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.
"Life Is Just A Shell Game" contemporary expressionist Serigraph
By Sandra Jones Campbell
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
"Life Is Just A Shell Game" is from Sandra Jones Campbell's series inspired by her unique social observations. It features her unique blend of modernism and expressionistic style, al...
Screen
"Moon Spirit Dancer, " Oil on Canvas
By Bruno Surdo
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo creates dynamic compositions of people and places that communicate a rich commentary on the world around him. Depicting trees from personal encounters, Surdo’s latest body of work entitled “Tree Spirits” takes us on a foray into the forest, where leaves, branches and burls express something deeply personal. Applying his mastery of figurative realism to the natural world, he experiments with form and texture to uncover the intangible spirits of trees. This large-scale painting entitled “Moon Spirit Dancer...
Oil
Summer light, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By LE ANH TUAN
Located in Yardley, PA
Welcome to Under the Summer Light, a landscape painting full of vitality and vibrant colors of a beautiful summer. The painting is like a blend of vibrant nature and fresh emotions...
Acrylic
$3,200
"Eve Incurs God's Displeasure (M. 236), " Original Lithograph by Marc Chagall
By Marc Chagall
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Eve Incurs God's Displeasure" is an original double sided lithograph by Marc Chagall. On recto the print features the biblical story of Eve being scolded by God for her sin in the G...
Lithograph
French Modernist Oil Painting Expressionist Village Farm Landscape Ecole Paris
By Henri d'Anty
Located in Surfside, FL
Framed 21 X 18 canvas 13 X 10 Henri Maurice D'Anty, listed French artist,Henry d'Anty 1910-1998 Born 1910 in Belleville France. Died in December 4 1998. Educated at the Académie de...
Canvas, Oil
Muchacha en una Silla, Expressionist Lithograph by Francisco Zuniga
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Francisco Zuniga, Mexican (1912 - 1998) Title: Muchacha en una Silla Year: 1982 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 135 Size: 23 in. x 17 in. (58.42 cm...
Lithograph
"Le Bal Masque" Giuseppe Verdi Opera
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Le Bal Masque" Giuseppe Verdi Opera, 1967 is an original color lithograph on Japan paper by renown Austrian expressionist artist Oskar ...
Lithograph
Herbert Parrish "After The Rain" Floral Still Life
Located in San Francisco, CA
Herbert Parrish "After The Rain" floral still life painting of marigolds Oil on masonite 11" x 14" unframed, 21" x 24" framed
Oil, Masonite
Hard Times - Original Offset and Lithograph by George Grosz - 1923
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
Hard Times from is an original offset lithograph realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n.27 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 19...
Paper, Lithograph, Offset
$2,400
Seated woman with shawl, Gustav Klimt Handzeichnungen (Sketch), 1922
Located in Chicago, IL
Original collotype lithograph of Gustav Kilmt’s Seated woman with shawl, published in the 1922 Handzeichnungen portfolio by Thyrsos Verlag, Leipzig and Vienna, in an edition of 375. This artwork is presented in archival rag mat and arrives accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Klimt’s mastery of depth is most evident in the gentleness of his linework. Without the aid of shadow or the subtlety of values, the gestures of line allow the viewer a sense of a three-dimensional person or object. The meticulous lithographic process used to create Klimt’s Handzeichnungen portfolio ensures exceptionally crisp markings bearing a strong resemblance to the original sketches. This series showcases the quintessence behind Klimt’s signature visual style. This artwork arrives accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Century Guild has curated collections of Gustav Klimt’s printed...
Paper, Lithograph
$1,365Sale Price|30% Off
Landscape With River Abstract Expressionist
By Jacques Kupfermann
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Expressionist Landscape With River Signed lower left. Jacques Herbert Kupfermann (1926–1987) was an American Expressionist painter who was born in Vienna, Austria. His work, both ab...
Canvas, Oil
$520Sale Price|20% Off
Diminutive Mid Century Expressionist Clown Portrait #1
Located in Soquel, CA
Small portrait of a clown with colorful, expressionist brushstrokes by Marjorie Blake (American, 1920-1994). Signed "M. Blake" in the lower right corner...
Masonite, Oil
C'est le Passe que Nous Attendons
Located in Long Island City, NY
An oil painting by Theo Tobiasse from 1967. An expressionist-style textural painting of intensely dark and vivid color palette. Inspired from the artist's personal experiences of the...
Canvas, Oil
Sister, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
In my pictures I try to combine the visual and the conceptual. For me, drawing is a medium of knowledge which, beyond direct expression, makes visible material and immaterial forces,...
Pencil
Ventana con vistas al mediterráneo - Óleo sobre tela - Firmado y enmarcado
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmado por el autor en la parte inferior "Royo" Se presenta enmarcada la obra (el marco tiene algunos signos de uso) El estado es bueno Medidas de la obra: 60 cm. De altura x 73 ...
