
Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor
"Cattleya Orchids" Jane Peterson, Modernist Bright Flowers, Female Impressionist
Located in New York, NY
Jane Peterson Cattleya Orchids, circa 1940s Signed lower right Oil on canvas 32 x 32 inches Provenance Estate of the artist Artist’s estate sale, Ipswich, Massachusetts, 1960s Priva...
Canvas, Oil
A herd of wild horses. By Alexander Kishchenko. 1996. Oil on canvas. 100/140 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Alexander Mikhailovich Kishchenko (1933–1997) was an outstanding Belarusian monumentalist artist whose work significantly influenced the development of visual arts in Belarus during ...
Canvas, Oil
Antique American Foggy Winter Cityscape Framed Winter Impressionist Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American impressionist oil painting. Oil on canvas, lain to board. Unsigned. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 13 by 12 inches overall. Handsom...
Oil
$1,946Sale Price|20% Off
1930's French Modernist Portrait of Black Haired Lady with Fringe Signed Oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of Woman with Black Hair and Fringe styling by Anton Sailer (French 1903-1987) Signed & dated 1930 oil on canvas, framed Framed: 23.5 x 18 inches Canvas: 18.5 x 13.5 inches ...
Oil
Untitled
By James Koenig
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on canvas painting by American artist James Koenig created in 1944.
Canvas, Oil
$792Sale Price|20% Off
Country House by Fernand Blondin - Oil on Canvas - 50x61 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Fernand Blondin (1887-1967) was a Swiss painter and teacher, celebrated for his depictions of idyllic rural life, interiors, female nudes, portraits, still-lifes, religious subjects ...
Canvas, Oil
A Serene 1930s Modern Still Life Painting of Yellow Bananas in a French Compote
Located in Chicago, IL
A Serene 1930s Modern Studio Still Life Painting of Yellow Bananas in a Decorative Antique French Faience Porcelain Compote by Notable Chic...
Canvas, Oil, Board
$1,081Sale Price|20% Off
Fine Oil Painting Portrait of an Aristocratic Wigged Gentleman
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of an Aristocrat European artist, 20th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 30 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, Wiltshire condition: very good and sound condi...
Oil
Israeli Expressionist Oil Painting Floral Bouquet Signed in Hebrew Miniature
Located in Surfside, FL
signed in Hebrew. this is a charming Judaica painting of a vase with a bouquet of flowers. it is signed Zeiffer or Zaipher. it has an Expressionist quality to it reminiscent of the ...
Oil
$378Sale Price|20% Off
20th Century French Modernist Painting Pastel Colors The Piano Duet
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
by Paul-Louis Bolot (French 1918-2003) signed original gouache painting on thick paper/ card unframed condition: very good and sound; the edges have a few curls and scuffs/ edge tea...
Gouache
$1,054Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Oil
$513Sale Price|20% Off
20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Provence Abstract Landscape
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...
Oil
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American Modernist Abstract Still Life Interior View Signed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract still life oil painting. Oil on board, circa 1950. Housed in a vintage frame. Image size, 22L x 13H. Signed.
Canvas, Oil
Vintage Tropical Beachscape Painting by John Kiraly
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Striking tropical acrylic painting on canvas of a beach with palm trees, flowers, sand and sky sprayed with sunlight and shade, executed in a bold modern technique. Signed John Kiral...
Acrylic
$820
Modernist Shapes on Mauve, Mid Century Painting, Playful Floating Forms, Paper
Located in Barcelona, ES
Details: Title: Modernist Shapes on Mauve Medium: Acrylic Paint on Watercolor Paper Size: 100x70 cm , (40x28 inches) Year: 2026 * Frame is for illustrative purposes only. Artwork s...
Acrylic, Paper
$1,622Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary British Acrylic Painting 2 Owls on old Wooden Fence
By Ben Powell
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
2 Owls by Ben George Powell, British contemporary artist signed acrylic on canvas, unframed canvas: 16 x 20 inches provenance: private collection of this artists work, UK The paintin...
Acrylic
$1,622Sale Price|20% Off
Farmer with Sheep & Dog in Valley Fields Contemporary British Painting
By Ben Powell
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Sheep Farmer by Ben George Powell, British contemporary artist signed acrylic on board, framed framed: 19 x 22.5 inches board: 16 x 20 inches provenance: private collection of th...
Acrylic
A Large, Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Jamaican Man in a Linen Suit
Located in Chicago, IL
A Large, Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Jamaican Man in a Linen Suit by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A skilled and colorful portrait of a black man seated in a white linen suit, most likely completed during Chapin's trip to Kingston, Jamaica in the 1930s. Chapin exhibited examples of his Jamaican paintings...
Oil, Canvas
A Serene 1940's Vermont Landscape Painting by Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A scenic, American Modern 1940s Vermont summer landscape painting, depicting evergreen trees overlooking a placid lake by notable Chicago artist, Harold Haydon. Oil on canvas, measu...
