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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
Night fragrance XVII, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Night fragrance XVII, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Night fragrance XVII, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Located in Yardley, PA

The new work of the artist continues a series of works called "Night Flavors". This is the 17th work in this series. Plants, flowers, recognizable and sometimes unreal, created by th...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Les Jardin Du Giverny
Les Jardin Du Giverny

Les Jardin Du Giverny

By Frederick William MacMonnies

Located in Sheffield, MA

Frederick William MacMonnies American, 1863-1937 Les Jardin Du Giverny Oil on Canvas 21 by 25 in, w/ frame 27 ⅞ by 31 ⅞ in A sculptor of classical figures, American-born Frederick ...

Category

Early 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Max Eisler Eine Nachlese folio "Houses in Unterach on Lake Attersee" collotype
Max Eisler Eine Nachlese folio "Houses in Unterach on Lake Attersee" collotype

Max Eisler Eine Nachlese folio "Houses in Unterach on Lake Attersee" collotype

By (after) Gustav Klimt

Located in Palm Beach, FL

After Gustav Klimt, Max Eisler Plate #29, Am Attersee; brown-toned monochrome collotype after the 1915-16 painting in oil on canvas. GUSTAV KLIMT EINE NACHLESE (GUSTAV KLIMT AN AFTERMATH), a portfolio of 30 collotypes prints, 15 are multi-color and 15 are monochrome, on chine colle paper laid down on heavy cream-wove paper with deckled edges; Max Eisler, Editor-Publisher; Osterreichischer Staatsdruckerei (Austrian State Printing Office), Printer; in a limited edition of 500 numbered examples of which: 200 were printed in German, 150 were printed in French and 150 were printed in English; Vienna, 1931. 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of Gustav Klimt’s death. It is a fitting time to reflect upon the enduring legacy and deep impact of his art. Recognizing this need for posterity with uncanny foresight, the publication of Gustav Klimt: An Aftermath (Eine Nachlese) provides a rare collection of work after Klimt which has proven to be an indispensable tool for Klimt scholarship as well as a source for pure visual delight. Approximately 25 percent of the original works featured in the Aftermath portfolio have since been lost. Of those 30, six were destroyed by fire on 8 May 1945. On that fateful final day of WWII, the retreating Feldherrnhalle, a tank division of the German Army, set fire to the Schloss Immendorf which was a 16th century castle in Lower Austria used between 1942-1945 to store objects of art. All three of Klimt’s Faculty Paintings: Philosophy, Medicine and Jurisprudence (1900-1907), originally created for the University of Vienna, were on premises at that time. Also among the inventory of Klimt paintings in storage there was art which had been confiscated by the Nazis. One of the most significant confiscated collections was the Lederer collection which featured many works by Gustav Klimt such as Girlfriends II and Garden Path with Chickens. In many instances, Aftermath is our only link to these lost treasures. Max Eisler (1881-1937), the publisher of the 1931 Aftermath portfolio, was an art historian at Vienna University specializing in modern and contemporary arts and crafts whose 1920 book on Klimt was the first Klimt monograph. He saw An Aftermath as filling-in important gaps left by the earlier print portfolios which had only featured Klimt up to 1913 and which had glossed over major art projects such as the Tree of Life frieze for the Palais Stoclet. And whereas only 10 of the 50 prints from the earlier portfolios published by H.O. Miethke were made in intricate multi-color images, Eisler augmented the earlier format by featuring half of the 30 images in stunning multi-colored collotypes. Understanding the fragile nature of the collotype printing process also reinforces this project’s distinctive and exceptional characteristics. Fragile collotype plates can not be reused. As such, this necessitates the completion of a run on the first go and also dictates a limited production number. Printed by hand, the collotypes required deft handling by the printer, Osterreichische Staatsdruckerei. A complicated and lengthy process involving gelatin colloids mixed with dichromates, the creation of 16 color separation thin glass filters to achieve the light-sensitive internegative images which could faithfully capture all of the painting’s tonal gradations and colors, exposure to actinic light, and delicate chine collie papers which allowed for greater color saturation, the printer’s collaborative role in capturing and transmitting Klimt’s nuanced paint strokes is nothing short of remarkable. The Österreichische Staatsdruckerei (Austrian State Printing Office), was the successor to the KK Hof -und Staatsdruckerei which was founded by Emperor Franz I in 1804 and whose collotype printing innovations of Klimt’s art...