Oil
Richard Wilson Figurative Female Iconic Detroit Symbols
Located in Detroit, MI
“Untitled Female" is a colorful piece by Richard Wilson that has meaning for native Detroiters through use of the blues and oranges - their "Tiger" baseball team's colors and the "D"...
Canvas, Acrylic
$743Sale Price|20% Off
Interior with Figure Oil Painting on Canvas, Framed, Circa 1960
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va firmada a mano por el artista en la parte inferior y fechada del año 1960 (creo) digo creo porque no sé si es 1950 o 1960... por la tela y el número diria que es 1960 Se ...
Oil
White Tree in Sunlight, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Janet Dyer
Located in Yardley, PA
A tree in springtime bloom, standing in a field in a state park. :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist ::...
Acrylic
Polzeath
By Rupert Aker
Located in Deddington, GB
Polzeath, evening [2021] original Acrylic on canvas Image size: H:40 cm x W:50 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:40 cm x W:50 cm x D:2cm Frame Size: H:43 cm x W:53 cm x D:3cm Sol...
Canvas, Acrylic
$745Sale Price|20% Off
1990's French Modernist Signed Oil The Lake at Enghien Colorful Trees
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Lake at Enghien, signed Picouet and dated 1991 oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 24 x 29 inches signed verso Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition For more...
Oil
Resting at Evening, Israeli Modernist Painting
By Abraham Cohen
Located in Surfside, FL
Mid-century Israeli Modernist painting by Israeli artist Abraham Cohen
Canvas, Oil
$3,000
American Modernist Oil Painting Expressionist Vase, Flowers WPA Artist Ben ZIon
Located in Surfside, FL
Ben-Zion (1897-1987) Flower Piece with Black Vase Oil on board, Hand signed 'Ben-Zion ' lower right, with the artist 's label and label from Duveen-Graham gallery, NY. 16 x 7 3/4 in., unframed as intended, Born in 1897, Ben-Zion Weinman celebrated his European Jewish heritage in his visual works as a sculptor, painter, and printmaker. Influenced by Spinoza, Knut Hamsun, and Wladyslaw Reymont, as well as Hebrew literature, Ben-Zion wrote poetry and essays that, like his visual work, attempt to reveal the deep “connection between man and the divine, and between man and earth.” An emigrant from the Ukraine, he came to the US in 1920. He wrote fairy tales and poems in Hebrew under the name Benzion Weinman, but when he began painting he dropped his last name and hyphenated his first, saying an artist needed only one name. Ben-Zion was a founding member of “The Ten: An Independent Group” The Ten” a 1930’s avant-garde group, Painted on anything handy. Ben-Zion often used cabinet doors (panels) in his work. Other members of group included Ilya Bolotowsky, Lee Gatch, Adolf Gottlieb, Louis Harris, Yankel Kufeld, Marcus Rothkowitz (later known as Mark Rothko), Louis Schanker, and Joseph Solman. Over the course of the group's existence, seventeen artists exhibited as members of The Ten at nine different shows. The group's nine shows were held at galleries and locations around New York City, including one international exhibition in Paris. David Burliuk, Lee Gatch, John Graham, Earl Kerkam, Karl Knaths, Edgar Levy, Jean Liberté...
Oil, Wood Panel
"Mother and Daughter" Expressionist Portrait in Oil on Cardstock
Located in Soquel, CA
"Mother and Daughter" Expressionist Portrait in Oil on Cardstock Mid Century expressionist portrait by unknown artist Jane W. Grace (American, 20th C...
Oil, Cardboard
Monastery Grounds V, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Janet Dyer
Located in Yardley, PA
Bright red leaves spark against the greens of a private park. :: Painting :: Expressionism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Re...
Acrylic
Lake surface in full bloom, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By LE ANH TUAN
Located in Yardley, PA
Welcome to the work "Water Lily Lake - Dance of Colors." This is not just a painting, but a journey to discover the natural beauty, where brilliant water lilies compete to bloom on...
Acrylic
They Thunder forth from Their Clouds-Lithograph by George Grosz - 1922
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
They Thunder forth from Their Clouds is an original lithograph, realized by George Grosz in 1922, from Die Raüber, edition Malik Verlag in 100 prints, plate n°8 da Die Raüber, hand-signed in pencil. "They thunder forth from their clouds about gentleness and forbearance, while they sacrifice human victims to the God of love." (Da donnern sie Sanftmut und Duldung aus ihren Wolken und bringen dem Gott der Liebe Menschenopfer.)" Sheet dimension: 61,5 x 42 cm. In very good conditions. Here representing a man in front of cross miserably praying, below of his feet laid down many dead bodies and ruined part of the city. here is one of his artwork affected by consequences drama of war. George Grosz (1893 -1959) was a German artist known especially for his caricatural drawings and paintings of Berlin life in the 1920s. He was a prominent member of the Berlin Dada and New Objectivity group during the Weimar Republic. He studied drawing at the Dresden Academy 1909-11 and at the School of Arts and Crafts in Berlin 1912-14, He was in the army 1914-15 and again for a short time in 1917, but spent the rest of the war in Berlin where he made violently anti-war drawings...
