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Academic Art

ACADEMIC STYLE

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. 

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Style: Academic
Artist: george brookshaw
Plums: George Brookshaw's Framed Hand-colored 19th C. Aquatint
Located in Alamo, CA
George Brookshaw's (1751-1823) beautiful "Plums" hand colored aquatint engraving from his "Pomona Brittanica", considered to be the finest British botanical large format treatise of the 19th-century. His engravings were unique for their rich tones and colors, elegant compositions with the fruit seeming to float on a mottled sumptuous background. There are purple, mustard-colored plums on brown branches with green leaves over a two-tone dark brown and light tan background. The print is presented in an ornate bronze-colored wood frame with gold-colored inner and outer trims and a triple mat. The outer mat is a marbled light...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Aquatint

Peaches, Nectarines: George Brookshaw's 19th C. Framed Hand-colored Aquatint
Located in Alamo, CA
George Brookshaw's (1751-1823) beautiful "Peaches, Nectarines" hand colored aquatint engraving, plate 38 from his "Pomona Brittanica", considered to be the finest British botanical large format treatise of the 19th-century. His engravings were unique for their rich tones and colors, elegant compositions with the fruit seeming to float on a mottled sumptuous background. The pale green and peach-colored peaches and the pink and green flowers lie on a rich dark brown-colored background. The print is presented in an ornate bronze-colored wood frame with gold-colored inner and outer trims and a triple mat. The outer mat is a marbled light...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Aquatint

Pears LXXXII
Located in Florham Park, NJ
This piece would pair well with Brookshaw's "Peaches XXVI" which is also listed. GEORGE BROOKSHAW (1751 – 1823). Pomona Britannica of a Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits…. En...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Tape, Handmade Paper, Plexiglass, Watercolor

Cherries. Plate IX.
Located in Florham Park, NJ
GEORGE BROOKSHAW (1751 – 1823). Pomona Britannica of a Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits…. Engravers R. Brookshaw and H. Merke. London, 1812. Aquatint and stipple engravings...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving

Plate 91. Apples.
Located in Florham Park, NJ
GEORGE BROOKSHAW (1751 – 1823). Pomona Britannica of a Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits…. Engravers R. Brookshaw and H. Merke. London, 1812. Aquatint and stipple engravings...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Pears LXXXII
Located in Florham Park, NJ
GEORGE BROOKSHAW (1751 – 1823). Pomona Britannica of a Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits…. Engravers R. Brookshaw and H. Merke. London, 1812. Aquatint and stipple engravings...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Tape, Handmade Paper, Plexiglass, Rag Paper, Si...

Plate 88. Apples.
Located in Florham Park, NJ
GEORGE BROOKSHAW (1751 – 1823). Pomona Britannica of a Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits…. Engravers R. Brookshaw and H. Merke. London, 1812. Aquatint and stipple engravings...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Peaches XXVI
Located in Florham Park, NJ
This piece would pair well with Brookshaw's "Pears LXXXII" which is also listed. GEORGE BROOKSHAW (1751 – 1823). Pomona Britannica of a Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits…. En...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper, Archival Tape, Handmade Paper, Plexiglass, R...

Peaches XXXIV
Located in Florham Park, NJ
GEORGE BROOKSHAW (1751 – 1823). Pomona Britannica of a Collection of the Most Esteemed Fruits…. Engravers R. Brookshaw and H. Merke. London, 1812. Aquatint and stipple engravings...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Watercolor, Archival Tape, Gesso, Handmade Paper, Plexig...

