Skip to main content

Expressionist Sculptures

EXPRESSIONIST STYLE

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.

to
2
2
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
1
1
1
1
1
2
8
7
4
4
4
2
2
Style: Expressionist
Artist: Ernst Barlach
Ernst Barlach Bronze Skulpture "Der Raecher" ( The Avenger ), 1914
Located in Berlin, DE
Bronze, brown patinated by Ernst Barlach ( 1870 - 1938 ) Inscribed and numbered on the plinth: E. Barlach 8/8. Stamped with the foundry mark: H.Noack.Berlin. Dimensions: Width: 23.23...
Category

Early 20th Century Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Ernst Barlach Bronze Skulpture "Der Raecher" ( The Avenger ), 1914
Located in Berlin, DE
Bronze, brown patinated by Ernst Barlach ( 1870 - 1938 ) Inscribed and numbered on the plinth: E. Barlach 8/8. Stamped with the foundry mark: H.Noack.Berlin. Dimensions: Width: 23.23 in ( 59 cm ), Height: 17.72 in ( 45 cm ). Provenance: Alfred Flechtheim. The Avenger...
Category

Early 20th Century Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Related Items
Turkana Girl - Bronze African Tribe Sculpture, Limited Edition
Located in Pretoria, ZA
Bronze sculpture of young Turkana girl in traditional attire and characteristic hair style. The Turkana tribe, nomadic by nature, are a Nilotic people native to the Turkana District ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Sandstone, Bronze

Judaica Bronze Sculpture "Rabbi" Figure Jewish American Boston Figural Modernist
Located in Surfside, FL
Aronson, David 1923- David Aronson, son of a rabbi, was born in Lithuania in 1923 and immigrated to America at the age of five. He settled in Boston, Massachusetts where he studied a...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Rachid Khimoune French Algerian Arab Art Brut Bronze Sculpture Abstract Figure
Located in Surfside, FL
Rachid Khimoune (Algerian, b. 1953) Les enfants du monde bronze. signed and numbered artist's edition of 4 foundry mark - L. Cappe 7.5 x 4.63 x 2.38 Overall: 8.25 x 4.63 x 2.38 RACHID KHIMOUNE, Algerian-French artist and sculptor. Born in 1953 in Decazeville, France. Lives and works in Paris, France. Rachid Khimoune graduated from the School of Art of Paris in 1974; he initially started to work with painting before choosing sculpture. In 1980 he won the first prize of the Foundation of France. He works in an Art Brut, Naif art style similar to Jean Dubuffet and Enrico Baj. Being the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and an extensive oeuvre, Rachid Khimoune has been exhibiting since 1975 and his work can be found in several museums, and public and private collections. The artist behind the project Rachid Khimoune, has been responsible for a number of major, successful public art installations in France. Most famously, the installation close to the Bibliothèque Nationale (National Library) ‘Les Enfants du Monde’ (The Children of the World). Rachid’s newer works are masks and totems cast in bronze: poetic images forged in a furnace. Rachid uses discarded objects and disused parts of machines, to create new human and animal forms. Here his interest in metal-working and Arab art-African art coincides with the assemblage of found objects; one mask is a collage constituted by a large model of the Eiffel Tower stuck into the end of a trumpet. Another has a jerry-can for a face, and the golden patina and surface-working of the bronze does not dispel the idea which this image creates: of a human mouth drinking oil. Born in France to parents from Algeria, Khimoune embraces the role of the artist as a global citizen, using art as a universal language. Select Awards Lauréat du Prix de la Fondation de France (1980) Chevalier des Arts et Lettres (2002) Grande Médaille de la Ville de Paris (2004) Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (2007) EXHIBITIONS SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2017 Ar[T]senal, Dreux, France 2016 Musée Tavet Delacour, Pontoise, France 2015 Parvis de l’Hotel de ville, Paris 2015 Beirut Art Fair, Beyrouth, Liban 2015 Galerie Francoise Souchaud, Lyon 2014 Musée Rabelais, Seuilly, France 2013 Galerie Vallois...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

