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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
The Invitation
The Invitation

The Invitation

By Jean Sanglar

Located in Miami, FL

Jean Sanglar was born in France in 1926. He draws with taste and talent from an early age, however, his family will only consider this a mere hobby. After studying law, he later took...

Category

Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Fifty Front

Fifty Front

By Carlos Tirado

Located in Atlanta, GA

Carlos J. Tirado (born on April 3, 1964 in Caracas, Venezuela) is an artist, painter and sculptor who has developed a very personal and precise line of work linked to Neo-Pop art. With plenty of personal art exhibitions, Tirado has participated in numerous collective exhibitions, receiving different awards such as “III Premio de Escultura” del Certamen Aires de Córdoba in 2004 and other recognitions, among them, at the Venezuelan Embassy in DC (2005), and the X Latin Art Festival of Atlanta (2005). Childhood Tirado grew up in an upper-middle-class family environment. His inclination for the arts started from an early age. At 8 years old, he was already experimenting with tridimensional forms, creating molds out of cast lead from pieces previously gathered on the streets. These first artistic experiences led by his inquisitive nature, provided the ground to continue exploring the possibilities with different materials like wood, waste and plaster. His childhood games were centered around painting and sculpting, which played an important role that ranged from recreational to aesthetics. When Tirado turned 12 years of age, his parents agreed for him to attend private art classes with professor Javier Hernandez in Caracas. Later on, he realized that Art was a profession that required investment in materials, reason that led him to work at a furniture store painting landscapes and figurative art to decorate the exhibit room. He created numerous paintings of Caracas’ famous mountain: El Avila...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Fifty Front

Fifty Front

By Carlos Tirado

Located in Atlanta, GA

Carlos J. Tirado (born on April 3, 1964 in Caracas, Venezuela) is an artist, painter and sculptor who has developed a very personal and precise line of work linked to Neo-Pop art. Wi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Abstraction 1915

Abstraction 1915

By Carlos Tirado

Located in Atlanta, GA

Carlos J. Tirado (born on April 3, 1964 in Caracas, Venezuela) is an artist, painter and sculptor who has developed a very personal and precise line of work linked to Neo-Pop art. With plenty of personal art exhibitions, Tirado has participated in numerous collective exhibitions, receiving different awards such as “III Premio de Escultura” del Certamen Aires de Córdoba in 2004 and other recognitions, among them, at the Venezuelan Embassy in DC (2005), and the X Latin Art Festival of Atlanta (2005). Childhood Tirado grew up in an upper-middle-class family environment. His inclination for the arts started from an early age. At 8 years old, he was already experimenting with tridimensional forms, creating molds out of cast lead from pieces previously gathered on the streets. These first artistic experiences led by his inquisitive nature, provided the ground to continue exploring the possibilities with different materials like wood, waste and plaster. His childhood games were centered around painting and sculpting, which played an important role that ranged from recreational to aesthetics. When Tirado turned 12 years of age, his parents agreed for him to attend private art classes with professor Javier Hernandez in Caracas. Later on, he realized that Art was a profession that required investment in materials, reason that led him to work at a furniture store painting landscapes and figurative art to decorate the exhibit room. He created numerous paintings of Caracas’ famous mountain: El Avila, and other art pieces that not only served as a source of income, but more importantly, led him to deepen his figurative expression. In 1985, he started drawing comic sets for a renowned newspaper El Diario de Caracas, alongside Jorge Blanco...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Eterno 1609

