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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
Mid Century Modern Expressive Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Vivid Blossoms
Mid Century Modern Expressive Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Vivid Blossoms

Mid Century Modern Expressive Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Vivid Blossoms

Located in Bristol, GB

VIVID BLOSSOMS Size: 64.5 x 55.5 cm (including frame) Oil on canvas A vibrant and expressive mid-century still life painting with wonderful texture, executed in oil onto canvas. Th...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Green Hill Landscape Study of 1960's British Modernist Painting
Green Hill Landscape Study of 1960's British Modernist Painting

Green Hill Landscape Study of 1960's British Modernist Painting

By Irina Hale

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

1960's British Modernist Drawing by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) watercolour painting on artist paper, unframed overall size: 7 x 5 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Portrait of J. L. David (Portrait)

Portrait of J. L. David (Portrait)

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Portrait of J. L. David (Portrait), c. 1930, oil on canvas adhered to board, apparently unsigned, 26 x 20 inches, exhibited: 1) Fourth Annual State-Wide Exhibition, Santa Cruz Art Le...

Category

1930s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

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

By Irina Hale

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...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil Crayon

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

"Arbre rose 3", painting by Peter Hoffer (31x31in), 2026
"Arbre rose 3", painting by Peter Hoffer (31x31in), 2026

"Arbre rose 3", painting by Peter Hoffer (31x31in), 2026

By Peter Hoffer

Located in Paris, France

Peter Hoffer portrays trees. He invites the audience to take a closer look at their posture, their details and their expressions. The subject is as important as the technique: the wa...

Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Resin, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Wild Flowers In White Vase In Green Interior British Modernist Oil Painting

Wild Flowers In White Vase In Green Interior British Modernist Oil Painting

By Irina Hale

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Wild Flowers by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil painting on thick artist paper, unframed size: 8.5 x 6.5 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds condition: very good Iri...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Interior Still Life Framed Oil Painting
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Interior Still Life Framed Oil Painting

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Interior Still Life Framed Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed verso. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 25 by 31 inches overall. Handsomely framed. Ex...

Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Trees in the Field, Mixed Media Painting, African American, American Modern 1967
Trees in the Field, Mixed Media Painting, African American, American Modern 1967

