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.
Paired Studies of Lions in Profile 1960's British Modernist Drawing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Paired Studies of Lions in Profile 1960's British Modernist Drawing by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil crayon drawings on brown artist paper stuck on A4 artsit paper, unframed ove...
Oil Crayon
Modern French Abstract Paintig Still Life by Roland Bierge
Located in Roma, IT
Modern French Abstract Paintig Still Life by Roland Bierge Beautiful, important painting by the great French artist Roland Bierge (1922-1991). Still life oil on canvas ‘Pomme et Po...
Canvas, Oil
Charles Pompilius figurative Young Female Nude Oil on Panel
Located in Detroit, MI
"Untitled" portrays a young female nude in an intimate setting within the artist's studio. This painting is done in the classical vein of full portraiture. The model, however, is not posed quietly, but is engaged with a person or object off the frame, or, perhaps in an interior monologue with herself. Regardless of which, the viewer's attention is not only attracted to the beauty of the model's figure, but the intention of her actions. Charles Pompilius...
Oil, Panel
Modernist Abstraction in Newcomb Macklin carved frame
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Abstract painting, ca. 1950s measures 25 x 30 inches. Oil on canvas, unsigned and unattributed. Stunning modernist custom carved picture frame by Newcomb Macklin. ca. 1950 productio...
Canvas, Wood, Oil
Large French Modernist Abstract Figurative Signed Oil Painting 1991
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Figure French School, signed and dated 1991 signed oil on canvas, unframed dated and signed verso canvas: 25.5 x 21 inches Provenance: private collection, France Condition: ...
Oil
Woman with Shopping Cart
Located in Zofingen, AG
shipped in roll Acrylic painting of woman in sunglasses white dress black dots green socks sitting near shopping cart full of fruits Acrylic Painting on canvas One of a kind artwor...
Canvas, Acrylic
Nude Figure Posed In Pink Tone Room Interior French Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nude Figure In Pink Interior by Jacqueline Boisselot (French, late 20th century) oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 9 x 10.75 inches Provenance: private collection, Paris Condition: ver...
Oil
A Stylish, Vintage 1940s Woman's Fashion Study, Cover Design for Hattie Carnegie
Located in Chicago, IL
A stylish, vintage, 1940s woman's fashion study featuring an elegant graphic design for a portfolio cover featuring ladies resort clothes by Hattie Carnegie. Artwork size: 11 x 8...
Paper, Pencil, Color Pencil, Watercolor
$1,665Sale Price|24% Off
Mediterranean Coastal Landscape Oil Painting, Costa Brava Begur Seascape Spain
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Original oil on canvas by Jordi Rosich Rojas representing Cala Aiguafreda in Begur, Costa Brava. A luminous Mediterranean coastal landscape with turquoise water, rocky shoreline and ...
Oil
1973 Vintage Modernist Swedish Abstract Landscape Oil Painting - Blue Divide
Located in Bristol, GB
BLUE DIVIDE Size: 64 x 64.5 cm (including frame) Oil on canvas An atmospheric 20th century abstract landscape scene that distils nature into its most elemental forms – sky, land, an...
Canvas, Oil
A Large, Compelling Mid-Century Modern Figurative Painting- Equestrienne & Clown
By Gerrit Hondius
Located in Chicago, IL
A Large, Compelling Mid-Century Modern Figurative Painting by New York Artist, Gerrit Hondius, Titled "Equestrienne & Clown". Artwork size: 30 x 24 inches (Oil on Masonite); Frame...
Masonite, Oil
Vintage American Modernist "Shoe, Brush, Donut" Framed Still Life Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist still life oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Excellent condition, ready to hang and enjoy.
Oil, Canvas
A Cheerful 1950s, Modern City Park Scene with Horse & Carriage, "Rome Street"
Located in Chicago, IL
A lively, colorful 1950s Mid-Century Modern city park scene with a horse & carriage ("Rome Street") by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin. Possibly a scene painted near the histor...
Oil, Wood Panel
Early 20th Century 1920s Spring Floral Still Life
Located in Soquel, CA
Elegant floral still life of a beautiful spring bouquet in an antique ivory soup tureen by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Forbes (Dallam) (American, 1875-1933). Exhibition placard on verso signed "Elizabeth Forbes...
Linen, Oil
Portrait of Woman with Fuchsia, Early 20th Century Still Life
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Woman with FUCHSIA, 1935 Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right 31.75 x 27 inches 37 x 32.25 inches, framed Untitled Still Life ver...
Oil
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, ...
Oil
Mountain Landscape - Painting by Francesco Settimj - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on wooden panel realized in 1930s. Good condition.
Oil
"Canals in Annecy, France" by Emma Fordyce MacRae (1887-1974) American Framed
Located in Yardley, PA
A lovely scene of the canals in Annecy, France by renowned American artist Emma Fordyce MacRae (1887-1974). This work highlights the geometric nature of the historic architecture al...
