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.
"Wer Liefert" Oskar Kokoschka, Satirical Expressionist Caricature, Red on White
Located in New York, NY
Oskar Kokoschka Wer Liefert, circa 1917 Sanguine on paper 8 1/2 x 10 1/4 inches Throughout his career, Kokoschka demonstrated a thirst for independence and refrained from associati...
Paper, Chalk
Relationships and sentiments I, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This was supposed to be an abstract painting like most of my artworks, but suddenly I had this desire to see some persons in it. So I was just drawing the silhouette of them and this...
Acrylic
$2,880Sale Price|20% Off
Edmund Pick Morino Still Life With Chicken
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Still Life With Chicken, Oil on canvas singed and dated 1923, from the Collection of Bass Museum Of Art. Canvas size 14 1/5x17 1/4 framed 21 3/8 x 23 7/8 Edmund Pick-Morino was the ...
Canvas, Oil
LARGE RARE OTTO MUELLER WOODCUT POSTER
By Otto Mueller
Located in Santa Monica, CA
OTTO MUELLER (German 1874 – 1930) POTSDAMER KUNSTSOMMER, 1921 (1968) (Karsch 6) Woodcut. Edition of 25 and numbered 11. There are no known impressio...
Woodcut
Venice. Evening 4
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, I've captured the enchanting essence of Venice at dusk. Using a blend of acrylics and oils, I employed expressionistic strokes to evoke the fluidity of the water an...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Brumaire, Large Expressionist Lithograph by Paul Wunderlich
Located in Long Island City, NY
Paul Wunderlich’s Brumaire showcases the German artist’s masterful interpretation of atmospheric themes through his distinctive blend of Expressionist intensity and Surrealist imagin...
Lithograph
$956Sale Price|20% Off
Marc Chagall, The Angel, from Chagall Lithographer I, 1960
By Marc Chagall
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Marc Chagall (1887–1985) Title: The Angel (L'Ange) Year: October 1960 Medium: Lithograph on velin paper Paper Size: 12.5 x 9.625 inches (31.75 x 24.45 cm) Condition: Well pre...
Lithograph
$6,500
Max Eisler Eine Nachlese folio “Malcesine on Lake Garda" collotype print
Located in Palm Beach, FL
After Gustav Klimt, Max Eisler #7, Malcesine am Gardasee; multi-color collotype after 1913 painting in oil on canvas. The original was destroyed by fire ...
Paper
Afternoon Rest
By Cillespi
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Just discovered within an exceptional private west coast collection, the signature and inscription on this incredible small oil on paper, is at the moment, undecypherable, we are res...
Oil
$950
Lithuanian French Artist Arbit Blatas Lithograph Pierre Bonnard School of Paris
By Arbit Blatas
Located in Surfside, FL
Arbit Blatas (1908 – 1999) Hand signed and numbered to lower edge Ecole de Paris Portrait Printed on Arches French deckle edged art paper 1962 Arbit Blatas (1908 – 1999), born Nicol...
Lithograph
Polish Israeli Artist Expressionist Hand Signed Lithograph
Located in Surfside, FL
Born in Poland in 1920, Bernstein completed his art studies in the Academy of Vilna in 1939. His family was wiped out in the Holocaust, but he survived the war and lived in Russia un...
Lithograph
$1,823
Mountain Top, Welsh Landscape Painting, Contemporary Textured Landscape Painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Mountain Top is an original landscape painting by Helen Howells. It was inspired by the mountain views of South Wales, where I truly feel at peace, amongst the astounding beauty of t...
Canvas, Oil
At Sunset
Located in Zofingen, AG
In crafting this painting, I poured my heart into capturing the serene companionship between two creatures at dusk. The strokes are a dance of naive warmth with pops of color that sp...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$5,500
Beethoven Frieze (detail) by Gustav Klimt, Das Werk collotype, 1908-1912
By Gustav Klimt
Located in Chicago, IL
Original collotype created from a detail of Gustav Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze. Published and edited by Verlag H.O. Miethke and printed by k.k. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna, in an e...
Paper
Mexican Contemporary Artist Ricardo Ramirez - Pensativo
By Ricardo Ramírez
Located in Guadalajara, Jalisco
Pensativo Ricardo Ramírez Rodríguez Mixed Media on Canvas 80 x 100 cm 2007, MX Unframed
Mixed Media
Bronze Sculpture Charles Dickens Figure American Boston Figural Modernist
Located in Surfside, FL
I have seen this piece identified as Wizard and as Micawber from Charles Dickens David Copperfield ("something will turn up") Aronson, David 1923- David Aronson, son of a rabbi, was...
