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.
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Red 2" Black and Red Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Red 2" Black and Red Bunny A single rabbit gestured in black on a red background in a vintage frame Unframed: 8 x 6 inches Framed: 13 x 11 inches *Painting...
Oil, Panel
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Coral" Black and Pink Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Coral" Black and Pink Bunny A single rabbit gestured in black on a pink background in a vintage frame Unframed: 8 x 6 inches Framed: 12.5 x 10.5 inches *Pa...
Oil, Panel
$1,091
Girl with Geometric Rabbit. Original Acrylic Figurative Painting. Contemporary.
Located in Oslo, NO
Contemporary figurative painting depicting a young girl holding a colorful geometric rabbit. The work combines expressive figurative painting with Neo-Expressionist elements, geometr...
Canvas, Acrylic
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Untitled" Pink Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Untitled" Pink Bunny A single rabbit gestured in black on a light pink background in a vintage frame Unframed: 10 x 8 inches...
Oil, Panel
Ramon Poch 8.3.2 119 Famili Square. original acrylic painting
By Ramon Poch
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
109 120x120 cm. original acrylic painting Born in Badalona (Barcelona). Photographer and advertising film director. Founding partner of the advertising production company La Cosa d...
Acrylic
Pretending to Be Awake
By Taher Jaoui
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Neo Expressionist Abstracted Figurative painting
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$8,000
Sky Owl
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
$900Sale Price|25% Off
Nude , 100x75cm, acrylic, canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
Untitled , 100x75cm, acrylic, canvas
Canvas, Acrylic
$3,600
circus rider, colorful circus interior woman and elephant bright cheerful happy
Located in Brooklyn, NY
an early work by artist on canvas Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are romantic, yet thought provoking fantasies. His whimsical works are alive with bou...
Canvas, Oil
"Jugando en la cosecha" acrylic, figurative, orange, Mexican
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
Acrylic, figurative, orange, Mexican
Oil, Acrylic
Cornucopia Oil Painting on Canvas, Neo-Expressionist, Framed, 2010+
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 ...
Canvas, Oil
Abstract Expression in Black, Neo-Expressionist Oil on Board, 1960s
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract Velvety Black strokes he is known for by Julius Wasserstein (American, 1924-1985). Monogram initials "JW" bottom right. Intialed "JW" lower right corner and signed "Julius ...
Oil, Board
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Lime" Black Outline Bunny on Green
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Lime" Black Outline Bunny on Green A single rabbit gestured in black on a light green background in a vintage frame Unframed: 13 x 8 inches Framed: 22 x 17...
Oil, Panel
Body Electric. Large Contemporary Neo Expressionist Oil Painting
By Sax Berlin
Located in Brecon, Powys
Truly an exceptional, statement painting from Berlin. An evolutionary piece from his Lil’ Angel series depicting the Guardian Angels of New York from the 1980s. Alongside artistic i...
Oil, Acrylic
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Banded Signet" Multicolor Diamond Dust Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Banded Signet" Multicolor Diamond Dust Bunny A single bunny gestured in different colors of Diamond Dust in an antique frame Unframed: 10 x 8 inches Framed...
Glass, Resin, Oil, Panel
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "4 Hombre" Gradient Diamond Dust Bunnies
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "4 Hombre" Orange and Red Diamond Dust Bunnies A family of four rabbits in orange, red, yellow and purple Diamond Dust in a vintage frame Unframed: 21.5 x 1...
Glass, Resin, Oil, Panel
7 Birds Large Oil on Canvas, Neo-Expressionist, Framed, Signed, 1992
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Southampton, NY
Artist: Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) Title: “Mystic Jay” Year: 1992 Medium: Oil on canvas Image: One Steller’s jay (the “mystic jay,” top left), three magpies, and three toucans Dimensions:...
Canvas, Oil
$21,250
White Hutch
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
$5,200Sale Price|20% Off
Large Scale Neo-Expressionist Figurative Composition in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Large Scale Neo-Expressionist Figurative Composition in Oil on Canvas Compelling and large scale neo-expressionist figurative painting by San Jose, California area artist Daniel Dav...
Canvas, Oil
Water Mark
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
$6,500
"Pink Summer KMH 010, " Acrylic & Mixed Media signed by Katherine Hartley
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Pink Summer KMH 010" is an original acrylic and mixed media painting by Katherine Hartley. The artist signed the piece lower right. This piece depicts a line of girls in dresses amo...
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Mr. President
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
Magico Restaraunte en Paris
Located in Atlanta, GA
This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery. This painting features the beautiful Art Deco interior of the Beef Bar Restaurant in Paris. Her works were recently featured in the March issue of American Art Collector magazine 2022. A hardbound-book is included with your purchase. Whether depicting lively night parties on the beach, Parisian streets, or bustling sidewalk cafes of her native Madrid, the paintings of Paloma Hinojosa...
Canvas, Oil
Trapeze: Neo-Expressionist Oil Painting on Canvas, Unframed
Located in Miami, FL
Evelyne Ballestra's work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged....
Canvas, Oil
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Red 4" Black and Red Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Red 4" Black and Red Bunny A single rabbit gestured in black on a red background in a vintage frame Unframed: 8 x 6 inches Framed: 12.5 x 10.5 inches *Pain...
Oil, Panel
$25,000
New Wave
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2 Yellow Tulips
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Red Rose" Black and Red Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Red Rose" Black and Red Bunny A single rabbit gestured in black on a red background in a vintage frame Unframed: 8 x 6 inches Framed: 12.5 x 10.5 inches *P...
