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.
$1,400Sale Price|30% Off
Mountain View, Landscape, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Mountain View Size: 16" x 21" x 0.8'...
Canvas, Oil
Elegant Neoclassical White Marble Fragment Draped Female Sculpture 19' century
Located in Rome, IT
Elegant marble sculpture fragment depicting a draped female figure, inspired by the ideals of Classical Antiquity and presented in the refine...
Marble
ANTINOUS Magnificent Italian Neoclassical Carrara Marble Sculpture
Located in Rome, IT
Outstanding 19th century Italian finely carved Carrara "Statuario" marble sculpture of Antinoo , after the Antique The Capitoline 'Antinous'. Antinous, a young Bithinius favorite...
Marble
$3,080Sale Price|20% Off
Two Spaniels on Red Cloth, Oil on Board, Signed and Framed, Circa 1860-1870
Located in Hillsborough, NC
Two Spaniels on Red Cloth by Hilton Lark Pratt (1838-1873) Scottish artist, is in clear rich red, black and white colors with a softer-toned landscape on the side. This 19th century ...
Board, Oil
Gondolier on a Venetian backwater, oil on canvas, by Antoine Bouvard senior
By Antoine Bouvard (Marc Aldine)
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Antoine Bouvard (French, 1882–1956) Gondolier on a Venetian Backwater Oil on canvas Signed ‘Bouvard’ (lower left) 21.25 x 32 in. (54 x 81.5 cm) In this tranquil Venetian scene, Anto...
Canvas, Oil
Set of Extraordinary Italian Stone Statues Representing the Four Seasons
Located in Rome, IT
Four season ,monumental classically draped female figures and their distinguishing symbols on a square base. Autumn, winter, spring and summer. Timeless classical decoration for you...
Limestone
“Rough Seas”
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a very well executed luminous oil on artist board painting by the American artist, Franklin Dullin Briscoe. Signed and dated by the artist lower righ...
Oil, Board
$1,625Sale Price|35% Off
Seashore, Coastal Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Coastal Original oil Painting, One of a Kind Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionis...
Canvas, Oil
“Shipping in Southampton Water”
By Ebenezer Colls
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting of a large sailing vessel traveling through Southampton waters in England in a dramatic sunset. The artist is the well known British marine artist Ebe...
Canvas, Oil
Red Boat, Coastal, 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: Red Boat Size: 9" x 12" x 0.8'' inch...
Canvas, Oil
$960Sale Price|20% Off
After Storm, Seascape, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: After Storm Size: 11" x 16" x 0.8'' ...
Canvas, Oil
Frederick Goodall R.A Bedouins in the Desert Oil on Canvas Orientalist Painting
Located in Plainview, NY
Frederick Goodall R.A Bedouins in the Desert Oil on Canvas Orientalist Painting , unsigned This evocative Victorian Orientalist oil on canvas by Frederick Goodall R.A. (British, 18...
Oil
$552Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Anatomical Study of Horse's Head
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Study of Horse's Head Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Oil pastel on paper Size: 11.75 (Height) x 8.25 (Width) Signed: No Condition:...
Pencil, Oil Pastel
$1,822Sale Price|20% Off
Elegant Portrait of a Lady in Fur Stole, Early 20th Century”no signed
Located in Genève, GE
Elegant Portrait of a Lady — Early 20th Century Oil on Canvas no signed A captivating and refined portrait of an elegant lady seated gracefully, dressed in a sumptuous dark gown ador...
Oil, Canvas
The first time model: the enigmatic young bohemian girl in traditional dress
Located in Norwich, GB
I love the feisty attitude of the girl depicted! With her hand on her hip, she seems to be saying to the artist: "Whatya looking at anyway?" She looks like she has a good head on he...
Canvas, Oil
Fun Day, Coastal, Beach, 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: 2017 Style: Impressionism Title: Fun Day Size: 16" x 20" x 0.8'' inch...
Canvas, Oil
$883Sale Price|20% Off
Siblings Hugging Tondo Painting, Mid-19th Century, Framed Oil on Board
Located in GB
The painting is round in shape, a tondo, which was a style sometimes favoured in the 19th century for its intimacy and decorative appeal. It depicts two siblings: the older sister cr...