Trees in the Field, Mixed Media Painting, African American, American Modern 1967

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Trees in the Field Mixed meia on masonite panel, 1967 Signed on the right edge oif the image (see photo) One from a series of similar examples, all with caligraphic trees and figures surrounding the composition. Part of the late 1960’s Black Emergency Cultural Coalition along with Benny Andrews The Black Emergency Cultural Coalition Inc. (BECC) was organized in January 1969 by a group of African American artists in response to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Harlem on My Mind" exhibit, which omitted the contributions of African American painters and sculptors to the Harlem community. Members of this initial group that protested against the exhibit included several prominent African American artists, including Benny Andrews and Clifford R. Joseph, cofounders of the BECC. The primary goal of the group was to agitate for change in the major art museums in New York City for greater representation of African American artists and their work in these museums. Condition: Excellent Image size: 12 5/8 x 10 inches Board size: 20 x 16 inches Frame size: 21 x 17 inches Russ Thompson (Born 1922- Jamaica Part of the late 1960’s Black Emergency Cultural Coalition along with Benny Andrews The Black Emergency Cultural Coalition Inc. (BECC) was organized in January 1969 by a group of African American artists in response to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Harlem on My Mind" exhibit, which omitted the contributions of African American painters and sculptors to the Harlem community. Members of this initial group that protested against the exhibit included several prominent African American artists, including Benny Andrews and Clifford R. Joseph, cofounders of the BECC. The primary goal of the group was to agitate for change in the major art museums in New York City for greater representation of African American artists and their work in these museums. Studied: Pratt Inst.; Carlyle College; NY Sch. Mod. Photography Exhibited: MoMA; BM, 1968; Nordness Gals., NYC; Phila. Civic Center; Ruder & Finn FA, 1969; Smithsonian Inst.; Mount Holyoke College, 1969; BMFA, 1970; RISD, 1969; Mem. Art Gal., Rochester, NY, 1969; SFMA, 1969; Contemp. Arts Mus., Houston, TX, 1970; NJ State Mus., 1970; Roberson Center for the Arts & Sciences, Binghampton, NY, 1970; UC Santa Barbara, 1970; Plaza Hotel, NYC; Westchester Art Soc. Gal. (prize); Nassau Community College; Brooklyn Pub. Lib.; Allentown (PA) Art Festival; Quinnipiac College, CT; Parrish Art Mus.; NY State Pavillion; Huntington Township Art Lg. Awards: Mitchell College, CT; BM; Armonk Lib. Show Award; Bedford Hills Lib. Show Award. Sources: Cederholm, Afro-American Artists. Public Collections: Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Brooklyn Museum Museum of Modern Art, New York Smithsonian American Art Museum Exhibitions: MOMA Brooklyn Museum, 1968 Nordness Galleries, NYC Smithsonian Institution Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1970 Rhode Island School of Design, 1969 San Francisco Museum of Art, 1969 Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, 1970 Parrish Art Museum Courtesy of Afro-American Artist; a biographical directory THOMPSON, RUSS (Born Jamaica, 1922) Painter. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, 1922. Studied at the Pratt Institute; Carlyle College; New York School of Modern Photography. Works: Cloud Flowers ; My Breath Is One with the Clouds ; The Acrobats; Relatives; Thoreau; Clothes to the Body; America- Amer- ica; Hanging Garden; Poor Room, Rich Room; Epigram a Bromide; Passage, 1969 (wood, epoxy, iron). Exhibited: Museum of Modern Art; Brooklyn Museum Fence Show, 1968; Nordness Gal- leries, NY; Phila. Civic Center; Ruder & Finn Fine Arts, 1969; Smithsonian Institution; Mount Holyoke College, 1969; Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 1970; Rhode Island School of Design, 1969; Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, 1969; San Francisco Museum of Art, 1969; Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, 1970; NJ State Museum, 1970; Roberson Center for the Arts & Sciences, Binghamton, NY, 1970; Art Galleries, Univ. of Cal. at Santa Barbara, 1970; Plaza Hotel, NYC; Westchester Art So- ciety Gallery; Nassau Community College; Brooklyn Public Library; Allentown (Pa.) Art Festival; Quinnipiac College; Parrish Art Mu- seum; NY State Pavillion; Huntington Town- ship Art League. Collections: Frederick Douglass Institute, Wash- ington, DC; Spiro & Levinson Corp.; Mr. William Haber; Mr. & Mrs. B. Friedman; Mr. & Mrs. Samuel J. Rosen; Mr. David Scribner; Unigraphic Corp.; Mr. Benny An- drews; Jeanne Paris; Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Strauss. Awards: Westchester Art Society; Mitchell College, Conn.; Brooklyn Museum; Armonk Library Show Award; Bedford Hills Library Show Award. Sources: Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Afro- American Artists: New York/ Boston, 1970; Nordness Galleries. 12 Afro-American Artists, 1969; Mount Holyoke College. Ten Afro- American Artists, 1969; Ghent, Henri. “The Community Art Gallery,” Art Gallery, April 1970; Paris, Jean. “Black Art Experience in Art,” Long Island Press, Jamaica, NY, June 14, 1970; Ruder & Finn Fine Arts. Contemporary Black Artists’, Brooklyn College. Afro-Amer- ican Artists: Since 1950, 1969; Walker, Roslyn. A Resource Guide to the Visual Arts of Afro- Americans, South Bend, Ind., 1971. NEW YORK (NY). Acts of Art, Inc. Rebuttal to Whitney Museum Exhibition: Black Artists in Rebuttal at Acts of Art Gallery. 1971. Unpag. (20 pp.) exhib. cat., 54 b&w illus., brief biogs. of 48 artists. The text consists of an unsigned foreword (probably by Nigel L. Jackson, director of Acts of Art); a reprint of Z. D. Allen's review of the exhibition, "Rebuttal to the Whitney," from Chelsea Clinton News (Apr. 15, 1971). The catalogue was published after the show opened. Artists included: Benny Andrews, James Belfon, Betty Blayton, Lynn (Chuck) Bowers, Vivian Browne, Calvin Burnett, Jo Butler, Robert Carter, Art Coppedge, Adger Cowans, Joseph Delaney, J. Brooks Dendy, III, James Denmark, Reginald Gammon, Moses Paul Groves, Lester Gunter, Byron Hall, William Charles Henderson, II, Leon Hicks, Nigel L. Jackson, Kenneth Vrook Johnson, Cliff Joseph, Philip Martin, Kenneth Matthews, Richard Mayhew, Dindga McCannon, Alexander S. McMath, Ademola Olugebefola, William Payne, James Phillips, Kenneth Radcliffe, Junius Redwood, Enid Richardson, Gregory Ridley, Jr., Haywood (Bill) Rivers, Donald J. Robertson, Philippe G. Smith, Ann Tanksley, Bob Thompson, Russell Thompson, Robert Threadgill, Lloyd Toone, Bennie White, Timothy Wilkins, Walter H. Williams, Ed Wilson, Frank W. Wimberley, Hale Woodruff. Sq. 8vo, stapled tan wraps, lettered in brown, illus. of wire sculpture by James Denmark.. BOSTON (MA). Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists. Afro-American Artists: New York and Boston. May 19-June 23, 1970. 92 pp. exhib. cat, 67 b&w illus. of work by 69 artists, exhib. checklist. Intro. by Edmund B. Gaither. Important early exhibition. Includes Emma Amos, Benny Andrews, Ellsworth Ausby, Malcolm Bailey, Ellen Banks, Romare Bearden, Robert Blackburn, Betty Blayton, Ronald Boutte, Lynn Bowers, Frank Bowling, Marvin Brown, Calvin Burnett, Dana C. Chandler, John Chandler, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Ed Clark, Eldzier Cortor, Ernest Crichlow, Emilio Cruz, Avel DeKnight, Henry DeLeon, Stanley Pinckney, James Denmark, Reginald Gammon, Felrath Hines, Alvin C. Hollingsworth, Bill Howell, Zell Ingram, Gerald Jackson, Daniel L. Johnson, Milton Johnson, Ben Jones, Lois Mailou Jones, Tonnie O. Jones, Cliff Joseph, Harriet Kennedy, Hughie Lee-Smith, Norman Lewis, Tom Lloyd, Al Loving, Richard Mayhew, Edward McCluney, Jr., Algernon Miller, Joe Overstreet, Louise Parks, Stanley Pinckney, Jerry Pinkney, John W. Rhoden, Bill Rivers, Mahler Ryder, Raymond Saunders, Thomas Sills, Al Smith, Vincent D. Smith, Richard Stroud, Alma Thomas, Bob Thompson, Lovett Thompson, Russ Thompson, Lloyd Toone, Luther Vann, Paul Waters...

