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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
Portrait of a lady by Stephanie Guerzoni - Pastel on paper 38x51 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper sold with frame (white wooden frame with glass). The total size with frame is 46,5 x 56,5 cm Stéphanie Guerzoni is a Swiss and Italian painter born April 15, 1887 in ...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Pastel, Crayon

Dame Elizabeth Frink, large British watercolour and pencil drawing of an Osprey
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Dame Elisabeth Jean Frink CH DBE RA (British, 1930 – 1993) Osprey Watercolour and pencil on paper Signed and dated ‘Frink 69’ (lower right) 29 x 39.1/2 in. (73.7 x 100.3 cm.) View wo...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper, Pencil

At Paulette's by M. Opériol - Drawing 32x41 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on canton paper
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Pastel

Landscape by Paul Mathey - Pencil on paper 30x43 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

Mid-20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

Study of a young girl by Henri Fehr - Drawing 50x70 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

In evening dress by Henri Fehr - Sketch 50x70 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

Portrait of a man by Hans Berger - Drawing 38x50 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon, Engraving

Portrait of John Torcapel by Alexandre Blanchet - Pastel on paper 27x35 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Pastel

Indian Ritual Walking on Fire, Firewalking Ceremony, Mythology and Religion
Located in Miami, FL
Narrative artist Robert Riggs captures a highly-charged scene of an Indian firewalking ceremony. Firewalking is part of a religious ritual and is associated with the mystical powers...
Category

1950s Academic Art

Materials

Varnish, Pigment

"In surprise" by Henri Fehr - Drawing 36x27 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon, Charcoal

Young woman sitting
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

Anatomy Drawing of a Horse - Original French Artwork Equestrian Anatomy Study
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 ...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Charcoal, Crayon, Watercolor, Pencil, Color Pencil

"Take off" by Otto Vautier - Pencil on paper 11x17 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Stamp of the O. Vautier workshop Dimension of the passe partout frame 52.5 x 38 cm
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

Horse sketch by Otto Vautier - Drawing on paper 31x37 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on cardboard
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Chalk, Color Pencil

Anatomy of a Horse - Original French Artwork Equestrian Anatomy Study
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Anatomy of a Horse by Robert Ladou (French 1929-2014) original drawing stuck on card in blue folder/ thick paper, unframed size: 14.5 x 9.25 ove...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Charcoal, Crayon, Watercolor, Pencil, Color Pencil

Sketch of man in suit by Otto Vautier - Drawing on paper 12x20 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Stamp of the workshop of O. Vautier Dimension of the passe-partout framing 52.5 x 38 cm
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

Panorama of The Minaret - Orientalist Gouache 1882
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
PASCAL Paul (1832-1903) View of the Minaret Orientalist Gouache signed low right and dated 1882 Old glassed frame gilded with leaves Dim gouache : 51 X 70 cm Dim Frame : 71 X 90 cm ...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Gouache

"Dressing" by Otto Vautier - Pencil on paper 19x12 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Stamp of the workshop of O. Vautier Dimension of the "passe partout" frame 52.5 x 38 cm
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

"Young woman in evening dress" by Emile Hornung - Drawing 43x57 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Sketch of Pierrot tuning his guitar on the back of the artwork
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Crayon, Graphite

Flower Arrangement - Original 19th Century Painting
By Achille Théodore Cesbron
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Achille Théodore CESBRON (1849-1915) Flower Arrangement Oil on oval canvas signed low right Framed by Gault (Paris - Fbg St Honoré) Dim canvas : 63 X 48 cm Dim frame : 79 X 64 cm Achille Théodore CESBRON (1849-1915) French school 19th-20th century Born the 5th of November 1849 in Oran (Algeria). Dead the 4th of January 1915. Painter of genre scene, portraits, still life, flowers, pastel. Pupil of Bonnat and Cormon, he regularly exhibited at the « Salon des Artistes Français », whose he became shareholder in 1883, getting several rewards and medals from 1882 to 1886. He has got the Marie...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a woman by Stefanie Guerzoni - Charcoal on paper 50x65 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Charcoal

