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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
“Venice”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil painting on wooden panel of a bustling Venice square by the American artist, Albert Munghard. Signed by the artist lower right. Circa 1975. Condition is excellent. Th...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Wood Panel, Oil

'Female Nude Figure Study, ' by John Fenton, Drawing on Paper
By John Fenton
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 23.5" x 19.5" drawing of a seated female nude depicts the figure in a frontal pose leaning forward with one leg raised and elbow placed on her kneecap. Her head rests in ...
Category

Late 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Conté, Paper

Untitled: Seated Rear Nude 2
Located in New York, NY
Unknown/Unidentified Artist, "Untitled: Seated Rear Nude 2", Unsigned Figurative/ Nude Watercolor, Charcoal (Mixed Media) Painting on Paper, 18 x 14, Late 20th Century Colors: Brown...
Category

Late 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Charcoal, Mixed Media

"Sons and Lovers" Drill Drawing, #2
Located in Dallas, TX
Signed by artist "M. O'KEEFE 2013" at lower left. Media is graphite on clay-coated panel. Overall dimensions including the frame are 18 x 15 inches.
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Clay, Panel, Graphite

Landscape by Henri Fehr - Drawing 20x30 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

“Tsingtao, China 1912”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor and gouache on paper of a Tsingtao, China street scene in 1912 executed by the American illustrator, William Henry Drake. Copyrighted and signed and dated 1912 lower left. Condition is good. Recently professionally matted. Unframed. Overall mat size is 16 by 12 inches. Provenance: A Long Island, New York estate. William Henry Drake Born: 1856 New York Died: 1926 Los Angeles Nationality: American Education: Académie Julian, Art Students League of New York Known for: Painting, illustration Awards: National Academy Biography: Drake studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, with Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant and Henri Lucien Doucet. Back from Europe, he studied at the Cincinnati School of Design, and would often go to the zoo, where he could draw the animal...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Gouache

Old-fashioned figurative drawing nude ink on paper, 19th century
Located in Florence, IT
The drawing, India ink on paper, falls within the studies of antiquity popular in the Academies from the 18th century onward, and refers to the frieze of an ancient sarcophagus. Al c...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Cowgirl
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon, Charcoal

Cowgirl
Cowgirl
$288 Sale Price
47% Off
Untitled: Seated Rear Nude
Located in New York, NY
Unknown/Unidentified Artist, "Untitled: Seated Rear Nude", Unsigned Figurative/ Nude Watercolor, Charcoal (Mixed Media) Painting on Paper, 18 x 13, Late 20th Century Colors: Black, ...
Category

Late 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Charcoal, Mixed Media

"Red Bell II, " Oil painting
Located in Denver, CO
Thane Gorek's (US based) "Red Bell II" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a red bell pepper halved, so that it's seeds and core are exposed...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Board

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

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

Mid-20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

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

"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 Otto Vautier is a renowned Swiss painter, born in 1863 i...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Crayon

Flowering Pomegranate & Rock Rose: A 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Engraving
Located in Alamo, CA
This is a hand-colored copper-plate engraving entitled "Cistusflore Albo, Balaustium Flore Minori Romanum, Cotinus", depicting flowering Pomegranate, Rock Rose...
Category

1640s Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

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

Lady in Tunic by Benjamin II Vautier - Graphite on Paper - 21.5x19 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

Stella Maris and Down Patrick Head
Located in Dallas, TX
Eleanor Jones Harvey, Chief Curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, writes about Bob Stuth-Wade: “Over the course of his career, Bob Stuth-Wade has examined his responses to...
Category

Early 2000s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

1974 oil painting still life of squashes and grapes by British George Weissbort
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
George Weissbort (Belgian / British, 1928 – 2013) A SQUASH, A BUNCH OF GRAPES AND A GLASS OF WINE Oil on canvasboard 18.1/8 x 22 in. (46 x 55.7 cm.) George Weissbort was born in ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Tribute to Degas Ballerina : Sitting female nude - Ink drawing - circa 1916
Located in Paris, IDF
Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Tribute to Degas Ballerina : Sitting female nude Original India ink and pencil drawing Signed with the stamp of atelier On...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

India Ink, Pencil

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...
Category

Late 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Charcoal, Paper

Landscape with a Sailboat and Fishermen - Original etching
Located in Paris, IDF
PERELLE Family (17th Century) Landscape with a Sailboat and Fishermen Original Engraving Signed in the plate On laid paper, 15.5 x 28 cm INFORMATION: This family of artists, led by...
Category

Late 17th Century Academic Art

Materials

Etching

Building a Ship - Original etching
Located in Paris, IDF
PERELLE Family (17th Century) Building a Ship Original Engraving Signed in the plate On laid paper, 15.5 x 28 cm INFORMATION: This family of artists, led by Gabriel, the father, an...
Category