Gesso, Oil, Board
Paired Studies of Lions in Profile 1960's British Modernist Drawing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Paired Studies of Lions in Profile 1960's British Modernist Drawing by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil crayon drawings on brown artist paper stuck on A4 artist paper, unframed ove...
Oil Crayon
$1,320Sale Price|20% Off
Lovers - Nude Couple in Bed - Figurative Composition in Acrylic on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Lovers - Nude Couple in Bed - Figurative Composition in Acrylic on Paper Expressive depiction of a nude couple by Byron Richard Rodarmel (American, 1932-2007). A couple is intertwin...
Paper, Acrylic
$1,760Sale Price|20% Off
Is That So (Abstract, Expressionism, Warm, Lively, Green, Teal, Yellow, 20% OFF)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Katherine Bello Is That So Mixed media on canvas 2023 Size: 40x30x1.5in Signed, dated and titled by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1881 *on stretcher frame - ready to hang ** additi...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$2,840Sale Price|20% Off
The Artist's Apartment Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene Original Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
The Artist's Apartment Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene Original Oil on Canvas Vibrant interior scene by Santa Cruz California artist Frances Rinaldo (American, b. 1943). A bright...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$65,000
In a Yellow Key, Original Oil Painting by Important Female Artist, Picasso
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
Austin Christian Fine Art is proud to represent this piece by what we believe to be one of the most important women artists of the 20th century. In addition to establishing a relatio...
Canvas, Oil
$521Sale Price|20% Off
20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Dark Grey and Red 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
Vance Kirkland "Tourists" 1942 Watercolor Colorado Landscape Painting
By Vance Kirkland
Located in Denver, CO
An exceptional original watercolor painting titled Tourists by renowned American modernist Vance Hall Kirkland (1904–1981), created in 1942 during his celebrated Designed Realism per...
Watercolor
"Taos Road" Henrietta Berk, Abstracted Landscape, Bright Red, Expressionist
By Henrietta Berk
Located in New York, NY
Henrietta Berk Taos Road, circa 1966 Signed lower left Oil on canvas 54 x 47 inches Provenance The artist The Carter Gallery, Los Angeles Phyllis and Stanley Goldberg, Palm Springs,...
Canvas, Oil
$3,800Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American Impressionist Framed Young Woman Portrait Exhibited Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Very finely painted early 1900s American impressionist portrait painting by Alexander Oscar Levy (1881 - 1947). Oil on canvas, lain to board. In excellent original condition. Hand...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Interior with Cats
Located in Atlanta, GA
Artist Statement "I’m a Canadian painter living on an island off the northwest coast of Canada. My current paintings revolve around floral still lives. The flowers are the original...
Canvas, Acrylic
Still Life with Red Flowers - Oil Painting by Claude Decamps - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Still life with red flowers is an artwork realized by Claude Decamps, mid-20th Century. Oil on canvas. 25 x 20 cm. Hand signed in red in lower margin. Good conditions!
Wood, Oil
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
$680Sale Price|20% Off
Wild Mushrooms Harvest, Autumn, Magic Nature, Illustration Style, Orange Tones
Located in Barcelona, ES
"Wild Mushrooms IV" is an abstract expressionist painting by Romina Milano where a dance of black gestures unfolds across colorful brushstrokes infused with raw emotion. Romina Mil...
Acrylic, India Ink, Handmade Paper
Hidden Portraits XXII
Located in London, GB
'Hidden Portraits XXII', acrylic on artist's board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing art prof...
Acrylic, Board
Still Life - Oil on board - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Still Life is an original modern artwork realized by an Unknown Artist in the mid-20th Century. A mixed colored oil on board. Hand signed on the lower left margin J. Meamier. Incl...
Oil
"New Orleans, " 1960s Modern Abstract Painting
By Stanley Bate
Located in Westport, CT
This Modern abstract painting Stanley Bate is highly textured and features a warm, vibrant palette. Thick layers of red, orange, and blue paint appear to have been scraped back to c...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled - Screenprint and collage by Lucio del Pezzo, Italy
Located in Napoli, IT
Serigraphy and collage of elements on Lucio del Pezzo hand-painted hand-made paper. Graphic work created in the 80s in 50 numbered copies signed by the artist. The sheet is in perfe...
Paper
Mid Century Modern Impasto Oil Painting - Venice St. Mark's Basilica at Sunset
Located in Soquel, CA
Mid Century Modern Impasto Oil Painting -- Venice at Sunset with St. Mark's Basilica Wonderful and evocative modern painting of Venice with gondolas...
Linen, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$1,980Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage Art Deco Formula Two Grand Prix Car Racing Modernist MCM Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Very rare and well painted Formula Two racing painting. Oil on canvas. Unsigned. Nicely framed.
Canvas, Oil
Cattle grazing in an extensive landscape
Located in Stoke, Hampshire
Tom Coates (1941-2023) Cattle grazing in an extensive landscape Oil on canvas Signed with initials lower left Canvas Size - 20 x 24 in Framed Size - 29 x 33 in Tom Coates (1941–2023...
