During the Renaissance, the first European fine art academies were established in Italy and would guide the style and standards of visual culture in the following centuries. Academic art became dominant across the continent in the 17th century, with artists coming together to offer instruction in this style of painting and sculpture.
The academic art period represented a significant change from the previous era when painters, sculptors and other artists were part of guilds and seen more as artisans than purveyors of culture. While patronage from the elite and the church remained pivotal, young artists were able to support themselves for the first time through academic exhibitions and an independent marketplace. The leading academies included the French Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture founded in Paris in 1648 (which became the Académie des Beaux-Arts after the French Revolution) and the London Royal Academy of Arts formed in 1768 under the inaugural leadership of painter Joshua Reynolds.
Academy students sketched drawings based on prints, sculptures and, finally, live models. Movements including neoclassicism and romanticism were particularly popular in these art schools and institutions where the influence of Raphael and Nicolas Poussin was prominent. Beaux Arts architecture and furniture design drew on these movements, too, and, as they also originated at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the disciplines share common ground with academic painting and sculpture.
Although academic art was a major shift for artistic status when it began, by the middle of the 19th century it was viewed as stodgy and resistant to new ideas, with the subject matter of artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-Léon Gérôme generally limited to allegorical or mythological themes. Impressionism, realism and the other movements that engaged with contemporary issues that followed were direct reactions to the academic tradition, although it continued to inform the avant-garde as artists like Gustav Klimt and Pablo Picasso started their practices as academic realists.
Find a collection of academic paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
Neoclassical sculpture Ephebus Harpocratic in Marble Roman workshop 18th century
Located in Pistoia, IT
Rare neoclassical white marble sculpture depicting an ephebe in the gesture of silence, also known as the gesture of Harpocrates, Rome, second half of the 18th century. Harpocrate...
Marble
“Clipper Ship under Full Sail”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting of a clipper ship under full sail. Signed “T. Bailey” lower right. Condition is good. Original gold frame with wear consistent with age. Overall frame...
Canvas, Oil
“The French Cavalier”
By Alex De Andreis
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas portrait of a French cavalier by the well known French/Belgian artist, Alex de Andreis. Signed lower right and dated 1924. Condition is very good. Original N...
Canvas, Oil
$542Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Anatomical Pencil Study of a Horse Being Fitted with a Bridle
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Pencil Study of a Horse Being Fitted with a Bridle Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Pencil and Watercolor on Paper Size: 18.75 (Heig...
Pencil, Watercolor
$1,500Sale Price|50% Off
PASSION #3 - nude male painting by Paula Craioveanu oil on canvas
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Passion #3" . Composition with Two Male Nudes, oil on canvas, 35.5x19.5in / 90x50cm Part of "Wings of Gods" solo show, April 2024. see pictures from the show. Shipped as it is, stre...
Canvas, Oil
$512Sale Price|20% Off
Fishing Boat, Seascape Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Fishing Boat, Size: 8.5" x 12" x 0....
Canvas, Oil
$640Sale Price|20% Off
Venice, Impressionism Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Subject: Venice, Size: 8.5" x 12" x 0.8'' ...
Canvas, Oil
“Danish Clipper in Twilight”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting of a Danish clipper ship in twilight by the painter, P. Toft. Signed “P. Toft” lower right and dated 1919. Condition is excellent. Professionally ga...
Canvas, Oil
$240Sale Price|60% Off
Dance school by Benjamin II Vautier - Drawing 33x46 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Golden wooden frame with glass pane 49,5 x 63 x 2 cm
Pencil
Performance, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2018 Style: Surrealism, Title: Performance Size: 23.5" x 23.5" x 1'' inch,...
Canvas, Oil
$800Sale Price|20% Off
Seashore, Coastal, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Seashore Size: 11" x 14" x 0.8'' in...
Canvas, Oil
Imponente Scultura Neoclassica Italiana in Marmo Venere Genitrice XIX secolo
Located in Pistoia, IT
Imponente scultura neoclassica in marmo, modello conosciuto come Afrodite Louvre-Napoli o Venus Genitrix, bottega italiana, 19 secolo. La dea è raffigurata in piedi, al momento de...
