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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
Four Season Extraordinary Set of Italian Stone Caryatids Sculptures
Located in Rome, IT
Four Caryatids sculptures with classically draped figures and their distinguishing symbols. Autumn, winter, spring and summer. Measures: Height with square form bases cm 220. Time...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

Procession Four girls with flowers - English Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
Four young English girls with flowers are shown in a line and moving from left to right. They are pushed forward on the picture plane as if they were on a stage with a simple indica...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

A.Bachman (1863-1956), painting view of Venice
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
BACHMANN Alfred Félix August (1863-1956) Lively view of Venice Oil on wood panel signed low left Old frame regilded with gold leaves Dim wood : 24 X 34 cm Dim frame : 38 X 48 cm BA...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

French academic painting Allegory Spring Love Child Belle Epoque end 19th
Located in PARIS, FR
Emile VERNON Blois, 1872 – Blois, 1920 Oil on canvas 44 x 61 cm (57 x 74 cm with frame) Signed lower right “Emile Vernon” Very beautiful 19th century frame in carved and gilded wood ...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

The bather and the artist: the bashful nude naturalist French oil painting
Located in Norwich, GB
It's just a little embarassing. Our young bather went for a skinny dip in the river and now needs to snatch her clothes without being spotted by the elderly artist on the river bank ...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Pacific Highway, 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: Pacific Highway Size: 16.5" x 21.5" ...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Love & the Jester - Oil Painting of Sacrifice
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil Painting of a Love and Sacrafice by Cuban Artist Jesus Nordarse. Oil on Canvas. 18 x 18 inches. THE MAN: Jesús Nodarse Valdés was born in Sagua la Grande, Cuba in 1973. He studi...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Landscape, Post Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Signed to lower right Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2022 Style: Impressionism Title: Landscape Size...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Biedermeier Period Academic Life Study Male Nude Half Kneeling Pose Circa 1826
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Eduard Braun. German ( b.1798 - d.1876 ). Academic Life Study Of A Male Nude Half Kneeling Pose. Pencil & Charcoal On Paper With Heightening. Paper size 2...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Pencil

Painting 19th Century Marine ruins old master
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
BACHMANN Alfred Félix August (1863-1956) Bording near the Antique Temple Oil on canvas signed Low Left Frame gilded with leaves ...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

The first time model: the enigmatic young bohemian girl in traditional dress
Located in Norwich, GB
I love the feisty attitude of the girl depicted! With her hand on her hip, she seems to be saying to the artist: "Whatya looking at anyway?" She looks like she has a good head on he...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Cape Neddick Light”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor on archival paper of the Cape Neddick Lighthouse in York, Maine. Signed lower right. Circa 1950. Condition is very good. Several tiny spots of foxing. The wa...
Category

1950s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

“Classic Sailboats”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautiful, original watercolor on archival paper of two classic American sailboats by the well known marine artist, Ron Saporito Signed by the artist lower right. Condition is excel...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Nude Boy Discovered in Barn - Gay Interest
Located in Miami, FL
Norman Mills Price depicts a handsome, nude blond boy with classical good looks. He is lying on his stomach in straw in the loft of a barn with his buttocks exposed. The artist captu...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Gouache, Board, Pencil

Paris, Boulevard Porte Saint Denis
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
FOURNIER Victor Alfred (1872-1924) "Paris, Porte Saint Denis" Oil on canvas signed lower right and dated 1924 Old frame gilded with leaf (fine gold) Canvas size: 40 X 30 cm Frame size: 58 X 48 cm FOURNIER Victor Alfred (1872-1924) French 20th century Born in Paris in 1872. Died in Paris in 1924 Painter of landscapes, seascapes, beach scenes, urban landscapes. Victor Fournier...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Hunting Dog Portrait Pastel On Paper By Catherine Dammeron
Located in Gavere, BE
The artist Catherine Dammeron was born in 1976 in Wissembourg in Alsace. She made her passion for pastel drawing her job. Artist going against the current, this resident of Yonne fav...
Category

1990s Academic Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Two Landscapes in Pair
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Paul ARMANDI (19th Century) Wood Landscapes by the river Oils on canvas in pair signed low right New golden frames Canvas : 65 X 40 cm Frame : 83 X 58 cm Paul ARMANDI is one of ...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Old Time Football in the 1920s - Football 1920s - Classic Football
Located in Miami, FL
You Got to be a Football Hero to Get Along with a Beautiful Girl. Masterfully composed and dynamic illustration that show a player getting punched in the jaw. During this period, there were no face...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nymphs and Cherubs in the Park
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Henri Paul ROLLAND (1891-1923) Nymphs and cherubs in the Park Oil on Wood panel signed low right Golden frame Size canvas : 70 X 81 cm Size frame : 90 X 100 cm ROLLAND Henri Paul(...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Art Deco Thistles Still Life Watercolor Painting by Marie Benoit-Levy
Located in Atlanta, GA
Marie Benoit-Levy (France, 20th Century). This stunning watercolor on Arches Vellum paper painting features a still-life with thistles and a blue water pot, an academic design by Mar...
Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor

An Amusing Thought by Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert 1848-1923 Belgian An Amusing Thought Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower left) Oil on panel This oil on panel by Belgian artist Georges Croegaert is a rich ...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Sophie Holten (1858-1930), the Parthenon Frieze, London 1901
Located in Greding, DE
Painting based on the Peplos scene (Block V, eastern Parthenon frieze, ca. 447-433 BC) by the Danish painter Sophie Holten (1858 Skuldelev - 1930 Rosk...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 11
Located in Paris, IDF
Rapidography & acrylic on paper + white frame Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in his artworks on paper or onto canvas. The rapidograph is a special pen with a capillary tubular tip in which flows a black pigment, an ancient drawing tool...
Category

1990s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Hercules at Rest Large En Grisaille Oil Painting by Philip Melville Courtney
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Hercules at Rest — En Grisaille Oil on Canvas By American artist Philip Melville Courtney This commanding large-scale en grisaille painting presents a refined academic study of Hercu...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Redhead in Profile
Located in Miami, FL
Beautifully rendered in Krolls signature academic style. Unframed - Signed lower right, unframed
Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Wood, Oil

Young naked woman with bunch of grapes
Located in Genève, GE
Dimension with frame :110 x 79 x 6.5 cm Young nude woman with a bunch of grapes Oil on canvas, dated 1970 Signed lower left: G.H. A sublime oil on canvas depicting a young nude woman...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Four Season Extraordinary Set of Italian Stone Caryatids Sculptures
Located in Rome, IT
Four Caryatids sculptures with classically draped figures and their distinguishing symbols. Autumn, winter, spring and summer. Measures: Height wi...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

Original French Anatomical Study of a Horse's Hind Legs
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Study of a Horse's Hind Legs Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Pencil on paper Size: 20 (Height) x 13.5 (Width) Signed: No Condition:...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Pencil

Classical Naturalistic Style Italian Allegory Study
Located in Houston, TX
Classical style allegorical painting with puti and monarchy type figures floating within the clouds. The canvas is framed in a decorative gold frame. Dimensions Without Frame: H 43.5...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

“French Country View”
Located in Southampton, NY
Very well executed oil on canvas painting of a French countryside view by J.S. Dorange. Signed lower right. Condition is very good. Circa 1920. The style is academic with more of an...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vogue Magazine Illustration Turn of the Century - Woman Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
Early in the artist's career most likely for Vogue Magazine. Signed lower left. Helen Dryden (1882–1972) was an American artist and successful industrial designer in the 1920s and 1...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

India Ink, Pencil, Graphite, Gouache

Muse, Women Portrait, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2016 Style: Portrait Surrealism, Title: Muse, Size: 19.5" x 19.5" x 0.8'' ...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Declaration Of Love
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
COLIN François (1798-1864) The Declaration of love Oil on canves signed low left Old frame regilded with leaves Dim canvas : 41 X 57 - Dim frame : 56 X 71 cm COLIN François (1798-1...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Young Lady With Parasol in The garden
By Eugène Charles Picou
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
PICOU Eugène Charles (1831–1914) - "Young Girl with parasol" - Oil on canvas signed lower left - Old frame gilded with leaf - Canvas size: 61 X 50 cm...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Etienne Billet Portrait of William H. Fitch Oil on Canvas
Located in Astoria, NY
Etienne Billet (French, 1821-1888), Portrait of William Harold Fitch, Oil on Canvas laid on Board, circa 1870, signed mid left, inscribed "William Harold Fitch / of Marseilles France...
Category

1870s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“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...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Venus and the Sea Monster Large Mythological Oil on Canvas Female Nude
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Venus and the Sea Monster Large Mythological Oil on Canvas — Sculpture Rendered in Painting By American Artist Philip Melville Courtney This large-scale oil on canvas painting presen...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

“Hauling in the Fishing Boat”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor on archival paper of a fishing boat being hauled onto the beach by a team of animals and villagers. Done in an academic style. Signed by the artist and dated 197...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

'Chapel in the Woods', Oil on Canvas Painting by English School
Located in London, GB
'Chapel in the Woods', oil on canvas painting by English School English, 1847 Canvas: Height 56cm, width 77cm, depth 2.5cm Frame: Height 78cm, width 97cm, depth 9cm This beautiful ...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Original "Your Country's Call, Enlist Now" 1915 vintage British poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Your Country's Call. Isn't this Worth Fighting For? Enlist Now. Original WW1 poster, archival linen-backed vintage military poster. Linen-backed and ...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Academic Study of the Roman Bust, Tuscan School, 44 × 34 cm
Located in Firenze, IT
Academic Study of the Roman Bust, Tuscan School, 44 × 34 cm Mid-19th century Pencil on paper Academic study of a Roman bust, drawn in pencil with a balanced sense of form and light....
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Carbon Pencil

The walk in Luxembourg Garden in Paris, also called "The Privileged"
By Antoine-Victor-Edmond-Madeleine Joinville
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
JOINVILLE Antoine Victor Edmond Madeleine (1801-1849) From Ludwig Knaus (1829-1910) The Walk in Luxembourg Garden" in Paris, also called "The Privileged" Preserved at The Louvres M...
Category