Oil
Tree-Lined Street - Oil Paint by Giovanni Antoci - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Tree-lined street is a modern artwork realized by Giovanni Antoci. Mixed colored painting. Hand signed on the lower margin. Includes frame.
Oil
Rare Antique American Female Modernist Ashcan School Street Scene Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American ashcan school modernist cityscape painting by Judith Chamberlain (1893 - 1965). Oil on board. Framed. Signed. Excellent ready to hang condition.
Oil, Board
Nude Figure In Blue Sunlit Room French Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nude Portrait In Blue Sun Lit Interior by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century size : 7 x 6 inches oil on canvas, unframed condition: very good and ready to enjoy provenan...
Oil
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...
Oil
French Modernist Still Life with Fruit Bowl Bottle & Bold Red Tablecloth Study
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Modernist Still Life with Fruit and Drapery, Bold Colour Oil Painting French School, mid 20th century oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 21 x 2...
Oil
$872Sale Price|20% Off
Flowers in Vase French Modernist Signed & Framed Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Still Life of Flowers Huguette Ginet-Lasnier (French 1927-2020) signed and inscribed verso framed oil painting on canvas framed: 20 x 17 inches canvas: 16 x 13 inches. All the painti...
Canvas, Oil
Abstract Floral Still Life, 20th Century Cleveland School Artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
August Frederick Biehle (American, 1885-1979) Abstract Floral Still Life Watercolor and pencil on paper Signed lower right 24 x 19 inches 29.5 x 24.5 inches, framed A versatile pain...
Watercolor, Pencil
Signed Antique American Modernist Watermelon Still Life Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school modernist watermelon still life pastel painting. Pastel on paper. Signed. Framed. Measuring 18 by 22 inches overall and 16 by 20 painting alone.
Canvas, Oil
$1,160Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American Modernist Landscape Framed New England FallOil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Charming and well painted rural New England modernist landcape by Vern Henry Smith (1927 - 2007. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.
Canvas, Oil
The Gentleman's Park Bench French Modernist 20th Century Oil on Canvas, 13x18 in
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Gentleman’s Park Bench Modernist Figurative Landscape by Laure Noetzin-Azam (French, 1929–2024) pupil of André Lhote oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 13 x 18 inches Provenance: a...
Oil
Signed 20th Century French Oil Painting Figure Sleeping Park Bench Carousel Fair
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Park Bench by Laure Noetzin-Azam (French 1929-2024) pupil of André LHOTE signed oil on canvas, framed framed: 19 x 23 inches canvas: 18 x 22 inches Provenance: all the paintings ...
Oil
Anza-Borrego Desert California Modernist Large Landscape Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist landscape signed oil painting of the Anza-Borrego desert. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed. Measuring: 36 by 44 inches overall. In excellent original condit...
Canvas, Oil
The Fisherman
Located in East Hampton, NY
Fisherman Watercolor Comes Framed (see photo) About the Artist: Kenneth B Walsh (1922-1980) In the 1950s, Kenneth Bonar Walsh came to Montauk fr...
Watercolor
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage American School Coastal Seascape Trompe L'Oeil Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Indulge in a journey to the vibrant and nostalgic era of the 1970s with our vintage original oil painting—a mesmerizing modernist beach interior scene, capturing the essence of sandy...
Canvas, Oil
$1,495
Large Vintage American Modernist Abstract Dove Portrait Signed Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed. Measuring 48 by 48 inches overall and 40 by 40 painting alone. In excellent original condition. Hands...
Oil, Board
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Interesting Tropical Modernist Palm Tree Abstract Vintage Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist signed abstract tropical oil painting. Oil on board. Framed.
Canvas, Oil
$1,312Sale Price|25% Off
Large Antique Cubist Impressionist Flower Still Life Signed Oil Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist still life oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.
Canvas, Oil
Ethel Magafan Early Spring 1944 Framed Oil Painting, Colorado Regionalism
Located in Denver, CO
“Early Spring” is a rare and evocative 1944 original oil painting by celebrated Colorado artist Ethel Magafan, a key figure in American Regionalism and one of the renowned Magafan si...
Oil
Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Figural Composition Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract figural oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 25 by 19inches overall. Handsomely framed in...
Oil, Canvas
Oil Painting Woman Portrait French Armenian Modernist Jean Jansem Ecole De Paris
By Jean Jansem
Located in Surfside, FL
Jean Jansem (Hovhannes Semerdjian) 1920-2013 Hand signed upper left corner Dimensions: 14 X 9.5 Framed 21 X 16.75 Jean Jansem (Hovhannes Semerdjian) 1920-2013 Bursa, Ottoman Turki...
Canvas, Oil
Saraswati, Figurative, Mythology by Raja Ravi Verma "In Stock"
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Raja Ravi Varma - Laxmi, 19 x 14 inches Oleograph with embellishments, Circa (Unframed & Delivered) Raja Ravi Varma (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist...
Paper, Mixed Media
Universal - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Universal bank is an original modern artwrok realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s. Mixed colored oil painting on canvas. The artwork depi...
Paint, Oil