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.
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Droit au Coeur
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 works e...
Oil, Panel
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Colleville sur Mer en Hiver
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 works e...
Canvas, Oil
French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Éclaircie
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 Unite...
Oil, Panel
Ballroom Dancers II - Charcoal, Figurative, Fabric, Movement, Human Form
By Trudy Good
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Ballroom Dancers II by Trudy Good. Original Charcoal & Pastel onto paper. Trudy Good is a British figurative painter who has exhibited in numerous pla...
Charcoal, Pastel
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.
Marble
Miss Carolyn Edmunson Portrait Painting, Oil on Canvas, Signed, 1930s
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...
Oil, Canvas
GRISAILLE 19th Century - Cherubs Are Playing Music
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 Frame re-gilded Dim canvas : 50 X 70 c...
Oil
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.
Oil, Board
Mounted Jockeys Taking a Jump
Located in Saratoga Springs, NY
Bronze (After) Henri (Comte) Geoffroy De Ruille, Mounted Jockeys (French 1842-1922) "Mounted Jockeys Taking a Jump" 40"long x 26" high x 20 ½" wide 20th Century Medium: Patinaed B...
Bronze
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...
Oil
Lady at the Flower Market
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
LEBAS Léonie (19th-20th) "Lady at the Flower Market in Paris" Oil on wood panel signed low right Old Frame regilded with gold leaves Dim panel : 16 X...
Oil
The Flower Girl - Genre Scene 18th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
LEVIGNE Théodore (1848-1912) The Flower Girl and The Puppy Oil on canvas signed and dated 1883 low left Old Frame regilded with leaves Dimensions canvas : 120 X 70 cm Dimensions frame : 137 X 88 cm LEVIGNE Théodore (1848-1912) French Painter 19th-20th century Lyon School Born 1848 in Noirétable (Loire) - Died 11...
Oil
Portrait of a Lady With Hat
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
WATELET, Charles Joseph (1867 - 1954) Portrait of a Lady with Hat Oil on oval canvas signed up right and dated 1909 Old frame gilded with leaves Dim canv...
Oil
"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 ...
Bronze
Venice Laguna with Gondola
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
ADAM-LAURENS Suzanne Adrienne, aka Nanny (1861-1915) Venice, Lagoon with gondolier Oil on canvas signed lower left Frame gilded with leaf canvas size: 55 X 42 cm Frame size: 64 X 77 cm French painter born in Crest (Drôme ) February 20, 1861 Died in 1915 Landscape...
Oil
$12,500
Sexy Woman in a Swamp Storm - Pulp Magazine, Hispanic Artist, Mid Century
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...
Oil, Board
$12,000Sale Price|20% Off
Wheels of Industry Past and Present, Golden Age of Illustration - Standard Oil
Located in Miami, FL
This Golden Age of Illustration painting juxtaposes modern and ancient industrial practices. Giant eclectic generators from the current ti...
Gouache, Board
The Musical Performance oil on panel by Antonio Ermolao Paoletti
Located in New York, NY
The Musical Performance by Antonio Ermolao Paoletti An italian genre painting showcasing two boys playing a trumpet and a guitar for their sist...
Oil, Wood Panel, Board
Formal Portrait of a Chinese Man in Traditional Dress
Located in Miami, FL
Dressed in traditional clothing, a handsome Chinese man is depicted as he sits resolutely with one hand on his leg and the other holding a baton. Female Artist Joyce Ballantyne...
Canvas, Oil
Boy in a squero in Venice
Located in Roma, RM
Domenico Bresolin (Padua 1813 - Venice 1890), Boy in a squero in Venice Oil on canvas applied to cardboard 27 x 16 cm initialed (DB) lower left. Publications D. Ritter, Venedig in...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
Riva d'Arno in Florence
Located in Roma, RM
Domenico Bresolin (Padua 1813 - Venice 1890), Riva d'Arno in Florence Oil on canvas applied to cardboard 26 x 40 cm. Not signed. INFO: to get more information Publications: D. Ri...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
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...
Oil
Street Costumes, Gay Nineties Fashion - Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
Street Costumes by Ruth Kreps. Signed lower right. Most likely for a book published in the 1930's about turn of the century women's fashion. "Costume Design of the Gay Nineties" T...
Ink, Watercolor, Board
$2,692
Ballroom Dancers - Charcoal, Figurative, Fabric, Movement, Human Form, British
By Trudy Good
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Ballroom Dancers by Trudy Good. Original Charcoal & Pastel onto paper. Trudy Good is a British figurative painter who has exhibited in numerous plac...
Charcoal, Pastel
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...
Marble
$18,887
Painting 19th Century Fox Hunting Scene With Characters Horses and Dogs
By Joseph August Knip
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
KNIP August (1819 - 1859) Starting Fox Hunting day in Baden-Baden Oil on canvas signed low right dated 1837 Old original frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 81 X 118 cm Dim frame :...
