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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
Old and Young Woman - Lithograph Poster - Los Angeles County Museum #Mourlot
Old and Young Woman - Lithograph Poster - Los Angeles County Museum #Mourlot

Old and Young Woman - Lithograph Poster - Los Angeles County Museum #Mourlot

By Edvard Munch

Located in Paris, IDF

Edvard Munch (1863 - 1944) (after) Young and Old Woman Poster printed in offset lithograph (from Munch's original woodcut "Women on the Shore" of 1898) Printed in Mourlot workshop, Paris 76 x 53 cm (30 x 21") INFORMATION : Realised for the exhibition in the Los Angeles County Museum...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Offset

American Modernist Oil Painting Gestural Landscape WPA Artist Group of 10
American Modernist Oil Painting Gestural Landscape WPA Artist Group of 10

American Modernist Oil Painting Gestural Landscape WPA Artist Group of 10

By Ben-Zion Weinman

Located in Surfside, FL

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...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

'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

Revelry, Oil Painting
Revelry, Oil Painting

Revelry, Oil Painting

By Karen Barton

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A jewel-toned hummingbird hovers mid-flight, its wings blurred by motion as it flies through the colorful sky. The scene takes inspiration from the birds that...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Art Nouveau Poster "Marmorhouse (Der Teufel und Die Circe) by Josef Fenneker
Art Nouveau Poster "Marmorhouse (Der Teufel und Die Circe) by Josef Fenneker

Art Nouveau Poster "Marmorhouse (Der Teufel und Die Circe) by Josef Fenneker

By Josef Fenneker

Located in Palm Beach, FL

The painter, graphic artist, production and set designer, Josef Fenneker, is one of the most important representatives of artistic film posters of the 1910s and 1920s. He was commissioned primarily by Berlin’s Marmorhaus cinema, which was located on Kurfürstendamm and known for its first releases, as well as by Berlin film production...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Composition, Everything That Rises Must Converge
Composition, Everything That Rises Must Converge

Composition, Everything That Rises Must Converge

By Benny Andrews

Located in Southampton, NY

Etching on vélin de Rives BFK paper. Paper Size: 22 x 17 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the folio, Everything That Rises Must Converge, 2005. Published by The Limited Editions Club, New York; printed by Wingate Studio, Hinsdale, under the direction of Peter Pettengill, Hinsdale, 2005. Excerpted from the folio, This edition of CCC examples of Everything That Rises Must Converge was printed on BFK Rives. Dan Carr and Julia Ferrari designed the typography, cast the Kis-Janson type in metal, set the type by hand and printed the text at Golgonooza Letter Foundry & Press, Ashuelot, New Hampshire. The six color etchings were printed by hand on BFK Rives by Peter Pettengill at Wingate Studio in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. BENNY ANDREWS (1930-2006) was an African-American artist, activist and educator. He is known for his expressive, figurative paintings that often incorporated collaged fabric and other material. Andrews helped found the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, which agitated for greater representation of African-American artists and curators in New York’s major art museums in the late 1960s and 70s. He also led the group in founding an arts education program in prisons and detention centers. Andrews taught art at Queens College for three decades, and from 1982 to 1984, served as the Director of the Visual Arts Program for the National Endowment for the Arts. He received many awards, including the John Hay Whitney...

Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching

Light in the forest
Light in the forest

Light in the forest

By Elena Lukina

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this oil on canvas, I've poured my soul into capturing the ethereal play of light amidst the trees. I intertwine expressionism with realism to weave a dance of colors that evoke a...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Alstroemeria
Alstroemeria

Alstroemeria

By Rachael Dalzell

Located in Coltishall, GB

Rachael Dalzell’s paintings are colourful and expressive. Her free and lively use of paint through various techniques, mean that Rachael’s work is as much about mood as it is of pl...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Acrylic

Still life with Oranges and Owls, Oil On Canvas, Floral, Interior, Still life
Still life with Oranges and Owls, Oil On Canvas, Floral, Interior, Still life

Still life with Oranges and Owls, Oil On Canvas, Floral, Interior, Still life

Located in Deddington, GB

Still Life with Oranges and Owls is an Original Painting by Eleanor Woolley. Painted in the Artist's Gloucestershire Studio this miniature painting shows a still life of a selection of objects arranged by the Artist. Twos stone owls sit atop a stack of books, with two small oranges and a pear. A small jug of flowers slightly obscures the window. We can see out into the garden, where there are texturally painted trunks...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

"THE LONG WALK HOME" DEBRA BENDITZ TEXAS ARTIST COWBOY/VAQUERO

"THE LONG WALK HOME" DEBRA BENDITZ TEXAS ARTIST COWBOY/VAQUERO

Located in San Antonio, TX

Debra Benditz (Born 1957) Texas Artist Image Size: 15 x 12 Frame Size: 24 x 20.5 Medium: Oil "The Long Walk Home" We will only ship in the Continental United State for posted shippin...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Vibrant Orange and Red "Pant" Abstract by Joy W.
Vibrant Orange and Red "Pant" Abstract by Joy W.