Oil, Canvas
$2,595Sale Price|20% Off
1960's Huge Modernist Oil Painting The Cock Fight
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Cock Fight French School, circa 1960's period oil on board, framed framed: 25 x 48.75 inches board: 24 x 48 inches provenance: private collection condition: very good and sound c...
Oil
$427Sale Price|68% Off
Black and White Figures In Restaurant French 20th Century Modernist Painting
By Guy Nicod
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Figures In Restraunt by Guy Nicod (French 1923 - 2021) gouache paper stuck on artist paper, unframed painting : 10 x 13 inches provenance: artists estate, France condition: very good...
Gouache
$3,028Sale Price|20% Off
Huge French Modernist Oil Sunny Garden Landscape with French Chairs
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Le Jardin Jeanon Pitre (French contemporary) signed oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 51 x 38 inches provenance: private collection, Paris condition: overall very good
Oil, Canvas
Flowers #8
Located in Atlanta, GA
My paintings accentuate colour and pattern. Lately, I have introduced representation by means of flowers in vases, most recently including them within interior spaces. I am intereste...
Canvas, Acrylic
A Stunning Mid-Century Modern Watercolor, Harbor Scene & Rooftops by Rudolph Pen
By Rudolph Pen
Located in Chicago, IL
A Stunning Mid-Century Modern Cubist Watercolor, Harbor Scene & Rooftops by Noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph T. Pen. A vivid European harbor scene, depicting the whitewashed buildi...
Paper, Charcoal, Watercolor
$643Sale Price|20% Off
20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Red and Pink 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...
Oil
Mid-Century Modern Vintage Swedish Interior Oil Painting - Sunlit Parlour
Located in Bristol, GB
SUNLIT PARLOUR Size: 76 x 71 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas An intimate mid-century interior painting that captures a domestic room bathed in soft daylight, executed in oil onto...
Canvas, Oil
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American School Signed Mediterranean Woman Dog Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American signed modernist oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Image size, 30L x 42H.
Canvas, Oil
$875Sale Price|30% Off
Modern Still Life, Strong Colors, Mid Century Modern, Vintage
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
Unknown, American 1970s Still Life, 1970s Oil on Canvas 24" x 30" Housed in a 2 3/4" Frame Overall Size: 29" x 35" A lovely vintage still life with strong colors. Ready to be ...
Canvas, Oil
Mid Century Floral Still-Life in Oil on Canvas-Wrapped Illustration Board
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Floral Still-Life in Oil on Canvas-Wrapped Illustration Board Classic mid century floral still-life with impasto in warm, autumn colors by Frances Christensen American, ...
Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board
WPA Era, Industrial Scene Steel Mill by Chicago Modern Artist, Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A dynamic 1930s, WPA era industrial scene watercolor of a steel mill and factory workers by notable Chicago Modern artist, Harold Haydon. A wonderful example of early Twentieth Cent...
Watercolor, Paper
A Unique Mid-Century Modern 1960s Chicago Harbor Scene Watercolor by Rudolph Pen
By Rudolph Pen
Located in Chicago, IL
A Unique, Mid-Century Modern 1960s Chicago Harbor Scene Watercolor by Noted Artist, Rudolph T. Pen. Artwork is formatted in a trapezoid shape, an innovative compositional device for...
Paper, Watercolor
$2,000
Austrian Jewish Art The Rabbi Judaica Miniature Oil Painting Alois Priechenfried
Located in Surfside, FL
Alois Heinrich Priechenfried Hand signed upper left Dimensions: 5 X 4 without frame 4 X 3 This evocative portrait by Alois Heinrich Priechenfried, likely created in the late 19th or...
Oil, Board
$2,850
'Still Life', Carnegie, Biltmore, Mills College, CPLH, LACMA, WPA, Hollywood
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
'Still Life', Carnegie, Biltmore, Mills College, CPLH, LACMA, WPA, CWS, Hollywood Signed, lower right, 'Boris Deutsch' (Lithuanian-American, 1892-1978) and dated 1926. Deutsch bega...
Canvas, Masonite, Oil
Vieille France -Painting by Jean Lereu - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Vieielle France is an original oil painting on canvas realized by Jean Lereu, in the late 19th century. Hand-signed in red, in the lower left margin. 49.5x69 cm with frame. Good...
Canvas, Oil
Delightful 1950s Cubist Harbor Scene by Woman Artist Rita Duis (Astley-Bell)
Located in Chicago, IL
A Mid-Century Modern, 1950s Cubist watercolor of a brightly-colored dock scene by Chicago and New York artist Rita Duis (Astley-Bell). Signed "Duis", lower left. Artwork size: 8 1/...