Oil
Asian Love Story - The Good Earth - Golden Age of Illustration
Located in Miami, FL
Magazine Story Illustration most likely for Cosmopolitan or Woman's Home Companion. Caption: "'I will not heed these old ones,' said the maid. 'Let us flee together somewhere and ...
Adhesive, Oil
Divertimento in the Music Salon
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
GUIDI Giuseppe (1881-1931) Divertimento in the Music Salon Oil on canvas signed low right Old frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 70 X 100 cm Dim frame :...
Oil
Portrait of a Redhead in Profile
By Leon Kroll
Located in Miami, FL
Beautifully rendered in Krolls signature academic style. Unframed - Signed lower right, unframed
Wood, Oil
Rochefort Harbour in early 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Richard FAXON (1816 - 1875) Rochefort Harbour with Galleons Oil on canvas signed low right New golden frame Size canvas 73 X 50 cm Size frame 69 X 95 cm FAXON Richard (1816-1875) ...
Oil
A set of Biblical prints after the Dutch painter and engraver Gerard Hoet
By Gerard Hoet
Located in London, GB
The present collection is a set of 131 prints after Gerard Hoet, the Dutch golden age painter and engraver, depicting various biblical scenes. Hoet was a leading artist in the Classicizing Dutch Academic style, and his work is defined by history paintings, with a particular interest in mythological, classical, historical, and biblical scene, in particular Old testament scenes...
Paper, Ink, Black and White, Engraving
Actress June Knight
Located in Miami, FL
Celebrity portrait sketch of actress June Knight but James Montgomery Flagg on card stock in two colors. Signed and inscribed lower right. The work is unframed. There is a slight cr...
Crayon, Pencil
Central Park Heroic Statue
Located in Miami, FL
Signed and dated on lower right, numbered on verso, 2/15 , other size available, unframed
Photographic Paper
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...
Oil
Watercolour painting by Henry Ryland
By Henry Ryland
Located in London, GB
This watercolour painting is by the English artist Henry Ryland, celebrated in his day and since for his Neoclassical pictures. Ryland was a contemporary of Lawrence Alma-Tadema and ...
Watercolor, Board, Laid Paper
Winter Landscape by the River
By Jean Eugene Clary
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
CLARY Jean Eugène (1856-1930) Winter Landscape by the River Oil on canvas signed low right Frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 46 X 80 cm Dim frame : 68 X 103 cm CLARY Jean Eugèn...
Oil
Portrait of a boy 1865
By Carl Gutsch
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Carl GUTSCH (19th Century) Portrait of a young Boy Oil on canvas signed low right and dated 1865 Old Original frame gilded with Leaves Dim canvas : 127 X 84 cm Dim Frame : 157 X 114 ...
Oil
19th century antique Tuscan mythological figurative drawing with putti
Located in Florence, IT
The small but exquisite drawing, made in a mixed technique of pencil and gray watercolor, depicts a mythological scene in which a group of naked putti are seen dancing and holding ha...
Paper, Pencil
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...
Photogravure
Plate 14: Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Green Salon Second view
Located in New York, NY
This photogravure is the sixth plate presented in Josef Folnesics publication "Alte Innenräume österreichischer Schlösser, Paläste und Wohnhäuser" (Old interiors of Austrian Castles,...
Photogravure
Plate 12 : Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Red Salon
Located in New York, NY
This photogravure is the sixth plate presented in Josef Folnesics publication "Alte Innenräume österreichischer Schlösser, Paläste und Wohnhäuser" (Old interiors of Austrian Castles,...
Photogravure
Plate 8: Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Smoking Room
Located in New York, NY
This photogravure is the sixth plate presented in Josef Folnesics publication "Alte Innenräume österreichischer Schlösser, Paläste und Wohnhäuser" (Old interiors of Austrian Castles,...
Photogravure
Plate 7: Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Anteroom of the Smoking Room
Located in New York, NY
This photogravure is the sixth plate presented in Josef Folnesics publication "Alte Innenräume österreichischer Schlösser, Paläste und Wohnhäuser" (Old interiors of Austrian Castles,...
Photogravure
Plate 5: Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, Passing Room
Located in New York, NY
This photogravure is the fifth plate presented in Josef Folnesics publication "Alte Innenräume österreichischer Schlösser, Paläste und Wohnhäuser" (Old interiors of Austrian Castles,...
Photogravure
Plate 3: Vienna, Palais Erzherzog Friedrich, First Anteroom
Located in New York, NY
This photogravure is the third plate presented in Josef Folnesics publication "Alte Innenräume österreichischer Schlösser, Paläste und Wohnhäuser" (Old interiors of Austrian Castles,...
Photogravure
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Button, Sans titre, In Memory of My Feelings (after)
By John Button
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on vélin Mohawk Superfine Smooth paper. Paper Size: 11.937 x 8.96 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the folio, In Memory of M...