Related Items
Carcavelos Pier Paddle (framed) - large scale photograph of summer beach scene
Located in San Francisco, CA
large format photograph of a summer beach scene along Portugal's Atlantic coast by iconic Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and rituals of modern leisure Carcavelos Pier Paddle (2016) 61.25” x 81.68” / 155.60 cm x 207.46 cm limited edition of 6 + 2AP (signed, titled and dated on certificate of authenticity) original archival photography print with diasec (acrylic glass) face mount in contemporary white lacquered gallery frame Each limited edition original Massimo Vitali photograph is printed in Italy under artist supervision in strictly limited edition (6 + 2AP) , signed/titled/dated upon final inspection and expertly framed at renowned European art framing facility Disclaimer of authenticity: although it is possible to acquire (small size) single page offset prints from the book "A Portfolio of Landscapes and Figures" (published by Steidl) in the secondary market, the artist studio strongly dissuades collectors from purchasing these single page prints outside of the context and authenticity of the complete portfolio. About the artist: Massimo Vitali was born in Como, Italy, in 1944. He studied photography at the London College of Printing, in the 1970s initially working as a photojournalist, but at the beginning of the 80s a growing mistrust in the belief that photography had an absolute capacity to reproduce the subtleties of reality led to a change in his career path. Vitali worked in cinematography for film and television before beginning a fine art practice in 1995. Over the next two decades, he would gain recognition for his highly detailed, epic-scale panoramas — sociopolitical observations of the natural habitat of humankind at leisure. Vitali’s iconic series of beach panoramas, captured from a distance with an elevated large-format camera platform, began in the light of drastic political changes in Italy. Drawing inspiration from Renaissance and Old Flemish masters, in which the central space is fully exploited and the urban or natural landscape becomes the background, Vitali’s photographs grasp the viewer by capturing highly detailed observances of the recreational habitats of modern civilization. Vitali’s work has been collected in six monographs: Beach and Disco, Natural Habitats, Landscapes With Figures, Swimming Pools, Short Stories and Entering A New World. Additionally, his work is represented in the world’s major museums, including the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, the Fond National Art Contemporaine in Paris, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Fondation Cartier in Paris and the Museo Luigi Pecci in Prato. Massimo Vitali lives and works in Lucca (Italy) and in Berlin (Germany). __________________________ SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2021 'PienoVuoto' Forte di Belvedere, Florence 2020 'Human Constellations' Museo Ettore Fico, Turin 2019 Massimo Vitali: Short Stories' Mazzoleni, London 2018 'Coastal Colonies' Spiral, Tokyo 2017 ‘Disturbed Coastal Systems’ Benrubi Gallery (New York, USA) 2016 ‘Landscapes with Figures’ Guido & Schoen Arte Contemponania (Genoa, Italy) 2016 ‘Massimo Vitali’ Crown Gallery (Knokke-Zoute, Belgium) 2016 ‘Massimo Vitali’ Ronchini Gallery (London, UK) 2015 ‘New Prints’ Hilger Next (Vienna, Austria) 2014 ‘Massimo Vitali’ Studio La Citta (Verona, Italy) 2014 ‘Into The White’ Erich Lindenberg Art Foundation (Porza, Switzerland) 2014 ‘Sempre più pallide. Towards Achrome’ Palazzo Tadea (Spilimbergo, Italy) 2013 ‘Between Normalities’ Bonni Benrubi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Wood, Plexiglass, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper

“Evening”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautifully executed etching on archival paper by the well known American artist, Morris Henry Hobbs. Circa 1935. Condition is excellent. Signed in the lower right margin by the a...
Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Etching

"Le Petit Cirque Prinder, " Original Etching signd by Auguste Brouet
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Le Petit Cirque Prinder" is an original etching by Auguste Brouet. This piece depicts a variety of circus performers surrounded by small children. The artist signed the piece in the...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

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Lampedusa (framed) - large scale photograph of Mediterranean summer beach scene
Located in San Francisco, CA
Large format photograph of a summer beach scene on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, from an earlier body of works (2012) by iconic Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Plexiglass, Wood, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper

Dante & Virgilus - Etching, (Ed. Goupil, 1897)
Located in Paris, FR
ARTISTE: after Auguste RODIN TITLE : Dante & Virgilus MEDIUM : Etching/photogravure after the original drawing SIGNATURE : Unsigned YEAR : 1897 PAPER : Vellum SIZE : 13 x 10" INFOR...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Etching

