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.
$1,300Sale Price|35% Off
Stacks of Wheat, Landscape, 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: Stacks of Wheat Size: 16" x 21.5" x ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,750Sale Price|30% Off
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" ...
Oil, Canvas
Path, Landscape 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: Path, Size: 9" x 13.5" x 0.8'' inch...
Canvas, Oil
$960Sale Price|20% Off
Time of Rest, Landscape, 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: Time of Rest, Size: 11.5" x 16" x 0...
Canvas, Oil
The Sunflowers Seller, Figurative, 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 Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2013 Style: Impressionism Title: The Sunflowers Seller Size: 15.5" x ...
Canvas, Oil
In the Garden, Blossom trees 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 Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2017 Style: Impressionism Subject: In the Garden Size: 22" x 28" x 0....
Canvas, Oil
Fly to the Sky, Original Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Year: 2018 Style: Impressionism Subject: Fly to the Sky Size: 20" x 28"...
Canvas, Acrylic
Island, 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 Subje...
Canvas, Oil
French 19th Century Romantic Period 1830s Parisian Lady Portrait Madame Seguin
Located in Norwich, GB
A stunning portrait of a Parisian beauty from the romantic period by Adele Grasset (active ca 1830-1850). With her intelligent eyes and determined look, doesn't this lady bear great resemblance to Chopin's paramour George Sand? The sitter is Jeanne Marie Vidal, wife of Claude Auguste Seguin, from a prominent family in Avignon, as the family tree attached to the back for the frame indicates. Research in old annals has also revealed that Madame Seguin was a modern and independent lady: she worked in lady's fashion in Paris, and patented wrapping mechanism that protected lady's hats during their transport! As often with woman artists of the 18th and 19th century, there is little biographical information available on the artist, Adèle Grasset. We do know however, that she had studied with the highly prominent artist François Gérard (1770-1837) , known also as the Baron Gérard...
Paper, Charcoal
$888Sale Price|20% Off
"On the Vaudoise cost, Switzerland" by René Zwahlen - Watercolor 44x57 cm
By René Zwahlen
Located in Geneva, CH
Watercolor on Arches paper 640g Sold with a silver frame without glass Total size with the passe-partout and the frame 65x78 cm René Zwahlen was a Swiss watercolor artist and pai...
Watercolor
$960Sale Price|61% Off
Mother and Child
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful original painting by French artist, Alexandre de Valentini (1787-1887). Pencil and gouache on paper, 14 x 18.5 inches; 19 x 23.5 inches matted. Signed and dated with Paris...
Gouache, Pencil
$1,046Sale Price|20% Off
Odalisque with Tray Oil on Canvas Painting, Figurative, Signed, 1970s
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Title of the Artwork: Odalisque with Tray Artist: Rosendo González Carbonell Technique: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 24 x 20 inches Frame: Unfr...
Oil, Canvas
$3,043Sale Price|36% Off
Set of Four Butterfly Watercolors on Silk, Signed, Handmade Paper
Located in Cotignac, FR
A set of four watercolours of butterflies on silk, applied to handmade paper, with hand cut edges, by French artist La Roche Laffitte. Two are signed by the artist to the bottom righ...
Silk, Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Carbon Pencil, Gouache
Bashi-Bazouk Pastel Drawing, Academic Style, Late 20th Century
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmado en la parte inferior por el artista Se presenta sin enmarcar la obra Medidas obra: 61 cm. de altura x 50 cm. de ancho Buen estado de conservación el de la obra ::::::::::...
Pastel
$240Sale Price|20% Off
At Paulette's by M. Opériol - Drawing 32x41 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on canton paper
Pastel
$396Sale Price|20% Off
“Flower Seller, Notre Dame”
Located in Southampton, NY
Very nice original hand colored copper plate etching (aquatint) by the Hungarian born artist, Marianne L. Almasy. Depicts a Parisian flower girl selling her bouquets with the iconic cathedral of Notre Dame. Handwritten bottom left in pencil, original etching 136/295. Handwritten in pencil by the artist lower right, L. Marianne. Condition: excellent. Provenance: Sarasota, Florida estate. Professionally matted with a one inch solid oak frame in a medium walnut stain. Overall 24 by 19 inches. Marianne Almasy...
Archival Paper, Etching
$554Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Anatomical Study of Horse's Hoof
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Study of Horse's Hoof Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Watercolor on card Size: 19.75 (Height) x 12.5 (Width) Signed: No Condition: ...
Pencil, Watercolor
$554Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Anatomical Study of Equine Leg Muscles
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Study of Equine Leg Muscles Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Pencil on paper Size: 19.5 (Height) x 12.75 (Width) Signed: No Conditi...