Oil, Board
Near to Cliffs, Seascape, Impressionism Original oil Painting, Framed
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Seascape, Impressionism Original oil Painting, Framed Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2021 Style: Imp...
Canvas, Oil
Standing Ballerina Sculpture, Bronze, Academic Style, Signed, 2/5
Located in Zofingen, AG
Sculpture from the Ballet series. The series is dedicated to classical ballet and includes over 30 sculptur...
Metal, Bronze
Twilight Crashing Surf”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original watercolor on archival paper by the well known American artist, George Howell Gay. Signed lower left by the artist. Circa 1910. Condition is excellent. Great vibrant colo...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Young Mother Contemplating Two Embracing Children by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Located in New Orleans, LA
William-Adolphe Bouguereau 1825-1905 French Jeune mère contemplant deux enfants qui s'embrassent (Young Mother Contemplating Two Embracing Children) Signed “W-Bouguereau” (bottom ...
Canvas, Oil
Marine at twilight from Nederland
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
VAN KOPP (19th Century) Dutch School Marine at twilight from Nederland Oil on canvas signed low right Old frame re-gilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 50 X 100 cm Dim Frame : 72 X 1...
Oil
$840Sale Price|30% Off
Boats, Seascape Art Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Boats Size: 15.5" x 21.5" x 0.8'' in...
Canvas, Oil
“The French Cavalier”
By Alex De Andreis
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas portrait of a French cavalier by the well known French/Belgian artist, Alex de Andreis. Signed lower right and dated 1924. Condition is very good. Original N...
Canvas, Oil
Portrait Of Jean Gerard Vonderbank & Family, Early 19th-Century Oil Painting
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This finely observed early 19th-century oil painting, attributed to German artist Carl Adolf Mende (1807-1857), depicts Jean Gerard Vonderbank, a German surveyor, instrument designer...
Canvas, Oil
$7,591
La Couturiere - Academic Portrait Oil Painting by Tony Robert-Fleury
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas portrait circa 1890 by French academic painter Tony Robert-Fleury. The work depicts a young red-headed woman wearing in a white dress with blue trim. She is stti...
Canvas, Oil
$19,600Sale Price|20% Off
Lifesize Plaster Cast Sculpture of The Wrestlers, Antique Nude Art
By Brussels Atelier de Moulages
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Antique Grand Tour Plaster Cast after Antonio Canova – Life-Size Figural Group This impressive, life-size antique plaster cast represents one of t...
Plaster
Cats in interior
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
LE ROY Jules Gustave (1853 - 1922 ) Cats in Interior Oil on canvas signed low right Old frame gilded with leaves Size canvs : 41 X 33 cm Size frame : 51 x 63 cm LE ROY Jules Gustave (1853 - 1922 ) 19th-20th century - French painter Jules Le Roy or Jules Leroy was born the 22th of December 1853. Dead in 1922 according to the Roubaix Museum Wildlife artist. He mainly painted cats...
Oil
Family scene, children dog and pup, French painting by Delacroix' prodigy friend
Located in Norwich, GB
A sweet and intimate family scene by the rarest of artists: French early 19th Century child prodigy Henri-Louis-Hippolyte Poterlet (1804-1835). Poterlet was a close friend and confi...
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of Lady
Located in London, GB
John Westbrooke Chandler 1763- 1807 Oil on canvas Image size: 30 x 25 inches (76 x 63.5 cm) Original gilt swept frame This portrait is marked by its loose brushwork, which creates a...
Canvas, Oil
Madman from Gyurle, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2016 Style: Figurative Surrealism, Title: Madman from Gyurle, Size: 31.5" ...
Canvas, Oil
$512Sale Price|20% Off
Venice, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Subject: Venice, Size: 8.5" x 12" x 0.8'' ...
Canvas, Oil
Jean-Léon Gérôme La Danseuse au Cerceau - Gilt Bronze Statue of a Hoop Dancer
Located in New York, NY
Jean-Léon Gérôme French 1824 - 1904 La Joueuse De Cerceau - The Hoop Dancer A mini gilt bronze female figural statue of a young hoop dancer inspired by a trove of ancient terraco...
