Realist Color Photography
REALIST STYLE
Realist art attempts to portray its subject matter without artifice. Similar to naturalism, authentic realist paintings and prints see an integration of true-to-life colors, meticulous detail and linear perspectives for accurate portrayals of the world.
Work that involves illusionistic techniques of realism dates back to the classical world, such as the deceptive trompe l’oeil used since ancient Greece. Art like this became especially popular in the 17th century when Dutch artists like Evert Collier painted objects that appeared real enough to touch. Realism as an artistic movement, however, usually refers to 19th-century French realist artists such as Honoré Daumier exploring social and political issues in biting lithographic prints, while the likes of Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet painting people — particularly the working class — with all their imperfections, navigating everyday urban life. This was a response to the dominant academic art tradition that favored grand paintings of myth and history.
By the turn of the 20th century, European artists, such as the Pre-Raphaelites, were experimenting with nearly photographic realism in their work, as seen in the attention to every botanical attribute of the flowers surrounding the drowned Ophelia painted by English artist John Everett Millais.
Although abstraction was the guiding style of 20th-century art, the realism trend in American modern art endured in Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth and other artists’ depictions of the complexities of the human experience. In the late 1960s, Photorealism emerged with artists like Chuck Close and Richard Estes giving their paintings the precision of a frame of film.
Contemporary artists such as Jordan Casteel, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Aliza Nisenbaum are now using the unvarnished realist approach for honest representations of people and their worlds. Alongside traditional mediums, technology such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and immersive installations are helping artists create new sensations of realism in art.
Find authentic realist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
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Style: Realist
Beauty and the Beast
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Lady Daphne Cameron (Mrs George Cameron) on a tiger skin rug in the trophy room at socialite Laddie Sanford's home in Palm Beach, Florida.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition o...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Monte Carlo Swimwear, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A woman in a black cutaway swimsuit and turquoise scarf under a red, fringed umbrella in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in August 1970.
In this classic Slim Aarons scene of 1970's vintage seaside glamour, a red umbrella with white fringe adds movement at the top right corner, and the subject's arms direct the viewer's eye across the picture in a zig-zag fashion. In the background, yellow and green umbrellas shade...
Category
1970s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Buckleys in Switzerland, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
American author and journalist William F. Buckley Jr. and his wife Patricia take a sleigh ride from the Chateau de Rougemont in Switzerland, 1986.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certi...
Category
1980s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Mittersill Castle, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A glider rests on the ground by Mittersill Castle, Austria, 1958.
Slim Aarons
Mittersill Castle, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Chromogenic Lambda print
1958, Printed Later
Slim Aarons ...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Crowded Kitzbühel, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Skiers making their way between the slopes in Kitzbühel, Austria, 1980
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estat...
Category
1980s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Hôtel du Cap, Eden-Roc Pool' (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Slim Aarons' 1976 photograph of bathers at the Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, is a masterful capture of vintage glamour and the epitome of Mediterranean elegance. This ic...
Category
1970s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Crowded Kitzbühel, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Skiers making their way between the slopes in Kitzbühel, Austria, 1980
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estat...
Category
1980s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Mittersill Castle, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A glider rests on the ground by Mittersill Castle, Austria, 1958.
Slim Aarons
Mittersill Castle, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Chromogenic Lambda print
1958, Printed Later
Slim Aarons ...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Gaëtan de Rosnay, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
French painter Gaëtan de Rosnay showing his work in Klosters, Switzerland, 1981.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aa...
Category
1980s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Mittersill Castle, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A glider rests on the ground by Mittersill Castle, Austria, 1958.
Slim Aarons
Mittersill Castle, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Chromogenic Lambda print
1958, Printed Later
Slim Aarons ...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Gaëtan de Rosnay, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
French painter Gaëtan de Rosnay showing his work in Klosters, Switzerland, 1981.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aa...
Category
1980s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Gaëtan de Rosnay, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
French painter Gaëtan de Rosnay showing his work in Klosters, Switzerland, 1981.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aa...
Category
1980s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Crowded Kitzbühel, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Skiers making their way between the slopes in Kitzbühel, Austria, 1980
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estat...