Pair Italian Limestone Garden Sculptures with Cornucopia
Located in Rome, IT
Finely carved mythological subject in limestone with Cornucopia associated with the harvest, prosperity, or spiritual abundance. Excellent condition. Measurements: Statue cm 160, ba...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

Young woman Drawing on paper 23x32 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Monogram L.T.C.
Category

Mid-20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Charcoal, Pastel

Nude Sketch #2
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
A rare work on paper by Ben Fenske. A sketch of a female nude, posing. Drawn from direct observation using a live model. White chalk is used to create highlights. Not framed. Wrapped...
Category

Early 2000s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

'A Day in the Country' Dutch Scene, Oil on Linen Painting by Alyona Kostina
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This warm, realistic painting depicting a day exploring the Dutch countryside features a golden field with a stream bisecting the landscape with windmills dotting the landscape. The...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

British, early 20th Century oriental scene by female artist Katie Blackmore
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Katie Blackmore (British, 1890 – 1957) Oriental fantasy Ink and gouache on paper Signed ‘K Blackmore’ (lower right) 9 x 8.3/8in. (22.8 x 21.2 cm.) A Scottish figurative and decorative artist, Katie Blackmore was closely associated with both Jessie Marion King...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Ink, Paper, Gouache

Dancer by Henri Fehr - Drawing 50x35 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

17th Century map of Cumberland, UK by Robert Morden
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Robert Morden (British, circa 1650 – 1703) A map of Cumberland with hand colouring An engraving 14.1/4 x 16.5/8 in. (36.5 x 42.5 cm.)
Category

17th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Pensive young woman by Emile Hornung - Pastel on paper 37x29 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Sketch on the back of the work
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Pastel

Flowering Henbane : A Besler 18th Century Hand-colored Botanical Engraving
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving depicting flowering "Hyosciamus albus and Hyosciamus vulgaris" (Henbane) plants from Basilius Besler's landmark work, Hortus Eystettensi...
Category

Early 18th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Jungle by the River - Original Old painting
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
VON PLESSEN Willy (1868-1937) Jungle by the River - Probably from old german colonies in Africa Oil on wood signed low left Frame gilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 62 X 50 cm Dim ...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Victory - Athletic Young Man in Classical Pose, ( Female Sculptor )
By Evelyn Beatrice Longman
Located in Miami, FL
Evelyn Beatrice Longman was a trailblazing female artist getting major commissions at the very begining of the 20th century. Having lived in New York City, I used to walk by the li...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Art

Materials

Bronze

“Still Life with Fruit”
By Henry George Todd
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a late 19th century still life with fruit by the well known British artist, Henry George Todd. Signed lower left a...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of an Elegant Young Woman in Warm Grays and Soft Ochers
Located in Miami, FL
Leon Kroll was above all an academician. To him "abstract art was merely the beginning of a picture. Structurally, "Portrait of a Young Woman recalls some of the portraits from the ...
Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Chinese, 21st Century oil painting, study of marble statue and birds, in golds
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Shiquan Zou (Chinese, born 1965) Study of a marble statue in classical drapery Oil on canvas Signed ‘Zou Shi Quan 2020 UK’, further signed in Chinese (lower right) 39.3/8 x 31.1/2 in...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

19th C. German painting of figures at a waterfall in the manner of Friedrich
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
A very romantic and detailed painting of figures enjoying the views of a waterfall in summertime, Europe Circle of Caspar David Friedrich (Germ...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Oil

View of old Lausanne by Ch. François Villermet - Work on paper 31x48 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Golden wooden frame with glass pane 48 x 64 x 1 cm
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Pencil, Charcoal

Louis Charles Auguste Couder (1789-1873) Portrait of a young man, signed pastel
Located in Paris, FR
Louis Charles Auguste Couder (1789-1873) Portrait of a young man signed on the right border Pastel on paper 28.5 x 21 cm In good condition In a modern frame : 48 x 40.5 cm Augu...
Category