Marble
$544Sale Price|61% Off
Lively alley by Pierre Duc - Watercolor
By Pierre Duc
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on arch paper Black wooden frame with glass pane 87 x 67,5 x 1,5 cm
Watercolor, Pastel
$2,100Sale Price|34% Off
“Sunset on the River”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautifully painted sunset on the river with a single figure in a punt and cattle crossing by the American artist, George Riecke. Most likely a New Orlea...
Canvas, Oil
$5,800
Antique Bronze Dog "Whippet with a Butterfly" Arthur Waagen (1833-1898) 1 of 2
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Bronze Dog Portrait “La Levrette au Papillon” or “Whippet (Greyhound) with a Butterfly” Arthur Waagen (Germany, France 1833-1898) Circa 1860’s 11 x 8 x 4 inches (1 of 2. ...
Bronze
$3,529Sale Price|20% Off
Italian Mid 19th century White Carrara Marble bust. Portrait of young male.
Located in Firenze, IT
Italian Portrait White Marble Bust in a Heroic Attitude. Carrara statuary Marble. Tuscan school. Circa 1850. Bust depicting a young man with bare shoulders. This model draws inspira...
Marble
Russell Flint watercolour of skiing near St. Moritz, British, 20th Century
By Sir William Russell Flint RA ROI
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Sir William Russell Flint (British, 1880 – 1969) Winter sports in the Engadine, possibly St. Moritz watercolour on paper signed ‘W RUSSELL FLINT’ (lower right) 12.1/2 x 19.3/8 in. (3...
Paper, Watercolor
Parade in Geneva, 19th Century European Historical Oil Painting
Located in Genève, GE
Signed "A Dovianne" in the lower left corner. A vibrant and highly detailed historical scene depicting a ceremonial procession of mounted figures crossing a grand city square in Geneva, richly adorned with festive banners and flags. The composition is animated by a rhythmic procession of elegantly dressed horsemen, accompanied by soldiers and attendants, creating a dynamic sense of movement and civic pageantry. At the center of the scene, a monumental statue anchors the composition, reinforcing the public and historical significance of the event. The surrounding architecture, carefully rendered, is decorated with numerous flags suggesting a moment of national celebration or official ceremony within the city. The artist demonstrates strong academic training in the rendering of figures, horses, and perspective. The palette is lively yet balanced, combining warm earth tones with vibrant reds, blues, and gold accents, while the softly illuminated sky provides atmospheric contrast. This work belongs to the tradition of 19th century European historical painting, with particular appeal for collectors interested in Swiss subjects, civic celebrations, and narrative compositions. défilé à genève painting, geneva parade painting, swiss historical painting, military parade oil painting, horsemen procession art, 19th century history painting, geneva city scene oil, swiss flags painting, ceremonial parade artwork, cavalry painting...
Canvas, Oil
$420Sale Price|20% Off
“Portuguese Fisherman”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor on archival paper of a Portuguese fisherman with fishing boats in the background. Done in an academic style. Great detail. Signed by the artist and dated 1971 lo...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Large Antique French 19th Century Oil Canvas Painting "Hearts Awakening" Cherubs
Located in Portland, OR
A fine late 19th century oil on canvas painting, circa of William-Adolphe Bouguereau (French, 1825-1905). Oil on canvas painting depicting a woman with two cherubs in a garden. After...
Oil, Canvas
South Bay, Seascape, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: South Bay Size: 29" x 39.5" x 0.8'' ...
