While “expressionist” is used to describe any art that avoids naturalism and instead employs a bold use of flattened forms and intense brushwork, Expressionist art formally describes early-20th-century work from Europe that drew on Symbolism and confronted issues such as urbanization and capitalism. Expressionist artists experimented in paintings and prints with skewed perspectives, abstraction and unconventional, bright colors to portray how isolating and anxious the world felt rather than how it appeared.
Between 1905 and 1920, Austrian and German artists, in particular, were inspired by Postimpressionists such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh in their efforts to strive for a new authenticity in their work. In its geometric patterns and decorative details, Expressionist art was also marked by eclectic sources like German and Russian folk art as well as tribal art from Africa and Oceania, which the movement’s practitioners witnessed at museums and world’s fairs.
Groups of artists came together to share and promote the themes now associated with Expressionism, such as Die Brücke (The Bridge) in Dresden, which included Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and investigated alienation and the dissolution of society in vivid color. In Munich, Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, instilled Expressionism with a search for spiritual truths. In his iconic painting The Scream, prolific Norwegian painter Edvard Munch conveyed emotional turmoil through his depiction of environmental elements, such as the threatening sky.
Expressionism shifted around the outbreak of World War I, with artists using more elements of the grotesque in reaction to the escalation of unrest and violence. Printmaking was especially popular, as it allowed artists to widely disseminate works that grappled with social and political issues amid this time of upheaval. Although the art movement ended with the rise of Nazi Germany, where Expressionist creators were labeled “degenerate,” the radical ideas of these artists would influence Neo-Expressionism that emerged in the late 1970s with painters like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente.
Find a collection of authentic Expressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
L’étoile, from the series Fantômes
By Diana Markosian
Located in Los Angeles, CA
L’étoile, from the series Fantômes, 2025. © Diana Markosian / Aperture Framed and Signed Magnum/Aperture square print sale Diana Markosian takes an intimate approach to her photogr...
Archival Pigment
"Model in black & white" Photography on canvas
Located in Carmel, CA
Malissa - "Model in black & white" Photography on canvas The photograph comes with a certificate of authenticity and a letter of appraisal.
Canvas, Photographic Film, Black and White
$975
Point Sur Light House, Big Sur, California - Cyanotype / Watercolor Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
Soft watercolor accents add to the beauty of this unique cyanotype and watercolor landscape of the Point Sur Lighthouse in Big Sur, California by Cheryl Trotter (American, 20th centu...
Photographic Film, Watercolor
Peacock displaying in Magenta and Yellow Birds
By Robert Funk
Located in Miami, FL
The reality is that this is an eye-witness account of a male peacock displaying for the attention of a female peahen. It turns out that humans are equally...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$5,000
Skid Row Bowery Street Portrait - The Streets of New York - Photojournalism
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photographer Mitchell Funk breaks with tradition and shoots street photography in color. Today in 2022, this does not seem like a big deal. But 52 years ago, in 1970, it was q...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$2,863
H 21.26 in W 13.78 in D 0.08 in
Audrey- Signed limited edition fine art print, Sensual, Contemporary
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Audrey - Signed limited edition archival pigment print , Edition of 5 This is an Archival Pigment print on fiber based paper ( Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm , Acid-free and...
Archival Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Archival Pigment, Pigment, Phot...
$2,863
H 15.75 in W 15.75 in D 0.08 in
Ben 2 -Signed limited edition contemporary, Black white, Homoerotic photography
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
An original signed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm paper by Scottish artist Ian Sanderson (1951- 2020) titled ‘Ben 2 ‘ who was captured on film in 1989...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
$3,436
H 21.54 in W 29.53 in D 0.08 in
Signed limited edition Figurative photo, Black white man, Homoerotic - Mathew 2
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
An original signed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm paper by Scottish artist Ian Sanderson (1951- 2020) titled ‘ Mathew 2 ‘ who was captured on film in...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Pigment, Arc...
$730
H 40 in W 55.2 in
Foamy Clouds Diptych in Blue, Stormy Sky Scene, Handmade Cyanotype Print, Paper
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype diptych of foamy gorgeous clouds. Details: + Title: Floating Clouds Diptych + Year: 2023 + Edition Size: 20 + Stamped and ...
Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, C Print, Color, Dye Transfer, L...
$4,009
H 40.01 in W 29.3 in D 0.08 in
Christian - Signed limited edition fine art print, Black white photo, Homoerotic
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Christian - Signed limited edition archival pigment print, 1984 - Edition 2 of 5 This image was captured on film. The negative was scanned creating a digital file which was then ...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
$1,718
H 16.54 in W 11.7 in
Hommage a René Gruau III • # 3 of 9 • 42 cm x 29 cm
Located in Aramits, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Hommage a René Gruau III • Paris, 2011 • Edition of 18 prints in 3 sizes. All prints are numbered and signed. Printed on Hahnemühle Archival Paper. Three different sizes are availabl...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
$3,436
H 19.3 in W 29.53 in D 0.08 in
L'Amour- Romantic, Signed limited edition fine art, Sensual, Beach, Contemporary
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
L' Amour - Signed limited edition archival pigment print , 1993 - Edition of 5 This image was captured on film. The negative was scanned creating a digital file which was the...
Archival Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment, Photographic Film, Pi...
$4,009
H 35.44 in W 35.44 in D 0.08 in
Ben 2 -Signed limited edition contemporary print, Black white, Man, Homoerotic
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
An original signed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm paper by Scottish artist Ian Sanderson (1951- 2020) titled ‘Ben 2 ‘ who was captured on film in 1989...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
$2,863
H 21.66 in W 15.75 in D 0.08 in
Rachael - Signed limited edition, Underwear, Woman wit High heels and Suspenders
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Rachael - Signed limited edition archival pigment print - Edition of 5 This image was captured on film in 1983. The negative was scanned creating a digital file which was then...
Archival Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment, Photographic Film, Pi...
$3,780
H 35.44 in W 25.99 in D 0.01 in
Nadia-Signed limited edition nude photography, Contemporary black white, Sensual
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Nadia - Signed limited edition archival pigment print - Edition of 5 Sexy photo shoot of a woman in profile, hunched over an old dentist's chair with a su...
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
Hommage a René Gruau II • # 3 of 9 • 42 cm x 29 cm
Located in Aramits, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Hommage a René Gruau II • Paris, 2011 • Edition of 18 prints in 3 sizes. All prints are numbered and signed. Printed on Hahnemühle Archival Paper. Three different sizes are available...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
$2,863
H 14.57 in W 19.69 in D 0.08 in
Ben-Signed limited edition fine art print, Black white photo, Analog, Homoerotic
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Ben - Signed limited edition archival pigment print, 1996 - Edition of 5 This image was captured on film. The negative was scanned creating a digital file which was then printed...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Black and White, Photographic Film, Pi...