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Expressionist Art

EXPRESSIONIST STYLE

While “expressionist” is used to describe any art that avoids naturalism and instead employs a bold use of flattened forms and intense brushwork, Expressionist art formally describes early-20th-century work from Europe that drew on Symbolism and confronted issues such as urbanization and capitalism. Expressionist artists experimented in paintings and prints with skewed perspectives, abstraction and unconventional, bright colors to portray how isolating and anxious the world felt rather than how it appeared. 

Between 1905 and 1920, Austrian and German artists, in particular, were inspired by Postimpressionists such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh in their efforts to strive for a new authenticity in their work. In its geometric patterns and decorative details, Expressionist art was also marked by eclectic sources like German and Russian folk art as well as tribal art from Africa and Oceania, which the movement’s practitioners witnessed at museums and world’s fairs.

Groups of artists came together to share and promote the themes now associated with Expressionism, such as Die Brücke (The Bridge) in Dresden, which included Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and investigated alienation and the dissolution of society in vivid color. In Munich, Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, instilled Expressionism with a search for spiritual truths. In his iconic painting The Scream, prolific Norwegian painter Edvard Munch conveyed emotional turmoil through his depiction of environmental elements, such as the threatening sky.

Expressionism shifted around the outbreak of World War I, with artists using more elements of the grotesque in reaction to the escalation of unrest and violence. Printmaking was especially popular, as it allowed artists to widely disseminate works that grappled with social and political issues amid this time of upheaval. Although the art movement ended with the rise of Nazi Germany, where Expressionist creators were labeled “degenerate,” the radical ideas of these artists would influence Neo-Expressionism that emerged in the late 1970s with painters like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente.

​​Find a collection of authentic Expressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Expressionist
Mid 20th Century oil painting of Venice by French artist Clement Serveau
Mid 20th Century oil painting of Venice by French artist Clement Serveau

Mid 20th Century oil painting of Venice by French artist Clement Serveau

By Henri Clement Serveau

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

A beautiful and bold composition of La Cad'oro in Venice with clear blue skies above and a cubist reflections of the buildings below in different shades of blues and turquoises. H...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mother to Son, Sunrise Is Coming After While
Mother to Son, Sunrise Is Coming After While

Mother to Son, Sunrise Is Coming After While

Located in Southampton, NY

Silkscreen on vélin d’Arches paper. Paper Size: 14 x 11 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the folio, Bookmarks in the Pages of Life, 1998. Published by The Limited Editions Club, New York; printed by Drexel Press, Inc. Long Island City, 1998. Excerpted from the folio, CCC examples, designed, hand-set in Monotype Perpetua, printed, and hand-bound by Michael and Winifred Bixler, Skaneateles, New York. Paper made in France at Arches. Silkscreens printed by the Drexel Press, Inc. Long Island City, New York. PHOEBE BEASLEY...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Screen

The Weary Blues, Sunrise Is Coming After While
The Weary Blues, Sunrise Is Coming After While

The Weary Blues, Sunrise Is Coming After While

Located in Southampton, NY

Silkscreen on vélin d’Arches paper. Paper Size: 14 x 11 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the folio, Bookmarks in the Pages of Life, 1998. Published by The Limited Editions Club, New York; printed by Drexel Press, Inc. Long Island City, 1998. Excerpted from the folio, CCC examples, designed, hand-set in Monotype Perpetua, printed, and hand-bound by Michael and Winifred Bixler, Skaneateles, New York. Paper made in France at Arches. Silkscreens printed by the Drexel Press, Inc. Long Island City, New York. PHOEBE BEASLEY...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Screen

Chagall, Composition, Le Dur Désir de Durer (after)
Chagall, Composition, Le Dur Désir de Durer (after)

Chagall, Composition, Le Dur Désir de Durer (after)

By Marc Chagall

Located in Southampton, NY

Lithograph on vélin bouffant d'Alfa paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Le Dur Désir de Durer, illustré par Marc Chagall, ...

