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Neo-Expressionist Paintings

NEO-EXPRESSIONIST STYLE

A resurgence of interest in Expressionism, Pop art, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and other movements gained steam among artists of the 1970s and ’80s, in part as a reaction to the austerity of the prevailing minimalism and Conceptual art of the era. A decadent, bold and brash art style called Neo-Expressionism saw painters returning to figural representation, creating highly textured works that were imbued with intensely personal narratives.

Neo-Expressionist paintings are sensuous in nature and highly subjective in meaning. Expressive brushwork, highly pigmented colors and layered forms and materials lent sculptural attributes to the work and were used to depict symbolic narratives from history, mythology and the artist’s personal experience. 

Prominent figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat led the Neo-Expressionist movement in the United States with paintings and prints that were raw, emotional and often violent in nature. In Germany, Die Neuen Wilden (the “New Fauves”) was the name given to a group of postwar artists that included the likes of sculptor Georg Baselitz and Gerhard Richter, a painter and photographer who explored the possibilities of both abstraction and realism, sometimes in a single piece. The work of the New Fauves — labeled as such for its return to Fauvism’s textured brushwork and use of vibrant colors — shares commonalities with Neo-Expressionism, and Baselitz was a pioneer of the movement in Europe. In addition, Willem de Kooning’s pulsating action paintings and Julian Schnabel’s experimentation with the materiality of paintings also took shape during this period.

“I was trying to make paintings different from the paintings that I saw a lot of at the time, which were mostly minimal, and they were highbrow and alienating, and I wanted to make very direct paintings that most people would feel the emotion behind when they saw them,” said Basquiat. 

Neo-Expressionism generated some polarizing opinions, with some celebrating the revival of personal subjectivity in art while others criticizing the movement for being too commercially driven and nostalgic. But most experts agree that Neo-Expressionism was a huge commercial success and culturally impactful, paving the way for the postmodern work of artists like Richter and Sigmar Polke

Find original Neo-Expressionist paintings, prints, mixed-media works and other art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Neo-Expressionist
"Una figura con albero, toro e bambino" by Enzio Wenk, 2020 - Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: " A figure with a tree, a bull and a child". Acrylic on canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Democracy (All over the World ). Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
This piece is so strong it shouts from the canvas!  With more than a passing nod to Ancient Greece, Democracy (All Over the World) has depth and resonance; the deep colour is so rich...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Photomaton
Located in Miami, FL
Born in the South of France in 1926 and raised by very strict parents, Jean Sanglar was prohibited from playing with same age mates. Truly talented, as a young boy he drew frequentl...
Category

Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel, Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic

"Libellula " by Enzio Wenk, 2020 - Acrylic on Canvas, Neo-Espressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Title: "La libellula in compagnia del suo animale volante é osservata e vociferata" Translated title: "The dragonfly in the company of its flying animal is observed and rumored". A...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Patterson abstract blue and green. boats. big. acrylic painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Licenciado en Bellas Artes por ISPEJV, en la Habana en 2002, especialización en Restauración y Conservación de pintura Mural y caballete. Ha ejercido como profesor de pintura en e...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Verso il cielo" by Enzio Wenk, 2019 -Enamel on Canvas, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Up to the sky" Acrylic enamel on canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Enamel

"Canto pomeridiano" by Enzio Wenk, 2019 - Acrylic on Canvas, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Afternoon song" Acrylic paint on canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Acrobatic shadows
Located in Miami, FL
Born in the South of France in 1926 and raised by very strict parents, Jean Sanglar was prohibited from playing with same age mates. Truly talented, as a young boy he drew frequentl...
Category

Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel, Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic

"Blue Licorice" Neo-Expressionist Urban Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Austin, TX
This vibrant neo-expressionist piece by Linda Dumont depicts a set table on an outdoor patio on a clear sunny day. This 16 x 12 inch piece is executed on oil on panel and framed in a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Archival Paper

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2017 - Acrylic Paint on Masonite, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Acrylic paint on masonite. The frame was painted by the artist.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

"Embrione" by Enzio Wenk, 2020 - Green and Yellow Acrylic, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Embryo". Acrylic on canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2020 - Red Figures, Acrylic on Canvas, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Acrylic paint on canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Periferia" by Enzio Wenk, 2019 -Acrylic on Canvas, Neo-Expressionism, Landscape
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Outskirts" Acrylic paint on canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Coppia di innamorati di diversa etnia" by Enzio Wenk, 2016 - Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Couple of lovers of different ethnicities" Acrylic on canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Figura" by Enzio Wenk, 2019 - Acrylic on Wood Panel, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Figure" Acrylic paint on wood panel.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2019 - Acrylic on Canvas, Diptych, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Diptych. Acrylic paint on emulsified canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Senza Narrazione - 1 " by Enzio Wenk, 2019 - Acrylic Enamel on Canvas
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Without narration - 1" Acrylic enamel on canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Enamel

