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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
L.S. Lowry, Street Scene, 1965
L.S. Lowry, Street Scene, 1965

L.S. Lowry, Street Scene, 1965

Located in Manchester, GB

L.S. Lowry, Street Scene, 1965 Oil on canvas 50.8 x 60.9 cm (20 x 24 in) Hand-signed and dated 'L.S. LOWRY 1965' (lower right) and titled 'STREET SCENE' (on the canvas overlap) E...

Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Original MCM NYC School Oil Painting
Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Original MCM NYC School Oil Painting

Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Original MCM NYC School Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American abstract oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Measuring: 29 by 13 inches overall, and 27.5 by 11 painting alone. Unsigned. Excellent condition, ready to hang and en...

Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

School

School

By John Hartell

Located in Dallas, TX

Valley House Gallery is honored to present a selection of paintings from the estate of American artist, John Hartell (1902-1995). John Hartell taught two disciplines at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York: freshman architecture and graduate painting. He was a much-loved professor there from 1930 until his retirement in 1967; one of his most illustrious students is the architect Richard Meier. As an artist, Hartell's first solo exhibition was in 1937 at Kleeman Gallery in New York. He exhibited at Kraushaar Galleries in New York for four decades, beginning in 1943. The Hartell Gallery at Cornell University, under the Sibley Dome, is named for him. In describing John Hartell, the artist Michael Boyd...

Category

Late 20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Death of Priam - Oil Paint - Early 19th Century
The Death of Priam - Oil Paint - Early 19th Century

The Death of Priam - Oil Paint - Early 19th Century

Located in Roma, IT

Oil on canvas realized by an italian neoclassical artist in th early 19th Century. In very good condition, it includes a coeval gilded wooden frame.

Category

Early 19th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

1950's Modernist/ Cubist Painting - Mermaid Figure On The Rocks
1950's Modernist/ Cubist Painting - Mermaid Figure On The Rocks

1950's Modernist/ Cubist Painting - Mermaid Figure On The Rocks

By Bernard Labbe

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

French Landscape by Bernard Labbe (French mid 20th century) original watercolour with biro on artist paper, unframed stamped verso size: 10 x 8.5 inches condition: very good and read...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Vintage American Modernist Surreal Figural Nude Portrait Large Framed Painting
Vintage American Modernist Surreal Figural Nude Portrait Large Framed Painting

Vintage American Modernist Surreal Figural Nude Portrait Large Framed Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Antique American modernist nude portrait oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a modern molding. Excellent condition, ready to ...

Category

1950s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

1970 Haitian Mod Gold Painting Portrait of African American Woman Emilcar Simil
1970 Haitian Mod Gold Painting Portrait of African American Woman Emilcar Simil

1970 Haitian Mod Gold Painting Portrait of African American Woman Emilcar Simil

By Emilcar Similien (SIMIL)