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...
Category

1960s Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Zulu Warrior - African Bronze Sculpture - Limited Edition
Located in Pretoria, ZA
Zulu Warrior in Bronze with traditional patina. Limited edition of 24 (signed & numbered), Sculpture in Bronze Verdigris on Sandstone base. Height 70 cm including base. My art is ins...
Category

2010s Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Sandstone, Bronze

German Expressionist Bronze Relief Plaque Mans Best Friend, a Man and His Dog
Located in Surfside, FL
Mans Best Friend C.M. Junghans 1985 This is done in a German Expressionist style. It is bronze over some sort of fill. It depicts a man gentleman and his dog. a Cocker Spaniel or Co...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bronze Sculpture Rabbi w Torah Judaica Figure American Boston Figural Modernist
Located in Surfside, FL
Aronson, David 1923- David Aronson, son of a rabbi, was born in Lithuania in 1923 and immigrated to America at the age of five. He settled in Boston, Massachusetts where he studied...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bronze Sculpture Charles Dickens Figure American Boston Figural Modernist
Located in Surfside, FL
I have seen this piece identified as Wizard and as Micawber from Charles Dickens David Copperfield ("something will turn up") Aronson, David 1923- David Aronson, son of a rabbi, was...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Bronze Sculpture Relief Troubadour Figurative American Modernist David Aronson
Located in Surfside, FL
Guitar or Mandolin playing musician. Music themed bronze sculpture Signed and numbered Aronson, David 1923- David Aronson, son of a rabbi, was born in Lithuania in 1923 and immigrated to America at the age of five. He settled in Boston, Massachusetts where he studied at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts under Karl Zerbe, a German painter well known in the early 1900s. Aronson later taught at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts for fourteen years and founded the School of Fine Art at Boston University where he is today a professor emeritus. An internationally renowned sculptor & painter, Aronson has won acclaim for his interpretation of themes from the Hebrew Talmud and Kabala. His best known works include bronze castings, encaustic paintings, and pastels. His work is included in many important public and private collections, and has been shown in several museum retrospectives around the country. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th century American artists. At twenty-two David Aronson had his first one-man show at New York's Niveau Gallery. The next year, six of his Christological paintings were included in the Fourteen Americans exhibition at Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art where Aronson’s work was included alongside abstract expressionists Arshile Gorky, Robert Motherwell and Isamu Noguchi. In the 1950s, Aronson turned more toward his Jewish heritage for the inspiration for his art. Folklore as well as Kabbalistic and other transcendental writings influenced his work greatly. The Golem (a legendary figure, brought to life by the Maharal of Prague out of clay to protect the Jewish community during times of persecution) and the Dybbuk...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Untitled (Metamorphosis) Brutalist Surrealist Bronze Sculpture Woman Dancing
Located in Surfside, FL
In this bronze cast the artist (unknown) takes an expressionistic approach, not only in terms of technique but also in terms of the treatment of the subject. The female figure seems ...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Bronze

Woman, Sitting Back on Heels
Located in Greenwich, CT
American, 1892-1971 Doris Porter Caesar was born in 1892 in Brooklyn, New York. Her father’s successful career as a lawyer allowed her to attend Miss Chapin’s School for transferrin...
Category

1960s Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Warthog Bust - Bronze Wildlife Sculpture
Located in Pretoria, ZA
Bronze Warthog Bust on Sandstone base H 16 cm x W 13 cm x D 8 cm. Base size 8 x 8 x 4 cm. Edition 2 of 9 - ready for shipping. Meticulously crafted, this bronze artwork captures the ...
Category

2010s Expressionist Sculptures

Materials

Sandstone, Bronze

Expressionist sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist sculptures 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 sculptures created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including David Aronson, Aharon Bezalel, Doris Caesar, and Chris Riccardo. Frequently made by artists working with Metal, and Bronze and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Expressionist sculptures, so small editions measuring 3.54 inches across are also available. Prices for sculptures 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 $644 and tops out at $264,248, while the average work sells for $3,297.

Recently Viewed

View All