Pencil
$554Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Anatomical Study of Horse's Skull and Cervical Vertebrae
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Study of Horse's Skull and Cervical Vertebrae Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Pencil on Paper Size: 19.75 (Height) x 12.75 (Width) Signed: No Condition: Good, with some minor signs of aging. Provenance: From the artist's estate Description: This pencil anatomical study features the horse's skull and cervical vertebrae, emphasizing the structure and relationships of the bones and muscles in the neck and skull area. The skeletal anatomy of the horse is drawn with fine attention to the structure of the vertebrae and the attachment points of the neck ligaments. Clear lines show the defined contours of the bones. This piece would appeal to both horse anatomy enthusiasts and art collectors who appreciate the detailed study of equine physiology. Perfect for educational purposes or as part of a veterinary or anatomical art...
Pencil
$2,775
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...
Aquatint
Untitled: Rearview Of a Seated Nude
By Henry Varnum Poor
Located in New York, NY
Henry Varnum Poor (American, 1887-1970), "Untitled: Rearview Of A Seated Nude", Figurative Signed Pen and Ink Drawing, 16 x 10.38, Mid 20th Century Colors: Black and White Henry V...
Ink, Pen
Woman smoking pencil drawing
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Frame size 74x61 cm.
Pencil
$237Sale Price|33% Off
Fishing Party - Pencil drawing - circa 1914
Located in Paris, IDF
Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Fishing Party Original pencil and color pencil drawing Signed with the stamp of atelier On paper 26.5 x 20 cm (c. 10,4 x 7.8 in) Very good condition, pap...
Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
$832Sale Price|26% Off
Immaculate Conception Oil on Canvas Painting, Academic Style, Signed
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Title: Immaculate Conception Author: Anonymous Period: 20th Century Technique: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 25.6 x 21.3 in Signature: "Karmel" (lower right) Condition: Good Descr...
Canvas, Oil
$320Sale Price|20% Off
At the market by Jean Ducommun - Drawing 30x42 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper without frame Signed
Crayon
Tug Seascape Original oil Painting on Linen, Framed
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Seascape Original oil Painting on Linen, Framed Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2021 Style: Impressio...
Canvas, Oil
$440Sale Price|20% Off
“Aristocratic Beauty”
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a very well executed pencil (graphite) drawing on archival paper of a young aristocratic lady. Attributed to the hand of the British artist, J.R. Vince...
Archival Paper, Graphite
Grand Canal, Venice
Located in New York, NY
Highly respected American painter Warren Sheppard depicts the fishing boats of Venice with their colorful sails along the still waters of the Adriatic Sea. Sheppard is famous for his...
Canvas, Oil
“Floral Bouquet”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautiful and vibrant oil on canvas painting of a floral bouquet in a vase attributed to the hand of Charles Alfred Meurer. Verified as being painted by Charles Meurer by his daught...
Canvas, Oil
Antoni Costa Woman. original figurative academician drawing painting
By A. Costa
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
woman. original figurative academician drawing painting.. frame Barcelona, 1904 - Barcelona, 1965 It was formed in Buenos Aires, in the Circle of San Lucas of Barcelona and the FAD....
Paper, Graphite
$544Sale Price|78% Off
Dahlias by Roger Delapierre - Oil on canvas 46x55 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Roger Delapierre was born in Geneva in 1935. ... Roger Delapierre's painting has reached full maturity and the success of his exhibitions has proven i...
Oil
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
“Nassau Harbor, Bahamas”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor and gouache on archival paper by the American artist, Martin Louis Lindsay. Signed, titled and dated top right. Done in 1944. Condi...
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
Portrait of Mother and Daughter - Lithograph
Located in Paris, IDF
Maurice DENIS (1870 - 1943) The Woman in the Green Coat, 1918 Lithograph On vellum 47 x 36,5 cm (c. 18,5 x 14,3 inch) INFORMATION : Edited by Louis Rouart in Paris, from a drawing ...
Lithograph
$352Sale Price|20% Off
Study of a young girl by Henri Fehr - Drawing 50x70 cm
$440Sale Price|20% Off
Sketch woman portrait by Stephanie Guerzoni - Sketch on paper 26x37 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Crayon
$3,336Sale Price|50% Off
Jean Cocteau by Mario Napoli - Bronze 60x50x28 cm
By Mario Napoli
Located in Geneva, CH
Bronze sculpture by Mario Napoli, Swiss artist from XXth century. His works was sold 12 times in auctions since 2022. Work signed in the bronze. Edition ...
Bronze
$640Sale Price|20% Off
Potted daffodils - Still life oil on canvas
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on canvas Gilded wooden frame 70,5 x 48 x 4,5 cm Unsigned
Oil
The Opera Singer : Mademoiselle Fel - Etching
Located in Paris, IDF
Maurice Quentin DE LA TOUR (1704-1788) Portrait of Mademoiselle Fel Heliogravure after a pastel by the artist Engraved by J. Chauvet Printed signature in the plate On vellum, 50 x 3...
Etching
$1,788Sale Price|20% Off
Two Hinds on the Run in the Snow, 19th Century Oil on Canvas
Located in Genève, GE
Unsigned oil on canvas; date and artist indicated on the back Two hinds on the run in the snow This 1861 painting illustrates a hunting scene of great dramatic and naturalistic inte...
