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.
$19,115
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
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
Consolation, Collier's magazine illustration
Located in Miami, FL
Signed upper left
Gouache, Paper, Pencil
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
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...
Oil
Daniel Ricketson House Watercolor Painting, Landscape, 19th Century
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
Daniel Ricketson House, New Bedford, 1903 Ink wash on paper, 7 x 5 inches (17.6 x 12.5 cm) Framed dimensions: 13 1/2 x 11 1/2 inches Signed and dated lower right: RSwain Gifford / 19...
Paper, Ink
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
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
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...
Pastel
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
$360Sale Price|20% Off
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
$360Sale Price|20% Off
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
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
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
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
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
Price Upon Request
Windsor Castle North Aspect - Signed Lithograph, Royal Art, Royal Home, British
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Windsor Castle by His Majesty King Charles III - Hand Signed Limited Edition Lithograph. Belgravia Gallery has been honoured to be asso...
Lithograph
Price Upon Request
Overlooking Wadi, Saudi Arabia - Signed Lithograph, Royal Art, Mountains, Asir
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Overlooking Wadi, Asir Province, Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia by His Majesty King Charles III, (created when he was HRH The Prince of Wales) - ...
Lithograph
Price Upon Request
Hong Kong from HMY Britannia - Signed Lithograph, Royal Art, Union Jack,
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Hong Kong From HMY Britannia by HM King Charles III - Hand Signed Limited Edition Lithograph. Belgravia Gallery has been honoured to be associated ...
Lithograph
Price Upon Request
Rosetta
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas Signed This painting is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “Tohu-bohu” is a series of paintings by French-American painter John Bailly that explores the o...
Canvas, Oil
Price Upon Request
Los Hermanos Islets
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas Signed This painting is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “When two worlds collide, mayhem or genius can ensue. Consider the freestyle fellowship that ha...
Canvas, Oil
Price Upon Request
Paris
Located in New York, NY
Mixed media on paper Signed This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “When two worlds collide, mayhem or genius can ensue. Consider the freestyle fellowship t...
Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
Miami
Located in New York, NY
Mixed media on paper Signed This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “When two worlds collide, mayhem or genius can ensue. Consider the freestyle fellowship t...
Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
Palazzo Doria Pamphilij Roma
Located in New York, NY
Palazzo Doria Pamphilij, Roma 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 7...
C Print
Biblioteca Real Gabinete de Leitura, Rio De Janeiro-Brasile
Located in New York, NY
Biblioteca Real Gabinete de Leitura, Rio De Janeiro-Brasile 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....
C Print