Lithograph, Paper
Family - Offset and Lithograph by George Grosz - 1923
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
Family is an original offset and lithograph print realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n. 2 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, edition of Der Ma...
Paper, Lithograph, Offset
Abara Meji - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Expressionism, Art Deco
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Àbárá Méjì is an indigenous term that the Yòrúbà people of Nigeria call pregnant women. It's a term with an in-depth meaning; it means one being with another. This painting shows a ...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Down East, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Coastal Maine structures take on an expressive quality through intense colors and simplified forms. Large blocks of yellow, green, blue, and purple create visua...
Acrylic
$1,196Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage American New York City Bridge Cityscape
By Simon Gaon
Located in Buffalo, NY
A gorgeous New York cityscape. Beautifully framed in a silver gilt wooden floater frame. Measuring: 23 by 31 inches overall and 22 by 30 inches image alone. Excellent condition, read...
Oil, Board
$464
General from Ecce Homo - Original Offset and Lithograph by George Grosz - 1923
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
General from Ecce Homo is an original offset and lithograph realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n. 55 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, editio...
Lithograph, Offset
"Planetary phallus"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A painting as a prophetic thought. A philosophical view on the sum of humanity's actions and the future of the entire race. My images in my paintings come true in our real lives; it'...
Oil, Paper
Hathor Oil Painting on Canvas, Expressionist Style, 21st Century
Located in Miami, FL
Her work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged. Her work creates a commentary about “beginnings” and the transmission of signs and emotions through visual elements evoking a spiritual essence to our scientific notion of etymology. After studying under Rolf Dürig...
Canvas, Oil
$580Sale Price|20% Off
La Hage, Pyrenees , France original etching by J.J. Regal
Located in Paonia, CO
La Hage, Pyrenees , France by French artist J.J. Regal is an original signed, limited edition aquatint etching printed on BFK Rives paper. This is a very bold design with an or...
Etching
Walking By The Sea
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...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Misty morning, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By LE ANH TUAN
Located in Yardley, PA
We would like to introduce the painting **"Water Lily in Full Bloom"**, a beautiful work of art that shows the elegant beauty of water lilies. The painting depicts the image of wat...
Acrylic
The Stranger 2, abstract brushwork, seated female nude, skin tones
By Tom Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Abstracted, expressionist figurative nude.. Figure in semi-fetal position against and abstract field of greys and muted colors. Powerful direct mark-making.
Oil, Archival Paper
Spring Calls Watercolor Painting, Impressionist, 26x19 cm, New
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Spring Calls" is more than just a watercolor; it is a symbol of the beginning of spring and that magical moment when the world awakens. I was inspired by the special feeling of joy ...
Paper, Watercolor
Expressionist Hand Signed Lithograph - Benjamin Kopman
Located in Surfside, FL
Actual Lithograph without matte is 16" X 12". BENJAMIN KOPMAN (1887 - 1965) Painter, Illustrator and printmaker Benjamin Kopman was born in Vitebsk, Russia and emigrated to the Unit...
Lithograph
Flower field. Summer., Painting, Acrylic on Glass
Located in Yardley, PA
Flower field. Summer. A celebration of colorful flowers and herbs on a summer day creates an atmosphere of relaxation, harmony and bliss. Abstract expressionism. The painting is pain...
Acrylic
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...
Oil, Paper
Nature Morte
By Paul Aizpiri
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Paul Aizpiri was a painter and sculptor born in 1919 in Paris, France to an Italian mother and a father from the Basque Country, Spain. Aizpiri was an optimistic person since birth, ...
Oil, Canvas
Bereaved - Original Offset and Lithograph by George Grosz - 1923
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
Bereaved is an original offset and lithograph realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n. 13 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, edition of Der Malik...
Paper, Lithograph, Offset
Expressionist Fish Still Life Oil on Canvas with Catfish. Russian school
Located in GB
Bold and expressive oil-on-canvas still life depicting a dramatic arrangement of freshly caught fish, including a prominent catfish in the foreground. Executed with energetic impasto...
Canvas, Oil
Dracaena, Botanical Garden Plant Still-Life
Located in Soquel, CA
Fun and expressive botanical still-life painting of a Dracaena plant in front of a window by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b.1957), 1976. The bright green leaves are depi...
