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.
Venice with characters
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
COUSIN Charles (1807-1887) Venice With Characters Oil on canvas signed low right Old frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 76 X 60 cm Dim frame : 96 X 83 cm COUSIN Charles (1807-188...
Oil
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
“Portrait of a Head”
Located in Southampton, NY
Late 18th century mixed media portrait of the head of an old man, perhaps the biblical figure Moses. Italian school . Composed of graphite, colored chalk, watercolor and gouache on ...
Chalk, Graphite, Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
$481Sale Price|45% Off
“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...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
$1,046Sale Price|25% Off
Louis Charles Auguste Couder (1789-1873) Portrait of a young man, signed pastel
By Louis Charles Auguste Couder
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...
Pastel
"The Informal Gathering" — 1913 Oil on Canvas Figurative Rural Landscape
By César Pattein
Located in Naples, Florida
"The Informal Gathering" by César Pattein (French, 1850–1931) is a signed and dated 1913 oil on canvas measuring 23 x 32 inches, depicting a charming rural scene of young girls gathe...
Canvas, Oil
$39,996Sale Price|20% Off
Sans titre (1881), James Drummond, R.S.A., F.S.A.
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: James Drummond, R.S.A., F.S.A. (1816-1877) Title: Sans titre (1881) Year: 1881 Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 37 x 29 inches Inscription: Hand signed and dated, recto Provenance...
Oil
$27,200Sale Price|20% Off
Jupiter and Mercury received by Philemon and Baucis
Located in New York, NY
Canvas size: 57 3/4 x 45 1/2 inches A striking and impressive French Academic painting in a high quality Italian style gold leaf frame. Gorguet was an Academic French artist who was trained by Boulanger, Gerome, Bonnat and Morot. His academic training was so strong that he was asked by the Opera House to illustrate many of their posters and he made his living illustrating many books of the time. In the market today this is most of what circulates and comes to light by the artist. He was ultimately made a professor of Drawings at L’Institut. However, Gorguet was also a Symbolist artist and did works aligned with the Art Nouveau movement. Many of these works are quite impressive but rarely have surfaced in the art market. Jupiter and Mercury Received by Philemon and Baucis is more of an Allegorical work and Gorguet switched gears to do a painting which would garner International attention at the important Concourse du Prix de Rome competition. 1891 was a year where the competition would be stiff and he knew he had to do an impressive painting with a compelling historical or allegorical content. In this painting, Gorguet is depicting their Jupiter and Mercury’s arrival at their home and the indication that Philemon and Baucis will share what they have with them despite their poverty-stricken means. The technical execution of this work is exceptional as the figurative work is done masterfully and any small detail within the canvas demonstrates tremendous attention of subtlety of tone and modeling. An example is the strand of cloth that crosses Jupiters chest and the delicate shades of pink and gray and how it is modeled. More than ever, the academic artists of this period are to be appreciated for the quality and creativeness of their work. And the timelessness of these classical allegories are still applicable to our lives today. So we predict a turn back toward work like this as qualitatively we know it will never be done again. Story of Jupiter and Mercury Visiting Philemon and Baucis (one interpretation) According to ancient Roman mythology and Ovid's Metamorphoses (8.631, 8.720.), Philemon and Baucis had lived out their long lives nobly, but in poverty. Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods, had heard of the virtuous couple, but based on all his previous experiences with humans, he had serious doubts as to their goodness. Jupiter was about to destroy mankind but was willing to give it one final chance before starting over again. So, in the company of his son Mercury, the wing-footed messenger god, Jupiter went about, disguised as a worn and weary traveler, from house to house among the neighbors of Philemon and Baucis. As Jupiter feared and expected, the neighbors turned him and Mercury away rudely. Then the two gods went to the last house...
Canvas, Oil
$296Sale Price|25% Off
“The Hunters”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor with graphite tracings of two hunters in the field by the British artist, George Anderson Short. Signed bottom right. Circa ...