Late 17th Century Academic Art

Materials

Etching

“Seaside Picnic”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting of a bucolic seaside picnic with a mother and her young children. Signed by the artist, F. G. Grust lower left. Condition is very good. The painting is housed in a period style gold leaf frame in fine condition. Overall framed measurements are 31.5 by 41.75 inches. Provenance: A California estate. F. G. Grust was a Dutch painter born in 1889 who was best known for his domestic interior and exterior scenes of a mother with her young children. He is the son of artist Theordor Grust (1859 - 1909), who also painted Dutch genre...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil

Dodo, Abstract Signed Screenprint with Gold Leaf by Lebadang (aka Hoi)
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Lebadang, Vietnamese (1922 - 2015) Title: Untitled - Dodo Medium: Silkscreen, signed in pencil Edition: EA Size: 31 x 31 in. (78.74 x 78.74 cm)
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Screen

Libertine Carnaval in Venice - Ink drawing - circa 1916
Located in Paris, IDF
Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Libertine Carnaval in Venice 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) Very ...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

India Ink, Color Pencil

“Seaside Italian Villa”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautiful, original watercolor on archival paper of an Italian seaside villa with figures. Executed in 1902 by the American artist, George Washington Nicholson...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Omnibus in Paris - Handsigned Original Watercolor Painting
Located in Paris, IDF
Francis GARAT Omnibus in Paris Original watercolor painting Handsigned in ink On vellum, 30 x 40 cm (c. 11,8 x 15,7 inch) Excellent condition
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor

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

"Wooden River Bridge"
By Shigesaburo Ishida
Located in Southampton, NY
Circa 1940 Signed lower left Sight size 19 x 26 in Overall 27.5 x 34.5 in original period frame
Category

1940s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

"The Failed Attempt at Avoiding the Inevitable", Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Justin Wheatley's (US based) "The Failed Attempt at Avoiding the Inevitable" is an acrylic painting that depicts a small white house-like object with red roof pierced by a black pain...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Acrylic, Panel

Gentle Evening - Pencil drawing - circa 1914
Located in Paris, IDF
Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Gentle evening 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, pa...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil

Night Fishing at Saint Maurice
By Emile Noirot
Located in Dallas, TX
signed "Emile Noirot 1893" at lower right overall dimensions, including frame, are 19 3/4 x 23 5/8 inches
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

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

"Royal Mail Steam Packet Thames"
Located in Southampton, NY
Circa 1880 Unsigned Thames was commissioned in 1842 Overall size with frame 8 x 11 in.
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

19th Century gouache of a visit to Pompei on the Grand Tour
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Neapolitan school (early 19th Century) A visit to Pompei on the the Grand Tour Gouache on paper Inscribed ‘Porzione del quartiere a Pompei’ and ‘In Nap...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache

“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...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Fiberboard

Chartres La Mort de la Viegre X111”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original photo mechanical print handcolored throughout by the French artist, Lucy Garnot. Signed and titled bottom. Circa 1900. Condition is very go...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Photogravure

Untitled (Mother Holding Baby)
Located in New York, NY
John Thomas Young Gilroy (English, 1898-1985), "Untitled: Mother Holding Baby", Figurative/Academic Drawing signed on Paper, 14 x 8, Early 20th Century Colors: White, Black "Untitled: Mother Holding Baby" is a Figurative/ Academic Drawing signed on Paper. Among our Gilroy collection of drawings, this particular work is unique due to its original grid markings included here within. As one can view among our details, the drawing has visible age markings and 3/4 of the perimeter rear of the work has tape. Nevertheless, as with all his figurative graphite works, a wonderfully drawn piece of a Mother cradling her infant child. John Thomas Young Gilroy (30 May 1898 – 11 April 1985) was an English artist and illustrator, best known for his advertising posters for Guinness, the Irish stout. He signed many of his works, simply, "Gilroy". Born in Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England, Gilroy attended Durham University until his studies were interrupted by World War I, during which he served with the Royal Field Artillery. He resumed studying at the Royal College of Art in London, where he remained as a teacher. He taught at Camberwell College of Arts. In 1925, he gained employment at S.H. Benson's advertising agency, where he created the iconic advertisement art for Guinness featuring the Zoo Keeper and animals enjoying Guinness.He worked with Dorothy L. Sayers. He was also an accomplished portrait painter, numbering Royalty, Politicians, Actors and many others amongst his sitters. He worked in his large studio at 10 Holland Park, London, the former home and studio of Sir Bernard Partridge. He was a long-standing and much loved member of the Garrick Club...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Carbon Pencil

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

“Hayingen, Germany”
Located in Southampton, NY
Very fine graphite on archival paper drawing of a typical mountain side house in the town of Hayingen, Germany by the prominent artist, Johannes Kleinschmidt. Signed in ink lower le...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Graphite

