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Photorealist Figurative Photography

PHOTOREALISM

A direct challenge to Abstract Expressionism’s subjectivity and gestural vigor, Photorealism was informed by the Pop predilection for representational imagery, popular iconography and tools, like projectors and airbrushes, borrowed from the worlds of commercial art and design.

Whether gritty or gleaming, the subject matter favored by Photorealists is instantly, if vaguely, familiar. It’s the stuff of yellowing snapshots and fugitive memories. The bland and the garish alike flicker between crystal-clear reality and dreamy illusion, inviting the viewer to contemplate a single moment rather than igniting a story.

The virtues of the “photo” in Photorealist art — infused as they are with dazzling qualities that are easily blurred in reproduction — are as elusive as they are allusive. “Much Photorealist painting has the vacuity of proportion and intent of an idiot-savant, long on look and short on personal timbre,” John Arthur wrote (rather admiringly) in the catalogue essay for Realism/Photorealism, a 1980 exhibition at the Philbrook Museum of Art, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At its best, Photorealism is a perpetually paused tug-of-war between the sacred and the profane, the general and the specific, the record and the object.

“Robert Bechtle invented Photorealism, in 1963,” says veteran art dealer Louis Meisel. “He took a picture of himself in the mirror with the car outside and then painted it. That was the first one.”

The meaning of the term, which began for Meisel as “a superficial way of defining and promoting a group of painters,” evolved with time, and the core group of Photorealists slowly expanded to include younger artists who traded Rolleiflexes for 60-megapixel cameras, using advanced digital technology to create paintings that transcend the detail of conventional photographs.

On 1stDibs, the collection of Photorealist art includes work by Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Chuck Close, Audrey Flack, Charles Bell and others.

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Style: Photorealist
MG_0017
By Bob Tabor
Located in New York, NY
Bob Tabor is a well-established, New York based, photographer best known for his exquisite large scaled portraits of subjects ranging from horses to seascapes. It is his unique appro...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digita...

MG_0017

Bob Tabor
MG_0017, 2017

Imogene/Brian Large Scale Photo Urban Art Portrait Contemporary
By Harry Sudman
Located in Miami, FL
Imogene/Brian Large Scale Photo Urban Art Portrait -This colorful large acrylic mounted photo by one of Chicago's leading photographers is a close look at two people who are not identifiable as their heads are not completely visible. They look like they belong together with their avant-guard look of massive tattoos and cool funky dress...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Film

Imogene/Brian Large Scale Photo Urban Art Portrait Contemporary
Imogene/Brian Large Scale Photo Urban Art Portrait Contemporary

Harry Sudman
Imogene/Brian Large Scale Photo Urban Art Portrait Contemporary, 2014

Bakhtiyari Girls - Kermanshah
Located in Atlanta, GA
Artist
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Paper

Bakhtiyari Girls - Kermanshah

Sid SARSHAR
Bakhtiyari Girls - Kermanshah

Porcelain Alliance
By Drew Tal
Located in New York, NY
Edition of 7 With his works included in the permanent collection at the Norton and the New Britain Museum, Drew Tal’s successful career has been nothing but a soaring ascension into...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Dye, Photographic Paper, Photogravure, Ph...

Porcelain Alliance

Drew Tal
Porcelain Alliance, 2024

Hands of Faith
By Drew Tal
Located in New York, NY
With his works included in the permanent collection at the Norton and the New Britain Museum, Drew Tal’s successful career has been nothing but a soaring ascension into the global ar...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogravure, Photogram

Hands of Faith

Drew Tal
Hands of Faith, 2013

Postman 4
By Maleonn
Located in New York, NY
The son of a known Chinese drama director and a very famous actress, Maleonn grew up in an artistic environment, where he began to study art when only 11 years old. After graduating ...
Category

Early 2000s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Mixed Media, Photographic Paper, Photogram

Postman 4

Maleonn
Postman 4, 2008

Postman 2
By Maleonn
Located in New York, NY
The son of a known Chinese drama director and a very famous actress, Maleonn grew up in an artistic environment, where he began to study art when only 11 years old. After graduating ...
Category

Early 2000s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Mixed Media, Photographic Paper, Photogram

Postman 2

Maleonn
Postman 2, 2008

Levitate
By Reka Nyari
Located in New York, NY
“Ink Stories”, which was introduced at Nyari’s very first solo gallery exhibit, consists of large-scale nude photographs that explore the concept of self-identity and female empowerm...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Photogram, Archival Pi...