Eterno 1609

By Carlos Tirado

Located in Atlanta, GA

Carlos J. Tirado (born on April 3, 1964 in Caracas, Venezuela) is an artist, painter and sculptor who has developed a very personal and precise line of work linked to Neo-Pop art. With plenty of personal art exhibitions, Tirado has participated in numerous collective exhibitions, receiving different awards such as “III Premio de Escultura” del Certamen Aires de Córdoba in 2004 and other recognitions, among them, at the Venezuelan Embassy in DC (2005), and the X Latin Art Festival of Atlanta (2005). Childhood Tirado grew up in an upper-middle-class family environment. His inclination for the arts started from an early age. At 8 years old, he was already experimenting with tridimensional forms, creating molds out of cast lead from pieces previously gathered on the streets. These first artistic experiences led by his inquisitive nature, provided the ground to continue exploring the possibilities with different materials like wood, waste and plaster. His childhood games were centered around painting and sculpting, which played an important role that ranged from recreational to aesthetics. When Tirado turned 12 years of age, his parents agreed for him to attend private art classes with professor Javier Hernandez in Caracas. Later on, he realized that Art was a profession that required investment in materials, reason that led him to work at a furniture store painting landscapes and figurative art to decorate the exhibit room. He created numerous paintings of Caracas’ famous mountain: El Avila, and other art pieces that not only served as a source of income, but more importantly, led him to deepen his figurative expression. In 1985, he started drawing comic sets for a renowned newspaper El Diario de Caracas, alongside Jorge Blanco...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Volture

Volture

By Carlos Tirado

Located in Atlanta, GA

Carlos J. Tirado (born on April 3, 1964 in Caracas, Venezuela) is an artist, painter and sculptor who has developed a very personal and precise line of work linked to Neo-Pop art. Wi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Horizontal Painting - Large Scale Pop Art Collaboration Painting, 1984
Horizontal Painting - Large Scale Pop Art Collaboration Painting, 1984

Horizontal Painting - Large Scale Pop Art Collaboration Painting, 1984

Located in Palm Desert, CA

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Francesco Clemente's 'Horizontal Painting (1984)’ is one of only fifteen paintings produced in their celebrated three-way collaboration. Concei...

Category

Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil Pastel, Ink, Acrylic, Screen

Women Who Dance With Wolves.  Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting
Women Who Dance With Wolves.  Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting

Women Who Dance With Wolves. Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting

By Sax Berlin

Located in Brecon, Powys

Sax Berlin's Sharp Edge 21st Century NYC Style Sometimes there is a coming together of spirit or intuition, it happens for no discernible reason and is a jolt to the psyche to find others in step with ones own dance. I am not a "feminist" but I do come from a line of women who were strong and happy in their own skins and who lived their lives in their own unique ways. Imagine how astounded I was to find these latest paintings from Sax Berlin arrive as I was starting to delve into Prof. Estes book Women Who Run With The Wolves. A happy coincidence and I must confess that I did a little wild woman wolf dance...

Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Open Hearted (Candice O).  Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting
Open Hearted (Candice O).  Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting

Open Hearted (Candice O). Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting

By Sax Berlin

Located in Brecon, Powys

Sax Berlin's Sharp Edge 21st Century NYC Style Sometimes there is a coming together of spirit or intuition, it happens for no discernible reason and is a jolt to the psyche to find others in step with ones own dance. I am not a "feminist" but I do come from a line of women who were strong and happy in their own skins and who lived their lives in their own unique ways. Imagine how astounded I was to find these latest paintings from Sax Berlin arrive as I was starting to delve into Prof. Estes book Women Who Run With The Wolves. A happy coincidence and I must confess that I did a little wild woman wolf dance...

Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

"Sista". Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting
"Sista". Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting

"Sista". Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting

By Sax Berlin

Located in Brecon, Powys

Berlin’s iconic paintings of Guardian Angels is enhanced by this piece. This Sista is obviously a strong character and it’s easy to see in her how Berlin forged a connection with the...

Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Acid
Acid

ETTEAcid, 2017

Price Upon Request

Acid

By ETTE

Located in Brooklyn, NY

"This time it was different. This time at my pity party I cried until flowers bloomed from the flooded soil beneath my feet. I danced so hard the chandelier fell from the ceiling. My...

Category

2010s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Supermaestro
Supermaestro

Supermaestro

By Sandro Chia

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Sandro Chia, Italian (1946 - ) Title: Supermaestro Year: 1991 Medium: Oil on canvas, signed and dated l.r., labeled verso Size: 68.5 x 60.5 in. (173.99 x 153.67 cm)

Category

1990s Neo-Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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.