Category
1980s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Crowded Kitzbühel, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Skiers making their way between the slopes in Kitzbühel, Austria, 1980
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estat...
Category
1980s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Mittersill Castle, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A glider rests on the ground by Mittersill Castle, Austria, 1958.
Slim Aarons
Mittersill Castle, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Chromogenic Lambda print
1958, Printed Later
Slim Aarons ...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Gaëtan de Rosnay, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
French painter Gaëtan de Rosnay showing his work in Klosters, Switzerland, 1981.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aa...
Category
1980s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Beverly Hills Party, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
American actors Lauren Bacall and Judy Garland attending a house party in Beverly Hills, 1954.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped ...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Slim Aarons 'Westin Excelsior, Venice' Mid-century Modern Photography
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Portofino
1957
C print
Signature stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the Slim Aarons estate.
The Westin Excelsior Hotel on the Lido in ...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Beverly Hills Party, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
American actors Lauren Bacall and Judy Garland attending a house party in Beverly Hills, 1954.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped ...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
La Jolla Beach And Tennis Club, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, La Jolla, San Diego, 1955.
Slim Aarons
La Jolla Beach And Tennis Club, Estate Edition
Chromogenic Lambda print
1955, Printed Later
Slim...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Jim Kimberly, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jim Kimberly and Kim Wadsworth at the Beverly Hills Hotel, California, 1956.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
La Jolla Beach And Tennis Club, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, La Jolla, San Diego, 1955.
Slim Aarons
La Jolla Beach And Tennis Club, Estate Edition
Chromogenic Lambda print
1955, Printed Later
Slim...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
The Hotel Excelsior, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests enjoying themselves at a gala held at the Hotel Excelsior, Rome, 1957.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaron...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
La Jolla Beach And Tennis Club, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, La Jolla, San Diego, 1955.
Slim Aarons
La Jolla Beach And Tennis Club, Estate Edition
Chromogenic Lambda print
1955, Printed Later
Slim...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
La Jolla Beach And Tennis Club, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, La Jolla, San Diego, 1955.
Slim Aarons
La Jolla Beach And Tennis Club, Estate Edition
Chromogenic Lambda print
1955, Printed Later
Slim...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Beverly Hills Party, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
American actors Lauren Bacall and Judy Garland attending a house party in Beverly Hills, 1954.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped ...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Jim Kimberly, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jim Kimberly and Kim Wadsworth at the Beverly Hills Hotel, California, 1956.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Jim Kimberly, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jim Kimberly and Kim Wadsworth at the Beverly Hills Hotel, California, 1956.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Jim Kimberly, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jim Kimberly and Kim Wadsworth at the Beverly Hills Hotel, California, 1956.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Beverly Hills Party, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
American actors Lauren Bacall and Judy Garland attending a house party in Beverly Hills, 1954.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped ...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Skiing Waiters Estate Edition Photograph (Vintage Winter Snowscape)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Three skiing waiters on a ski slope, circa 1960. In the foreground, a white-clad chef skis towards the viewer, offering a beautifully prepared bird on a tray. Behind him, a man in a ...
Category
1960s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Joan Collins Relaxes - (Aarons Estate Edition)
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Film star Joan Collins relaxes with her pink poodle on her pink bed.
Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate.
Slim Aaron...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Sunbathing In Venice, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A woman sunbathes wearing a novelty straw sun hat with built-in sunglasses, Venice, 1954.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by th...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Marguerite Pindling, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dame Marguerite Pindling, Lady Pindling with her children Obafemi, Leslie, Monique and Michelle, Bahamas, 1971. Margurite's husband, Lynden Pindling, is the Prime Minister of the Bah...
Category
1970s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Marguerite Pindling, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dame Marguerite Pindling, Lady Pindling with her children Obafemi, Leslie, Monique and Michelle, Bahamas, 1971. Margurite's husband, Lynden Pindling, is the Prime Minister of the Bah...
Category
1970s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Marguerite Pindling, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dame Marguerite Pindling, Lady Pindling with her children Obafemi, Leslie, Monique and Michelle, Bahamas, 1971. Margurite's husband, Lynden Pindling, is the Prime Minister of the Bah...