Oil, Panel
Untitled Mixed Media Painting, Neo-Expressionist, Late 20th Century
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...
Mixed Media
Rhapsody
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil, Acrylic
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "All Saints" Purple and Red Diamond Dust Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "All Saints" Purple and Red Diamond Dust Bunny A single bunny gestured in different colors of Diamond Dust in an antique frame Unframed: 10 x 8 inches Frame...
Glass, Resin, Oil, Panel
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Wave" Black and Blue Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Wave" Black and Blue Bunny A single rabbit gestured in black on a blue background in a vintage frame Unframed: 10 x 8 inches...
Oil, Panel
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Ofelia" Black and White Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Ofelia" Black and White Bunny A rabbit gestured in black on a white background in a vintage frame Unframed: 10 x 8 inches Framed: 17 x 15 inches *Painting ...
Wood, Oil
Neo-Expressionist Mixed Media Painting, Late 20th Century, 120x95 cm
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...
Mixed Media
Hope Hop
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil, Acrylic
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Summer Time" Black and Green Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Summer Time" Black and Green Bunny A single rabbit gestured in black on a green background in a vintage frame Unframed: 8 x 6 inches Framed: 12.5 x 10.5 in...
Oil, Panel
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Wave" Blue Diamond Dust Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Wave" Blue Diamond Dust Bunny A rabbit gestured in white and blue on a matching Diamond Dust background in a vintage frame Unframed: 10 x 8 inches Framed: ...
Glass, Resin, Oil, Panel
$517
"Studio per vaso" by E. Wenk, 2020-2022 - Acrylic Paint on Paper, Abstract Vase
By Enzio Wenk
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Study for a vase" Acrylic paint on high-quality cotton paper, which is handmade in Italy. This is part of an album. It's been drawn in one go, with no erasure. ...
Paper, Acrylic
$7,200Sale Price|20% Off
Meso Painting
By Ford Crull
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 ...
Enamel
Pink Diamond Dust (Lupin Field)
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil, Acrylic
Arborescence Oil Painting on Canvas, Neo-Expressionist, Framed, 2010+
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 ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,527
"Tracciato Polivalente" by Enzio Wenk, 2020 -Acrylic on Canvas, NeoExpressionism
By Enzio Wenk
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Multi-purpose trace". Acrylic on canvas.
Canvas, Acrylic
$8,000
Daisy
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
Alba Rosa
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Oil
$8,000
Landon
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Wood, Oil
"Autoritratto di Qualcun Altro " by Enzio Wenk, 2020 -Acrylic on Canvas
By Enzio Wenk
Located in Bresso, IT
Translated title: "Someone else's self-portrait". Acrylic on canvas.
Canvas, Acrylic
Untitled Neo-Expressionist Mixed Media Painting, Late 20th Century
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...
Mixed Media
Say It Ain’t So
By Ford Crull
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil paint, enamel, oil stick on canvas.
Enamel
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Cloud 9" White and Blue Mottled Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Cloud 9" White and Blue Mottled Bunny A single rabbit gestured in black on a mottled white and blue background in a vintage frame Unframed: 10 x 8 inches F...
Oil, Panel
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Sky Light" Black and Blue Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Sky Light" Black and Light Blue Bunny A single rabbit gestured in black on a light blue background in a vintage frame Unframed: 8 x 6 inches Framed: 14 x 1...
Oil, Panel
Queen Anne's Lace
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Oil
Lavender Mist Diamond Dust
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$1,400Sale Price|22% Off
Untitled
Located in Summit, NJ
Great piece by Peter Keil. The piece is from his family's private collection. It is framed in its original gold wood frame with a linen liner. Background is a beautiful blue with ma...
Oil, Board
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Pink Double" Monkey Couple
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Pink Double" Monkey Couple A monkey couple gestured in black and white on a pink background in a vintage frame Unframed: 10 ...
Oil, Panel
$8,000
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Yellow Submarine" Single Black, Green and Yellow Bunny
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Yellow Submarine" Single Black, Green and Yellow Bunny A rabbit gestured in black with areas of green on a yellow background in a vintage frame Unframed: 1...
Oil, Panel
Diamond Dust Hutch Snow
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Woodmere, OH
Hunt Slonem (b. 1951) is an internationally celebrated American artist whose vibrant and instantly recognizable works have made him one of the most collectible contemporary painters ...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$3,600Sale Price|20% Off
Landscape 149 by Jean Krille - Oil on Masonite 100x100 cm
By Jean Krille
Located in Geneva, CH
Jean Krillé’s paintings are known for their expressive use of color and dynamic, abstract forms, blending realism with abstraction in his depictions of nature. His landscapes often f...
Masonite, Oil
Untitled Neo-Expressionist Mixed Media Painting, Late 20th Century
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...
Mixed Media
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Red Duet" Bright Orange Bunny Couple
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Houston, TX
Hunt Slonem Oil Painting "Red Duet" Bright Orange Bunny Couple A pair of rabbits gestured in black on a bright orange background in a vintage frame Signed, dated, and titled to verso...
Oil, Panel
Ramon Poch 8.3.2 119 Famili Square. original acrylic painting
By Ramon Poch
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
109 120x120 cm. original acrylic painting Born in Badalona (Barcelona). Photographer and advertising film director. Founding partner of the advertising production company La Cosa d...
Acrylic