Category

1960s Modern Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Portrait of Working Class Man
Portrait of Working Class Man

Portrait of Working Class Man

By Samuel Brecher

Located in Surfside, FL

American artist Samuel Brecher (active NY, 1897-1982) Oil on Canvas, Signed lower right ‘S. Brecher’ It is signed at the lower right. Brecher was a very accomplished painter who w...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

Sunlit French Village Street with Red Roofs and Figures Post Impressionist Style
Sunlit French Village Street with Red Roofs and Figures Post Impressionist Style

Sunlit French Village Street with Red Roofs and Figures Post Impressionist Style

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Sunlit French Village Street with Red Roofs and Figures Post Impressionist Style Oil Painting French School, early 20th century signed lower right (indistinct) oil on board, unframed...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil

Village Track In The Colourful Landscape British Modernist Pastel Sketch
Village Track In The Colourful Landscape British Modernist Pastel Sketch

Village Track In The Colourful Landscape British Modernist Pastel Sketch

By Irina Hale

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Pastel Landscape by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) pastel sketch on brown artist tracing paper , unframed painting: 4.5 x 3.75 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds condit...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Pastel, Pencil

Yellow Thistles by Maurice Redard - Oil on Canvas - 79x54 cm
Yellow Thistles by Maurice Redard - Oil on Canvas - 79x54 cm

Yellow Thistles by Maurice Redard - Oil on Canvas - 79x54 cm

By Maurice Redard

Located in Geneva, CH

Berthoud Prize - 1957 Maurice Redard (1922–1987) A Swiss painter active in Geneva, Maurice Redard developed a body of work focused on the representation of everyday objects and spac...

Category

1950s Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Everybody's Cowboy, Original painting, Cowboys, Landscape, Horses
Everybody's Cowboy, Original painting, Cowboys, Landscape, Horses

Everybody's Cowboy, Original painting, Cowboys, Landscape, Horses

Located in Deddington, GB

Inspired by an old blues record, one of only a few where I've started with a title for a piece. normally they come to mind whilst painting. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Acrylic paint on ...

