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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
Sunspot 133 - Tall Modern Shiny Resin Minimalist Autumn Tone Abstract Artwork
Sunspot 133 - Tall Modern Shiny Resin Minimalist Autumn Tone Abstract Artwork

Sunspot 133 - Tall Modern Shiny Resin Minimalist Autumn Tone Abstract 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

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

Charles Pompilius figurative Young Female Nude Oil on Panel
Charles Pompilius figurative Young Female Nude Oil on Panel

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...

Category

Early 2000s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Still Life - Oil on board - Mid-20th Century
Still Life - Oil on board - Mid-20th Century

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...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

1980's French Modernist Painting Amusing Multi-color Abstract Figure with Violin
1980's French Modernist Painting Amusing Multi-color Abstract Figure with Violin

1980's French Modernist Painting Amusing Multi-color Abstract Figure with Violin

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

by Paul-Louis Bolot (French 1918-2003) signed & dated 1983 original gouache painting on thick paper/ card unframed condition: very good and sound; the edges have a few curls and scuf...

Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Gouache

“Abstract 4”
“Abstract 4”

“Abstract 4”

By Martin Rosenthal

Located in Southampton, NY

Original oil paint on heavy archival paper abstract by the American artist, Martin Rosenthal. Bold, vibrant colors. Signed lower right by the artist and dated 1964. Condition is goo...

Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Archival Paper

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

Hunting : The Necessary Ingredients
Hunting : The Necessary Ingredients

Hunting : The Necessary Ingredients

By Michael Lyne

Located in Stoke, Hampshire

Michael Lyne (1912-1989) The Necessary Ingredients Signed lower left Oil on canvas Canvas size - 20 x 40 in Framed size - 25 x 45 in 'The Necessary Ingredients' is a charming and c...

Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Hummingbird
Hummingbird

Hummingbird

Located in Zofingen, AG

This painting captures that fleeting moment when the world goes silent, and only the heart remains — hearing more than words ever could. A little girl has paused in the middle of a b...

Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Ancient View of the Bay of Naples  - Oil Painting - 19th Century
Ancient View of the Bay of Naples  - Oil Painting - 19th Century

Ancient View of the Bay of Naples - Oil Painting - 19th Century

Located in Roma, IT

View over the Bay of Naples is an orginal old master artwork realized by Master of Northern Europe School of the second half of 19th Century. Mixed colored oil on canvas. Relined....

Category

Late 19th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

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

Paired Studies of Lions in Profile 1960's British Modernist Drawing
Paired Studies of Lions in Profile 1960's British Modernist Drawing

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...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil Crayon

Heartfelt Love Letter - Modern Resin Minimalist Abstract Playful Word Artwork
Heartfelt Love Letter - Modern Resin Minimalist Abstract Playful Word Artwork

Heartfelt Love Letter - Modern Resin Minimalist Abstract Playful Word 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

"New Orleans, " 1960s Modern Abstract Painting
"New Orleans, " 1960s Modern Abstract Painting

"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...

Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage American Modernist Framed Landscape Signed Fall River Scene Oil Painting
Vintage American Modernist Framed Landscape Signed Fall River Scene Oil Painting

Vintage American Modernist Framed Landscape Signed Fall River Scene Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist landscape oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Handsomely framed in a wood molding. Excellent conditio...

Category

1980s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Framed Mid Century Original Oil Painting
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Framed Mid Century Original Oil Painting

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Framed Mid Century Original Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 20 by 16 inches image alone. Handsomely framed in w...

Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Large Exhibited Vintage American Dog Portrait Interior Scene Signed Oil Painting
Large Exhibited Vintage American Dog Portrait Interior Scene Signed Oil Painting

Large Exhibited Vintage American Dog Portrait Interior Scene Signed Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Large Vintage American modernist interior scene dog portrait oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Measuring: 49 by 40 inches overall, and 40 by 32 painting alone. Excellent...

Category

1940s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Latin American Oil Painting Roberto Obregon Colombian Venezuelan Master
Latin American Oil Painting Roberto Obregon Colombian Venezuelan Master

Latin American Oil Painting Roberto Obregon Colombian Venezuelan Master

Located in Surfside, FL

Roberto Obregón, Venezuelan, born Colombia. 1946–2003 Pájaro en Verdes-Azules Oil on canvas Hand signed and dated verso 1964 Provenance: bears label from Phillips auction house Dimensions: framed 24 X16 23.5 h × 15.5 w in (60 × 39 cm) (Further provenance from Rago auctions: The artist Estudio Actual, Caracas CDS Gallery, New York Venezuelan artist Roberto Obregón studied at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas Julio Árraga in Maracaibo and was influenced by Eadweard Muybridge and Marcel Duchamp. He is associated with the Nueva Figuración (1950-1970) based in Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela. Its major figureswere Luis Felipe Noé...

Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Beneath the Surface - contemporary, abstract, three dimensional, wall art
Beneath the Surface - contemporary, abstract, three dimensional, wall art

Beneath the Surface - contemporary, abstract, three dimensional, wall art

By Lucy Maki

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This contemporary abstract mixed media composition is geometric in form. The bold, unique and complex artwork of Lucy Maki challenges the traditional approach to painting. The New Mexico artist has been influenced by modernist abstraction, cubism, and even surrealism. For decades she has explored a distinctive visual language that incorporates mixed media, geometric shapes and architectural elements. Her shaped canvases like Beneath the Surface are an eclectic mix of oil paint and wood framing on canvas—they are both paintings and sculptures. Within the frame of this work, lyrical gestural brushstrokes in green and a creamy white play against a teal backdrop. Thick black patterns framed in geometric shapes add structure. The wood frame of this piece extends beyond the artwork itself extending the picture plane--a signature of Maki’s work. “I am fascinated with the New Mexico’s 1930s...

Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Wood, Oil

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

Neighbors

Neighbors

By Norman Barr

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Neighbors, 1939, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 22 x 26 inches Norman Barr was an American Scene painter and muralist known for his poignant depictions of working-clas...

Category

1930s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Untitled"
"Untitled"

Jean Calogero"Untitled", Circa 1950

$1,200Sale Price|25% Off

"Untitled"

By Jean Calogero

Located in Southampton, NY

Oil on canvas painting by the Italian artist, Jean Calogero. Circa 1950. Signed lower left Overall in museum quality gold leaf frame 17.5 by 15.75 inches. Condition: Good. Provenan...

Category

1950s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Costa Rica! Still Life with Guitar, Fruit, Wine, and Newsprint in Oil on Canvas
Costa Rica! Still Life with Guitar, Fruit, Wine, and Newsprint in Oil on Canvas

Costa Rica! Still Life with Guitar, Fruit, Wine, and Newsprint in Oil on Canvas

By Irene Pattinson

Located in Soquel, CA

Costa Rica! Still Life with Guitar, Fruit, Wine, and Newsprint in Oil on Canvas Still life in a semi-cubist style by Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999). On a reddish-purple table, there is a plate with two apples, a bottle of wine, and an acoustic guitar. The guitar's headstock is shown extending from where the neck meets the body, implying a cubist interpretation of the scene. At the back of the still life arrangement, there is a (collage) newspaper with "Costa Rica!" in the headline. At the left of the composition, there is a curtain or cloth draped across part of the scene. Signed "Irene Pattinson" on verso. No frame. Canvas size: 32"H x 24"W Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999) studied at the California School of Fine Art (now The San Francisco Art Institute), San Francisco State College and The Marion Hartwell School of Design. She was President of the San Francisco Woman Artists Association 1955-56. Provenance:The Artist, Estate of Irene Pattinson: David Carlson; Estate of Larry Miller Fine Art, Robert Azensky Fine Art Solo Exhibitions: Lucien Labaudt Gallery 1955; San Francisco Museum of Art, 1961 (39 works) Selected Group Exhibitions: San Francisco Art Association Annual 1948, 54, 55; San Francisco Woman Artists, 1957-1960; Oakland Art Museum Annual, 1951, 58; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1960; Richmond Art Center, 1955, 56, 57, 58; San Francisco Art Institute 1959, 60. The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, 1958, 59, 60, 62, 63; Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1960; Fourth Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1963; Awards: First Place, San Francisco Woman Artists Assoc., 1957, 1959; San Francisco Art Festival 1957;Literature: San Francisco Art Institute - A catalog of the Art Ban 1962/63; San Francisco and the Second Wave: The Blair Collection Exhibitions: 1963 The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco, CA 1963 California Palace of The Legion of Honor: Forth Winter Invitational, San Francisco, CA 1962 The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco, CA 1961 San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA 1960 California...