Bronze
MY SUNFLOWERS
Located in Zofingen, AG
In crafting this vibrant piece, I imbued each stroke with the warmth and energy of the sun. The rich textures formed by oil pastel and colored pencil blur the lines between pop art's...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Satin Paper
BADENDE MANNER: (THREE MALE BATHERS AT THE SHORE)
By Max Kaus
Located in Portland, ME
Kaus, Max. BADENDE MANNER: (THREE MALE BATHERS AT THE SHORE). Lithograph, c. 1924. Signed, lower left, in pencil, and numbered 6-10, further inscribed, lo...
Lithograph
Marc Chagall, Athena and Telemachus, from Homer, The Odyssey, 1989 (after)
By Marc Chagall
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Marc Chagall (1887–1985) (after) Title: Athena and Telemachus (Athene und Telemachos) Year: 1989 Medium: Lithograph on 250 g/m² Butten Papierwerke Miliani AG, Fabriano paper ...
Lithograph
Marc Chagall, Moses II, from Drawings for the Bible, 1960
By Marc Chagall
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Marc Chagall (1887–1985) Title: Moses II (Moise II) Year: July 29, 1960 Medium: Lithograph on velin du Marais paper Paper Size: 14 x 10.5 inches (35.56 x 26.67 cm) Condition:...
Lithograph
$408Sale Price|20% Off
Early autumn mood. Cardboard, oil, 24x32 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Early autumn mood. 1990. Cardboard, oil, 24x32 cm This painting depicts an early autumn landscape with lively, textured brushstrokes that capture the transition between summer and f...
Oil, Cardboard
$673
Expressive Figurative Ink and Ballpoint Pen Drawing on Paper, Signed, 1991
Located in NANTES, FR
This 1991 drawing presents a female figure rendered with unusual freedom and urgency, built from layered contour lines, looping marks, and repeated adjustments in black ink and ballp...
Paper, India Ink, Ballpoint Pen
Under the sun with mother
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, I sought to capture the intimate and serene connection between a mother horse and her foal amidst a splendid golden field. The use of oil enhances the luminosity an...
Canvas, Oil
Blooming tree, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Yardley, PA
In this oil painting, I endeavored to capture the ephemeral beauty of nature's awakening. With each stroke, I sought to embody the delicate dance of blossoms on a gentle breeze, infu...
Oil
Eremitic, monotype powerful black and white, light and shadow
By Tom Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A monotype created with oil based etching inks and oil paint printed from a plexiglass matrix. Expressive, Figurative image with stark light and shadow.
Monotype
Helen Howells, Half Tide, Original Seascape Painting, Contemporary Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Half Tide by Helen Howells [2021] Original Oil on Canvas Image size: H:75 cm x W:120 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:75 cm x W:120 cm x D:3.5cm Sold Unframed Please note that in...
Canvas, Oil
$2,000
Balls and Strikes coney islandbeach brooklyn denizens summer baseball bathers
Located in Brooklyn, NY
this is an oil on cradled wood board, framing recommended but not necessary. the paint was mixes=d with a pumice like material to give it a rough sandy feel ABOUT Stephen Basso Ste...
Oil
Robed Woman. 3/4 length portrait done in blacks grey white and touches of pink
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This is a mixed media work on high quality sanded pastel paper. Signed and dated lower left hand corner. ABOUT Stephen Basso Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil painting...
Charcoal, Archival Paper
Etching with Hand Watercolor Painting Jules Pascin Pencil Signed
By Jules Pascin
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: German Expressionist Subject: Figures Medium: etching, watercolor paint Surface: Paper This is hand signed lower right.. there does not seem to be an edition size although th...
Paper, Watercolor, Etching
$3,567Sale Price|20% Off
Erotic Ceramic Sculpture, Expressionist Style, Circa 1940, Signed
Located in CANNES, FR
Isaac Grünewald ( 1889-1946 ) Swedish & jewish Expressionist painter . Rare & unique ceramic work circa 1940 Glazed stoneware . signed . decorated with nude male and f...
Ceramic
Homage a Leonardo d'Vinci (Battle Scene I from De La Bataille Vol. I)
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Art: 17" x 23 1/4" Frame: 27 5/8" x 33 7/8" Original color lithograph (VIII/L) Signed lower right. This original Weisbuch lithograph comes from th...
Lithograph
Dancers in the artists studio
By Jean Jansem
Located in New York, NY
Jean Jansem (1920-2013) The artist was invited at this period of time by a French Ballerina to attend a rehearsal and this was the start of his Ballet series. This painting was in h...