Lithograph
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Freilicher, Sans titre, In Memory of My Feelings (after)
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on vélin Mohawk Superfine Smooth paper. Paper Size: 11.937 x 11.937 inches, with centerfold, as issued. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: ...
Lithograph
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Blaine, Sans titre, In Memory of My Feelings (after)
By Nell Blaine
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on vélin Mohawk Superfine Smooth paper. Paper Size: 11.937 x 11.937 inches, with centerfold, as issued. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the fo...
Lithograph
Yesterday's Love, Love can Be True. The Heart can Betray
Located in Miami, FL
Classic illustration for a romanace novel from the 1950's in England. Recently these charming works have been the source of interest and even parody. Unsigned, unframed. Vale Studi...
Gouache, Pencil
$1,436Sale Price|20% Off
Composition, Description of a Masque, Jane Freilicher
Located in Southampton, NY
Woodcut on vélin Tosa Hanga à la main paper. Paper Size: 16 x 12 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the album, Description of a Masque, 1998. Publis...
Woodcut
$1,436Sale Price|20% Off
Composition, Description of a Masque, Jane Freilicher
Located in Southampton, NY
Woodcut on vélin Tosa Hanga à la main paper. Paper Size: 16 x 12 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the album, Description of a Masque, 1998. Publis...
Woodcut
$1,436Sale Price|20% Off
Composition, Description of a Masque, Jane Freilicher
Located in Southampton, NY
Woodcut on vélin Tosa Hanga à la main paper. Paper Size: 16 x 12 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the album, Description of a Masque, 1998. Publis...
Woodcut
Price Upon Request
The Twelve Princesses
Located in New Orleans, LA
The greatest triumph of the artist’s career, this extraordinary and monumental oil on canvas by Gustave-Max Stevens perfectly represents the highly detailed compositions and richly h...
Canvas, Oil
Price Upon Request
Sandringham - Signed Lithograph, Royal Art, Royal Homes, Sandringham House
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Sandringham by HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales - Hand Signed Limited Edition Lithograph. Belgravia Gallery has been honoured to be associated with the artworks of HRH The P...
Lithograph
Price Upon Request
Petite Mendiante By William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Located in New Orleans, LA
William Bouguereau French 1825-1905 Petite Mendiante (Little Beggar) Signed “W. Bouguereau 1880” (center left) Oil on canvas William Bouguereau's faithful images of young women a...
Canvas, Oil
Au Bord Du Ruisseau By William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Located in New Orleans, LA
William-Adolphe Bouguereau 1825-1905 French Au Bord du Ruisseau Signed and dated “W-Bouguereau-1888” (upper left) Oil on Canvas “Bouguereau’s paintings of children allowed for th...
Canvas, Oil
Price Upon Request
Young girl from Tetouan, Morocco
Located in New Orleans, LA
Young girl from Tetouan, Morocco Signed (center right) Oil on canvas In this important oil on canvas, French Orientalist painter Charles Landelle captures the engaging visage of a young Moroccan woman in a moment of tranquil contemplation. Seated on the floor of what is almost certainly an opulent riad, the young woman wears an intricately embroidered Moroccan kaftan and headdress. The sumptuous patterns on the floor and in the background lend an additional warmth to the strikingly vivid red hues which dominate the composition and are a hallmark of Landelle’s work. The symbols behind the young woman may represent either the Jewish Star of David or the Islamic Seal...
Canvas, Oil
Price Upon Request
Balmoral - Signed Lithograph, Royal Art, Royal Homes, Balmoral Castle, British
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Balmoral by His Majesty King Charles III (formerly known as HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales) - Hand Signed Limited Edition Lithograph. Belgravia Gallery has been honoured to be associated with the artworks of HRH The Prince of Wales for over 25 years. Anna Hunter, gallery owner, wrote a handwritten letter to the Prince asking him if he would consider making signed lithographs from his beautiful watercolours which could be sold in aid of his charities. The gallery subsequently worked with the Prince for over 10 years publishing some 18 different editions and raising over £4million for the Prince’s Charitable Foundation. Lithographs were made from the Prince’s original watercolours under the guidance of Stanley Jones – a celebrated printmaker who had previously worked with Henry Moore for 30 years, and with Elizabeth Frink, David Hockney and others. Each one is hand-signed. “…One thing I have discovered in the course of my painting efforts is that Balmoral Castle...
Lithograph
Price Upon Request
Highgrove - Signed Lithograph, Royal Art, Royal Homes, Highgrove House, British
By His Majesty King Charles III
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Highgrove by His Majesty King Charles III - Hand Signed Limited Edition Lithograph. Belgravia Gallery has been honoured to be associate...
Lithograph
Price Upon Request
Windsor Castle - Signed Lithograph, Royal Art, Royal Homes, Architecture
By His Majesty King Charles III
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Windsor Castle by HM King Charles III - Hand Signed Limited Edition Lithograph. Belgravia Gallery has been honoured to be associated with the artwo...
Lithograph