Watercolor, Archival Paper, Graphite
$3,000Sale Price|20% Off
"Portrait of the Black Ball Clipper Montezuma"
By William Minshall Birchall
Located in Southampton, NY
Watercolor on paper by William Minshall Birchall of the black ball clipper ship, the Montezuma. Titled and signed W. M. Birchall lower left in pencil. Findlay Gallery label verso. 0riginal frame and mat with normal wear due to age. The American packet ship...
Paper, Watercolor
$182Sale Price|20% Off
19th Century Charcoal Study of a Girl's Head on Colored Paper
Located in Firenze, IT
Academic studi of girl’s head. Charcoal on colored paper. By Enrico Reffo. This artwork is part of a collection of approximately twenty preparatory drawings, figure studies, and ske...
Paper, Pencil
Large & Impressive French 19th Century Oil on Canvas "The Water Carrier Lady"
By Jules Salles-Wagner
Located in LA, CA
Jules Salles-Wagner (French, 1814-1898) A Large and Impressive French, 19th century oil on canvas "The Water Carrier Lady" depicting a standing and posing young peasant girl holding ...
Oil
Serene Mountain Landscape, Vintage Oil on Canvas, Signed 24 x 36
Located in New York, NY
Winter Harbor Scene with Boats and Figures Oil on canvas 42 × 58 cm (16.5 × 22.8 in.) A beautifully detailed winter scene by German painter Hermann Meyerheim, depicting a picturesque...
Canvas, Oil
Large 19th Century Antique Marble Bust of Apollo of Belvedere
Located in New York, NY
Pietro Bazzanti (1842-1881) specialized in allegorical and genre subjects as well as copies of Antique and Renaissance sculpture. Regarded as one of the most talented sculptors of h...
Marble
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
“Home Life”
Located in Southampton, NY
Watercolor on paper by the Swiss artist, Simon Daniel Lafond. Signed and dated lower right, 1820. In very good condition, wth minor toning. Colors are strong with incredible detail ...
Paper, Watercolor
$1,800Sale Price|36% Off
“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
Canvas, Oil
Jules Coignet (1798-1860) Lago di Guarda, 1837, fine drawing
Located in Paris, FR
Jules Coignet (1798-1860) Lago di Guarda, 1837, Inscribed "Lago di Guarda 9 8bre 1837" Graphite on paper 24 x 35 cm Framed : 37 x 48 cm Provenance : Galerie Paul Prouté, Autumn 1...
Carbon Pencil
Samantha Haring "Fire" 2025 chalk pastel on paper 15 x 15 in.
Located in New York, NY
Samantha Haring Fire, 2025 chalk pastel on paper 15 x 15 in. (hari027)
Paper, Pastel
$5,000
"Entrance to the Enchanted Island (Chicago World's Fair)" Florence McClung
Located in New York, NY
Florence McClung Entrance to the Enchanted Island (Chicago World's Fair), 1933 Signed lower right Watercolor on paper 10 1/2 x 14 inches Florence McClung was a pioneering Texas pai...
Paper, Watercolor
'Ballerina in Repose #2, ' by James Cobb, Charcoal and Conte Drawing, 2021
By James Cobb
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 13.5" x 13.5" charcoal and conté drawing by Oklahoma-based artist James Cobb captures a ballerina in a seated, relaxed pose. The work is drawn o...
Chalk, Conté, Charcoal
$24,000
North African Orientalist Scene, Original Watercolor on Paper by Giulio Rosati
Located in Long Island City, NY
North African Orientalist Scene (Horseman and Nomadic Traders) Giulio Rosati, Italian (1857–1917) Date: circa 1880 Watercolor on Paper, signed lower righ...
Watercolor
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
$1,000
Sakura Is Blooming, Impressionist Landscape Painting, Oil on Canvas, 2024
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Title: “Sakura is blooming” Artist: Oleksandr Khrapachov (b. 1981) Size: 40 × 70 cm Medium: oil on canvas Style: academism and impressionism Date: 2024 The painting “Sakura is bloom...
Canvas, Oil
A Very Fine Oil on Canvas Interior Palatial Scene Titled "Game for the Cardinal"
By Charles Edouard Edmond Delort
Located in LA, CA
Charles Edouard Edmond Delort (French, 1841-1895) oil on canvas "Game for the Cardinal", depicting a seated cardinal behind an ornate French Louis XV roll-top Bureau du Roi, after th...