Vibrant Orange and Red "Pant" Abstract by Joy W.

Located in Soquel, CA

Dynamic, heavy impasto abstract expressionist garden scene by Joy W. (American, 20th Century). Titled "Pant" and dated "Summer 2003" on verso. Signed indistinctly on verso, "Joy W". ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

1990's French Modernist Signed Oil The Lake at Enghien Colorful Trees
1990's French Modernist Signed Oil The Lake at Enghien Colorful Trees

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...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Musical Flow, Original Painting
Musical Flow, Original Painting

Musical Flow, Original Painting

By Diana Elena Chelaru

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
In this lively and spirited painting, five figures revel in the music and each other's company. Tones of blue and orange embrace their forms as they hit the d...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Somebody Call Me - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Expressionism, Africa
Somebody Call Me - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Expressionism, Africa

Somebody Call Me - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Expressionism, Africa

By Omoayo George Osoba

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Oso...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Polymer

L' Arbre à L'Oiseau Signed Lithograph, 1981, Abstract Bird, CoBrA Artist
L' Arbre à L'Oiseau Signed Lithograph, 1981, Abstract Bird, CoBrA Artist

L' Arbre à L'Oiseau Signed Lithograph, 1981, Abstract Bird, CoBrA Artist

By Corneille

Located in Union City, NJ

L' Arbre à L'Oiseau is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph by the Dutch artist known as CORNEILLE(Guillaume van Beverloo) an abstract expressionist who co-founded the 20th Century experimental art movement CoBrA recognized for their spontaneous, rebellious style of painting that was heavily inspired by the art of children and the mentally ill. Corneille devises his colorful fantastic imagery with exotic plant forms, sensuous female bodies, animals and lively pattern design. In L' Arbre à L'Oiseau the viewer is presented with an exotic, dream-like landscape scene featuring a multicolored abstract bird plumed in red, green, back and blue soaring across a yellow sky amid bold blue trees; a white and blue masked face profile peering from the composition's right edge. Print size - 23.25 x 19.75 in. unframed, vivid colors, hand signed in pencil by Corneille Edition size - 200, plus proofs Year published - 1981 Printer - J K Fine Art Editions Co., NY About the artist Corneille - Guillaume Corneille was born in Liege, Belgium on July 3, 1922. Corneille studied drawing at the Amsterdam Rijksakademie, but as a painter he was entirely self-taught. After having attended courses at the School of Fine Arts in Amsterdam, he started his painting experience influenced by Surrealism. Corneille, also known as Corneille Guillaume Beverloo, was a painter and graphic artist who radicalized the conservative Dutch art world in the early 1950s. He is co-founder with Karel Appel, Eugene...

Category

1980s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Judaica Oil Painting Altneuschul Maharal Synagogue Prague
Judaica Oil Painting Altneuschul Maharal Synagogue Prague

Judaica Oil Painting Altneuschul Maharal Synagogue Prague

By Hovik Muradian

Located in Surfside, FL

14.5 X 16.5 with frame HOVIK MURADIAN Born in 1964 in Yerevan, Armenia ,he now lives and works in Prague, Czech Republic. His pictures are in private collections in Germany, Franc...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Chagall, Sans titre, Le Dur Désir de Durer (after)
Chagall, Sans titre, Le Dur Désir de Durer (after)

Chagall, Sans titre, 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

Abstract Expressionist Watercolor Portrait
Abstract Expressionist Watercolor Portrait

Abstract Expressionist Watercolor Portrait

By Howard Margolis

Located in Soquel, CA

Abstract expressionist portrait of a colorful face by Berkeley artist Howard Margolis (American, 1927-2015). Unsigned, with “Howard Margolis” on verso. Presented unframed, in a paste...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Tamar Zinn “Untitled Landscape” Oil Pastel, 1997
Tamar Zinn “Untitled Landscape” Oil Pastel, 1997

Tamar Zinn “Untitled Landscape” Oil Pastel, 1997

By Tamar Zinn

Located in San Francisco, CA

This autumnal landscape in oil pastel on paper is by New York City artist Tamar Zinn. Before turning to abstraction, Zinn’s artwork focused on Expressionist invented landscapes, of w...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil Pastel

The Winter Sun - original winter landscape
The Winter Sun - original winter landscape