Located in Surfside, FL

Feu de Joie 1970 hand signed and dated. Measurements: 25.75 X 25.75 Framed. Image is 23.75 X 23.75 Emilcar Similien, known as Simil was born in 1944 in St. Marc. He finished elementary school in St. Marc and high school in Port-au-Prince. From 1965 until 1971 he studied at the Academy of Beaux-Arts in Port-au-Prince, where he took courses in painting, sculpture, and art history. Simil uses his images of women only as means for displaying patterns, color, and the sparkle of gold jewelry on black skin. He paints with acrylics on Masonite of any size. His surfaces are smooth and polished. Simil delights in beauty, elegance, and grace. This is done in a silhouette style reminiscent of Kara Walker. Emilcar Simil (Similcar) is known for Acrylic painting in high colors of black skinned female figures. He is of the generation of Haitian artists that include Bernard Sejourne, Prospere Pierre-Louis, Levoy Exil, Louisiane Saint Fleurant, Henri Calixte, Paul Dieuseul, Laurent Casimir, Frantz Zephirin, Denis Smith, Philton Latortue, Philome Obin, Préfète Duffaut, Fernand Pierre, Dieudonne L Cedor. Since 1971 he has taught art history and aesthetics at the Academy of Beaux-Arts. He is also an honorary teacher at the private school Juan Vasquez. In 1974, he traveled to the United States to meet American artists and visit major museums. Simil was influenced by Art nouveau and his favorite artist, Gustav Klimt. These influences are most obvious in his paintings of women. Like Bernard Sejourne, Simil delights in beauty, elegance, and grace. But instead of concentrating on pose, he uses his images of women only as vehicles for displaying pattern, color, and the sparkle of gold jewelry on black skin. Only recognizable as females by their contours, their features are not distinguished. There is a playfulness of line that is very different from Sejourne's emphasis on monumentality. Emilcar Similien uses his images of women only as means for displaying patterns, color, and the sparkle of gold jewelry on black skin. He paints with acrylics on Masonite of any size. His surfaces are smooth and polished. Simil delights in beauty, elegance, and grace. He has been exhibiting since 1969 namely in Haiti, USA, Denmark. As Art Critic, Gerald Alexis states in his book Peintres Haitiens "well trained by masters who taught him to excel in his forms, Similien’s works also contain discrete messages” . EXHIBITIONS 1969- Academie des Beaux Arts 1970- Haitian-American Institute 1971- Salon Dante Alighieri, Amb. d'Italie, Port-au-Prince 1972- Christ, Saut-d'Eau 1973- Anderson and Hopkins Gallery, Washington, D.C. 1974- Galerie Mehu, Petion-Ville 1974- Musee d'Art Haitien, Port-au-Prince 1976- Galerie Monnin, One Man Show, Port-au-Prince 1977- Martello Museum, Key West, Florida 1978- Galleriet, Copenhagen, Denmark 1978-1979 - Haitian Art - Brooklyn Museum, New York, Milwaukee Art Center, Wisconsin, Kunst aus Haiti, Berlin, Germany, New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana 1978- Brooklyn College, New York 1978- Musee d'Art Haitien, Port-au-Prince 1979 - Haiti, Musee d'Art (Third Generation Artists) 1979- Kunst aus Haiti, West Berlin, Germany 1980- Curacao Museum, Willemstad, Curacao 1981- Sotheby Parke Bernet Auction, New York, NY 1982- Galerie Monnin Third Generation Artists 1982- Exhibit Vorpal Gallery, San Francisco 1982- Centre de Arte Cultural, Italy 1982- International Art Expo, New York, NY 1983- Musee International d'Art Naif, Nice, France 1983- Galerie Bukowskis, Zurich, Switzerland 1984- Exhibit Metropolitan Museum of Art 1985- Galerie Bukowskis, Zurich, Switzerland 1985- Cafe de la Paix Exposition, Paris, France 1986- Three Man Show, Port-au-Prince 1988- Galerie 93, Paris, France 1989- IFA Galerie und Kontaktstelle, Bonn, Germany 1990- Exposition du Palais du Rhin, Strasbourg, France 1992- La Rencontre Des Deux Mondes Vue Par Les Peintres D'Haiti - Martinique, Seville, Rome, Paris, Nantes, Angouleme, Laval, Toulouse, Japan, Montreal, United States, Mexico Haitian art is a complex tradition, reflecting African roots with strong Indigenous, American and European aesthetic and religious influences. Many artists cluster in "schools" of painting, such as the Cap-Haïtien school, which features depictions of daily life in the city, the Jacmel School, which reflects the steep mountains and bays of that coastal town, or the Saint-Soleil School. Centre d’Art, located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was founded in 1944 by American watercolorist DeWitt Peters and several prominent Haitians from the intellectual and cultural circles including: Maurice Borno, Andrée Malebranche, Albert Mangonès, Lucien Price, and Georges Remponeau. Popular artists of this movement include: André Pierre, Hector Hippolyte, Castera Bazile...

Category

1970s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic Polymer, Acrylic

Vintage American Modernist Signed Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting
Vintage American Modernist Signed Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting

Vintage American Modernist Signed Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 13 by 25 inches overall. Handsomely framed in...

Category

1940s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Ben Avram, Israeli Bezalel School Old City Jerusalem Israel Landscape Painting
Ben Avram, Israeli Bezalel School Old City Jerusalem Israel Landscape Painting

Ben Avram, Israeli Bezalel School Old City Jerusalem Israel Landscape Painting

By Edward Ben Avram

Located in Surfside, FL

Edward Ben Avram Hand signed lower right Jerusalem Israeli Old City walls landscape cityscape. Home of the Har Habayit, The Western Wall, Temple mount. Size includes frame 23 X 28, paper is 14 X 20 inches Edward Ben Avram (born 1941) is an Indian - Israeli artist who was born in Bombay, India and immigrated to Israel as a teenager. He graduated from the Bezalel School of Art and Design in 1965 and continues to call Jerusalem his home. Most of Ben Avraham oil painting and watercolors portrays Israeli cities, particularly the old city of Jerusalem with its architecture and orientalist domes and arches, religious festivals, and Bible stories. He paints in creamy sensual tones incorporating symbols such as doves, a menorah, and Shabbat candles. With his penchant for filigreed designs and bright colors, Edouard Ben Avram betrays some influences of his Indian boyhood. But the subjects that he paints so gracefully with a touch of Oriental lyricism are scenes of Jerusalem, his home for over 20 years. Exhibitions 1964 Group exhibitions in the United States and Canada 1977 Safrai Gallery, Jerusalem (a prestigious gallery that shows Abel Pann, Mordecai Ardon, Samuel Bak, Abraham Binder...