"Angelo alato" by Enzio Wenk, 2019 - Acrylic Pain on Canvas, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Title: "Angelo alato: Uomo fragile con improbabili ali e una maschera muta” Translated title: "Winged angel: fragile man with improbable wings and a mute mask". Acrylic on canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Phuket #7
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“My work can be understood through the mind, but it is best felt with the heart, experienced through the emotions, recognized as a manifestation of the spiritual that is born on the ...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2017 - Acrylic Paint on Masonite, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Acrylic paint on masonite. The frame was painted by the artist.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

"Chiaro di luna" by Enzio Wenk, 2017 - Bird in a Dark Scene, Abstract Animal
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Moonlight" Acrylic on canvas panel.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Blood Moon
By ETTE
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The artist is experimenting with controlled strokes and intentional composition. Her success is found in this piece's subdued monochromatic tonal background with bold pop of color. S...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Songbirds Sing
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“My work can be understood through the mind, but it is best felt with the heart, experienced through the emotions, recognized as a manifestation of the spiritual that is born on the ...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2017 - Acrylic Paint on Masonite, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Acrylic paint on masonite. The frame was painted by the artist.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2017 - Acrylic Paint on Masonite, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Acrylic paint on masonite.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

"Aver ancora vita per cercare" by Enzio Wenk, 2016 - Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Still having life to look for" Acrylic on canvas.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2017 - Acrylic Paint on Masonite, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Acrylic paint on masonite.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2017 - Acrylic Paint on Masonite, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Acrylic paint on masonite. The frame was painted by the artist.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2017 - Acrylic Paint on Masonite, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Acrylic paint on masonite. The frame was painted by the artist.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

Untitled by Enzio Wenk, 2016 - Blue and Gold, Mixed Media, Neo-Expressionism
Located in Bresso, IT
Mixed media on wood. It features a frame painted by the artist.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Wood Panel

She Walks in Beauty Like the Night
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“It is terrifying to paint. When you start out, you are faced with this great unknown. And you think, am I ever going to paint again? Yet, as you work, it starts to formulate itsel...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil Pastel, Oil

Babybel
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Jordan Barker is a New York City based mixed media artist. Initially inspired by found objects, his first piece was a coffee table that was created from a wooden palate found in the ...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Foam Board

What Does It Take?
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Neo expressionist palette.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wax, Oil

“Monster”- Fine Art, Mixed Media Abstract Painting
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Acrylic, Latex, Mixed Media on Canvas, include upcycled tin from a food product that has been painted gold, highly textured with molding paste and crackling paste.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media

"Chora 2" by Anna Pennati & Ariel Soule - acrylic on canvas, 100x100cm
Located in Milano, MI
In 1953 Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) asked his master Willem De Kooning (1904-1987) to give him a drawing and erased it to demonstrate that even just by "erasing" one can create a...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Oil

"Blue Belles" by Anna Pennati - acrylic on canvas, 60x50cm
Located in Milano, MI
Dance and Passion is my “fil rouge”, the continuum in my artwork. Dance is my passion and in my paintings movement and anatomy are always respected and represented with knowledge. ...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Dance Company" by Anna Pennati - acrylic on canvas, 110x110cm
Located in Milano, MI
Dance and Passion is my “fil rouge”, the continuum in my artwork. Dance is my passion and in my paintings movement and anatomy are always respected and represented with knowledge. ...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"New Dawn" Mixed media Painting 59" x 43" in by Emanuele Tozzoli
Located in Culver City, CA
"New Dawn" Mixed media Painting 59" x 43" in by Emanuele Tozzoli Mixed media on canvas ABOUT THE ARTIST Born in Italy in 1989, Emanuele discovered painting in the very first yea...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Blue Song
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“It is terrifying to paint. When you start out, you are faced with this great unknown. And you think, am I ever going to paint again? Yet, as you work, it starts to formulate itself. Ultimately every work really just decides itself. I love to paint. I love the smell of paint (oil) and the way it does different things depending on how you apply it. I love how if you use a lot of turpentine, it forms these rivulets like streams in the desert. Acrylics just can’t match the intensity or viscosity of oils. In early days, I painted landscapes and portraits, but I tried to infuse them with my own nomenclature. The colors, brushstrokes, and marks that I put on a canvas transfigure into a profound sensibility that I cannot deal with in any other way. And color is a way of expressing my emotions, and the way it is planted in my works helps tell the story. When I was a boy I drew incessantly. I had sheets of paper roughly 10 by 15 inches, and I covered them with Civil War soldiers. Literally hundreds of them, each drawn with the same delicacy as if they were alive. Later I advanced to WW2, with German soldiers attacking the well-meaning but hapless British, grey against ochre, tanks and explosions, and beautiful landscapes where it happened. As I became older, I wondered what it was that had so intrigued me with these war scenarios. I became fascinated with the symbols, icons and pictograms that were behind these historic conflicts. They had a substance and meaning for me that far outweighed their prescribed meaning. A cross meant Christianity, but in the films of Sergei Eisenstein, there was a distinction between the Teutonic knights with their iron helmets invading the Russian orthodox warriors to the east. A cross could mean many things, we bow down before a cross, but are repulsed by a swastika. Yet they are related. If you cut the corners of a circle with a cross bisecting it, an early Christian icon...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled, 2013, red, color field, abstract
Located in New York, NY
24 x 24" Abstract oil painting by Russell Sharon done in 2013. Bright red and white separated by a dark line, painting done with expressive painterly br...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled, 2003, abstract, framed
Located in New York, NY
24 x 24" Abstract oil painting by Russell Sharon done in 2003. Bright blue and mostly white painting with expressive painterly brush strokes, this paint...
Category

