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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
Returnable Items Only
British mid century watercolour and pen drawing of children at a zoo with monkey
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Mona Alizon Edmonds (British, 1911 – 1983) Unfinished monkey business, 1944 Pen and watercolour 11.3/8 x 11.3/8 in. (28.7 x 28.7 cm.)
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Pen, Watercolor

Study for “The Artist’s Studio” 1820, Horace Vernet (French 1789-1820)
Located in Sydney, NSW
Horace Vernet (French 1789-1863), Study for “The Artist’s Studio” 1820. This is a charming detailed pen and ink study for “Vernet’s The Artist’s Studio” which was painted in 1820. I...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

British mid century pen drawing 'Bird's eye view' by Mona Alizon Edwards
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Mona Alizon Edmonds (British, circa 1944) Birds Eye View Pen on paper 9.7/8 x 10 in. (25.3 x 25.5 cm.)
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Pen

Still life by Baldo Guberti - Oil on cardboard 32x45 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Oil on cardboard sold with frame Wooden frame with glass Total size with frame 47x60 cm Baldo GUBERTI is an artist born in Italy in 1907 and died in 1974. His works have been sold ...
Category

1960s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Bozzetto Accademico della Testa di un Cherubino.
Located in Firenze, IT
Bozzetto Accademico della Testa di un Cherubino. Disegno a carboncino e gessetto bianco su carta leggermente colorata di grigio. Seconda metà dell'Ottocento In buone condizioni. Prov...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Chalk, Pencil

Polo Player Bookends in Bronze
Located in Brookville, NY
Polo Bookends in bronze for the sporty library. These were purchased from the collection of a polo player on Long Island who had a beautiful library of sporting books. He also owne...
Category

1960s Academic Art

Materials

Bronze

Galantine de Dinde....
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Jules Gouffe (1807-1877) Le Livre de Cusine Librairie Hachette et Cie Paris, 1867 Chromolithographs At the age of 16, Jules Gouffe found his calling as a student of the famous...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

English School 19th Century, Julia Matthews in ‘The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein’
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
A highly decorative and whimsical study of ‘The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein’ starring Julia Matthews as the title role, first shown in 1867. La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein is an ...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Pen, Ink

“Off the Italian Coast”
Located in Southampton, NY
Very finely executed original micro mosaic painting by the Florentine artist Telesforo Franchino. Condition is excellent. Circa 1960. Signed...
Category

1960s Academic Art

Materials

Mosaic

Oedipus and Antigone, study of heads
Located in PARIS, FR
Neoclassical school circa 1800-10 Oedipus and Antigone, study of heads Painting, oil on spun wood panel Unsigned Painting: 33 x 42 cm (13 x 16.5 inches) Beautiful original frame: 44....
Category

Early 19th Century 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 subject of the painting depicts th...
Category

Late 17th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Black-Faced Heath Breed
Located in Florham Park, NJ
David Low (1786-1859) The Breeds of the Domestic Animals of the British Isles William Nicholson, RSA, Illustrator Brown, Green, & Longman’s, Publisher London, 1842 Lithographs with Original Hand-Color Page Size, 12.5 x 17 “Professor Low...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Woman smoking pencil drawing
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Frame size 74x61 cm.
Category

1950s Academic Art

Materials

Pencil

Still life with aquarium
Located in Bayonne, NJ
This oil on canvas painting was executed by Lev Meshberg with his authentic technique where he used wax over canvas to create a texture first and then the paint.
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

"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...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Etching, Pencil

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

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

“Red Poppies and Grapes”
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a circa 1920’s still life of red poppies and purple grapes. Oil on artist canvas board . Signed lower right but artist is unknown. Appears to be “A. ...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nude woman with roses by famous Latvian painter Janis Rozentāls
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Janis Rozentāls was born in 1866 in Saldus, Latvia, to a family with modest means. The son of a blacksmith, Rozentāls faced economic challenges in his early life, prompting him to mo...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Early English watercolour of cottage on lane in Pirbright Constable Contemporary
Located in Harkstead, GB
A very attractive view of a rural lane in Pirbright by this highly collectable artist who was a contemporary and friend of John Constable. Dr William Crotch (1775-1847) Mr Pear's House at Pirbright from the Turnpike Signed with initials on reverse and inscribed as title and additionally " Thunder about/ 1 pm" watercolour and pencil 4 x 6½ inches without frame 11 x 13 inches with frame William Crotch (5 July 1775 – 29 December 1847) was an English composer and organist. According to the British musicologist Nicholas Temperley, Crotch was "a child prodigy without parallel in the history of music", and was certainly the most distinguished English musician in his day. Crotch was a professional musician, becoming the first Principal of the Royal Academy of Music...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Pencil, Paper