20th century English pencil nude study of a torso
Located in Woodbury, CT
Ernest Procter Wonderful classical drawing of a nude torso. Ernest Procter ARA was an English designer, illustrator and painter, and husband of the famous British artist Dod Procte...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Handmade Paper, Carbon Pencil

Greek / Roman Naturalistic Allegory Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Stormy landscape scene in which a Cupid-like figure seen in the clouds appearing to have shot a number of wounded and dying men in the foreground. The men have a number of women and ...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

“Child in White Dress”
Located in Southampton, NY
Circa 1890 Signed verso on stretcher bar Original period gold leaf frame Overall size framed 21 x 18 in
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Traveling animals - Original etching enhanced with watercolor
Located in Paris, IDF
George EDWARDS Traveling animals Original engraving enhanced with watercolor Signed in the plate and dated, 1746 28.6 x 23.5 cm From Volume II of the Natural History of Birds, plat...
Category

1740s Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

“Dutch Harbor”
By Anthony Andreas de Meijier
Located in Southampton, NY
Watercolor on paper by the Dutch artist, Anthony Andreas Meijiers. Signed lower right. Condition: Excellent. Unframed. Anthony Andreas de Meijiers or Meyer was a Dutch active in...
Category

1840s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Untitled: Front Nude Watercolor
Located in New York, NY
Unidentified/ Unknown Artist," Untitled: Front Nude Watercolor", Figurative Nude Academic Watercolor Painting on Paper, 18 x 13, Late 20th Century Colors: Black and White A 18 x 13...
Category

Late 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor

"Still Life with Figure"
Located in Southampton, NY
This painting is an oil on canvas mounted to a wood panel. It is signed with his monogram signature JTA lower right. The work is unframed. Axton was born in Fort Leavenworth, Kan...
Category

1980s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Untitled: Rearview Of a Seated Nude
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...
Category

Mid-20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Ink, Pen

Bird and Beetle - Etching and watercolor (Natural History of Birds, 1741)
Located in Paris, IDF
George EDWARDS Bird and beetle ('The Gowry Bird') Original engraving, enhanced with watercolor Printed signature in the plate Dated, 1741 28.8 x 23.3 cm Created for Volume I of the...
Category

1740s Academic Art

Materials

Engraving, Watercolor

"California Sunset"
By Charles Theller Wilson
Located in Southampton, NY
A truly magnificent oil on canvas painting of a sunset off the coast of California in the late 1800's. Signed lower right and in it's original period gold gilt frame which is in excellent condition. Overall it is 33 x 47 inches. Minor stretcher bar wear. Biography Charles Theller Wilson Born in San Francisco, CA on Oct. 10, 1855. Wilson first studied painting with his mother, Agnes (California's earliest known woman artist) and later with Jules Tavernier...
Category

1980s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nymph of Eurydice - Original lithograph
Located in Paris, IDF
Maurice DENIS (1870 - 1943) Nymph of Eurydice Original lithograph enhanced in pastel Printed signature in the plate On light cream tinted vellum 40 x 24,5 cm (c. 15,7 x 9,6 inch) I...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

“Moonlight Sail”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautiful, serene sepia watercolor of a moonlight sail on archival paper attributed to Robert Montgomery. Signed lower left. Condition is excellent. Re...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Watercolor

“Moonlight Sail”
“Moonlight Sail”
$475 Sale Price
45% Off
'Hart Laubs Duck' by British ornithologist Sir Peter Markham Scott
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Sir Peter Markham Scott CH CBE DSC FRS FZS Hart Laubs Duck Watercolour on paper 4.3/8 x 6.1/2 in. (11.2 x 16.5 cm.) Provenance: Painted by Scott as a visual record for a bird spotte...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Stone Steps by the River - Late 1800s Watercolor on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Stone Steps by the River - Late 1800s Watercolor on Paper Dramatic and detailed landscape by Lucy Ellen Cooper (British, 1853-1929). On the right side of the composition, a set of t...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Venice: View of the Grand Canal - Héliogravure, 1975
By Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto)
Located in Paris, IDF
After Giovanni Antonio Canaletto Venice: View of the Grand Canal Héliogravure after the original etching (Atelier Jacomet) Printed signature i...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Engraving, Etching

Icarus & Phaeton - Etching (1897)
Located in Paris, IDF
ARTIST: after Auguste RODIN TITLE : Icarus and Phaeton MEDIUM : Etching/photogravure after the original drawing SIGNATURE : Unsigned YEAR : 1897 PAPER : Vellum SIZE : 13 x 10" ...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Etching

Summertime
Located in Dallas, TX
“Anne Weary, who grew up as a Texas cowgirl, is at home in the outdoors and knows its ways and its language. There is a sort of very quiet but very powerful mysticism in her work, a ...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Conté

Istambul View with characters
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Alfredo CALDINI (1917 - NC) View of Istambul with Characters Oil on canvas signed low left Old frame regilded with gold leaves Size canvas : 46 X 65 cm...
Category

1950s 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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