Canvas, Oil
$2,320Sale Price|20% Off
"Strada", Expressionist, Landscape, City, Tuscany, Brown, Oil Painting
Located in Franklin, MA
“Strada” by Catherine Picard-Gibbs is a dynamic city scene, depicting a solitary figure walking down a street in Tuscany during the heat of the late afternoon. This gestural, express...
Canvas, Oil
$950Sale Price|42% Off
Des Hommes Arrivent du fond de leur passe colored lithograph 1968 by Tobiasse
Located in Paonia, CO
Theo Tobiasse (1927 - 2012 ) Title Des Hommes Arrivent du Fond de leur Passe Lithograph 1968 edition E. A. ( artist proof ) size 17.50 x 23.50 condition good Des Hommes Arriv...
Lithograph
Elderly Rabbi 20th Century Judaica Portrait
Located in Surfside, FL
The artist depicts the portrait of an older Rabbi from a profile view in the manner of Samuel Rothbort. The artist's brush work is expressive, while the subject matter has a high deg...
Canvas, Oil
$26,480Sale Price|20% Off
La Révolution Française, Original Lithographs, Portfolio, Modern, 1977, Signed
Located in OPOLE, PL
Bernard Buffet (1928–1999, France) Portfolio: La Révolution Française 1789, 1977 Bernard Buffet’s La Révolution Française 1789 (1977) is a striking portfolio of ten color lithograph...
Lithograph
$7,023Sale Price|20% Off
Party in the Trees
Located in Coltishall, GB
Inspired by Rachaels winter dog walks along the Norfolk Broads with her lovely dog Sandy. Rachael Dalzell’s paintings are colourful and expressive. Her free and lively use of paint...
Canvas, Wood, Acrylic
That’s Good
By Jackie Felix
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original expressionist oil on board by American female artist Jackie Felix.
Oil, Board
$2,694Sale Price|46% Off
Series "The Imaginary traveler nº29" Expressionist corner with flowers and cat.
Located in Segovia, ES
Series "The Imaginary traveler nº29" Expressionist corner with flowers and cat. Oil on linen by Chico Montilla. Measurements: (H) 100 x (W) 81 x (D) 2 cm. Framed (H) 112 x (W) 93 ...
Linen, Oil
'The Leopards' by Byron Z. Tripp - Large Striking Wildlife Leopard Painting
Located in Carmel, CA
‘The Leopards’ is a striking masterpiece that captivates the viewer with its dynamic interplay of black, white, and yellow. The artist’s exceptional use of color and line work transp...
Canvas, Oil
The Songs of Songs of King Salomons
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Teo Tobiasse (French/Israeli, 1927-2012) Title: "The Songs of Songs of King Solomons" Year: 1975 Medium: Color lithograph Edition: Numbered LVII/C in pencil Paper: Jap...
Lithograph
$6,483Sale Price|20% Off
Pelican 1974 - Expressionist animal art watercolour/gouache bird painting
Located in Hagley, England
This beautiful large vibrant animal painting is by Aubrey Williams, Guyanese artist. It is a watercolour/gouache painting of a magnificent Pelican and painted in 1974. Williams has r...
Watercolor
Maximilien Luce La Cueilleuse de Fruits
Located in Dallas, TX
Maximilien Luce (French, 1858-1941) La Cueilleuse de Fruits oil on newsprint laid down to board signed Luce (lower right) Sight: 13 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (34.3 x 16.5cm) Frame: 17.5 x 10 I...
Oil, Newsprint
Max Eisler Eine Nachlese folio "Portrait of Friederike Marie Beer" collotype
Located in Palm Beach, FL
After Gustav Klimt, Max Eisler Plate #24, Bildnis Friederike Maria Beer; multi-color collotype after the 1916 painting in oil on canvas. GUSTAV KLIMT EINE NACHLESE (GUSTAV KLIMT AN ...
Paper
Blue Dove - Signed Vintage Poster
Located in Paris, IDF
(After) Marc CHAGALL (1887-1985) Blue Dove Vintage Poster Second edition printed in offset around 1970 Signed in the plate On heavy paper, 75 x 51 cm (29.5 x 21 in.) INFORMATION:...
Offset
$5,480Sale Price|20% Off
Family Heart - Mid Century Hawaiian Symbolist Figurative Abstract
Located in Soquel, CA
Symbolic figurative abstract of wispy figures surrounding a heart by Marguerite Louis Blasingame (American; 1906-1947), circa 1940-45. Marguerite and her husband Frank Blasingame...
Linen, Oil
$919Sale Price|20% Off
Early 20thC Modernist/Expressionist Large oil European Landscape c1930's
Located in Frome, Somerset
A good large post impressionist/expressionist Landscape oil circa 1938 oil on canvas 75cmx90cm Gallery frame 87cmx102cm Fields with a small dwelling painted in expressive impastoed b...
Oil