1860s Academic Art

Materials

Pastel

"Rembrandt Self Portrait, 1636"
By Viktor de Jeney
Located in Southampton, NY
Here is a etching executed by master painter and copyist, Viktor de Jeney. Done circa 1965 using the same techniques employed by Rembrant when he executed his now most famous self portrait etching in 1642. Framed measurements are 15.5 by 12.5 inches in original white mat and one inch wood frame. Sheet size 8.25 by 8 inches. De Jeney was born in Budapest, Hungary and emigrated to the United States in 1962 and settled in St. Louis, Missouri. He was known for his paintings of Native American Indians...
Category

1960s Academic Art

Materials

Etching

“Misty Morning Gloucester”
Located in Southampton, NY
Oil on artist board painting of a misty morning in Gloucester Harbor by the Provincetown artist, Kay Kellogg. Signed lower left. Circa 1935. The painting d...
Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Board

“Paris-London”
Located in Southampton, NY
Very nice original hand colored copper plate etching (aquatint) by the Hungarian born artist, Marianne L. Almasy. Depicts London with its double buses in the foreground and scenes o...
Category

1980s Academic Art

Materials

Etching, Archival Paper

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

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
Category

Mid-20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Pencil

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Royaume de France
Located in Paris, IDF
Artwork located in Los Angeles, USA. Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in th...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Town Hall Square By Barthélémy Marc Bodmer - Engraving
Located in Geneva, CH
Engraving on paper Brown wooden frame with glass pane 62 x 50 x 2 cm
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Anatomy Drawing of a Horse - Original French Artwork Equestrian Anatomy Study
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Anatomy of a Horse by Robert Ladou (French 1929-2014) original drawing stuck on card in blue folder/ thick paper, unframed drawing: 11.75 x 14.5...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Charcoal, Color Pencil, Pencil, Watercolor, Crayon

Portrait of Dorothy Thompson (The Wild Rose) - Female Artist
Located in Miami, FL
A charming portrait of a beautiful blue-eyed girl in a pink dress holding flowers in her hand. It's based on Renaissance portraits where the subject is pushed to the foreground and i...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

“British Pub”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor with graphite tracings of interior crowded pub scene by the British artist, George Anderson Short. Signed lower left and date...
Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Watercolor, Graphite

Art Lovers and Art Critics Analyzing Obscene Painting. Cartoon
Located in Miami, FL
Cartoonist Richard Taylor was trained in academic art. He frequently comments on abstract art which was the new and radical thing at the time. "Curtis sees so much more in these thi...
Category

1940s Academic Art

Materials

Ink, Board

Original Leipziger Messe International Leipzig Trade Fair vintage poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original German vintage poster: International Leipzig Trade Fair Leipziger Messe in NYC. Beginning Feb. 28th, 1937. Held in New York City. Th...
Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Dressing in the Lodge (Figurative Painting of Men, Mark Beard, Bruce Sargeant)
Located in Hudson, NY
Academic style figurative oil painting on canvas of two men dressing in a ski lodge "Dressing in the Lodge," Painted by Mark Beard as Bruce Sargeant (pseudonym in homage to the fashion photographer, Bruce Weber, and figurative painter, John Singer Sargent) Made in the late 90's - early 2000's for Abercrombie and Fitch's flagship store in Milan, Italy Oil on canvas, signed upper left 82 x 34 inches unframed, 88 x 40 inches in black painted wood frame with wire backing Excellent condition, ready to hang as is This vertical, figurative painting of two men dressing in a ski lodge was painted by Mark Beard under his fictitious artistic persona, Bruce Sargeant. Painted in a modern Academic style, the handsome men are captured in winter attire set in an Alpine mountain landscape...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

