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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.  

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Style: Academic
Study for Roses Du Matin
Study for Roses Du Matin

Study for Roses Du Matin

By Adrian Gottlieb

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...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Alfred Copestick, Coastal Scene: New York, Oil on Canvas, 1857
Alfred Copestick, Coastal Scene: New York, Oil on Canvas, 1857

Alfred Copestick, Coastal Scene: New York, Oil on Canvas, 1857

Located in Queens, NY

Alfred Copestick (1837–1859) Coastal Scene: New York, 1857 Oil on canvas, in the original giltwood frame 14 ¼ x 20 ⅛ in. (canvas) Signed lower right: A. Copestick NY 1857 Painted at just twenty years of age, Coastal Scene: New York demonstrates Alfred Copestick’s remarkable promise as a marine painter in antebellum America. The scene brims with energy: a single sailboat heels sharply into the wind, its rigging taut against the storm, while foamy waves break against a rugged shoreline. Above, clouds mass and dissolve, illuminated by shafts of storm-lit light. Copestick’s treatment is both romantic and naturalistic, conveying the sublime tension between man, sea, and sky. His confident brushwork captures atmosphere with an immediacy and sensitivity rarely found in so young an artist. The work survives in its original giltwood frame, richly carved in a mid-nineteenth-century American style, which not only underscores its historical authenticity but also heightens the tonal drama of the painting. Alfred Copestick came of age during a fertile moment in American painting, when marine art and landscape were central to cultural identity. Though little is known of his formal training, his works suggest familiarity with and admiration for leading marine painters such as James E. Buttersworth, famed for his racing yachts; Francis Augustus Silva, who later developed a luminist style of coastal painting; and earlier masters like Thomas Birch, whose shipwrecks and storm scenes set a precedent for drama at sea. Copestick also absorbed broader currents in American landscape painting. The Hudson River School, led by Thomas Cole, Asher B...

Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sneezewort, Poppy, Strawflower: 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving
Sneezewort, Poppy, Strawflower: 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving

Sneezewort, Poppy, Strawflower: 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving

Located in Alamo, CA

This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving entitled "Ptarmica Vulgaris (Sneezewort), Papaver Spinosum (Mexican Poppy), Chrysocame Peregrina (Seaside Strawflower)", depicting flowering Sneezewort, Mexican Poppy and Seaside Strawberry plants respectively from Basilius Besler's landmark work, Hortus Eystettensis (Garden at Eichstatt), first published in 1613 in Eichstatt, Germany near Nuremberg and later in 1640 and 1713. This beautiful colorful engraving is printed on thin laid chain-linked paper. The left margin is thinner than the others and the left edge is somewhat irregular where the engraving was previously bound in the original publication. The print is otherwise in excellent condition with striking hand-coloring. The sheet measures 20" high and 16.38" wide. Basilius Besler (1561–1629) was an apothecary and botanist. He was curator of the Willibaldsburg Castle garden of Johann Konrad von Gemmingen, prince bishop...

Category

1640s Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Italian Mid 19th century White Carrara Marble bust. Portrait of young male.
Italian Mid 19th century White Carrara Marble bust. Portrait of young male.

Italian Mid 19th century White Carrara Marble bust. Portrait of young male.

Located in Firenze, IT

Italian Portrait White Marble Bust in a Heroic Attitude. Carrara statuary Marble. Tuscan school. Circa 1850.  Bust depicting a young man with bare shoulders. This model draws inspira...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Marble

A Pompeian Lady
A Pompeian Lady

A Pompeian Lady

By John William Godward

Located in New Orleans, LA

John William Godward 1861-1922 British A Pompeian Lady Signed and dated "J.W. Godward 1904" (lower right, partially covered by frame) Oil on canvas One of the last and greatest Victorian neoclassical painters, John William Godward is celebrated for his flawlessly executed images of graceful women posed in idealized ancient settings. In this work, entitled A Pompeian Lady, a classical beauty is caught idling in a moment of quiet, solitary reflection. Godward's elegant subjects are depicted with a degree of technical mastery that remains unsurpassed, and the work's dramatic palette, luxurious fabrics and classical vision are all characteristics of his unique take on the neoclassical style. Godward was unmatched in terms of his technical skill and attention to detail. A master of contrasting textures, he paints a diaphanous gown draping against the model’s smooth, milky white skin, which sits against the painstakingly rendered individual hairs of a tiger’s pel. Scintillating color permeates the canvas as well, energizing the otherwise static scene. Each element is given careful attention, and the overall effect is one of both immaculate technique and sensual tactility. Along with his contemporary and mentor, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Godward set the tone for the Victorian neoclassicist movement. He built his career upon creating images of idealized feminine beauty infused with a Greco-Roman-inspired style. Though greatly influenced by Alma-Tadema, Godward distinguished himself through his predilection for the solitary female figure. His fame rose dramatically in the first few years of the 20th century, when the present work was completed, due to the burgeoning strength of the British Empire and the Victorian society’s preoccupation with ancient Rome. To many of the newly affluent, Roman society was, as Iain Gale writes, “a flawless mirror of their own immaculate world.” The sensuality and mystery of Godward’s maidens, combined with his impressive antique backdrops...

Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1980 Fauno e Ninfa Faun and Nymph Pencil on Paper Figurative Drawing
1980 Fauno e Ninfa Faun and Nymph Pencil on Paper Figurative Drawing

1980 Fauno e Ninfa Faun and Nymph Pencil on Paper Figurative Drawing

Located in Brescia, IT

This delicate drawing of the dance between a Faun and the Nimph, looks following the Jean Cocteau clean line drawings. We can see in this scene, the grace and simplicity of the Neoc...

Category

1980s Academic Art

Materials

Paper

La Chiesa Gesuati by Federico del Campo
La Chiesa Gesuati by Federico del Campo

La Chiesa Gesuati by Federico del Campo

By Federico del Campo

Located in New Orleans, LA

Federico del Campo 1837-1927 Peruvian La Chiesa Gesuati from the Canale della Giudecca, Venice Signed and dated “F. del Campo / Venecia 1899” (lower left) Oil on canvas Federico...

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Immaculate Conception oil on canvas painting
Immaculate Conception oil on canvas painting

Immaculate Conception oil on canvas painting

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Title: Immaculate Conception Author: Anonymous Period: 20th Century Technique: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 25.6 x 21.3 in Signature: "Karmel" (lower right) Condition: Good Descr...

Category

1980s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Shooting Engraving After George Stubbs, Late 18th Century Style
Shooting Engraving After George Stubbs, Late 18th Century Style

Shooting Engraving After George Stubbs, Late 18th Century Style

Located in GB

William Woollett (1735–1785) William Woollett was one of the most accomplished British engravers of the 18th century, renowned for his technical precision and his ability to translate the subtleties of painting into the language of print. Born in Maidstone, Kent, Woollett trained under John Tinney in London and quickly established himself as a master of landscape and historical engraving. He became particularly celebrated for his engravings after works by artists such as Richard Wilson, Claude Lorrain, and Benjamin West — notably The Death of General Wolfe (after West), which became one of the most famous British prints of its age. Woollett’s exceptional skill in combining line engraving with etching allowed him to reproduce painterly effects of light, texture, and atmosphere with remarkable delicacy. Elected an Associate Engraver of the Royal Academy in 1775, Woollett elevated the status of printmaking to that of a fine art. His works, characterized by technical brilliance and tonal richness, remain benchmarks of 18th-century British engraving. George Stubbs (1724–1806) George Stubbs is regarded as one of Britain’s greatest animal painters, celebrated for his scientific observation, anatomical accuracy, and artistic sensitivity. Born in Liverpool, he studied anatomy independently, dissecting horses to understand their musculature and structure — research that culminated in his celebrated publication The Anatomy of the Horse (1766). Stubbs’s paintings...

Category

Late 18th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Chamomile & Safflower: A 17th-18th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving
Chamomile & Safflower: A 17th-18th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving

Chamomile & Safflower: A 17th-18th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving

Located in Alamo, CA

This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving entitled "Chamemelum Romanum flore simplici (Chamomile), Cincus Sativus (False saffron, Safflower), Chamaemelum Romanum Flore (Roman Chamomile)", depicting flowering Chamomile, Safflower and Roman Chamomile plants respectively from Basilius Besler's landmark work, Hortus Eystettensis (Garden at Eichstatt), first published in 1613 in Eichstatt, Germany near Nuremberg and later in 1640 and 1713. This beautiful colorful engraving is printed on thin laid chain-linked paper with wide margins. There are a few small spots and some irregularity of the lower edge. There is some bleed-through of text from the verso. The print is otherwise in excellent condition with striking hand-coloring. The sheet measures 22.25" high and 17.38" wide. Basilius Besler (1561–1629) was an apothecary and botanist. He was curator of the Willibaldsburg Castle garden of Johann Konrad von Gemmingen, prince bishop...