Category

1950s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Newsprint

Impressionist Mediterranean Harbor Painting Port de la Selva Costa Brava Fishing
Impressionist Mediterranean Harbor Painting Port de la Selva Costa Brava Fishing

Impressionist Mediterranean Harbor Painting Port de la Selva Costa Brava Fishing

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Impressionist Mediterranean Harbor Painting Port de la Selva Costa Brava Fishing Boats Oil Canvas Artist: Lazarotti Title: Port de la Selva Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 60 × 73 cm (23.6 × 28.7 in) Signature: Signed lower right Inscription: Titled on reverse Frame: Unframed Condition: Very good condition. Stable paint surface with original impasto visible Origin: Spain Atmospheric Mediterranean harbor scene depicting Port de la Selva on the Costa Brava, one of the most picturesque fishing villages in northeastern Spain near Cap de Creus. The composition presents a lively shoreline animated by traditional fishing boats resting along the beach and floating gently across reflective harbor waters. Whitewashed architecture rises against the mountainous backdrop, creating a luminous contrast with the turquoise sea and expansive sky. Executed with confident impressionist brushwork, the painting captures shifting reflections and coastal light through layered strokes of blue, rose, ochre and soft green tonal transitions. The surface retains visible impasto that enhances depth and movement across the water. Mediterranean harbor paintings of this type are especially sought after for their decorative clarity, collector accessibility and strong interior presence, particularly within coastal and modern European painting collections. The inscription “Port de la Selva” on the reverse confirms the exact Catalan location represented. This work belongs to the Mediterranean impressionist...

Category

1980s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Large Antique American Bahamian Young Woman Portrait Signed Rare Oil Painting
Large Antique American Bahamian Young Woman Portrait Signed Rare Oil Painting

Large Antique American Bahamian Young Woman Portrait Signed Rare Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Really rare and well painted portrait by Christine Walters Martin (1895-1982). Oil on canvas. Framed in a nice modernist molding. Signed. Artist Bio: Christine Walters Martin (1895-1982) Born and raised in Brooklyn, Christine Martin majored in art at Columbia University/Teachers College. She spent summers painting at the Woodstock Art Colony under the tutelage of artists there and continued her art studies at the Art Student's League in New York City. Over the years, her teachers included John Sloan, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Alexander Brook and John McFee. She also studied with Eugene Speicher, who recommended her for Portraits Inc, through which some of his own commissions came. Much later in life, in her 80s, Christine studied watercolor with Zoltan Szabo. Before marrying attorney George Martin in 1923, she taught art in the New York public schools for several years. During summers in the late 1920s, after having two daughters (Cynthia, 1924-2008, and Joan, 1927-2000), she went to Woodstock with her girls in tow, staying at the Hasbrook farm. In 1930, she and her husband purchased a stone house on Ohayo Mountain Road and lived there seasonally for 25 years. Among her closest artist friends in Woodstock were Emil Ganso, Florence Hardiman, Albert Heckman, Peggy Dodds, Joe Rollo, Henry Mattson, Mary Ellen Early, and Maud and Miska Petersham, along with Juliana Force (Whitney Museum). During many summers in Woodstock, Christine's daughters Cynthia and Joan kept up their serious piano studies under the tutelage of Vladimir Padwa and Inez Carroll. Known for portraits and landscapes, she was a member of the National Association of Women Artists and the National Arts Club, Gramercy Park, NY. Her work showed at the National Arts Club, Weyhe and Preston Galleries and the National Academy of Design in New York; the Pennsylvania Academy in Philadelphia; the Woodstock Art Association and Rudolf Galleries in Woodstock, Vermont's Dawson Grist Mill Gallery, and South Hampton College, among others. Her portraits, landscapes and still lives hang in hundreds of homes around the world. Information provided by Bunny McBride...

Category

1920s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Anza-Borrego Desert California Modernist Large Landscape Framed Oil Painting
Anza-Borrego Desert California Modernist Large Landscape Framed Oil Painting

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...

Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American Coastal Modernist Seascape Framed Figural River Oil Painting
Antique American Coastal Modernist Seascape Framed Figural River Oil Painting

Antique American Coastal Modernist Seascape Framed Figural River Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Charming early 20th-century impressionist oil on panel depicting a sunlit coastal scene. Two seated figures rest along a grassy bluff, overlooking calm blue waters where small boats ...

Category

1920s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage Signed American Modernist New England Framed Coastal Landscape Painting
Vintage Signed American Modernist New England Framed Coastal Landscape Painting

Vintage Signed American Modernist New England Framed Coastal Landscape Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Signed. Measuring: 19 by 23 inches overall, and 17 by 21 painting alone.. In excellent original condition. H...

Category

1950s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

The Gentleman's Park Bench French Modernist 20th Century Oil on Canvas, 13x18 in
The Gentleman's Park Bench French Modernist 20th Century Oil on Canvas, 13x18 in

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...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Signed Sunset In Columbia Modernist Street Scene Framed WPA Rare Oil Painting
Signed Sunset In Columbia Modernist Street Scene Framed WPA Rare Oil Painting

Signed Sunset In Columbia Modernist Street Scene Framed WPA Rare Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Antique oil on board. Signed. Framed. Measuring 26 by 32 inches overall and 24 by 30 painting alone. In excellent original condition. Excellent condition, ready to hang and enjoy.

Category

1940s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, 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.