“On the Seine, Paris”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original aquatint etching of working river barges on the Seine in Paris, France. A horse drawn cart is seen loading or unloading product. Circa 1900. Si...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Aquatint

Hand-colored 1834 Joseph Paxton Botanical Engraving of Yellow Trumpet Flowers
By Joseph Paxton
Located in Alamo, CA
A hand-colored engraving of yellow trumpet flowers from Sir Joseph Paxton's (1803-1865) "Magazine of Botany and Register of Flowering Plants", published in 1834. This engraving entit...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

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Engraving

VOLTO DI DONNA - Stampa riproduzione Emilio Greco, anni 70
Located in Napoli, IT
Stampa riprodizione del disegno " Volto di Ragazza" realizzato dal disegnatore Emilio Greco.Firmato in basso a destra. Scultore italiano (Catania 1913 - Roma 1995). Trasferitosi a Ro...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Color

Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving of Flowering Tulip & Wild Garlic Plants
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Tulipa viridiscoloris, Fritillaria iuncifolns, Allium Vrsinum" depicting flowering tulip, fritillary and wild garlic plants fro...
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Early 18th Century Academic Art

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Engraving

Flowering Iris & Other Botanicals: Framed 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Engraving
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a hand-colored copper-plate engraving entitled "I. Spatula foetida - II. Caucalis Dodonei - III. Cruciata", depicting three flowering plants, including an Iris, 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 hand-colored botanical engraving is presented in a gold-colored wood frame with a French mat...
Category

Mid-17th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

LARGE Silkscreen on silk, hand signed with COA also signed by Frank Stella Lt Ed
Located in New York, NY
Frank Stella The Whale Watch Shawl (signed in indelible black marker), held in red silk presentation box; also with embossed COA hand signed by both Frank Stella and Kenneth Tyler, 1994 LARGE: (54 Sq inches) Silkscreen on 100% Italian Silk Shawl, hand signed by Frank Stella in indelible black marker, folded in Red Silk Box with Embossed Certificate of Authenticity (Brand New in Original Red Silk Box) - embossed COA is Hand Signed by Frank Stella and Kenneth Tyler Hand Signed and dated by Frank Stella on recto; signed by BOTH Stella & publisher Kenneth Tyler, and numbered on accompanying embossed COA 54 × 54 inches Unframed and held in original red Italian silk gift box Makes a terrific gift! Stunningly large -- 54 Square Inches. This work looks dazzling framed and hung on the wall -- but as it is a signed silkscreen on silk, but it can also be worn as a gorgeous and exclusive artistic fashion statement. Who else is wearing a Frank Stella scarf...
Category

1990s Academic Art

Materials

Silk, Ink, Mixed Media, Board, Permanent Marker, Screen, Archival Paper,...

“Chess Players”
Located in Southampton, NY
ARTIST Hey, Paul, 1867-1952, artist TITLE Chess players OTHER TITLE(S) Die Schachspieler PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION 1 print : etching ; sheet size 11 1/2" x 15" (30 x 39 cm.) Date: 1898 SUMMARY Three men are sitting around a chess board, two are playing and one is observing. The men are all late middle aged to old aged. The print has some fine details, and cross hatching is used extensively. On the table, besides the the chess set, are two coffee cups and a glass of water. Lower left in margin in pencil “original etching” in German. Lower right margin in pencil “chess players” written in German. No visible signature. The same etching by Paul Hey...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Etching

“Chess Players”
“Chess Players”
H 8 in W 10.5 in D 1.25 in

Academic art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Academic art 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 art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of purple, blue, orange, pink and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Karen Darbinyan, Owen Jones, Paul Jones b.1921, and Mark Beard. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Academic art, so small editions measuring 1.5 inches across are also available. Prices for art 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 $11 and tops out at $700,000, while the average work sells for $1,444.

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