Oil
Martenita Tribute to Picasso Murano Glass Sculpture
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Martenita Omaggio To Picasso, Signed, artist logo stamp, and title. Walter Furlan was born (1931-2018) in Chioggia, a small town near Venice. He started to work in a furnace calle...
Glass, Blown Glass
$1,672Sale Price|20% Off
Seven tulips. Oil on canvas, 65x51 cm
Located in Riga, LV
7 tulips. 1979. Oil on canvas, 65x51 cm Aleksandr Rodin (1922-2001) Painter Born in a family of farmers. Wife Rasma Lace - art scholar. Studied at the...
Canvas, Oil
$877
Calima II, Landscape Painting, Gestural Expressionist Style Painting, Mood Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Calima II [2021] Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look The Calima is a hot East wind that originates in Africa and...
Canvas, Acrylic
$10,500
"The March" by M. Petersen - Vibrant Expressive Powerful Figurative Scene
Located in Carmel, CA
Maura Petersen (American, born 1956) "The March" 2024 Acrylic Paint, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the bottom right of the painting. In "The March", Maura Petersen paints...
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
$1,672Sale Price|20% Off
Tulips. 1996. Oil on canvas, 81х100 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Tulips. 1996. Oil on canvas, 81х100 cm Jurgis Skulme (1928-2015) – painter, art scientist. 1954 – The graduating State Art Academy of Latvia, the monumental department (diploma wor...
Oil, Canvas
$666Sale Price|30% Off
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painting copy. 2000. Oil on сanvas, 73x60 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painting "La Goulue, together with two women" Moulin Rouge "" copy - Unknown artist, oil on сanvas, 73x60 cm
Canvas, Oil
Going About Life, Painting, Oil on Wood Panel
Located in Yardley, PA
Walking in the city I was struck by the gratitude of being able to go about life. The everyday coming and going that I sometimes take for granted suddenly brought me joy. This painti...
Oil
$1,022
Expressionist Portrait of Woman Oil and Ink on Paper, Framed and Signed 1993
Located in NANTES, FR
Executed in 1993, this striking oil and India ink on paper by Menachem Gueffen exemplifies the artist's lifelong fascination with the female figure. The seated woman, rendered with a...
Paper, India Ink, Oil
$3,902Sale Price|20% Off
Engures seaside. 1983, oil on canvas, 53x71 cm
By Arijs Skride
Located in Riga, LV
Arijs Skride (1906.24.IX Madonna parish – 1987.22.XI Riga), painter. Arijs Skride was born into a farmer's family. Wife Gundega Vaska – graphic artist. At the age of 15, he passed ...
Canvas, Oil
Arabian, horse monotype, earth tones, energetic brushwork
By Tom Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil based ink and oil paint monotype on fine printmaking paper. Moving horse in expressionist active strokes. Bold, direct motion.
Monotype, Archival Paper
Elena Lukina: Solar Echoes: Streaming Light. Gold. Radiant Vitality 2014
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In "Solar Echoes: Streaming Light" (2014), Elena Lukina captures the untamed spirit and sculptural power of sunflowers in full bloom. This piece from the series Radiant Vitality cele...
Canvas, Oil
Georges Rouault Portrait de Marie Thérèse Bonney
Located in Dallas, TX
Georges Rouault (French, 1871-1958) - Étude pour le Portrait de Marie Thérèse Bonney. A large specimen painting for Rouault beautifully framed in a shadow fashion making a grandiose ...
Paint
Polish French Figurative Abstract Art Brut Expressionist Lithograph Maryan
Located in Surfside, FL
Pinchas Burstein, known as Maryan Lithograph (after the drawing). 1960 Dimensions: 12 3/8 x 9 3/8 inches (315 x 240mm). Gold or bronze ink on black paper Signed in the plate, not b...
Paper, Lithograph
Star Gazing, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A woman lies under a vibrant night sky, the stars and planets illuminating her form. Bold colors and energetic directional brushwork add a hypnotizing energy to the composition. This piece is artist Diana Elena Chelaru's personal interpretation of the vast space.
About the Artist
Artist Diana Elena Chelaru creates vibrant expressionist works that explore human emotion and the cosmos. “Art is a means of communication, a way to express my thoughts, hopes, and joys,†says Diana. She uses form, lines, and color to bring her imaginative compositions to life, with inspiration drawn from Byzantine mosaics and Gustav Klimt’s decorative patterns. Diana received her BFA in Painting from George Enescu Art University and an MA in Art History from Queens College. Diana’s creative process is fluid and intuitive, guided by her emotions in the moment, with music as a constant companion. Her studio, located in the basement of her home, is kept clean and organized. When she’s not creating, Diana enjoys spending quality time with her family.