Bronze
$585,000
"In the Canadian Rockies" 19th Century Oil Painting on Canvas
By Albert Bierstadt, 1830-1902
Located in Jacksonville, FL
The art is signed AB..6. lower right corner Albert Bierstadt, a luminary of 19th-century American landscape painting, was born on January 7, 1830, in Solingen, Prussia (now Germany)...
Oil
French Landscape painting Mountain Alps Academic Attributed to THUILLIER 19th
Located in PARIS, FR
Pierre Thuillier (Attributed to) Amiens, 1799 – Paris, 1858 Landscape with moutains Oil on canvas 25 x 37 cm (45 x 54 cm with frame) Traces of a signature lower left, barely legible...
Oil
The Young Shepherdess: Late 19th Century Academic Oil Painting
By Charles Amable Lenoir
Located in New York, NY
The Young Shepherdess by Charles Amable Lenoir (1860-1926) Oil on canvas 48 x 32 inches unframed (121.92 x 81.28 cm.) 58 ½ x 42 ¾ inches framed (148.59 x 10...
Oil
$496Sale Price|20% Off
Original French Anatomical Pencil Study of a Horse in Profile
By Robert Ladou
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Original French Anatomical Pencil Study of a Horse in Profile Artist: Robert Ladou (French, 1929-2014) Medium: Pencil on Paper Size: 14.25 (Height) x 19.25 (Width) Signed: No ...
Pencil
$420
Greek Architecture Blueprint of Ancient Amphitheatre Cyanotype Print, Watercolor
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. Details: + Title: Ancient Roman Amphitheater + Year: 2022 + Edition Size: 50 + Stamped and Certificate of Authenticity provided + Measurements : 70x100 cm (28x 40 in.), a standard frame size + All cyanotype prints...
Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, C Print, Lithograph, Monotype, ...
$12,000
"The Cedars" Lemuel Maynard Wiles, American Scene, Estate, Skyscape
Located in New York, NY
Lemuel Wiles The Cedars, 1869 Signed and dated lower right Oil on canvas 12 1/8 x 20 1/4 inches Lemuel Maynard Wiles (1826–1905) was an American landscape painter associated with t...
Canvas, Oil
$1,120Sale Price|30% Off
Venice, Architecture, Cityscape, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Venice Size: 16" x 21.5" x 0.8'' inc...
Canvas, Oil
$3,040Sale Price|20% Off
“Enlevement des Sabines”
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is a beautiful highly detailed bronze done in the forth quarter of the nineteen century after the work of Jean Boulogne, known as Giambologna. Boulogne’s sculpture was done in marble and was completed between 1579 and 1583. The sculptor of this bronze is Antonin Mercie, a well known French sculptor born in 1845. The bronze represents the Rape of the Sabine Women (Latin: Sabinae raptae), also known as the Abduction of the Sabine Women or the Kidnapping of the Sabine Women, was an incident in Roman mythology in which the men of Rome committed a mass abduction of young women from the other cities in the region. It has been a frequent subject of artists and sculptors, particularly during the Renaissance and post-Renaissance eras. Signed on base “Mercie” for Antonin Mercie.. In very good condition wirh original brown patina. The base which depicts rocks is bronze and has been painted a matt black. Provenance:: A Sarasota estate. Mercié, (Marius Jean Antonin Mercie...
Bronze
La Fille Du Pêcheur By William Bouguereau
Located in New Orleans, LA
William-Adolphe Bouguereau 1825-1905 French La fille du pêcheur (The Fisherman’s Daughter) Signed and dated “W-Bouguereau-1882” (middle right) Oil on canvas William Bouguereau's...
Canvas, Oil
$2,643Sale Price|20% Off
Woman with Cameo, Academic Oil Painting, Mid-19th Century, Framed
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas Original frame This portrait of a woman with a cameo is a beautiful example of 19th-century classical painting, showcasing the refinement and elegance of its time. The...
Oil
La Carmencita by John Singer Sargent
By John Singer Sargent
Located in New Orleans, LA
John Singer Sargent 1856-1925 American Stamped by artist's estate (en verso) Oil on canvas John Singer Sargent, widely regarded as one of history's most distinguished portraitists...
Canvas, Oil
$480Sale Price|20% Off
Listening N°2 by Benjamin II Vautier - Graphite on paper - 26.5x21 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Benjamin II Vautier (1895–1974) was a Swiss-born artist, known for his contributions to both painting and graphic art. He was born into a family with artistic roots, as the son of Ot...