Canvas, Oil
$4,800Sale Price|20% Off
“Portrait of Jacob Dolson Cox”
Located in Southampton, NY
Very well executed portrait of Jacob Dolson Cox. See the sitter’s biography below. Signed top right and dated 1881. Relined canvas, very good condition. The portrait is housed in a contemporary replica of a period frame. Overall framed measurements are 33.25 by 28.25 inches. Provenance: A East Hampton, Long Island collector. Biography George Peter Alexander Healy was born in Boston on July 15, 1813, the first of five children of William Healy, an Irish immigrant and captain of a merchant vessel, and his wife Mary Hicks. Healy showed an early artistic interest: by 1830 the self-taught painter had opened a portrait studio from which he hoped to help to support his family. Although commissions were at first sparse, young Healy received important encouragement from Thomas Sully (1783-1872)) who advised him to make painting his profession. His fortunes also improved in 1831 when Mrs. Harrison Gray Otis, a leader in Boston society, granted him permission to paint her portrait and recommended his talents to other potential patrons. In 1834 Healy went to France where he studied with Baron Antoine-Jean Gros (1771-1835). A year later he traveled through Italy, visiting museums and churches in the company of Lady and Sir Arthur Faulkner who soon provided his introduction to London society. It was in England that Healy met and, in 1839, married Louisa Phipps. The couple settled in Paris where Healy embarked upon the beginning of a long and happy marriage and thriving career. His diplomatic and affable demeanor, together with his obvious skill, brought him tremendous success throughout Europe and the United States. Prolific, as well as talented, he had by 1867 produced more than six hundred portraits. The constant stream of commissions included dignified, imposing portraits of such celebrated figures as Pope Pius IX and Queen Elizabeth of Romania, the latter of whom developed a warm friendship with Healy and his family. Although Healy, sometimes accompanied by his wife, traveled to the United States several times during the 1840s and early 1850s, it was not until 1856 that the entire family settled in America. They took up residence in the booming city of Chicago, which Healy used as a base for his work in Boston, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and other cities. During the Civil War years he often traveled to Washington to paint military figures and members of the President's cabinet. The family returned to Europe in 1867, but George Healy...
Canvas, Oil
Elisabeth Voigt – Signed German Landscape Oil Painting, circa 1950s
Located in Zofingen, AG
Elisabeth Voigt (German, 20th Century, d. 1977) Oil on board (likely hardboard / Masonite); Dimensions: • Image: 22 × 16 cm • Framed: 35x29x5 cm Signed lower left. A charming and...
Oil, Panel
“Still Life with Fruit”
By Oliver Clare
Located in Southampton, NY
Very well Victorian still life of fruit by the renowned botanical artist, Oliver Clare. Signed by the artist lower right. Circa 1880. Condition is very good. The painting is housed i...
Canvas, Oil
$1,400Sale Price|20% Off
“Tipos”
Located in Southampton, NY
Oil paint on heavy illustration board by the Spanish artist, Cecilio Pla. Signed lower right. Titled and signed verso. “Tipos” means types; different type...
Oil, Illustration Board
$325Sale Price|20% Off
"Notions Possibilités" Study of Horse Gaits and Motion by Robert Ladou
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Abstract Study or a Rearing Horse and Figure Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Pen on paper Size: 6.25 (Height) x 4.5 (Width) Signed: No Condit...
Pen
$300Sale Price|20% Off
“Chinese Female Figures in Interior #2”
Located in Southampton, NY
Chinese print in colors of female figures in interior. Unknown artist. Unsigned.. Circa 1930. Condition is very good. Under glass. Possibly a portion of a larger Chinese scroll. ...
Color
$3,000Sale Price|20% Off
"Portrait of the Black Ball Clipper Montezuma"
Located in Southampton, NY
Watercolor on paper by William Minshall Birchall of the black ball clipper ship, the Montezuma. Titled and signed W. M. Birchall lower left in pencil. Findlay Gallery label verso. 0riginal frame and mat with normal wear due to age. The American packet ship...
Paper, Watercolor
Print Albert Anker "Der Quacksalber", Laque on Panel, Mid-Century, Framed
Located in Zofingen, AG
Print Albert Anker "Der Quacksalber", Laque on Panel, Mid-Century, Framed Title Print on Panel Albert Anker "Der Quacksalber", Mid-Century, Framed, Switzerland Medium Print on pane...
Oil, Panel
Ocean Side, Impressionism Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2024 Style: Impressionism Title: Ocean Side Size: 29.5" x 39" x 0.8'...
Canvas, Oil
“The Grand Canal, Venice”
Located in Southampton, NY
Venice, The Grand Canal, Illustrated London News: hand-colored wood engraving after drawings by Viscount Maidstone, published August 25, 1849 in The Illustrated London News, titled “...
Archival Paper, Engraving
Elegant Neoclassical White Marble Fragment Draped Female Sculpture 19' century
Located in Rome, IT
Elegant marble sculpture fragment depicting a draped female figure, inspired by the ideals of Classical Antiquity and presented in the refine...
Marble
Horse and Woman, Abstract Screenprint with Gold Paint by Lebadang
By Hoi Lebadang
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Lebadang, Vietnamese (1922 - 2015) Title: Untitled - Horse and Woman Medium: Screenprint with Gold Paint, signed in pencil Edition: EA Size: 30...