The Winter Sun - original winter landscape

By Nikolay Dmitriev

Located in Zofingen, AG

The evening expressionist painting with the snowy forest and the setting Sun is a beautiful wall decor, the painting is full of different colours, combinations of warm and cold shade...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Portrait of Willy
Portrait of Willy

Portrait of Willy

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

"Portrait of Willy" by Samson Tolulope Daramola is a captivating artwork that masterfully captures the essence and personality of a young lady named Willy. Daramola's artistic prowes...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic

The Confetti Heart

The Confetti Heart

By Jim Dine

Located in New York, NY

Created by Jim Dine in 1985 as part of the artist's, Astra Set, The Confetti Heart is an original lithograph in colors on BFK Rives wove paper. Hand-signed, dated, and numbered from...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Fence Line, Oil Painting
The Fence Line, Oil Painting

The Fence Line, Oil Painting

By George Peebles

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A row of trees stands against a muted sky, their thick red and orange canopies rising above slender trunks. Expressive brushwork adds weight and movement to the...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Embracing Self -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Women
Embracing Self -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Women

Embracing Self -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Women

By Olaniyi Timothy

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Made of layers, memories, lessons, scars, and hopes. Some parts are soft, some messy, some still taking shape, but all of them matter. You are texture, movement, and story. You don’t...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Blue Angel, Music, Deep Rivers in My Soul
Blue Angel, Music, Deep Rivers in My Soul

Blue Angel, Music, Deep Rivers in My Soul

By Dean Mitchell

Located in Southampton, NY

Etching in colors on Somerset vélin paper. Paper Size: 20 x 23 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the folio, Music, Deep Rivers in My Soul, 2003. Published by The Limited Editions Club, New York; printed by Wingate Studio, Hinsdale, under the direction of Peter Pettengili, Hinsdale, 2003. Excerpted from the folio, This edition of Music, Deep Rivers in my Soul consists of CD examples printed on Somerset paper. Dan Carr and Julia Ferrari designed the typography. Cast the Spectrum and Romulus type in metal, handset the type and printed the text at Golgonooza Letter Foundry and Press in Ashuelot, New Hampshire. The color etchings were printed by hand on Somerset paper by Peter Pettengili at Wingate Studio in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. DEAN MITCHELL...

Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching

Rettung - Original Lithograph by Alfred Kubin - 1944
Rettung - Original Lithograph by Alfred Kubin - 1944

Rettung - Original Lithograph by Alfred Kubin - 1944

By Alfred Kubin

Located in Roma, IT

This artwork is shipped from Italy. Under existing legislation, any artwork in Italy created over 70 years ago by an artist who has died requires a licence for export regardless of t...

Category

1940s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Luxemberg original aquatint etching by J.J. Regal
Luxemberg original aquatint etching by J.J. Regal

Luxemberg original aquatint etching by J.J. Regal

Located in Paonia, CO

  Luxemberg is an original signed limited edition aquatint etching by J.J. Regal printed on B F K Rives paper. This is a very bold design with an original depiction of a major Europe...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching

Vintage American Nocturnal New York City Bridge Cityscape
Vintage American Nocturnal New York City Bridge Cityscape

Vintage American Nocturnal New York City Bridge Cityscape

By Simon Gaon

Located in Buffalo, NY

A gorgeous purple nocturnal New York cityscape. Beautifully framed in a silver gilt wooden floater frame. Measuring: 19 by 25 inches overall and 18 by 24 inches image alone. Excellen...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

"Le Bal Masque" Giuseppe Verdi Opera (Variant)
"Le Bal Masque" Giuseppe Verdi Opera (Variant)

"Le Bal Masque" Giuseppe Verdi Opera (Variant)

By Oskar Kokoschka

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Le Bal Masque" Giuseppe Verdi Opera, (Variant) 1967 is an original color lithograph on Japan paper by renown Austrian expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka, 1886-...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Le Bal Masque" Giuseppe Verdi Opera (Variant)
"Le Bal Masque" Giuseppe Verdi Opera (Variant)

"Le Bal Masque" Giuseppe Verdi Opera (Variant)

By Oskar Kokoschka

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Le Bal Masque" Giuseppe Verdi Opera, (Variant) 1967 is an original color lithograph on Japan paper by renown Austrian expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka, 1886-...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Portfolio: La Révolution Française 1789
Portfolio: La Révolution Française 1789

Portfolio: La Révolution Française 1789

By Bernard Buffet

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...

Category

1970s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Peony impromptu
Peony impromptu

Peony impromptu

By Elena Lukina

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this oil painting, I've captured the transient beauty of blossoms, conveying a blend of vitality and tenderness. My brushstrokes reflect the impressionism's play with light and ex...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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.