Watercolor, Paper
Mountainous landscape by Erich Aey - Oil on canvas 51x70 cm
By Erich Aey
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on canvas sold without frame Erich Aey (1881-1964) was a Swiss painter known for his landscape paintings, particularly of mountainous regions. His works often depict serene and...
Oil
$2,670Sale Price|40% Off
1920 Historical Church of Soquel, California Landscape
By Mary DeNeale Morgan
Located in Soquel, CA
Beautiful historically significant oil painting of the Congregational Church of Soquel by Mary DeNeale Morgan (American, 1868-1948). Signed "M. DeNeale Morgan" lower right corner. Exhibit label on verso. Canvas on Masonite. Displayed in giltwood frame. Image, 24"H x 20"W. Born in San Francisco in 1868, she was taken to Oakland in 1872, where the painter and teacher William Keith was her first teacher. She was precocious. In 1886 she enrolled in the California School of Design in San Francisco and studied with Emil Carlsen and Amédée Joullin until 1890. She paid her first visit to Carmel in 1903. In 1910 she returned to buy the studio and home of the late Sydney Yard...
Masonite, Oil
$1,020Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American Modernist Flower Still Life Signed and Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive early American modernist abstract still life oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas board. Signed. Image size, 24H by 18L.
Canvas, Oil
$680Sale Price|20% Off
City Streets (British Street scene architectural landscape)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Rene Beckley. City Streets, 1965. Oil on artist board, 16 x 20 inches; 18 x 22 inches framed. Signed and dated lower right.
Oil
Madonna. By Alexander Kishchenko. 1992. Oil on canvas. 107/81 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Alexander Mikhailovich Kishchenko (1933–1997) was an outstanding Belarusian monumentalist artist whose work significantly influenced the development of visual arts in Belarus during ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,500Sale Price|40% Off
Woodland Tapestry, 1970s Vintage Forest Landscape by Mildred Nordman
By Mildred Nordman
Located in Soquel, CA
Woodland Tapestry, 1970s Vintage Forest Landscape by Mildred Nordman Beautiful vintage forest scene titled "Woodland Tapestry" by Mildred Nordman (Ame...
Oil, Linen
$535Sale Price|20% Off
French Modernist Gouache Painting Red, Blue, Green And Yellow Portrait
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
by Paul-Louis Bolot (French 1918-2003) signed original gouache painting on thick paper/ card unframed condition: very good and sound; the edges have a few curls and scuffs/ edge tear...
Gouache
$513Sale Price|20% Off
20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Brown and Pink Hills
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...
Oil
$378Sale Price|20% Off
1970's French Modernist Oil Painting Still Life Apples & Pears signed original
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nature Morte French School, late 20th century signed verso oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 13 x 16 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sou...
Canvas, Oil
Mexican Abstract Painting - Sublimation
By Lidoyne
Located in Houston, TX
Abstract acrylic in earthy hues of green and accented in a deep maroon by Mexican artist Lidoyne, 2010. Signed and dated lower right. Original vintage one-of-a-kind artwork on pape...
Paper, Acrylic
Untitled Yellow 01 (Geometric, Abstract, Gestural, Vibrant)
By Susan Kiefer
Located in Kansas City, MO
Susan Kiefer Untitled Yellow 01 (Geometric, Abstract, Gestural, Vibrant) Oil on Canvas 2023 Size: 16 x 16 x 1.25 in (40.64 x 64.64 x 3.17 cm) COA provided *On stretcher frame, galle...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$2,162Sale Price|20% Off
Large 1960's French Modernist Oil Painting Bizarre Figurative Work
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, c. 1960's Title: Figurative Study Medium: oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 36 x 25.5 inches Provenance: private collection, France Condition: The ...
Oil
$325
Horses - Oil Painting by Vincenzo Di Giorgio - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Horses is a modern artwork realized by Vincenzo Di Giorgio in the mid-20th century Painting on paper. Includes frame Hand signed on the lower margin
Canvas, Oil
$757Sale Price|62% Off
French Modernist Painting Head & Shoulders Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Huguette Ginet-Lasnier (French 1927-2020) inscribed verso oil painting on canvas 16 x 13 inches. All the paintings we have for sale by this artist have come from the artists estate ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,016Sale Price|20% Off
Courtyard by Pierre Eugène Vibert - oil on canvas
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on canvas
Oil
$1,350Sale Price|40% Off
Mid Century Modern Chichen Itza Ruins Landscape, Oil on Canvas, Signed
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Modern Chichen Itza Ruins Landscape Wonderful mid century modern abstracted landscape oil painting of the ruins at Chichen Itza by Jose Nacho (Mexican, 20th Century), 19...
Canvas, Oil
$865Sale Price|20% Off
20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting High Tide Beach Landscape
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...
Oil
$376Sale Price|43% Off
Royal bridge, Paris by Pierre Desaules - Watercolor on paper 29x44 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Golden wooden frame with glass pane 51,5 x 66 x 4 cm
Watercolor