Gold Leaf
$3,360Sale Price|20% Off
“Mother and Child in the Garden”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting of a young woman with child in a garden in the moon light. The artist is the well known American painter, Edward Percy Moran. Signed by the artist low...
Canvas, Oil
$360Sale Price|20% Off
“Paris, Place du Tertre”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original hand colored lithograph by the French artist, Maurice Jacque of the Place du Tertre in Montmartre Paris, France. Signed in lower right margin. Titled in lower left margin. ...
Archival Paper, Lithograph
“Still Life with Fruit and Melon”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting of a still life composed of an open melon, grapes, peaches, plums and berries. Signed illegibly lower right. German school. Circa 1880. Beautiful gol...
Canvas, Oil
"Portrait of Rebecca" Harriet Peale, Early American Female Portrait
By Harriet Cany Peale
Located in New York, NY
Harriet Peale Portrait of Rebecca, 1840 Inscribed verso, “Portrait of Rebecca Greenwood (?)/ Aged 25 years/ Painted by Harriet C. Cany/ May 1840” Oil on canvas 28 3/4 x 23 3/4 inches...
Canvas, Oil
$3,622Sale Price|20% Off
Lively Conversation at a Balustrade, 19th Century Oil on Canvas
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas Dimensions with frame : 83 x 101.5 x 3.5 cm This 19th-century painting depicts a genre scene, typical of the academic and romantic art of the period. It shows three fi...
Oil
$1,597Sale Price|20% Off
Return from Hunting Oil Painting, Framed, 19th Century, 75x63 cm
Located in Genève, GE
Fine antique oil on canvas depicting a traditional hunting still life composed of a suspended hare, pheasant, and game birds arranged in a rustic interior setting. Executed in the spirit of late 18th to early 19th century European still life painting...
Oil, Canvas
Prosperous Family: Academic Figurative Painting by Mark Beard aka Bruce Sargeant
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Academic style figurative painting on canvas of a family and red tractor against a classic American farm field "Prosperous Family", painted by Mark Beard under his fictitious persona, Bruce Sargeant 84 x 58 inches unframed, 91 x 65 x 3 inches with a gold painted wood frame Excellent condition, ready to hang as is This Academic style figurative oil painting on canvas was painted by Mark Beard as Bruce Sargeant, a pseudonym in homage to the fashion photographer, Bruce Weber, and figurative painter, John Singer Sargeant. Here, the artist captures a blue collar American farming family in their field with an old red tractor. The man and woman stand stoically with their young child, dressed in simple white garments, perhaps to symbolize their purity. Rolling mountains...
Canvas, Oil
$2,000
Moonlight, Seascape, Original oil Painting, Handmade, Canvas Art, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Moonlight Size: 17.5" x 23.5" x 0.8'...
Canvas, Oil
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
The Painter's Studio original painting by Paula Craioveanu oil on canvas Framed
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"The Painter's Studio", oil on canvas, 39x27.5in / 100x70cm The artist's studio and art objects part of artist' life and work. A sculpture, an antique head and a painting that remin...
Canvas, Oil
$512Sale Price|20% Off
Venice, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Subject: Venice, Size: 8.5" x 12" x 0.8'' ...
Canvas, Oil
Mythological scene, study for the Prize of Rome 1864, French academism, Homer
Located in Norwich, GB
This rare mythological scene depicting the Greek author Homer on the island of Scyros. You will notice the Trojan War being fought in the background. Our painting, dating from 1864, is unsigned, but has a solid attribution to academic artist Henri-Léopold Lévy...
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of a Young Boy with Cap and Red Scarf, European Oil Painting
Located in Genève, GE
Dimension with frame: 42,5 x 34,5 x 4 cm. A sensitive and finely observed portrait of a young boy shown in profile, wearing a dark cap and a vivid red scarf. The composition is inti...
Oil, Cardboard
Portrait of a Woman in Traditional Dress and Lace Bonnet
Located in Genève, GE
A finely executed 19th-century portrait depicting a woman dressed in traditional regional attire. Presented against a dark background that emphasizes her calm expression and dignifie...
Canvas, Oil
$576Sale Price|20% Off
Morning Breeze, coastal, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Morning Breeze, Size: 9" x 13.5" x ...