Category

1950s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Still life with flowers and apples. Oil on paper, 42 x 30. 5 cm
Still life with flowers and apples. Oil on paper, 42 x 30. 5 cm

Still life with flowers and apples. Oil on paper, 42 x 30. 5 cm

Located in Riga, LV

Still life with flowers and apples. Oil on paper, 42 x 30. 5 cm Victor Karnauh (1950, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR – 2012, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine) – a painter, a mon...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Paper

Canal View
Canal View

Canal View

Located in Sheffield, MA

Lucien-Hector Jonas French, 1880-1947 Canal View Oil on Canvas 21 ¼ by 29 in, w/ frame 32 ½ by 40 in Signed lower left Jonas was born in the town of Anzin in northern France. He fi...

Category

Early 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Equestrian Love lithograph by Marcel Vertes
Equestrian Love lithograph by Marcel Vertes

Equestrian Love lithograph by Marcel Vertes

By Marcel Vertès

Located in Paonia, CO

Equestrian Love is from Vertes's circus series. Two lovers are embracing in a passionate kiss a few feet away from a majestic stallion drawn in sepia on yellowish paper. Original Lithograph in good condition, backed on original paper and signed in plate. Marcel Vertes...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Breakfast Room
The Breakfast Room

The Breakfast Room

Located in New York, NY

A great early date for this artist where he was coming out of the origins of expressionist and fauve works of art. A unique composition depicting a woman setting out a table laden w...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Woven Identities 10 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Woven Identities 10 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Woven Identities is a body of work that explores the intersection of indigenous African heritage and modern global culture. In these paintings, I focus on hairstyle, tribal marks, dr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Metaphysical Expressionism in Watercolor
Metaphysical Expressionism in Watercolor

Metaphysical Expressionism in Watercolor

Located in San Francisco, CA

Alexander Aizenshtat is considered the founder of a new art movement called metaphysical expressionism. This painting can be described as a metaphysical exploration of perception, in...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Watercolor

Nick's Coffee House in the Village - Rare Edition 1970s Modern Figurative Print
Nick's Coffee House in the Village - Rare Edition 1970s Modern Figurative Print

Nick's Coffee House in the Village - Rare Edition 1970s Modern Figurative Print

By Lenore SImon

Located in Soquel, CA

This bold screen print depicts a scene from the 1950s, set in a jazz coffee house in Greenwich Village called Nick's, which Simon patronized while in high school. The original stone ...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Screen

Fantasy with Flowers 9
Fantasy with Flowers 9

Fantasy with Flowers 9

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Fantasy with Flowers" (series of 200+ pictures)   paper 59x42cm  On the paper acrylic, oil pastel, felt-tip pen, ink, gold leaf, pencils, silver,mixed media. Flowers are a smile of ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper

Performer Expressionist Oil Painting
Performer Expressionist Oil Painting

Performer Expressionist Oil Painting

By Nicola Simbari

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Performer Artist signed lower right, canvas 28"x31"75 Nicola Simbari was born in Italy and grow up in Rome. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, and in the 1940s he beg...

Category

1970s Expressionist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

'Arms Crossed' Figurative Expressionist Painting
'Arms Crossed' Figurative Expressionist Painting

'Arms Crossed' Figurative Expressionist Painting

By La Ba Quan

Located in Rye, NY

‘Arms Crossed’ is a medium size vertical expressionist figurative oil on canvas painting created by Vietnamese artist La Ba Quan in 2011. Featuring a palette made of grey, soft blue, green and pink, the painting brings to mind the fascinating aura of a Chaim Soutine. This expressionist painting is dominated by the tortuous lines of the man’s silhouette...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jar from Samarkland, Alice Neel
Jar from Samarkland, Alice Neel

Jar from Samarkland, Alice Neel

By Alice Neel

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Alice Neel (1900-1984) Title: Jar from Samarkland Year: 1982 Medium: Lithograph on Arches paper Edition: A.P. 24/25; 175, plus proofs Size: 38 x 28 inches Condition: Good Ins...

Category

1980s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Stolphärbre in Moonlight
Stolphärbre in Moonlight

Stolphärbre in Moonlight

Located in North Clarendon, VT

Beautiful colorist Alf Sundstrom oil on canvas painting of moonlight over a Stolphärbre in Sweden 1923. Wilhelm Alfons (Alf) Maria Sundström was born April 16, 1888 in Nansta, Gävle...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Bright new day, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Bright new day, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Bright new day, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Located in Yardley, PA

In this vibrant expression of nature's beauty, I've melded expressionism and impressionism with semi-abstract forms, using acrylics to celebrate life's invigorating essence. My bru...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Patrick Boudon. Inner Family.  Post-war Expressionism. 1970s.
Patrick Boudon. Inner Family.  Post-war Expressionism. 1970s.