Category

2010s Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Little Mother, Young Black Girl Pushing Carriage through Town
Little Mother, Young Black Girl Pushing Carriage through Town

Little Mother, Young Black Girl Pushing Carriage through Town

By Orville Bulman

Located in Grand Rapids, MI

Orville Bulman (American, 1904 - 1978 Signed: Bulman (Lower, Left) “ Little Mother ”, 1960 Oil on Canvas 14" x 18" Housed in a 2" Husar Frame with a 3/4" Linen liner and a Gold ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mountain Landscape by Henri Weissenbach - Oil on Canvas - 46x55 cm
Mountain Landscape by Henri Weissenbach - Oil on Canvas - 46x55 cm

Mountain Landscape by Henri Weissenbach - Oil on Canvas - 46x55 cm

By Henri Weissenbach

Located in Geneva, CH

Théobald Charles Henri Weissenbach (1891–1966) was a Swiss visual artist known for his contributions to painting. Born in Fribourg, Switzerland, and later active in Geneva, Weissenb...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Fine 1950's English Oil Grand Interior Room Scene Ancestral Portraits signed
Fine 1950's English Oil Grand Interior Room Scene Ancestral Portraits signed

Fine 1950's English Oil Grand Interior Room Scene Ancestral Portraits signed

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

The Guildhall, Worcester English School, mid 20th century indistinctly signed verso oil on canvas canvas: 20 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good and sound condition The Worcester Guildhall was originally built as a meeting place for Worcester merchants around 1227. As with many other guildhalls, it became the centre for civic administration, a role it maintained after the merchant guild had disappeared. The present Worcester Guildhall is a superb Queen Anne building, begun in 1722 by Thomas White, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren. White was badly paid for his efforts, and he died in poverty in 1738, bestowing the money he was owed on the Worcester Royal Infirmary. The city finally paid its debt in 1753. The exterior of the Guildhall is brick, dressed with stone. White himself is said to have carved the figure of Queen Anne over the entry, as well as those of Charles I and II, a reminder of the city's long history of royal support. The interior is superb, boasting exceptional period decoration. The Tourist Information Centre is now located in the Guildhall. HISTORY In 1227 Henry III granted the citizens of Worcester a royal charter granting them the right to establish a guild of merchants. The guild was responsible for controlling trade in the city, but their meeting place gradually became the main centre of administration for city government and acted as a courthouse. So, in effect, the Guildhall was the town hall, and though the city guilds have long since vanished, the Guildhall name lives on. The medieval guild merchants would not recognise the building that faces onto High Street now. Their guildhall was a large timber-framed building, occupying the same site, with a piazza for shops fronting the street, courts of justice at each end, and a prison to the north of the building. Part of the prison was a cell called 'the peephole', which gained a notorious reputation. There was a gaoler's house, and attached to it an alehouse from which the gaoler sold ale at extremely high prices to any prisoner who could afford the cost. In 1717 the city administration decided on a new Guildhall, and they knew just who to call; upon to build it. Thomas White was not an architect in the way we think of it today, but a stonemason. In 1705 he had carved a statue of Queen Anne to stand in front of the medieval Guildhall and was made a Freeman of the City. The total cost of the fashionable new red-brick building was £3727. The Corporation only put forward £800, and the rest had to be raised by public subscription. The centre section of the new Guildhall was finished by 1724 and has remained almost unchanged since then. The central facade is a wonderful example of early Georgian style, with three bays flanked by Corinthian pillars. Over the entrance is a huge carving incorporating the Hanoverian royal arms. White's earlier statue of Queen Anne was placed in a niche over the door, and on either side were statues of Charles I, depicted holding a church, and Charles II, with an orb and royal sceptre. On the rooftop are figures of Labour, Peace, Justice, Plenty, and Chastisement. North and south wings were added within a few years of the central block. The south wing was used as a judge's lodging when the assizes were taking place, but throughout the rest of the year it housed a coffee shop. The most striking external feature of the Guildhall is a set of iron gates...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Red Roof Hut Nestled In Forest Landscape British Modernist Pastel Sketch
Red Roof Hut Nestled In Forest Landscape British Modernist Pastel Sketch

Red Roof Hut Nestled In Forest Landscape British Modernist Pastel Sketch

By Irina Hale

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Pastel Landscape by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) pastel on brown artist tracing paper , unframed painting: 3.75 x 4.5 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds condition: ve...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Pastel

Colourful Flowers in Green Round Glass Vase British Modernist Oil Painting
Colourful Flowers in Green Round Glass Vase British Modernist Oil Painting

Colourful Flowers in Green Round Glass Vase British Modernist Oil Painting

By Irina Hale

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Bright Flowers in Vase by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) signed initials gouache painting on board unframed size: 6.5 x 6 inches provenance: private collection, Cotswolds condition:...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Gouache

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.