'Studies of a tabby cat', mixed media on paper by British artist John Sergeant
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
John Sargeant (British, 1937 – 2010) Studies of a tabby cat Mixed media Signed and dated ‘John Sargeant 1974 (lower right) 8.7/8 x 12in. (22.6 x 30.5 cm.)
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Academic 19th Century portrait of a young woman by Cabanel
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889) was a prominent French academic painter known for his mastery of Neoclassical and Academic art. Born on September 28, 1823, in Montpellier, France, Caba...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study of a woman for the figure of Industry for a ceiling in Paris
Located in PARIS, FR
Pierre-Victor GALLAND Geneva, 1822 - Paris, 1892 Study of a woman for the figure of Industry for the ceiling of Jean-François Cail's hotel in Paris (actually town hall of the 8th arr...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

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...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Gouache, Pencil

Large 19th Century oil painting of lions, elephants and zebras at watering hole
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
A magnificent oil painting of grand proportions by the great British academic artist William Strutt RBA FZS of lions, elephants and zebras at a watering hole. William Strutt RBA FZS...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bouquet and appels by Charles Felix Appenzeller - Oil on canvas 46x55 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Oil on canvas sold with frame Total size with frame 57x66 cm Charles Felix APPENZELLER is an artist born in Switzerland in 1892 and died in 1964. His works have been sold at public...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

“Mending the Clothes”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautifully executed original watercolor by the Italian born artist, Cesare Tiratelli. Signed bottom right. Strong, rich vibrant colors. Condition ...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

“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

Herbivore fossil
Located in Oswestry, GB
This shallow relief sculpture is of a 135 million years old fossil of a unknown herbivore discovered in India from the jurassic period. Davies chose this fossil amongst a plethora of...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Bronze

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

CONTEMPORARY Italian Artist Luca Giovagnoli Phone Call 2024
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Luca was born in 1963 in Rimini, where he still lives. He works between Rimini and Milan. His first approach to art came with graphics powered by the passion for comics. Then he come...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

MARINA DI NAPOLI - Gouache anonymous artist, Italy 2000s
Located in Napoli, IT
Gouache, also known in the French form gouache, is a type of tempera color made heavier and more opaque by the addition of a white pigment mixed with gum arabic. The result is precis...
Category

1990s Academic Art

Materials

Gouache

CONTEMPORARY Italian Artist Luca Giovagnoli Corner 2023
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Luca was born in 1963 in Rimini, where he still lives. He works between Rimini and Milan. His first approach to art came with graphics powered by the passion for comics. Then he come...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Cotton Canvas

Academic Life Studies of Male Nudes. Double Sided Rear View and Arms Aloft Pose
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Eduard Braun. German ( b.1798 - d.1876 ). Academic Life Study of a Male Nude Rear View Holding a Cane on the reverse Academic Life Study of a Male Nude Arms ...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Pencil

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 and Charcoal on Paper with Heightening on paper. Paper size 22.8 inches x 17.3 ...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Pencil

“Bradley Wharf, Rockport”
Located in Southampton, NY
Beautiful and historic original painting of the red fishing shack known as “motif number one” at the end of Bradley’s Wharf in Rockport, Massachusetts. The artist of the painting is the well known American marine...
Category

1960s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vienna, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind, cityscape
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2015 Style: Impressionism Title: Vienna Size: 9" x 12" x 0.8'' inch,...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

CONTEMPORARY Italian Artist Luca Giovagnoli Private Room 2024
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Luca was born in 1963 in Rimini, where he still lives. He works between Rimini and Milan. His first approach to art came with graphics powered by the passion for comics. Then he come...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Cotton Canvas

Ocean Breeze, 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: 2024 Style: Impressionism Title: Ocean Breeze Size: 31.5" x 39.5" x ...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Chrysanthemum Yellow B
Located in Florham Park, NJ
100 Chrysanthemums Keika Hasegawa Kyoto, Japan Meji Era (ca. 1895) Japanese Woodblock Printed in Color with some Touching by Hand Keika Hasegawa was active from 1893-1905. His most famous work is 100 Chrysanthemums, a glorious celebration of Japan’s most famous flower. As the Imperial Seal...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Woodcut

At the Foggy Beach, 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: 2024 Style: Impressionism Title: At the Foggy Beach Size: 31.5" x 39...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

CONTEMPORARY Italian Artist Luca Giovagnoli Tied 2024
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Luca was born in 1963 in Rimini, where he still lives. He works between Rimini and Milan. His first approach to art came with graphics powered by the passion for comics. Then he come...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Cotton Canvas

