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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
Cute Koala Bear Australia,  Photorealism
Cute Koala Bear Australia,  Photorealism

Cute Koala Bear Australia, Photorealism

By John Ruthven

Located in Miami, FL

John Ruthven is recognized as the “20th-century Audubon. In this very detailed and meticulously rendered work the artist depicts a Koala in an iconic and proud pose and a Photoreali...

Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

Maiden with hat
Maiden with hat

Maiden with hat

Located in Roma, RM

Luigi Preatoni (Novara 1845 - ?), Maiden with hat Marble bust 66 x 43 x 36 cm signed (L Preatoni) on edge of dress.

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Marble

"Wife of Lot"
"Wife of Lot"

"Wife of Lot"

By Robert Bodem

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

Robert Christian Bodem is a sculptor of figurative work, primarily showing in bronze. He received both his Bachelors and Masters in Fine Arts in Sculpture at Boston University. Durin...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Bronze

Stony Brook Village
Stony Brook Village

Stony Brook Village

By Marc Dalessio

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

Dalessio faithfully depicts a Long Island town, picturesque with a large white church in the background. Marc Dalessio was born in 1972 in Los Angeles, California. Even in his earlie...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Orientalist Scenes in Pair - Dutch Painting 19th Century
Orientalist Scenes in Pair - Dutch Painting 19th Century

Orientalist Scenes in Pair - Dutch Painting 19th Century

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

VAN WYK Henri (1833-NC) signed HENRI Orientalist scenes in pair Oil on wood panel signed low left Old frame re-gilded with gold leaves Dim wood : 22 X 41 cm Dim frame : 33 X 55 cm V...

Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

"Transmutations: A Study of Systems Substitution, Painting by Mary Fish
"Transmutations: A Study of Systems Substitution, Painting by Mary Fish

"Transmutations: A Study of Systems Substitution, Painting by Mary Fish

By Mary Fish

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Mary Fish Title: Transmutations: A Study of Systems Substitution Year: 1980 Medium: Ink and Tempera on Paper, signed Size: 33.5 x 56 in. (85.09 x 142.24 cm)

Category

1980s Academic Art

Materials

Ink, Tempera

Pair of 20th Century illustrations from 'A frog who would a-wooing go'
Pair of 20th Century illustrations from 'A frog who would a-wooing go'

Pair of 20th Century illustrations from 'A frog who would a-wooing go'

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

Frank Adams (British,1871-1944) “Pray, Mistress Mouse, / will you give us some beer?”/Heigho! Says Rowley, / “For Froggy and I are/fond of good cheer”. / With a rowley powley/Heigho!...

Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Ink, Pen

Mountain Landscape with Animals and Figures
Mountain Landscape with Animals and Figures

Mountain Landscape with Animals and Figures

Located in Atlanta, GA

A student of Regnault and of Bertin, Jean-Charles Joseph Rémond exhibited at the Salon from 1814 to 1848. He was awarded his first grand prize in 1821 for "L'enlevement de Proserpin...

Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

In the diner

In the diner

Located in Roma, RM

Antonio Maria Fabrés y Costa (Barcelona 1854 - Rome 1938), In the Restaurant (1880) Oil painting on panel 14 x 21 cm signed and dated on the right.

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Board

17th Century map of Cumberland, UK by Robert Morden
17th Century map of Cumberland, UK by Robert Morden

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

"Your Breath Behind Me " Fabulous Bronze Sculpture by Mauro Andrea 2001
"Your Breath Behind Me " Fabulous Bronze Sculpture by Mauro Andrea 2001

"Your Breath Behind Me " Fabulous Bronze Sculpture by Mauro Andrea 2001

Located in Rome, IT

"Your Breath Behind Me " amazing Bronze Sculpture by Mauro Andrea 2001 A double-faced bronze sculpture depicting the fragmented heads of Apollo and Aphrodite, topped with a central ...

Category

Early 2000s Academic Art

Materials

Bronze

Figures at a mill
Figures at a mill

Figures at a mill

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

English school, 18th Century Figures at a mill Gouache on paper 4.5/8 x 7.1/2 in. (11.8 x 19 cm.)

Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache

A Sylvan Toilette -- ca. 1898
A Sylvan Toilette -- ca. 1898

A Sylvan Toilette -- ca. 1898

By James Carroll Beckwith

Located in Mc Lean, VA

Exhibited: Society of American Artists, New York, 1898 Intimate Revelations: The Art of Carroll Beckwith, Berry-Hill Galleries, New York, 1 December 1999-15 January 2000, no. 49 Li...

Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fabulous Italian Neoclassical Marble Sculpture of Hermes
Fabulous Italian Neoclassical Marble Sculpture of Hermes

Fabulous Italian Neoclassical Marble Sculpture of Hermes

Located in Rome, IT

19th century French finely chiseled bronze figure of Hermes . Signed Pigalle G . Cuspinera Hermes , the messenger of the gods, is sitting on a rock, ready to leap up. He is att...

Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Bronze

Sexy Woman in a Swamp  Storm - Pulp  Magazine,  Hispanic Artist, Mid Century
Sexy Woman in a Swamp  Storm - Pulp  Magazine,  Hispanic Artist, Mid Century

Sexy Woman in a Swamp Storm - Pulp Magazine, Hispanic Artist, Mid Century

By Rafael DeSoto

Located in Miami, FL

Rafael Maria de Soto y Hernandez was born February 18, 1904 in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It's high drama in the swamp. Woman in the Swamp is a masterfully executed example of Pulp Art and showcases Rafael DeSoto's full command of academic painting. DeSoto did pulp covers up until the industry's demise in the 1950s for such magazines as Adventure, Argosy, Black Mask, Captain Zero, Crack Detective, Fantastic Novels, 15-Story Detective, Fifteen Western Tales, New Detective, Smashing Detective, and Walt Coburn's Western Magazine. He also painted many covers and interior story illustrations for men's adventure magazines, such as Action For Men, Adventure, Battle Cry, For Men Only...

Category

1950s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Board

The Letter By Georges Croegaert
The Letter By Georges Croegaert

The Letter By Georges Croegaert

By Georges Croegaert

Located in New Orleans, LA

Georges Croegaert 1848-1923 Belgian The Letter Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower right) Oil on panel A cardinal pauses while composing a letter in this oil on panel by Belg...

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Miss Carolyn Edmunson
Miss Carolyn Edmunson

Miss Carolyn Edmunson

By Leon Kroll

Located in Miami, FL

The art world today does not value traditional academic skills in portrait painting. If it did, this portrait would replace the childlike student-level art that is now achieving two...

Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Calligraphy 2
Calligraphy 2

Calligraphy 2

Located in Atlanta, GA

Born in 1969 1991, Graduated top of his class at Iranian Society of Calligraphy, Tehran 1993, Graduated from the Wood Industry & Paper-making, Tehran Sol...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Pair of  Neoclassical  Terracotta  Bust of Emperor Caracalla and Cicero
Pair of  Neoclassical  Terracotta  Bust of Emperor Caracalla and Cicero

Pair of Neoclassical Terracotta Bust of Emperor Caracalla and Cicero

Located in Rome, IT

Pair of 19' century Italian Marble imitation painted Terracotta . Bust of Emperor Caracalla and Cicero . Measurements : cm 71 H x 60 Available also a pair marble imitation colum...

Category

1870s Academic Art

Materials

Terracotta

Prospector firing Rifle  ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art
Prospector firing Rifle  ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art

Prospector firing Rifle ( Happiness is a Warm Gun ) Gay Art

By Robert Riggs

Located in Miami, FL

Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel ( composite wood panel ) Robert Riggs was a gay man. Being gay in American during the 1940's time was something not to flaunt in public. Rigg's had to communicate his underlying feelings in more symbolic ways. Throughout Riggs' oeuvre, one sees continuous references to strong hunked out manly men and vulnerable boys. It is a core element of is iconography and is described in a powerful graphic style. In “Prospector firing Rifle,” there is a Dick Pic. Riggs is clearly making a sexual statement about the moment of climax. The long, straight rifle explodes and is captured at the moment of its peak climax. Meanwhile, the two bags of gold clearly resemble the other part of the male anatomy. Riggs was a thoughtful and meticulous visual thinker, and nothing in any of Riggs’s compositions was haphazardly placed. In tribute to the artist’s suppressed feelings, I have given this work a second title “Happiness is a Warm Gun...

Category

1940s Academic Art

Materials

Tempera

Plate 23: "Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Wedgwood Cabinet"
Plate 23: "Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Wedgwood Cabinet"

Plate 23: "Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Wedgwood Cabinet"

Located in New York, NY

This photogravure is twenty third plate presented in Josef Folnesics publication "Alte Innenräume österreichischer Schlösser, Paläste und Wohnhäuser" (Old interiors of Austrian Castl...

Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Photogravure

Young St. John the Baptist by Domenico Menconi
Young St. John the Baptist by Domenico Menconi

Young St. John the Baptist by Domenico Menconi

Located in New Orleans, LA

Masterfully carved with remarkable detail, a youthful Saint John the Baptist folds his hands in prayer in this stunning marble by the important Italian sculptor Domenico Menconi. The...

Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Marble

Landscape with windmill
Landscape with windmill

Landscape with windmill

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

KUWASSEG Charles Euphrasie (1838-1904) Landscape with Windmill Oil on canvas signed low right New Golden frame Dim canvas : 75 X 108 cm Dim frame : 104 X 140 cm KUWASSEG Charles Euphrasie (1838-1904) French Painter 19th Century born on September 29, 1838 in Draveil (Essonne). Died in October 1904 in Paris Painter, Watercolor Lively landscapes, seascapes, panoramas Charles Kuwasseg...

Category

1870s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Calligraphy 1

Calligraphy 1

Located in Atlanta, GA

Born in 1969 1991, Graduated top of his class at Iranian Society of Calligraphy, Tehran 1993, Graduated from the Wood Industry & Paper-making, Tehran Sol...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary 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.