Category
1970s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Marguerite Pindling, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Dame Marguerite Pindling, Lady Pindling with her children Obafemi, Leslie, Monique and Michelle, Bahamas, 1971. Margurite's husband, Lynden Pindling, is the Prime Minister of the Bah...
Category
1970s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Sunbathing In Venice, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A woman sunbathes wearing a novelty straw sun hat with built-in sunglasses, Venice, 1954.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by th...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Sunbathing In Venice, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A woman sunbathes wearing a novelty straw sun hat with built-in sunglasses, Venice, 1954.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by th...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Sunbathing In Venice, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A woman sunbathes wearing a novelty straw sun hat with built-in sunglasses, Venice, 1954.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by th...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
The Hotel Excelsior, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests enjoying themselves at a gala held at the Hotel Excelsior, Rome, 1957.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaron...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
The St. Regis, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An aerial view of diners at the St. Regis, New York, 1955.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate
Modern es...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
The St. Regis, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An aerial view of diners at the St. Regis, New York, 1955.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate
Modern es...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
The St. Regis, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An aerial view of diners at the St. Regis, New York, 1955.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate
Modern es...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
The Hotel Excelsior, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests enjoying themselves at a gala held at the Hotel Excelsior, Rome, 1957.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaron...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
The St. Regis, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An aerial view of diners at the St. Regis, New York, 1955.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate
Modern es...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
The Hotel Excelsior, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests enjoying themselves at a gala held at the Hotel Excelsior, Rome, 1957.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aaron...
Category
1950s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Male Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Back Yard
Located in Columbia, MO
Composing non-living objects is completely different- especially when it comes to birds. I know it can maybe seem macabre at first, but I love photographing both living and non-livin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Color Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Located in Columbia, MO
Composing non-living objects is completely different- especially when it comes to birds. I know it can maybe seem macabre at first, but I love photographing both living and non-livin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Color Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Juvenile American Cow Found in Backyard (Corvus Brachyrhrnchos)
Located in Columbia, MO
Composing non-living objects is completely different- especially when it comes to birds. I know it can maybe seem macabre at first, but I love photographing both living and non-livin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Color Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea), Dead from Window-Strike
Located in Columbia, MO
Composing non-living objects is completely different- especially when it comes to birds. I know it can maybe seem macabre at first, but I love photographing both living and non-livin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Color Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Garden Still Life
Located in Columbia, MO
Composing non-living objects is completely different- especially when it comes to birds. I know it can maybe seem macabre at first, but I love photographing both living and non-livin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Color Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Bating
Located in Columbia, MO
Composing non-living objects is completely different- especially when it comes to birds. I know it can maybe seem macabre at first, but I love photographing both living and non-livin...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Color Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Poolside Host, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests by the pool at Nelda Linsk's desert house in Palm Springs, California, January 1970. The house was designed by Richard Neutra for Edgar J. Kaufmann. At far left is Lita Baron....
Category
1970s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Portrait Sitting, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Diana 'Dysie' Davie, wife of T Bedford Davie, poses for the painter John Orr in her home in Worth Avenue, Palm Beach, 1970.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity i...
Category
1970s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Portrait Sitting, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Diana 'Dysie' Davie, wife of T Bedford Davie, poses for the painter John Orr in her home in Worth Avenue, Palm Beach, 1970.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity i...
Category
1970s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Portrait Sitting, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Diana 'Dysie' Davie, wife of T Bedford Davie, poses for the painter John Orr in her home in Worth Avenue, Palm Beach, 1970.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity i...
Category
1970s Realist Color Photography
Materials
Lambda
Massimo Listri 'Castello di Rivoli III - Torino'
Located in New York, NY
Castello di Rivoli III - Torino
"What makes his work unique is how he has made interiors look so absolutely vivid, as if they had a secret life of their own that only he knows how t...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Color Photography
Materials
C Print
Realist color photography for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Realist color photography 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 color photography created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, pink, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Slim Aarons, Massimo Listri, Sean Scully, and John Conn. Frequently made by artists working with Digital Print, and Lambda Print and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Realist color photography, so small editions measuring 8.5 inches across are also available. Prices for color photography 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 $200 and tops out at $28,500, while the average work sells for $3,350.