Autumn, Fall, 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: Autumn Size: 19.5" x 23.5" x 0.8'' ...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cold Winter, Impressionism, Landscape, 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: 2016 Style: Impressionism Title: Cold Winter Size: 14" x 18" x 0.8'' ...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

In the Beach, 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: 2021 Style: Impressionism Title: In the Beach Size: 19.5" x 27.5" x 0...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Amazons and horsemen on the hunt
Located in PARIS, FR
Victor Pinel de Grandchamps 1822-1869 Amazons and horsemen on the hunt 2 paintings in pair forming a pendant, oil on canvas Signed on one painting: "V. de Grandchamps" Paintings: 47 ...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

British 20th Century oil painting of Summer Blooms by Lawrence Biddle
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
An esquisitively detailed and beautifully portrayed vase of flowers that include Petunias, Geraniums, Michaelmas Daisies and other summer blooms by early 20th Century British artist ...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

CONTEMPORARY Fine Art Architecture Spanish Artist Bea Sarrias Blue Room 2024
Located in BARCELONA, ES
BLUE ROOM - Richard Neutra 30x30 cm Acrylic on linen 2024 The artist, Bea Sarrias, has developed much of her work in Barcelona, where she studied Fine Arts and soon became intereste...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Linen, Acrylic

MB 017 (Figurative Life Drawing of Female Nude by Mark Beard)
Located in Hudson, NY
Academic style life drawing of female nude with charcoal and graphite by Mark Beard, "MB 017" graphite, Conte crayon and charcoal on Arches paper 30 x 22 inches unframed Signed, lowe...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Charcoal, Archival Paper, Graphite, Conté

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...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Gondolier (Figurative Painting of Man in Venice by Mark Beard, Bruce Sargeant)
Located in Hudson, NY
Academic style figurative oil painting of a muscular male gondolier with Venice's St. Mark's Campanile in the background "Gondolier" painted by Mark Beard as Bruce Sargeant (pseudony...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Early 19th Century English watercolour of woodland near Croxdale Hall
Located in Harkstead, GB
A very attractive and meticulously executed view of a rocky landscape within the woods dating to 1823. This would suit a library or study with its muted tones and skifull draughtsmanship. William Nicholson (1781-1844) Near Croxdale Hall Signed with initials and inscribed with title and date 1823 Pen, ink and grey wash 11 x 8 inches, image only 17 x 13 inches without frame The portrait-painter and etcher William Nicholson was born in Ovingham-on-Tyne, Northumberland, on Christmas Day 1781. His family transferred to Newcastle when his father was appointed Headmaster of the city's Grammar School. At an early age, though, Nicholson appears to have moved to Hull where he made his artistic debut, painting miniatures of officers garrisoned there. He was almost entirely self-taught, learning his craft through the close study of artworks in private and public galleries. He subsequently returned to Newcastle where he received many commissions to paint portraits of the old families of Northumberland. In 1808, he began to exhibit at the Royal Academy, continuing to do so until 1822. By 1814, Nicholson, whose mother was a Scot, had moved to Edinburgh where he set up as a miniaturist and painter in oils. Soon, however, he began to specialize in watercolour portraits. Early subjects included the actor Daniel Terry and the poet and novelist James Hogg. In 1818 he began to publish a series of Portraits of Eminent Scotsmen, etched from his own portraits and those of other painters. Besides Scott and Hogg, the subjects included the writers Robert Burns, John Wilson ('Christopher North'), and Lord Jeffrey, the painters Sir Henry Raeburn, the divines Alexander Carlyle and Alexander Cameron, the engineer James Watt, the architect John Playfair, and the song-collector and composer George Thomson...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Pen, Ink, Paper

CONTEMPORARY Italian Artist Luca Giovagnoli Costume Party 2024
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Luca was born in 1963 in Rimini, where he still lives. He works between Rimini and Milan. His first approach to art came with graphics powered by the passion for comics. Then he come...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Cotton Canvas

“Haughton in the County of Nottingham” (Near Newark Upon Trent)
Located in Southampton, NY
An original hand colored engraving by Johannes 'Jan' Kip (1653-1722) of Haughton in the County of Nottinghamshire, one of the seats of Prince John Duke of ...
Category

Early 1700s Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Roses, Flowers, 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: Roses Size: 12" x 16" x 0.8'' inch, ...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

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...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

In the Village, Landscape, 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: 2020 Style: Impressionism Title: In the Village Size: 31.5" x 43" x 1...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

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...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, 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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