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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
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 :...
Category

1830s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

A.Bachman (1863-1956), painting view of Venice
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
BACHMANN Alfred Félix August (1863-1956) Lively view of Venice Oil on wood panel signed low left Old frame regilded with gold leaves Dim wood : 24 X 34 cm Dim frame : 38 X 48 cm BA...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Love & the Jester - Oil Painting of Sacrifice
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil Painting of a Love and Sacrafice by Cuban Artist Jesus Nordarse. Oil on Canvas. 18 x 18 inches. THE MAN: Jesús Nodarse Valdés was born in Sagua la Grande, Cuba in 1973. He studi...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Women with Resting Minotaur
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil Painting of a women with a sleeping Minotaur. Light neutral white painting by Cuban Artist Jesus Nordarse. 18 x 18 inches.
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Stipple Drawing in Black and White of the First Lady of Haiti - African American
Located in Miami, FL
1942 Calendar illustration featuring the First Lady of Haiti (Madame Elie Lescot]) rendered in a precise stipple effect and celebrating African-American women which was titled "Twelve American Women." It was executed during the hight of World War II. Lois Mailou Jones...
Category

1940s Academic Art

Materials

Ink, Pencil

Lady at Dressing Table - Original Painting
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
"Lady at dressing table" Oil on canvas signed and dated right below 1929 Old original frame gild with leaves Dim canvas : 72 x 56 cm Dim frame : 92 X 80 cm ENJOLRAS Delphin (1857-...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

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

Florentine religious figurative drawing from the 20th century front back
By Giuseppe Fraschetti
Located in Florence, IT
The drawing is signed at lower left "G. Fraschetti," or Giuseppe Fraschetti, a Florence-born artist who was a pupil of Giacomo Lolli, active mainly in Tuscany at the turn of the 19th...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pencil

Pretending (Lunch from the Café)
Located in Mc Lean, VA
Signed and dated '1910' lower right
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Marble Sculpture of Roman Mythological subject Apollo
Located in Rome, IT
Finely carved mythological subject in white Carrara marble of Apollo head .
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

Miss Carolyn Edmunson
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

A Sideways Glance
Located in Mc Lean, VA
Signed with monogram lower right
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Break at the Inn for the Rural Policeman 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
DE LAUNEY Fernand (19th Century) Break at the Inn for the Rural Policeman Oil on Wood Panel signed Low Left Old frame gilded with Leaves Dim wood : 33 X 41 cm Dim frame : 48 X 56 cm...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Summer
Located in Mc Lean, VA
Exhibited: Royal Academy, London, 1880, no. 355 (as Summer)
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Swing - Romantic Scene in the Garden
By Antonio Cerveto
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
CERVETO RIBA Antonio (1876-1938) "The swing" Oil on canvas signed low right Gault frame (Paris) Dim canvas : 60 X 80 cm Dim frame : 81 X 102 cm CERVETO RIB...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Hercules Italian Stone Sculpture of Classical Torso with Base
Located in Rome, IT
This reproduction of a classical Hellenistic sculpture of Hercules . A timeless piece for interior and a garden decoration. We can raise with a base on request .
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

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...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Leaves II, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Elizabeth Zanzinger's (US based) "Leaves II" is an oil painting that depicts yellow Fall leaves with a cream colored background Elizabeth Zanzinger is an award-winning painter with an enthusiastic international following. She developed her artistic voice through her studies at the Aristides Atelier and Gage Academy of Fine Art in Seattle. Elizabeth finished her education with a fellowship award (Grand Prize, 2nd Annual Utrecht Art...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Marble Sculpture of Roman Mythological subject Apollo
Located in Rome, IT
Finely carved mythological subject in white Carrara marble of Apollo head . Measurements: Statues cm 150, base cm 85.
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

Lady in Middle-Age Suits, Pastel 19th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
FANTIN LATOUR Theodore (1805 – 1875) « Young Lady dressed with middle-age suit » Pastel on card signed low right Old original frame gilded with leaves Dim pastel : 80 X 63 cm Dim fr...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Pastel

Bust of veiled woman
Located in Roma, RM
Giulio Tadolini ( Rome 1849 - 1918 ) ( attr. to ), Bust of veiled woman Bronze 61 x 37 x 22 cm.
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Bronze

French School 18th Century - Seaside Landscape With Roman Ruins and Galleon
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
French School 18th Century In the taste of Joseph VERNET (1714-1789) Seaside Landscape with Roman Ruins and Galleon Oil on canvas Old Frame regilded with leaves Dim canvas : 61 X 73...
Category

Late 18th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Views of the Nile Valley in pair - Orientalist Paintings
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Léon BRARD (1830-1902) Views of The Nile Valley in pair Orientalist paintings Oils on wood signed low right New golden Frames Dim wood (each) : 22 X 41 cm Dim canvas (each) : 40 X 60...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Painting 19th Century Landscape Antique Ruins
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
BACHMANN Alfred Félix August (1863-1956) Walking by the Antique Ruins Oil on canvas signed low right Frame gilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 54 X 65 ...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

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...
Category

1940s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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...
Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Crayon, Pencil