Levitate

Reka Nyari
Levitate, 2019

Revelation
By Drew Tal
Located in New York, NY
Edition of 7 With his works included in the permanent collection at the Norton and the New Britain Museum, Drew Tal’s successful career has been nothing but a soaring ascension into...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogravure, Photogr...

Revelation
Revelation

Drew Tal
Revelation, 2017

More Ideas
By Reka Nyari
Located in New York, NY
“Ink Stories”, which was introduced at Nyari’s very first solo gallery exhibit, consists of large-scale nude photographs that explore the concept of self-identity and female empowerment. The series joins six women together...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Pho...

More Ideas

Reka Nyari
More Ideas, 2020

Graig Right Profile
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by her love for nature, Griet Van Malderen (Belgium, 1970), a self-taught wildlife photographer from Flanders in Belgium, has been explorin...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogram, Archival Pigment, Pigment

Graig Right Profile

Griet Van Malderen
Graig Right Profile, 2020

Graig Left Profile
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by her love for nature, Griet Van Malderen (Belgium, 1970), a self-taught wildlife photographer from Flanders in Belgium, has been explorin...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Photogram, Pigmen...

Graig Left Profile

Griet Van Malderen
Graig Left Profile, 2020

Beauty
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by her love for nature, Griet Van Malderen (Belgium, 1970), a self-taught wildlife photographer from Flanders in Belgium, has been explorin...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment,...

Beauty

Griet Van Malderen
Beauty, 2020

Curious
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by her love for nature, Griet Van Malderen (Belgium, 1970), a self-taught wildlife photographer from Flanders in Belgium, has been exploring Africa’s wild places for the pas...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Photogram, Pigmen...

Curious

Griet Van Malderen
Curious, 2020

Intimate
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by her love for nature, Griet Van Malderen (Belgium, 1970), a self-taught wildlife photographer from Flanders in Belgium, has been exploring Africa’s wild places for the pas...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Photogram, Pigmen...

Intimate

Griet Van Malderen
Intimate, 2020

Zenitude
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by her love for nature, Griet Van Malderen (Belgium, 1970), a self-taught wildlife photographer from Flanders in Belgium, has been exploring Africa’s wild places for the pas...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogram, Pigment, Archival Pigment

Zenitude

Griet Van Malderen
Zenitude, 2020

On the Hunt
Located in New York, NY
Inspired by her love for nature, Griet Van Malderen (Belgium, 1970), a self-taught wildlife photographer from Flanders in Belgium, has been exploring Africa’s wild places for the pas...
Category

2010s Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Photogram, Pigment, Archival Pigment

On the Hunt

Griet Van Malderen
On the Hunt, 2020

Balthazar
By Anouk Krantz
Located in Fairfield, CT
Born and raised in France, Anouk Masson Krantz moved to the United States in the late 1990s. She earned her bachelor's degree and worked at Cartier’s New York corporate office. Anou...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Pigment

Balthazar

Anouk Krantz
Balthazar, 2011

Willow
By Anouk Krantz
Located in Fairfield, CT
Born and raised in France, Anouk Masson Krantz moved to the United States in the late 1990s. She earned her bachelor's degree and worked at Cartier’s New York corporate office. Anou...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Figurative Photography

Materials

Pigment

Willow

Anouk Krantz
Willow, 2016

Photorealist figurative photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Photorealist figurative 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 figurative 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, red, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Alex Sher, Bob Tabor, Josephine Cardin, and Karol Kallay. Frequently made by artists working with Pigment Print, and Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Photorealist figurative photography, so small editions measuring 7.5 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative 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 $80 and tops out at $110,000, while the average work sells for $960.

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