Oil
$15,000
Children's Book Cover - Mid-Century Blond Girl - Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
Pioneering Female Illustrator Barbara Briggs Bradley was an in-demand illustrator in the 1950s. Merrill Publishers of their famous children's books hired Barbara Briggs Bradley to d...
Mixed Media, Gouache, Pencil
The Water Tower Coastal Landscape Painting, Oil on Panel, Framed 2010+
Located in Greenville, DE
Coastal landscape painting by Giovanni Casadei, "The Water Tower." Oil on panel. Framed dimensions 12.5 x 17.5 inches. Casadei’s approach to painting is to communicate to the viewer ...
Panel, Oil
Mexican School Mother and Child
Located in San Francisco, CA
Beautiful Mexican school painting of a mother carrying her child. It is a mixed medium on paper using what looks to be oil paint as well as oil, crayon and or pastel. Wonderfully exe...
Oil Crayon, Oil
19th Century Italian gouache painting of Mount Vesuvius and Naples, summertime
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
A beautiful and naive painting of Naples from the sea in summertime from the 19th Century. The beautiful light blue tones of the sea highlight the architecture of Naples and Vesuvius beyond. Circle of Gioacchino La Pira...
Paper, Gouache
French School circa 1880, Portrait of a boy holding a book, drawing
Located in Paris, FR
French school circa 1880 Portrait of a boy holding a book graphite and white gouache on paper 39.5 x 32 cm oval view in good condition, slightly yellowed with age In its original ova...
Gouache, Pencil
$1,595
Beaty - Archival fine art print, Black white photo, Portrait of a young woman
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
An archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 g/m² paper of a photograph by Harry Sutcliffe (1878- 1942) entitled ' Beaty ' Portrait of a young woman created cerca ...
Black and White, Giclée, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Duke of Wellington
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Duke of Wellington by Vladislav Khristenko Size of the image - 25 x 15 cm Size of the list - 34 x 22.5 cm Size in frame - 42 x 32 cm Etching and aquatint on paper #15 from edition ...
Paper, Etching, Aquatint
Anahit Goddess Fertility Sculpture Clay Ceramic Handmade by Garo, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: (Garo) Karapet Balakeseryan Medium: Clay Ceramic, One of a Kind Year: 2025 Style: Classic Academism Title: Anahit, Goddess of Fertility & Motherhood Size: 12''x16''x...
Clay, Ceramic
A Fine Victorian Oil on Board Titled "A Lady Standing by a Sundial in the Park"
Located in LA, CA
Henry John Yeend King R.B.A, R.I., R.O.I. (British, 1855-1924) "A Victorian Lady Standing by a Sundial in the Park" Oil on panel. Signed lower right: Yeend King. "YK" Sticker en ver...
Oil
Mystery Signed Pen and Ink Floral
Located in San Francisco, CA
Up for sale another mystery piece. This wonderfully executed pen and ink is signed lower right but I cannot decipher it. Obviously drawn by a very well trained artist. This floral pi...
Ink
Massimo Listri 'Walhalla - Ratisbona'
Located in New York, NY
Walhalla - Ratisbona 2003 C-print Signed, titled, dated and numbered edition of 5 on artist's label on verso. 39.5 x 47.5 inches edition of 5 47.5 x 59 inches edition of 5 71 x ...
C Print
Carrying Fruit, Abstract Gold Leaf Screenprint by Lebadang aka Hoi
By Hoi Lebadang
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Lebadang, Vietnamese (1922 - 2015) Title: Untitled - Carrying Fruit Medium: Screenprint, signed in pencil Edition: EA Size: 47 x 20.5 in. (119.38 x 52.07 cm)
Gold Leaf
$10,000
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Et si Turner avait Raison ?
Located in Paris, IDF
Franck Bailleul is a French painter born in 1964 who lives & works in Abbeville, Normandy, France. He has exhibited nationally as well as in the United States and China. His wor...