Patrick Boudon. Inner Family. Post-war Expressionism. 1970s.

By Patrick Boudon

Located in Firenze, IT

Patrick Boudon. Inner Family. Post-war Expressionism. 1970s. Patrick Boudon. Art Informel. Ecole de Paris. Technique: oil on cardboard. This painting by Patrick Boudon from the 197...

Category

1970s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Paris, Seine. 1918/19, oil on cardboard, 38x52 cm
Paris, Seine. 1918/19, oil on cardboard, 38x52 cm

Paris, Seine. 1918/19, oil on cardboard, 38x52 cm

Located in Riga, LV

Paris, Seine. 1918/19, oil on cardboard, 38x52 cm Signature located in bottom right corner Belay The certificate: M. Roland Souef at November 23, 2011 Pierre Savigny de Belay...

Category

1910s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

"Woman" Contemporary Figurative in Neon Orange Aromas Artist Frank Thomas Romero
"Woman" Contemporary Figurative in Neon Orange Aromas Artist Frank Thomas Romero

"Woman" Contemporary Figurative in Neon Orange Aromas Artist Frank Thomas Romero

By Frank Thomas Romero

Located in Soquel, CA

Vibrant contemporary nude figure in neon orange on a purple abstract background by Aromas, California, Monterey Bay Area abstract expressionist artist Frank Romero (American, b-1985)...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Walking By The Sea
Walking By The Sea

Walking By The Sea

By Nicola Simbari

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Walking By The Sea. Artist signed lower right corner, canvas size (31 1/2 x 39 1/4in). Nicola Simbari was born in Italy and grow up in Rome. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, and in the 1940s he began devoting himself to painting in a studio at Via del Babuino in central Rome. Simbari's early exposure to the architectural world had a lasting impression on his art, as he incorporated geometric forms and architectural structures into almost all of his paintings. He began to develop a distinct style stemming from impressions of life, nature, and the Mediterranean...

Category

1980s Expressionist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Cultural Fusion -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Painting, Women art
Cultural Fusion -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Painting, Women art

Cultural Fusion -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Painting, Women art

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. In the heart of the 21st century, two young individuals proudly stand in their neon-hued attire a testament to their Igbo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Neon Light, Acrylic

Early Morning
Early Morning

Early Morning

Located in Zofingen, AG

In creating this piece, I immersed myself in the visceral emotions that follow a tempest's passing—relief, contemplation, and a sense of renewal. I chose a blend of acrylics and oils...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Cardboard

Brutalist Graveside Scene Patriotic Dead Soldier, Gas Mask & Skeletons
Brutalist Graveside Scene Patriotic Dead Soldier, Gas Mask & Skeletons

Brutalist Graveside Scene Patriotic Dead Soldier, Gas Mask & Skeletons

By Nicholas Sperakis

Located in Exton, PA

Brutalist colored woodcut circa 1976 by Nicholas Sperakis. The image depicts skeletal figures around the grave of a soldier. Note the American flag features which drape the entombed ...

Category

1970s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Iron Cross
Iron Cross

Iron Cross

By Rufino Tamayo

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist: Rufino Tamayo Title: Iron Cross Year: 1988 Medium: Color lithograph Edition: Numbered CCXLV/CCC in pencil Paper: Wove Image size: 22.5 x 30...

Category

1980s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Sailors in the Port of Nice
Sailors in the Port of Nice

Sailors in the Port of Nice

By Alfred Salvignol

Located in London, GB

'Sailors in the Port of Nice', mixed media - gouache, pastel and oil on paper, by Alfred Salvignol (circa 1950s). The Port of Nice is one of the key hubs of Nice and, in fact, of the entire French Riviera, standing out as one of the main harbours for the boats which sail across the Mediterranean Sea. It accommodates both the ships operated by ferry companies and the private yachts of visitors who come to Nice by sea. The artist here depicts a group of crusty sailors watching...

Category

1950s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Oil, Gouache

Expressionist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist 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 orange, blue, purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Iryna Kastsova, George Grosz, Stephen Basso, and Marc Chagall. 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 Expressionist art, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available.