Category

1980s Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Jockeys at the Rail
Jockeys at the Rail

Jockeys at the Rail

Located in San Francisco, CA

There’s an instant in a competitive horse race—whether it’s at Churchill Downs, Del Mar, Santa Anita Park, Saratoga or Belmont—of the utmost ferocity. That’s when the riders are jamm...

Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hidden Portraits XIX, Acrylic on Canvas, Modern, Framed, 1980s
Hidden Portraits XIX, Acrylic on Canvas, Modern, Framed, 1980s

Hidden Portraits XIX, Acrylic on Canvas, Modern, Framed, 1980s

Located in London, GB

'Hidden Portraits XIX', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing ...

Category

1980s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Board

"Metropolitan Abstraction" Signed Mid Century Cubist Architectural Abstraction
"Metropolitan Abstraction" Signed Mid Century Cubist Architectural Abstraction

"Metropolitan Abstraction" Signed Mid Century Cubist Architectural Abstraction

Located in Buffalo, NY

Antique American abstract cubist street scene oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Signed. Measuring: 31 by 42 inches overall, and 25 by 36 painting alone. In excellent original con...

Category

1940s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

French Gouache Study of Hopi Kachina Mask and Taos Pueblo Textile
French Gouache Study of Hopi Kachina Mask and Taos Pueblo Textile

French Gouache Study of Hopi Kachina Mask and Taos Pueblo Textile

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Title: French Gouache Study of Hopi Kachina Mask and Taos Pueblo Textile by Emile GALLOIS (1882-1965, French) Signed: Yes Medium: Original gouache painting on thick unframed paper, ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Gouache

Tide Pools 41 - Contemporary Shiny Resin Minimalist Abstract Artwork on Wood
Tide Pools 41 - Contemporary Shiny Resin Minimalist Abstract Artwork on Wood

Tide Pools 41 - Contemporary Shiny Resin Minimalist Abstract Artwork on Wood

By Ricky Hunt

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Paintings

Materials

Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Las Ramblas Barcelona Flower Market Street Scene Painting Urban Impressionist
Las Ramblas Barcelona Flower Market Street Scene Painting Urban Impressionist

Las Ramblas Barcelona Flower Market Street Scene Painting Urban Impressionist

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Scenes of Las Ramblas in Barcelona remain among the most recognizable urban subjects in European painting and are highly sought after by collectors and interior designers worldwide. Artist Jordi Junyent Title Rambla de las Flores, Barcelona Date 1988 Medium Oil on canvas Dimensions 50 × 61 cm 19.7 × 24 in Signature Signed “Junyent” lower left and dated 1988. Frame Unframed Condition Very good condition. Canvas firm and well stretched. Stable paint layer with bright colors. No visible restorations. Atmospheric urban painting depicting Las Ramblas flower market in Barcelona, one of the most recognizable and vibrant locations in the city. The composition captures the scene after rainfall, with reflective pavement, flower stalls and strolling figures creating depth and movement. The wet street surface reflects light and silhouettes, enhancing the lively Mediterranean atmosphere. Executed with a confident and expressive brushstroke, the artist uses a palette dominated by cool greys, greens and blues contrasted with vivid reds from the flower displays. The simplified figures and loose handling of paint emphasize the mood of the place rather than strict detail, a characteristic approach of post-impressionist urban painting. Scenes of Barcelona’s Las Ramblas are particularly sought after in the international decorative art market due to their strong visual identity and association with one of Europe’s most iconic boulevards. An attractive and highly decorative cityscape, ideal for collectors of European urban painting or for interior design settings seeking a vibrant Mediterranean atmosphere. Jordi Junyent was a Spanish painter active in the late twentieth century whose work focused primarily on urban scenes and Mediterranean city views. His paintings often depict recognizable locations such as the streets of Barcelona, rendered with a loose brushstroke and an emphasis on atmosphere, light and color. Working within a post-impressionist tradition, Junyent developed compositions that balance figurative clarity with painterly spontaneity, making his works appealing within the European decorative art market. Barcelona Las Ramblas Barcelona street scene Flower market painting...