Oil, Canvas
$887Sale Price|20% Off
Anatomy Drawing of a Horse - Original French Artwork Equestrian Anatomy Study
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Anatomy of a Horse by Robert Ladou (French 1929-2014) original drawing stuck on card in black folder/ thick paper, unframed drawing: 12 x 17.75 ...
Charcoal, Crayon, Watercolor, Pencil, Color Pencil
Samantha Haring "Static" Oil on paper on panel
Located in New York, NY
Samantha Haring "Static," 2024 Oil on paper on panel 20 x 20 in. (hari023)
Paper, Oil, Panel
$950Sale Price|36% Off
“Innocent Captivation Amusement Pastorale”
By Anthony Cardon
Located in Southampton, NY
Original stipple engraving on a verge type of hand laid paper. The overall size of the engraving is 15.75 inches by 12.75 inches The image size of the engraving is 14 inches by 12 i...
Engraving, Laid Paper
$448Sale Price|20% Off
"Epesses, Switzerland" by Monique Monod - Pencil and watercolor
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Silver wood frame with glass pane 36 x 46 x 1,5 cm
Watercolor, Pencil
Orientalism : Young Girls Playing - Original lithograph 1898
By Etienne Dinet
Located in Paris, IDF
Etienne Dinet Orientalism : Young Girl Playing , 1898 Original lithograph (Champenois workshop) Printed signature in the plate On vellum, 40 x 31 cm (c. 16 x 12 in) INFORMATION: Li...
Lithograph
$3,375
Flowering Hyacinth & Calla Plants: A Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving depicting flowering "Hyacinthus Comosus Spurius" (Hyacinth), "Hyacinthus Anglicus" (Blue Hyacinth), "Palma ...
Engraving
"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...
Pencil, Etching
$264Sale Price|20% Off
Granny with glasses by Hans Berger - Engraving 50x39 cm
By Hans Berger
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Ed: 24/100
Charcoal, Engraving
$184Sale Price|44% Off
Portrait of a man by Hans Berger - Drawing 44x50 cm
By Hans Berger
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Ed: 1 /100
Crayon, Engraving
$1,120Sale Price|20% Off
“Misty Morning Gloucester”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor of a misty morning on the Gloucester docks by the well known American artist, John Cuthbert Hare. Signed by the artist lower right. Circa 1940. Condition is ex...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Cleopatra Queen of Egypt 17' century Painting Oil on Canvas
By Diamantini Giuseppe
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...
Oil
$425
Hand-colored 1834 Joseph Paxton Botanical Engraving of Yellow Trumpet Flowers
By Joseph Paxton
Located in Alamo, CA
This is 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 engravi...
Engraving
Untitled: Three Nude Females
Located in New York, NY
Unknown/Unidentified Artist, "Untitled: Three Nude Females", Figurative/ Nude Charcoal signed Drawing on Paper, 24 x 18, Late 20th Century Colors: Black a...
Charcoal, Paper
$160Sale Price|20% Off
Landscape by Paul Mathey - Pencil on paper 30x43 cm
By Paul Mathey
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Crayon
$780Sale Price|20% Off
Original Le Puy En Velay, SNCF vintage travel poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Admiring the Original "Le Puy En - Velay" Vintage Poster The exquisite vintage poster for the old city of Le Puy En - Velay has inspired many art aficionados. ...
Lithograph
Ready.
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Classical ballet was my main source of inspiration. Grace and beauty of ballerinas combining with extremely hard work they do. This combination is shocking and inspiring in the same...
Bronze
$1,778Sale Price|20% Off
The Librarian Portrait, 19th Century, Oil on Canvas, Framed
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas : 61 x 43 cm Golden frame With frame : 70 x 52.7 x 4 cm This 19th-century portrait by an anonymous artist shows an elderly man seated at his desk, engrossed in writing...
Oil, Canvas
$200Sale Price|66% Off
Portrait of a man by Hans Berger - Drawing 38x51 cm
By Hans Berger
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper without frame
Carbon Pencil
$575Sale Price|27% Off
“Indian Prince with Rose”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original gouache and watercolor on archival paper of an Indian prince holding a pink rose. The pink rose signifies love and appreciation. No visible signature. Artist unknown. The ...
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
$237Sale Price|42% Off
Study of woman in bathing suit - Ink drawing - circa 1916
Located in Paris, IDF
Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Study of woman in bathing suit Original India ink and color pencil drawing Signed with the stamp of atelier On paper 26.5 x 20 cm (c. 10.4 x 7.8 in) Ver...
India Ink, Color Pencil
David Slaying Goliath Large Figural Bronze Statue by Antonin Mercie
Located in New York, NY
The base marked "A. Mercie" and "506 F. Barbenienne, Fondeur, Paris" ad "A. Collas" "Reduction Mecanique." The dazzling David, a prolific subject amongst sculpture artists beginning...
Bronze