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.
Fragmented Human Head with Verdigris Patina Lost-Wax Bronze Original Sculpture
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This fragmented bronze head sculpture combines realist facial modelling with open cavities, irregular edges and a richly layered green and blue verdigris patina. Created by Spanish ...
Bronze
Dark Grey Ceramic Head with Deep-Set Gaze, Textured Glazed Figurative Sculpture
Located in FISTERRA, ES
A dark grey ceramic head with a deep, steady gaze and a weathered metal-like surface explores the expressive possibilities of the human face. Created by Spanish artist Óscar Aldonza...
Clay, Glaze
The Stone Carrier: rare German Expressionist Bronze Sculpture
Located in Norwich, GB
A rare bronze by the German sculptor Walter Scheufen, who died during the First World War in the Flanders fields when only in his mid 30s. Depicting a stone carrier straining beneath...
Bronze
Expressive Ceramic Sculpture of Crouching Human Figure, Glazed Refractory Clay
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Expressive figurative ceramic sculpture depicting a crouching human figure absorbed in its own inner world. Hand-modelled in glazed refractory clay, Fuxido I (2026) belongs to Óscar ...
Clay
$2,963Sale Price|20% Off
Split Head Expressionist Wood Bust Sculpture Reclaimed Carved Portrait Artwork
By Joan Priego
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Carved reclaimed wood bust sculpture exploring fractured identity, memory and the symbolic wound through expressive figurative portraiture. The Wound That Precedes Me (La Herida Que...
Wood, Acrylic, Pigment
Rare Aharon Bezalel Israeli Gilt Modernist Bronze Sculpture Suite
Located in Surfside, FL
The width dimensions are variable. the tallest height is 11.5 inches. Family group. A suite of three bronze sculptures. Aharon Bezalel (born Afghanistan 1926) Born in Afghanistan in...
Bronze
Village of Iseh, Bali (1948)
By Theo Meier
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Theo Meier (1908-1982) View of the Village of Iseh, painted from the house of Theo Signed and dated 48 Theo Meier lower left Oil on canvas, 68.5 x 50 cm In original frame carved by the artist. Note: Theo Meier arrived in Bali in 1936 with the intention of going on to Tahiti where he had been before. However Bali turned out to be the paradise he had been searching for in his dreams and he had no desire any more to move elsewhere. Bali at that time was still a very traditional place where society lived according to an acient religious system and in a luscious tropical setting the modern world was ignored. Here he met Walter Spies...
Canvas, Rosewood, Oil
Martenita Tribute to Picasso Murano Glass Sculpture
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Martenita Omaggio To Picasso, Signed, artist logo stamp, and title. Walter Furlan was born (1931-2018) in Chioggia, a small town near Venice. He started to work in a furnace calle...
Glass, Blown Glass
Organic Figurative Wood Sculpture in Reclaimed Vine and Pine “Grop”
By Joan Priego
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Figurative Reclaimed Wood Sculpture in Vine and Pine “Grop” is a unique hand-carved sculpture by Spanish artist Joan Priego. Created from reclaimed vine wood and pine, the work trans...
Wood
Yoga Figure in Tree Pose, Hand-Carved Cypress Wood Sculpture, Original
By Joan Priego
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This hand-carved cypress wood sculpture depicts a yoga instructor balancing in an unstable tree pose, combining figurative carving, expressive distortion and psychological tension. ...
Wood
Architectural Ceramic Head Sculpture with Forged Iron Framework for Outdoor
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Expressionist ceramic head sculpture suspended within an open forged iron framework, combining portraiture, architecture, and material experimentation in a unique contemporary artwor...
Iron
Reclining Ceramic Head Expresionist Sculpture in Glazed Experimental Ash Clay
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This reclining ceramic head sculpture is formed from experimental clay enriched with recycled ash and gas-kiln glazed to create a layered, mineral-toned surface. Created by Spanish ...
Clay
$1,589
Expressionist Ceramic Head Sculpture in Experimental Ash Clay, Pit-Fired
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This expressionist ceramic head sculpture is made from experimental clay enriched with recycled ash and pit-fired to produce an intensely textured, smoke-darkened surface. Created b...
Clay
Ceramic Head Sculpture in Forged Iron Cage Expressionist Figurative Artwork
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Expressionist ceramic head sculpture enclosed within a forged iron structure, exploring containment, vulnerability, and the relationship between the human figure and architectural sp...
Iron
Pocket-Sized Bronze Amulet Head Sculpture with Verdigris Patina
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Pocket-sized bronze head sculpture with a partially obscured face, verdigris patina and polished highlights, individually cast and hand-finished by Spanish artist Óscar Aldonza Torre...