Oil, Panel
Set of 4 watercolours, mid 20th Century British by Harold Dearden, farm helpers
By Harold Dearden
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Harold Dearden (British, 1888 – 1962) Farm helpers sorting a farm crop Set of four watercolours 16.3/4 x 17.1/8in.
Paper, Watercolor
“Fancy Ball Dress”
Located in Southampton, NY
“Fancy Ball Dress” Andre Leon Larue Mansion, French (1785-1834). Published by W. Spooner 259 Regent St.t. Deposé à Paris. Printed by C. Hullmandel. (Circa 1831) Hand-colored lithogra...
Lithograph
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...
Archival Pigment
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...
Paper, Gouache
"Portrait of a Woman" Edward Percy Moran, Early American Portrait, Bucolic
Located in New York, NY
Edward Percy Moran Portrait of a Woman Signed lower right Oil on canvas 30 x 20 inches Provenance: The Madison Gallery, Atlanta Percy Moran was the son of marine painter Edward Mo...
Canvas, Oil
"Echo" Oscar Lenz, Lyrical Early American Allegorical Female Nude Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
Oscar Lenz Echo, 1904 Signed and dated on base: Oscar L Lenz 1904 Bronze 70 1/4 x 25 x 25 1/4 inches Oscar Lenz was an American sculptor born at Providence, Rhode Island. He receiv...
Bronze
$1,050
In The Village, figurative, 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: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: In the Village Size: 19" x 23" x 0.8...
Canvas, Oil
Village Road, Impressionism, fall, 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: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Village Road Size: 19.5" x 23.5" x 0...
Canvas, Oil
Roses, Impressionism, Still Life, 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: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Roses Size: 19.5" x 23.5" x 0.8'' in...
Canvas, Oil
The gift of flowers / - The depth of allegory -
Located in Berlin, DE
Conrad Kiesel (1846-1921), The gift of flowers. Oil on wood, 43 x 35 cm, 69 x 61 cm (frame), signed at lower left "Conrad Kiesel pxt [pinxit]", about 1900. In a magnificent gilt stuc...
Oil
$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
$1,400Sale Price|30% Off
Seashore, 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: Seashore Size: 16" x 21.5" x 0.8'' i...
Canvas, Oil
$1,500Sale Price|25% Off
Stack, 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: Stack Size: 16" x 21" x 0.8'' inch, ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,050Sale Price|30% Off
Lavenders, 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: Lavenders Size: 15.5" x 23.5" x 0.8'...
Canvas, Oil
$750Sale Price|25% Off
Beehives, 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: Beehives Size: 12" x 17" x 0.8'' inc...
Canvas, Oil
Autumn in the Yard, 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 Title: Autumn in the Yard Size: 18" x 14" x...
Canvas, Oil
Waves, Seascape, 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 Title: Waves Size: 20" x 27.5" x 0.8'' inch...
Canvas, Oil
On the Rocks, Coastal, 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 Title: On the Rocks Size: 24" x 25" x 0.8''...
Canvas, Oil
Young People on the Rocks, Figurative, 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: 2016 Style: Impressionism Subject: Young People on the Rocks Size...
Canvas, Acrylic
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
City Park, Impressionism, 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: 2019 Style: Impressionism Title: City Park Size: 16" x 20" x 0.8'...
Canvas, Acrylic
$440Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Paper, Graphite
$1,224Sale Price|25% Off
1974 oil painting still life of strawberries by British artist George Weissbort
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
George Weissbort (Belgian / British, 1928 – 2013) Strawberries Oil on canvasboard Signed and dated ‘G Weissbort 1974’ (lower right) 18.1/4 x 20.1/8 in. (46.3 x 51 cm.) George We...
Oil, Board
"Portrait of Arthur W. Smith, Esq. " James Carroll Beckwith, Society Portrait
Located in New York, NY
James Carroll Beckwith Portrait of Arthur W. Smith, Esq., 1909 Signed and dated upper left; signed, titled, and dated on the reverse Oil on canvas 30 x 25 inches Provenance Private ...
Canvas, Oil