1870s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Armand Guillaumin au Pendu - Original etching (Venturi #1159)
Located in Paris, IDF
Paul CEZANNE (1839-1906) Armand Guillaumin Hanged Original Etching Unsigned On laid paper, 32 x 25 cm (c. 13 x 10 in) REFERENCES: - Catalogue Raisonné Venturi #1159 - Catalogue Rai...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Etching

Basket of pansies Flowers - painting 19th century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
BIVA Paul (1851 - 1900) Basket of Pansies Oil on canvas signed low left Framed by Gault (Paris) Dim canvas : 60 X 80 cm Dim frame : 80 X 100 cm BIVA Paul (1851 - 1900) French Pain...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Cleopatra Queen of Egypt 17' century Painting Oil on Canvas
Located in Rome, IT
Amazing painting of Cleopatra oil on canvas with a gilt wood frame. Attributed to Giuseppe Diamantini (Fossombrone 1621-Venice 1705) The dramatic subje...
Category

Late 17th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

“Provincetown Harbor”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautiful original watercolor of Provincetown Harbor in first light by the well known artist John Cuthbert Hare. Signed lower right. Condition is excellent. The watercolor is hou...
Category

1950s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Young boy with carafe by Heinrich Rettig - Watercolor on paper 60x76 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Watercolor on paper sold with frame Total size with frame 73x89 cm Heinrich RETTIG is an artist born in Germany in 1859 and died in 1921. His works have been sold at public auction ...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor

Vintage Large Albumen Photo Jerusalem Photograph American Colony Old City Market
Located in Surfside, FL
The mat measures 21 X 16 the images are around 12 X 9 inches. They bear the blindstamp of the American Colony Jerusalem. I am not sure if these are hand colored but they are from th...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

“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

Toileting Children in the Garden - Original Etching Signed (Petrides #E19)
Located in Paris, IDF
Suzanne VALADON (1865-1938) Toileting Children in the Garden, 1932 Original etching Signed in pencil On BFK Rives vellum 53.5 x 44 cm (c. 21 x 17.3 in) INFORMATION : Printed in 193...
Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Etching

“Scene in Union Square, New York on a March Day
Located in Southampton, NY
Original wood engraving on paper. Taken from Harper’s Weekly, April 7, 1860. Signed “Homer” in the plate. Condition is good. Slight staining lower left. Very slight tear to the l...
Category

1860s Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Engraving

Madman from Gyurle, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2016 Style: Figurative Surrealism, Title: Madman from Gyurle, Size: 31.5" ...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sexy Woman in a Swamp Storm - Pulp Magazine, Hispanic Artist, Mid Century
Located in Miami, FL
Rafael Maria de Soto y Hernandez was born February 18, 1904 in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It's high drama in the swamp. Woman in the Swamp is a masterfully executed example of Pulp Art and showcases Rafael DeSoto's full command of academic painting. DeSoto did pulp covers up until the industry's demise in the 1950s for such magazines as Adventure, Argosy, Black Mask, Captain Zero, Crack Detective, Fantastic Novels, 15-Story Detective, Fifteen Western Tales, New Detective, Smashing Detective, and Walt Coburn's Western Magazine. He also painted many covers and interior story illustrations for men's adventure magazines, such as Action For Men, Adventure, Battle Cry, For Men Only...
Category

1950s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Board

“Matterhorn”
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a wonderfully detailed miniature painting of the Matterhorn. Signed and titled verso. Attributed to the artist William Archibald Wall. Dated 6/50 verso...
Category

1850s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Fiberboard

“Matterhorn”
“Matterhorn”
$1,120 Sale Price
20% Off
“Flying South”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting of Canadian geese flying south under a twilight sky. Beautiful light reflection in the water below Signed lower right and attributed to Alice Roge...
Category

1940s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Flying South”
“Flying South”
$1,760 Sale Price
20% Off
Vintage Large Albumen Photo Jerusalem Photograph American Colony Mt Zion Trees
Located in Surfside, FL
The mat measures 21 X 16 the images are around 12 X 9 inches. They bear the blindstamp of the American Colony Jerusalem. I am not sure if these are hand colored but they are from th...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Girl Kneeling - female, figurative, nude, pencil drawing on paper
Located in Bloomfield, ON
It is a classic drawing in pencil. A young woman, nude, kneels, hands behind her head. She is looking away from the viewer into the distance, a solemn gaze. Christopher Pratt, one of...
Category

1980s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Carbon Pencil

“Waiting for his Arrival” Oil on panel, Signed
Located in Jacksonville, FL
The painting is signed and dated 1872 in Algiers Description: Ferdinand Victor Léon Roybet (1840-1920) was a French painter renowned for...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Sunset, Seascape, Original oil Painting on Linen, Framed
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2021 Style: Impressionism Subject: Sunset, Size: 17.5" x 23.5" x 0.8...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Listening N°2 by Benjamin II Vautier - Graphite on paper - 26.5x21 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Benjamin II Vautier (1895–1974) was a Swiss-born artist, known for his contributions to both painting and graphic art. He was born into a family with artistic roots, as the son of Ot...
Category

Mid-20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Graphite

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.