Canvas, Oil
$960Sale Price|20% Off
“Still Life with Strawberries”
Located in Southampton, NY
Very nicely executed original still life oil painting on fiberboard of strawberries by an unknown artist. Signed lower right, Charles Burch. I believe this painting is quite possibly the work of Edward Pritchard...
Oil, Fiberboard
Flowering Peppermint Plants: A 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving entitled "Pulegium Cervinum, Pseudo Pulegium Struthium, Pulegium Regium", depicting flowering Peppermint, Weld and Pennyroyal plants respectively from Basilius Besler's landmark work, Hortus Eystettensis (Garden at Eichstatt), first published in 1613 in Eichstatt, Germany near Nuremberg and later in 1640 and 1713. This beautiful colorful engraving is printed on thin laid chain-linked paper. There are subtle creases in the right upper corner, very common with Besler's relating to the drying of the paper during its production. The right margin is thinner than the others. The print is otherwise in excellent condition with striking hand-coloring. Basilius Besler (1561–1629) was an apothecary and botanist. He was curator of the Willibaldsburg Castle garden of Johann Konrad von Gemmingen, prince bishop...
Engraving
$2,684Sale Price|20% Off
Departure of the infantrymen for the war of 14, signed
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas signed lower right Dimension with frame 70 x 80 x 6 cm This striking work captures a group of French soldiers marching determinedly along a dusty road, with the distan...
Oil
Lion & Mouse
Located in New York, NY
Isadore stands as one of the greatest animaliers of all time and this is a playful and endearing example of his work! Especially going forward, these bronzes make a distinctive and...
Bronze
Wounded Achilles En Grisaille Oil on Canvas Painting by Philip Melville Courtney
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Classical Male Nude Painting, After the Antique — Inspired by Wounded Achilles Oil on Canvas, Contemporary This exceptional en grisaille oil on canvas figurative painting is inspired...
Oil
“Shipping in Southampton Water”
By Ebenezer Colls
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting of a large sailing vessel traveling through Southampton waters in England in a dramatic sunset. The artist is the well known British marine artist Ebe...
Canvas, Oil
“A Trip to Scarbro’”
Located in Southampton, NY
Rare, original hand colored etching (Aquatint) from the Poetical Sketches of Scarborough titled “A Tro to Scarbro’”. Condition is good. Executed in 1813. Under glass. The etching ...
Etching, Aquatint
$11,250Sale Price|25% Off
'Peau d’Âne' Large 19th-Century French Allegorical Pastoral Painting
Located in New York, NY
Pastoral Scene with Young Woman and Turkeys Oil on canvas 118.5 × 153.5 cm The frame is extremelly heavy, better to sell without it. Signed low-right This large-scale and finely ex...
Canvas, Oil
Carrying Fruit, Abstract Gold Leaf Screenprint by Lebadang aka Hoi
By Hoi Lebadang
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Lebadang, Vietnamese (1922 - 2015) Title: Untitled - Carrying Fruit Medium: Screenprint, signed in pencil Edition: EA Size: 47 x 20.5 in. (119.38 x 52.07 cm)
Gold Leaf
Flower Painting French Academic Realist Still life DUDAN mid 19th
Located in PARIS, FR
Gabriel-Dominique DUDAN (Active from the 1830s to the 1850s) Bouquet of Roses, Foxgloves, Poppies, Violets, and Daisies Oil on canvas 61 x 50 cm (77 x 66 cm with frame) Signed and da...
Oil
$420Sale Price|20% Off
“Washing Day”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor on archival paper of a group of local villagers washing their clothes by the sea. Done in an academic style. Great detail. Signed by the artist and dated 1970 lo...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
$420
Greek Architecture Blueprint of Ancient Amphitheatre Cyanotype Print, Watercolor
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. Details: + Title: Ancient Roman Amphitheater + Year: 2022 + Edition Size: 50 + Stamped and Certificate of Authenticity provided + Measurements : 70x100 cm (28x 40 in.), a standard frame size + All cyanotype prints...
Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, C Print, Lithograph, Monotype, ...
Drawing Trois crayons Chalk Portrait American Chaplain and Abolistionist 19th
Located in PARIS, FR
19th century French school Drawing Trois crayons on paper Alleged portrait of chapelain William Rounseville Alger (1822-1905) 25 x 20 cm (28 x 23 cm with the frame) Very good condit...
Chalk