Paper, Graphite
Taxi Service Ashot, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting
By Ashot Yan
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Ashot Yan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2014 Style: Figurative Surrealism, Subject: Taxi Service Ashot, Size: 27.5...
Canvas, Oil
Antoni Costa Woman original Figurative Academician drawing painting
By A. Costa
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
woman. original figurative academician drawing painting Barcelona, 1904 - Barcelona, 1965 It was formed in Buenos Aires, in the Circle of San Lucas of Barcelona and the FAD. He was ...
Pencil
Hunting Scene by Sir Alfred J. Munnings
Located in New Orleans, LA
Sir Alfred James Munnings 1878-1959 British Hunting Scene Signed “A J Munnings” (lower right) Oil on board The exciting atmosphere of the hunt is masterfully captured in this ex...
Oil, Board
Portrait of a Lady with Hat and Fan - Marie-Antoinette Style in 1783
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Félix-Henri Giacomotti (1828-1909) Portrait of a Lady - Marie-Antoinette fashion in 1783. Signed low left Old frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 92,5 X 73,5 cm Dim Oval view : 86 ...
Oil
$566Sale Price|20% Off
Retrato Femenino, Academic Pastel Drawing, Framed, Circa 2005
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va firmada por el artista en la parte inferior En la parte trasera, va nuevamente firmado y fechado del año 2005 Se presenta enmarcada la obra (el marco presenta algún leve...
Pastel
“The Grand Canal, Venice”
Located in Southampton, NY
Venice, The Grand Canal, Illustrated London News: hand-colored wood engraving after drawings by Viscount Maidstone, published August 25, 1849 in The Illustrated London News, titled “...
Archival Paper, Engraving
“A Trip to Scarbro’”
Located in Southampton, NY
Rare, original hand colored etching (Aquatint) from the Poetical Sketches of Scarborough titled “A Tro to Scarbro’”. Condition is good. Executed in 1813. Under glass. The etching ...
Etching, Aquatint
$1,500Sale Price|25% Off
Autumn Valley, Landscape Art, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Autumn Valley Size: 15.5" x 22" x 0....
Canvas, Oil
$2,813Sale Price|20% Off
Young Italian woman in traditional dress holding a tambourine
Located in Genève, GE
This superb 19th-century portrait depicts a young Italian woman in traditional dress, holding a tambourine, a symbol of music and popular celebration. Dressed in a white shirt with ...
Oil, Canvas
Original Marines World War 1 poster. E-E-E-YAH-YIP Go over with U. S. Marines
Located in Spokane, WA
Original World War One: Go Over With U.S. Marines. E-E-E-YAH-YIP. This charging leather neck holds his Springfield high. The cropped design was influenced by candid photography, ...
Lithograph
Drawing Trois crayons Chalk Portrait American Chaplain and Abolistionist 19th
Located in PARIS, FR
19th century French school Drawing Trois crayons on paper Alleged portrait of chapelain William Rounseville Alger (1822-1905) 25 x 20 cm (28 x 23 cm with the frame) Very good condit...
Chalk
Painting 19th Century Flowers
By Louis Adolphe Tessier
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
TESSIER Louis Adolphe (1858-1915)Flowers Oil on canvas signed low right and dated 1893 Old original frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 53 X 67 cm Dim frame : 78 X 91 cm Certificat...
Oil
The Musician
By Theodore Ceriez
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
Theodore Ceriez Belgian, 1832–1904 The Musician Oil on panel Signed T. Ceriez lower right 24.3 × 18.9 cm Probably executed c. 1865–80 Provenance Arthur Tooth & Sons, London, s...
Oil, Panel
$16,000Sale Price|20% Off
Stunning Canal Views in Venice, Signed Landscape Painting, 60x81 cm
Located in New York, NY
Pristine condition. No restorations. Both signed low right.
Oil, Canvas
Study for Roses Du Matin
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist. Signed "AG" on lower left corner Dimensions Framed: 13.5" x 15.5" x 2.5"; Unframed: 7.875" x 10" Exhibited Artist's Ch...
Oil, Panel