First Battle Between The puritans And the Native Americans, Oil on Canvas 1874
Located in Paris, FR
Our painting represents a military scene — an event during the war between European settlers and Native Americans. Oil on canvas, signed and dated at the bottom right : Imogene Robinson Morrel- PARIS 1874 American School XIXth century Imogene Robinson was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, at the beginning of the 19th century. She studied art at the age of 16 in Newark New Jersey, then in New York City. In 1856, Robinson went to Europe for the first time. She studied under Adolf Schroeder and Wilhelm Camphausen in Düsseldorf, Germany. Then, Europe called to her again. She went with a friend, Elizabeth Gardner. In July 1864, they arrived in Paris and made a living copying great works from the Louvre and Luxemburg museums for American patrons. The two artists were in close contact with the colony of American artists in Paris, but they likewise befriended French painters Meissonnier and Bouguereau. In 1869, Imogene Robinson married Colonel Abraham Morrell. In 1871, Gardner moved into her last place, 73 rue des Petits Champs and became neighbors with Bouguereau. Several years later, in 1895, she married him. As long as we can follow her official path to the Salons of 1868 and 1869, her entrée as the first woman at the Academy Jullian in 1873, we observe that Robinson Morrell did not participate in the Parisian art demonstrations. She studied portraiture and landscapes under François–Louis Français (1814-1879), and took certain courses taught by Thomas Couture (1815-1879), the last historical painter of the second half of the 19th century. Couture received many students, most notably Americans including Hunt and Longfellow. It was during this period that Imogene Robinson Morrell began her great historical compositions and painted our version of the First battle between the puritans...
Category

1870s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas

Pueblo Mailboxes
Located in East Hampton, NY
Title: Pueblo Mailboxes, NM Size: 21” x 14” Edition: 1/5 Medium: Archival Pigment Print Price: $550 Also available in 20"x30" Edition of 10 $725 Printed to Order Gerry Giliberti is...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Venus Cast - Figurative Painting Colors Black Purple White Yellow Grey
Located in Sofia, BG
"Venus cast" Oil on canvas (The painting is unframed 70 x 50 cm.) The Painting’s Qualities Lyubena Fox’s paintings are painted in several layers, using both the transparent and opaque qualities of oil paint. Each layer is applied after the previous has dried which makes the painting withstand time. It also creates a glowing, three-dimensional effect, which is due to the different layers showing though each other. These paintings are painted following the logic of how the eye perceives: seeing the details in the context of the form. To create a fulfilling experience, the images are composed of places, full of detail for the eye to explore and places where the eye can rest. “The impressions of Lyubena's paintings on the viewer is so mighty, mesmerizing, grand, that it paralyzes the imagination with its realistic perfection. Her paintings bring emotion of drama, mystery, love, desire and energy, represented by the vast creative power of her talent.” Bio Lyubena Fox was born in 1994 in Sofia, Bulgaria. 2013 she graduated from the National school of fine arts Bulgaria, specializing in illustration. The same year she moved to Florence, Italy to study painting with John M. Angel and in 2016 graduated from Angel Academy of Art Florence, after which she studied with Alessandro Dari. 2017 she has two solo exhibitions in Sofia. 2018 Lyubena has three of her paintings qualified as ARC finalists and later in May studies painting with her favorite contemporary painter Roberto Ferri...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

GRISAILLE 19th Century - Cherubs asleep
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
GRISAILLE 19th Century (anonymous) Cherubs asleep Part of "Rococo Style" made famous by François Boucher (1703 - 1770) Oil on canvas Circa 1850 Old frame re-gilded Dim canvas : 33 X ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Edouard Detaille (1848 1912), Three studies of horses, original signed Drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Edouard Detaille (1848-1912) Three studies of horses 16 x 10 cm Pen and ink on paper Signed lower left The third study on the lower right has been ...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Ink

ACADEMIC MALE NUDE FIGURE STUDIES
Located in Portland, ME
Michallet (attributed). ACADEMIC MALE NUDE FIGURE STUDIES. Four Charcoal drawings, each on heavy wove paper, 19th Century. 24 1/2 x 19 1/8 inches (s...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Charcoal

In the Bazaar I
Located in New York, NY
In the Bazaar I, 1834-1855, by Theodore Frere (1814-1888) Oil on wood 7 x 5 inches unframed (17.78 x 12.7 cm) 10 ⅝ x 9 inches framed (26.9875 x 22.86 cm) Signed on lower right Descr...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

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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