Words that describe this painting: Universe, stars, sky, night, meditation, celestial, space, flow, movement, planets, reclining, expressionism, nature, people, acrylic painting, blue
Star Gazing...
Acrylic
$2,000
Justine y el Marquez de Sade, Surrealist Aquatint Etching by Jose Luis Cuevas
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jose Luis Cuevas, Mexican (1934 - 2017) Title: Justine y el Marquez de Sade from the Intolerance Portfolio Year: 1989 Medium: Etching, signed and numbered in ink Edition: 50...
Etching, Aquatint
Oil painting on board "Rough sea with steamer on the horizon" by S.A.Vinogradoff
Located in Gavere, BE
Sergey VINOGRADOV ( 1869 - 1938 ) Rough sea with steamer on the horizon Sergei Arsenievich Vinogradov ( Russian: 1869–1938 ) was a Russian-Soviet Impressionist painter; known for l...
Gold Leaf
H.O. Miethke Das Werk folio "The Great Poplar II (Thunderstorm)" collotype print
By Gustav Klimt & K.K. Hof-und Staatsdruckerei
Located in Palm Beach, FL
DAS WERK GUSTAV KLIMTS, a portfolio of 50 prints, ten of which are multicolor collotypes on chine colle paper laid down on hand-made heavy cream wove paper with deckled edges; under ...
Paper
$664Sale Price|35% Off
Still life with peonies. 1989, paper, watercolor, 62x70 cm
By Dzidra Bauma
Located in Riga, LV
Still life with peonies. 1989, paper, watercolor, 62x70 cm Dzidra Bauma (1930) Dzidra Bauma works in watercolor technique. She paint figural composition...
Paper, Watercolor
Timeless Elegance
Located in West Hollywood, CA
This stunning bouquet of roses exudes a vibrant energy through the artist's expressive energy. It is a perfect balance between freedom and control, allowing the subject matter to com...
Oil
$1,022Sale Price|20% Off
Inspired by Monet "Flowers in a vase"
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In painting this piece, I poured my admiration for the dance between light and color onto the canvas, capturing the ephemeral beauty of flora. Each stroke is imbued with the energy o...
Canvas, Oil
Disegno figurativo espressionista ritratto maschile nudo toscano del XX secolo
Located in Florence, IT
Il disegno, penna con inchiostri di diversi colori su carta, è firmato e datato L. NOCENTINI 91. La carta si presenta di un bel color marrone nocciola, anche se con la luce del video...
Paper, Ink
Leading a horse, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The painting portrays a tranquil scene of a woman leading a horse through shallow water. it carries a sense of tranquility, capturing a clear, sunny day with the light blue color of ...
Oil
Snowman family
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I've captured the warmth of family ties against the chill of a winter's day. Through impressionistic strokes and an expressionistic palette, I aimed to evoke th...
Canvas, Oil
$8,000
"Nel Bosco" - Italian Abstract Landscape of a Dark Forest - Green and Yellow Oil
Located in Carmel, CA
Masri Hayssam (Lebanese, Italian, born 1965) "Nel Bosco" 1999 Oil paint on canvas, stretcher bars Signed by the artist on the bottom right corner of the painting. "Nel Bosco" is an ...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
Rittersporn und Fingerhut (Larkspur and Foxglove)
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Rittersporn und Fingerhut (Larkspur and Foxglove) Color woodcut, printed on wove paper with mica flecks, 1916 Signed lower right (see photo) Inscribed lower left (see photo) Reference: Merx 276 Condition: good-very good One spot of staining on the far left edge of the composition (see photo) Color very fresh and vibrant Full sheet as issued Image size: 19 x 13 3/8 inches Carl Thiemann...
Woodcut
Jordi Sarrà – “Solitude”, 1983 – Oil on Canvas – 28.5 × 23.5 cm
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Jordi Sarrà – “Solitude”, 1983 – Oil on Canvas – 28.5 × 23.5 cm Oil on canvas. Signed and dated 1983 lower left. Artwork: 27.5 × 21.5 cm (10.8 × 8.5 in.). Framed: 28.5 × 23.5 cm (11...
Canvas, Oil
Cyrus, 2018
Located in Atlanta, GA
Born August 4, 1945 in Chambéry. Apprenticeship in 1984 at the Etampes school founded and run by the painter Philipe Lejeune. -Price "Finez Planard" awarded by the Taylor Foundation...
Oil
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