Early 2000s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Winged Victory
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“My work can be understood through the mind, but it is best felt with the heart, experienced through the emotions, recognized as a manifestation of the spiritual that is born on the ...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil Crayon, Oil

Midsummer Night Ruby 2
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“My work can be understood through the mind, but it is best felt with the heart, experienced through the emotions, recognized as a manifestation of the spiritual that is born on the ...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Enamel

"Two Warriors" Mixed media Painting 47" x 39" in by Emanuele Tozzoli
Located in Culver City, CA
"Two Warriors" Mixed media Painting 47" x 39" in by Emanuele Tozzoli Mixed media on canvas ABOUT THE ARTIST Born in Italy in 1989, Emanuele discovered painting in the very first...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

The Student
Located in Natchez, MS
"The Student", handsome and self possessed. Another beautiful example of Bailey's portraiture.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Go-for Notations' original signed painting on parchment cycling running map
Located in Milwaukee, WI
In the acrylic painting 'Go-for Notations,' American artist Reginald K. Gee presents a humorous narrative in his unmistakable Neo-Expressionist style: a character, a man wearing a he...
Category

1990s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Parchment Paper, Acrylic

Matrix
By ETTE
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An illusion. This seemingly self-explanatory title carries weighted depth. The background of this painting, “MATRIX” is an abstract representation of 1999’s The Matrix. The movie's p...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Chastellet 2"- Colorful, Neo-Expressionist Fine Art Painting
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“My work can be understood through the mind, but it is best felt with the heart, experienced through the emotions, recognized as a manifestation of the spiritual that is born on the ...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Heartland 2
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Art is the heart of the matter.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil Crayon, Oil

"Toda Raba #5, " Abstract Yellow & Black Acrylic on Canvas signed by Reginald Gee
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Toda Raba #5" is an original painting by Reginald K. Gee signed in the lower right hand corner. 20" x 24" Contemporary African American and Native American Hertiage Artist, Regina...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Feral Insight
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Matthew Marcot is an American, self-taught artist specializing in Abstract and Neo-Expressionism, and primary mediums are semiotics and collage. An unde...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Sun Song
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Matthew Marcot is an American, self-taught artist specializing in Abstract and Neo-Expressionism, and primary mediums are semiotics and collage. An unde...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic

"Study in Tonal Change, " Acrylic on Canvas signed by Reginald K. Gee
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Study in Tonal Change" is an abstract Neo-Expressionist acrylic painting on canvas by Reginald K. Gee. It is signed by the artist in the lower right corner. 72" x 66" canvas Regi...
Category

Early 2000s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"Hatred Ceases for One Day, " Oil Pastel on Rag Board signed by Reginald K. Gee
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Hatred Ceases for One Day" is an original oil pastel drawing on rag board. This piece is signed on the back by the artist Reginald K. Gee. It depicts an abstracted city scene with a...
Category

1990s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Rag Paper

Starburst
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Colorful neo expressionist abstraction.
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Oil

Coupe d'Abondance
Located in Miami, FL
Born 1949, Fréjus, France French artist Evelyne Ballestra studied painting in the South of France before moving to Switzerland where she met her mentor, Rolf Dürig, a master of the ...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Gardener
By ETTE
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"The Gardener" has a story that is as old as time. It begins with a flower, grown naturally in nature, wild and free, but when planted and tended to by humans, its life becomes entir...
Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Solidarity", acrylic painting, portrait, politics, humanity, Americans, resist
Located in Toronto, Ontario
"Solidarity" is an acrylic painting and collage on paper measuring 36" high by 24" wide. It is one of 50 portraits that comprise Profiles in Democracy. Savage in their execution, they are nevertheless heartfelt expressions from the artist – politically, socially, culturally – in some cases featuring text and language in the portrait. In this case, the reference to resistance reads: "Solidarity – (phobia/philia)", and "most Americans not happy customers". The phobia/philia suggests a tension between fear/knowledge or fear/wisdom... From Dale Williams: "Profiles in Democracy is a group of 50 portraits completed in 2019. They are an expression of sorrow at the fracturing ideals that our country now teeters upon. The portraits are mostly – not exclusively – imaginary: a populace viewed from the inside out, people that someone like our current president might call losers. They perhaps “live in gaudy poverty, powerful destitution,” to quote Osip Mandelstam...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

Neo-expressionist paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Neo-Expressionist 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, red, pink and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Hunt Slonem, Enzio Wenk, Sax Berlin, and Jean Sanglar. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Acrylic 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 Neo-Expressionist paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available. Prices for paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $39 and tops out at $215,000, while the average work sells for $4,387.

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