Bronze
Textured Ceramic Head Sculpture, Stone-Like Refractory Clay Indoor and Outdoor
Located in FISTERRA, ES
A monumental expressionist ceramic head sculpture where clay takes on the appearance of weathered stone, blurring the boundaries between portrait, geology and landscape. Created in h...
Clay, Glaze
Caged Woman 2, Contemporary Verdigris Bronze Figure Suspended in Rusted Iron Orb
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Verdigris bronze figure suspended within a sculptural rusted iron orb offers a poetic meditation on confinement and transcendence. Caged Woman 2 (Ø 32 cm) by Aldonza features a slend...
Bronze, Iron
Expressive Male Head on Moving Spring, Carved and Polychromed Wood Sculpture
By Joan Priego
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This expressive carved wood sculpture presents a polychromed male head mounted on a visible steel spring, allowing the portrait to move and gently oscillate. Created by Spanish arti...
Wood, Pigment, Wax, Oil
$1,800
Rare Welded Menorah Judaica Jewish Brutalist Candelabra Sculpture Chaim Hendin
By Chaim Hendin
Located in Surfside, FL
In this Menorah Chaim Hendin takes a personal approach, and turns it into a more anatomical, almost pelvic, looking piece of artwork. The sculpture is rich in texture and the candle ...
Marble, Bronze
$3,704
Carved Pine Wood Double Figure Sculpture Exploring Duality Mirror Self and Human
By Joan Priego
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Carved pine wood double figure sculpture depicting two intertwined human forms joined through a single continuous gesture. The Other Self is a unique hand-carved sculpture in which ...
Wood, Acrylic, Pigment
$3,989
Large Carved Wood Standing Figure Sculpture with Geometric Assemblage and Totem
By Joan Priego
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Large carved wood standing figure sculpture assembled from geometric timber elements and expressive hand-carved forms. The Walker transforms the human body into an architectural con...
Wood, Acrylic, Pigment
Inverted Polished Bronze Pocket-Sized Expressionist Figurative Head Sculpture
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Inverted pocket-sized figurative head sculpture in polished bronze with dark oxidised details, individually cast, sanded and hand-finished by Spanish artist Óscar Aldonza Torres. Or...
Bronze
$176
Archaic Dark Patinated Bronze Pocket Head Sculpture with Golden Highlights
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Archaic-looking pocket head sculpture in dark patinated bronze with selectively polished golden highlights, individually cast and hand-finished by Spanish artist Óscar Aldonza Torres...
Bronze
Upward-Gazing Polished Bronze Miniature Figurative Head Sculpture
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Upward-gazing miniature figurative head sculpture in polished bronze with dark oxidation, individually cast and hand-finished by Spanish artist Óscar Aldonza Torres. Originally titl...
Bronze
Miniature Turquoise Patinated Bronze Figurative Head Sculpture
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Miniature turquoise patinated bronze head sculpture, individually cast, oxidised, polished and hand-finished by Spanish artist Óscar Aldonza Torres. Originally titled Mini Testa No....
Bronze
Carved Wood German Expressionist Sculpture Jewish Woman Refugee Artist Judaica
By Miriam Sommerburg
Located in Surfside, FL
Miriam Sommerburg (American female artist, born Germany, Hamburg, 1900–1980 New York) Modernist Wood Carved Sculpture, Carving depictin...
Wood
$5,416
Translucent Alabaster Head Sculpture with Expressive Natural Veins. Light
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Translucent alabaster head sculpture with expressive natural veins, carved in direct carving for a unique interplay of light, stone and human form. This unique alabaster head sculpt...
Alabaster
Liberty vs Slavery Van Loen Bronze Abstract Chess Set Modernist Museum Sculpture
Located in Surfside, FL
Alfred Van Loen signed 32 piece chess set. In heavy solid bronze. Rare Chess Game: Liberty versus Slavery Dimensions: a) Joy-Tenderness H. 6 3/16 in. a...
Bronze
Caged Woman 3 – Verdigris Bronze Torso in Rusted Iron Globe, Lost-Wax and Forged
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Patinated bronze torso suspended within a rusted iron globe evokes ancient Venus iconography and contemporary themes of constraint and resilience. Caged Woman 3 (Ø 32 cm) by Aldonza ...
Bronze, Iron
Pop Art Bronze Sculpture Paul Suttman Bottles for Marcel Duchamp Surrealist Art
Located in Surfside, FL
Paul Suttman (American, 1933 - 1993) Bottles for Duchamp Bronze Dimensions: 23.25 h x 13.5 w x 10 d in (59 x 34 x 24 cm) Impressed signature (initials and numbered to base 'PS V. II ...
Bronze
Price Upon Request
The Mystical Supper
Located in New York, NY
Dionisios Fragias is a New York -based artist born on the Greek island of Kefalonia and raised in New York City. He is the protege of the artist Jeff Koons whose years-long mentorshi...
Steel, Stainless Steel