Etienne Billet Portrait of William H. Fitch Oil on Canvas
Located in Astoria, NY
Etienne Billet (French, 1821-1888), Portrait of William Harold Fitch, Oil on Canvas laid on Board, circa 1870, signed mid left, inscribed "William Harold Fitch / of Marseilles France...
Category

1870s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

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...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

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

Landscape of Mountains
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
MOSNY Henry (19th Century) Landscape of Mountains Oil on canvas signed below and dated 1882 Black and Golden wood Frame Dim canvas : 73 X 92 cm Dim Frame : 92 X 112 cm MOSNY Henry (...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

A.POURFILET - Original Painting Early 20th Century
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
A.POURFILET (19th-20th Century) Still life with Peaches and Grapes Oil on card signed low left Old frame gilded with leaves Dim card : 33 X 41 cm Dim frame : 50 X 58 cm
Category

Early 1900s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

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

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

Sophie Holten (1858-1930), the Parthenon Frieze, London 1901
Located in Greding, DE
Painting based on the Peplos scene (Block V, eastern Parthenon frieze, ca. 447-433 BC) by the Danish painter Sophie Holten (1858 Skuldelev - 1930 Rosk...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

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 ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

C Print

Landscape By The Mountain Stream
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
MOSNY Henry (19th Century) Landscape by the mountain Stream Oil on canvas signed below and dated 1882 Black and Golden wood Frame Dim canvas : 73 X 92 cm Dim Frame : 94 X 113 cm MOS...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

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

La Rentrée du Troupeau en Plaine de Barbizon
Located in Atlanta, GA
Jean-Ferdinand Chaigneau was born in the shipping center of Bordeaux on March 6th, 1830. There he studied drawing under the academic painter Jean-Paul Alaux (1788-1858). In 1847...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

BARRIER Gustave - Painting Bunch of Flowers
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
BARRIER Gustave (1871-1953) Bunch of Flowers Oil on card signed upper left Old original frame re-gilded with gold leaves Dim card : 56 X 46 cm Dim fr...
Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

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) ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze
Located in New York, NY
Biblioteca di Michelozzo a S.Marco, Firenze, 2009 C-print Signed, titled, dated and numbered edition of 5 on artist's label on verso. The photographer is based in Florence, and ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

C Print

Georgian Contemporary Art by Ramaz Chantladze - Untitled 12
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas Ramaz Chantladze is a Georgian artist was born in 1960 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. He studied at Jacob Nikoladze School of Art. In 1979-1985 he studied at...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

19th Century Painting Puppet theatre
By Paul Louis Martin des Amoignes
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
MARTIN DES AMOIGNES, Paul Louis (1850-1925) Puppet theatre on the village square Oil on canvas signed low right Dated 14th of July 1884 Old original f...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Composition of Roses With Lute and score
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
GODCHAUX Emile (1860) Big Composition of roses with Oil on canvas signed low right Frame gilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 90 X 129 cm Dim frame : 118 x 159 cm GODCHAUX Emile (1860 - nc) French School - 19th century - Born in 1860 Painter of genre scenes, landscapes, waterscapes, marines, flowers, still lives. He sold his paintings on the public place, and sometimes in Lotteries. He is related to Alfred Godchaux...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Miss Twisty: Back to the City - Mid-Century Female Illustrator
Located in Miami, FL
Miss Twisty is a story of a young girl who leaves the big city to spend time in the country. The book is filled with insight and humor. This work is a deftly rendered black-and-wh...
Category

1940s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Graphite

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provençale No. 20
Located in Paris, IDF
Rapidography & watercolor on canvas Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in his artworks on paper or onto canvas. The rapidograph is a special pen with a capillary tubular tip in which flows a black pigment, an ancient drawing...
Category

1990s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Watercolor

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 dramat...
Category

Late 17th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

19th century color lithograph scientific bird animal print hawk tree leaves egg
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Sparrow Hawk" is an original color lithograph by an unknown American artist. It depicts a bird perching on the limb of a tree, its young poking out of th...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Nymphs and Cherubs in the Park
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Henri Paul ROLLAND (1891-1923) Nymphs and cherubs in the Park Oil on Wood panel signed low right Golden frame Size canvas : 70 X 81 cm Size frame : 90 X 100 cm ROLLAND Henri Paul(...
Category

Early 20th 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 subje...
Category

Late 17th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Landscape of the Valley in French Normandy
By Eugène Jules Delahogue
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
DELAHOGUE Eugène Jules (1867-c1930) " Landscape of the Valley" Oil on canvas signed low right Frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 91 X 150 cm Dim frame : 110 X 172 cm DELAHOGUE Eu...
Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

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

Ballroom Dancers II - Charcoal, Figurative, Fabric, Movement, Human Form
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...
Category

Early 2000s Academic Art

Materials

Charcoal, Pastel

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...
Category

1950s Academic Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Gouache, Pencil

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...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel, Board

Pair Italian Limestone Garden Sculptures with Cornucopia
Located in Rome, IT
Finely carved mythological subject in limestone with Cornucopia associated with the harvest, prosperity, or spiritual abundance. Excellent condition. Measurements: Statue cm 160, ba...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Saint Vaast la Hougue
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...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Mais où se cache le Soleil ?!
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...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French Contemporary Art by Franck Bailleul - Docteur Jeckyll and Mr Hide
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...
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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