Category

1980s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Large Mid-Century Modern, Cubist Art Deco Painting, "The Dancers"
A Large Mid-Century Modern, Cubist Art Deco Painting, "The Dancers"

A Large Mid-Century Modern, Cubist Art Deco Painting, "The Dancers"

By Charles Turzak

Located in Chicago, IL

A Large, Colorful, Modernist Art Deco Cubist Painting, "The Dancers" by Famed Chicago Painter and Printmaker, Charles Turzak (Am. 1899 - 1986). A large, vertical composition relating to the artist's notable 1930s woodcut of the same title. The painting is completed in a vividly textured Cubist style, with striking hues of rich greens and yellows, deep blues and rose pinks. The painting is oiI on canvas mounted to Masonite (artist's original mount), and offers a superb visual appeal. A perfect complement to any Mid-Century Modern home or collection. Artwork size: 38 x 24 inches (Framed size: 38 1/4 x 24 1/4 inches). Signed "Turzak" lower right. Provenance: Estate of the artist. Charles Turzak was one of Chicago’s greatest printmakers of the Art Deco-era. Son of a coal miner, Turzak was born in Streeter, IL in 1899. In 1920, Turzak won the first prize a cartoon contest sponsored by the Purina company and he used his prize money to enroll in the Art Institute of Chicago. Best known as a print maker, in the 1920s & 30s, he created woodcuts of many of Chicago’s most notable buildings, including the Merchandise Mart, Palmolive Building and the Old Water Tower, among others. In 1933, he was commissioned to create woodcuts of many of Chicago’s most iconic buildings to illustrate a guidebook called “All About Chicago” by John and Ruth Ashenhurst” that featured the upcoming Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago. During the 1933 World’s Fair...

Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Masonite

Love Letters 20 - Abstract Contemporary Resin Minimalist Mixed Media Artwork
Love Letters 20 - Abstract Contemporary Resin Minimalist Mixed Media Artwork

Love Letters 20 - Abstract Contemporary Resin Minimalist Mixed Media Artwork

By Ricky Hunt

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Paintings

Materials

Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Fernando Canovas

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Constantly moving between the two- and three-dimensional worlds, Canova's painting reveals a profound preoccupation with space and time, themes that remain central to his work despit...

Category

1990s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

The Day Bangkok Stopped for a Giant Cat
The Day Bangkok Stopped for a Giant Cat

The Day Bangkok Stopped for a Giant Cat

Located in Zofingen, AG

Massive cat blocking traffic Bangkok Thailand acrylic artwork Acrylic Painting on canvas One of a kind artwork Size: 80 × 100 × 3 cm (unframed) The artwork is titled and signed on ...

Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.
Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.

Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.

Located in Roma, IT

Oil on canvas. cm 60.5 x 2 x 50 Nice Oil painting (Italian School of XIX century) with a rapid sign and intense colors backgrpound. Some color cracking on left margin and top edge, ...

Category

18th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Set of 2 Bright Landscape Studies of 1960's British Modernist Drawings
Set of 2 Bright Landscape Studies of 1960's British Modernist Drawings

Set of 2 Bright Landscape Studies of 1960's British Modernist Drawings

By Irina Hale

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Set of Two Paired Studies 1960's British Modernist Drawing by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil crayon drawings on light brown artist paper stuck on A4 artist paper, unframed overal...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil Crayon

Set of 2 Bright Landscape Studies of 1960's British Modernist Drawings
Set of 2 Bright Landscape Studies of 1960's British Modernist Drawings

Set of 2 Bright Landscape Studies of 1960's British Modernist Drawings

By Irina Hale

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Set of Two Paired Studies 1960's British Modernist Drawing by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil crayon drawings on light brown artist paper stuck on A4 artist paper, unframed overal...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil Crayon

An Officer, Grande Armée, Hussars, Circa 1815
An Officer, Grande Armée, Hussars, Circa 1815

An Officer, Grande Armée, Hussars, Circa 1815

Located in Stoke, Hampshire

John Leslie Berry (1920–2009) An Officer, Grande Armée, Hussars, Circa 1815 Oil on canvas Signed lower left Canvas size - 14 x 10 in Framed size - 18 1/2 x 14 1/2 in ohn Leslie Ber...

Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

View of  Riva degli Schiavoni - Oil Painting - Late 18th century
View of  Riva degli Schiavoni - Oil Painting - Late 18th century

View of Riva degli Schiavoni - Oil Painting - Late 18th century

By Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto)

Located in Roma, IT

View of Riva degli Schiavoni is an original old master artwork realized in the late 18th century by a follower of the School of the italian painter Canaletto. Oil on canvas. An imp...

Category

Late 18th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Three Women
Three Women

Three Women

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "Three Women" is an oil on canvas board by renown Turkish artist Ali Demir, 1931-2015. It is signed and dated at the lower right corner by the...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

An Officer, Battalion Co., Cold Stream Guards, Circa 1821
An Officer, Battalion Co., Cold Stream Guards, Circa 1821

An Officer, Battalion Co., Cold Stream Guards, Circa 1821

Located in Stoke, Hampshire

John Leslie Berry (1920–2009) An Officer, Battalion Co., Cold Stream Guards, Circa 1821 Oil on canvas Signed lower right Canvas size - 14 x 10 in Framed size - 18 1/2 x 14 1/2 in o...

Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

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.