Category

Early 18th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Four Season Extraordinary Set of  Italian Stone Caryatids Sculptures
Four Season Extraordinary Set of  Italian Stone Caryatids Sculptures

Four Season Extraordinary Set of Italian Stone Caryatids Sculptures

Located in Rome, IT

Four Caryatids sculptures with classically draped figures and their distinguishing symbols. Autumn, winter, spring and summer. Measures: Height with square form bases cm 220. Time...

Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

Seascape, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Seascape, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind

Seascape, 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: Seascape Size: 23.5" x 35.5" x 0.8'...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

At the Beach, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
At the Beach, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind

At the Beach, 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: 2024 Style: Impressionism Title: At the Beach Size: 31.5" x 39.5" x ...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nude back (1978) - Ink on paper 46x63 cm
Nude back (1978) - Ink on paper 46x63 cm

Nude back (1978) - Ink on paper 46x63 cm

Located in Geneva, CH

China Ink Signed H. Balslaecj (artist unknown from the gallery) and dated 1978 Pastel wooden frame with plexiglas Total size with frame: 75x57x6 cm

Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Ink

Memento Mori - Oil Still-Life Painting Colours Black Brown Beige Grey White Pink
Memento Mori - Oil Still-Life Painting Colours Black Brown Beige Grey White Pink

Memento Mori - Oil Still-Life Painting Colours Black Brown Beige Grey White Pink

By Lyubena Fox

Located in Sofia, BG

"Memento Mori " Oil on canvas Unframed 25 x 16,5 cm Framed 50,5 x 42,5 cm The frame Handmade from wood and plaster, water gilded with genuine gold leaf over rouge burnishing bole and patinated. Exhibited in the “Memento Mori” art show in Manhattan, New York with Sugar Lift in the beginning of 2021 The symbolism: Memento Mori (Latin for 'remember that you have to die) is an artistic or symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death. The concept has its roots in the philosophers of classical antiquity, and it was reflected in the artistic genre of Vanitas, where symbolic objects such as hourglasses and wilting flowers signified the impermanence of human life. Memento Mori The Painting’s Qualities Lyubena Fox...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Performance, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting
Performance, Figurative Surrealism, Original oil Painting

Performance, 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: 2018 Style: Surrealism, Title: Performance Size: 23.5" x 23.5" x 1'' inch,...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bur Reed & Water Hemlock: A 17th-18th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving
Bur Reed & Water Hemlock: A 17th-18th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving

Bur Reed & Water Hemlock: A 17th-18th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving

Located in Alamo, CA

This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving entitled "Orobanche, Cicuta Maxima, Sparganium (Bur Reed, Water Hemlock, Broomrape) ", depicting a flowering Bur Reed, Water Hemlock, Broomrape plants from Basilius Besler's landmark work, Hortus Eystettensis (Garden at Eichstatt), first published in 1613 in Eichstatt, Germany near Nuremberg and later in 1640 and 1713. This beautiful colorful engraving is printed on thin laid chain-linked paper with wide margins. There us spotting and some discoloration, most prominently in the upper and lower margins. There is irregularity and some loss along the right paper edge. The print is otherwise in excellent condition with striking hand-coloring. The sheet measures 21.5" high and 17.25" wide. Basilius Besler (1561–1629) was an apothecary and botanist. He was curator of the Willibaldsburg Castle garden of Johann Konrad von Gemmingen, prince bishop...

Category

Early 18th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Exceptional Pair of Italian Neoclassical Leons Carrara Marble Statues
Exceptional Pair of Italian Neoclassical Leons Carrara Marble Statues

Exceptional Pair of Italian Neoclassical Leons Carrara Marble Statues

Located in Rome, IT

Outstanding pair Italian Neoclassical Leons Carrara Marble sculptures. A timeless piece for your garden or interior decoration. Good condition, with visible signs of wear and ...

Category

1790s Academic Art

Materials

Marble

French 19th Century Romantic Period 1830s Paris Society Beauty Portrait
French 19th Century Romantic Period 1830s Paris Society Beauty Portrait

French 19th Century Romantic Period 1830s Paris Society Beauty Portrait

By Adele Grasset

Located in Norwich, GB

A astounding portrait of a society beauty by Adele Grasset (active ca 1830-1850). With an open face and and lightly smiling lips, she is wearing a gown typical of the romantic period. Drawn in graphite and heightened with white, the drawing is dated 1836 As often with woman artists of the 18th and 19th century, there is little biographical information available on Adèle Grasset. We do know however, that she had studied with the highly prominent artist François Gérard (1770-1837) , known also as the Baron Gérard...

Category

1830s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Gouache

Seashore, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind

Seashore, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind

By Karen Darbinyan

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: Seashore Size: 16" x 21.5" x 0.8'' i...

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.