Category

1930s Expressionist Art

Materials

Archival Paper

"Harvest" Working Women Hungarian European Modernism Expressionism 1926 WPA Era
"Harvest" Working Women Hungarian European Modernism Expressionism 1926 WPA Era

"Harvest" Working Women Hungarian European Modernism Expressionism 1926 WPA Era

By Stephen Csoka

Located in New York, NY

"Harvest" Working Women Hungarian European Modernism Expressionism 1926 WPA Era. 10 x 11 inches oil on board. Painted in Hungary. Stephen (Istvan) Csoka was born in Gárdony, Hungary on January 2, 1897 and died in New York in 1989. He is best remembered as a painter and etcher of portraits, nudes, landscapes, genre, and horses. Csoka studied at the Budapest Royal Academy of Art and his memberships include Associate of the National Academy of Design in New York City; the Society of American Etchers in Brooklyn, NY; the Society of Brooklyn Artists; and the Hungarian Etchers Association. Csoka's exhibitions and awards include a medal at the Barcelona International Exhibition in 1929; a prize at the City of Budapest Exhibit in 1930; prizes at the Society of American Etchers in 1942 and 1945; prizes at the Library of Congress in 1944 and 1946; a prize at the Society of Brooklyn Artists in 1944; a prize at the Philadelphia Watercolor Club in 1945; the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1945; the Carnegie Institute in 1943, 1944, and 1945; the Art Institute of Chicago in 1944; the Los Angeles Museum of Art in 1945; the National Academy of Design from 1940 through 1945; one-artist shows at the Contemporary Artists in 1940, 1943, and 1945; and the Minneapolis State Fair in 1943. *Stephen continued to recieve awards and exhibit his work throughout his life. In 1997, Hofstra Museum sponsored a Retrospective/Centennial exhibition in honor of his birth. Collections representing Csoka's work are the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; the British Museum, London, England; the Bezalel National Museum, Jerusalem, Israel; the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio; Whistler House Museum of Art, Lowell, MA; the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH; the Sheldon Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, IN; the Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL; the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN; the Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe, NM; the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary; Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, the Museum of the City of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary; the Library of Congress, Washington, DC; Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA; Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, GA; Hofstra Museum, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY; Holocaust Museum, Glen Cove, NY; National Academy of Art, New York, NY; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA; New York Historical Society, New York, NY;New York Public Library, New York, NY; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Peabody Museum, Cambridge, MA; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA; Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA; Livingston Arts Center, Mount Morris, NY; Ball State Teachers College, Muncie, IN; City College, New York, NY; Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY; Hungarian Consulate, New York, NY; Hungarian Heritage, New Brunswick, NJ; Hunter College, New York, NY; IBM Collections; Princeton Print Club...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Modernist Encaustic Painting Portrait Boston Expressionist
Modernist Encaustic Painting Portrait Boston Expressionist

Modernist Encaustic Painting Portrait Boston Expressionist

By David Aronson

Located in Surfside, FL

Bears old label verso from Raydon Gallery in New York city. Aronson, David 1923- David Aronson, son of a rabbi, was born in Lithuania in 1923 and immigrated to America at the age of ...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Encaustic

Still life with peonies
Still life with peonies

Still life with peonies

Located in Zofingen, AG

In creating this piece, I sought to capture the effervescence of nature's transient beauty. I used oil to express the delicate vibrancy of peonies, with my brushstrokes blending impr...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

German expressionist drawing by Carl Hofer' Whispering'
German expressionist drawing by Carl Hofer' Whispering'

German expressionist drawing by Carl Hofer' Whispering'

By Carl Hofer

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

Carl Hofer (German, 1875 – 1955) Einflusterung (Whispering) Charcoal and pencil on paper Signed and inscribed ‘Einflusterung’ (lower middle) 17.1/4 x 13.3/8 in. (43.8 x 34 cm.) Provenance: These works come from the artist’s second wife Elizabeth and from then by descent. Carl Hofer was a German expressionist painter and the director of the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts. One of the most important painters of the Expressionist movement, his work was among those that was considered degenerate art by the Nazis. He studied in Karlsruhe under Hans Thoma. He first visited Paris in 1899 making acquaintance with Julius Meier-Graefe. In 1902 he studied in Stuttgardt and became friends with the sculptor Hermann Haller...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Portrait of Lady in Red and Black by Gustav Klimt, Das Werk collotype, 1908-1912
Portrait of Lady in Red and Black by Gustav Klimt, Das Werk collotype, 1908-1912

Portrait of Lady in Red and Black by Gustav Klimt, Das Werk collotype, 1908-1912

By Gustav Klimt

Located in Chicago, IL

Original collotype created from Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Lady in Red and Black. Published and edited by Verlag H.O. Miethke and printed by k.k. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna, in an edition of 300. Collotype on chine colle paper laid down on heavy deckled-edge cream-wove paper. Between 1908 and 1914, H.O. Miethke published Das Werk Gustav Klimts...

Category

Early 1900s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper

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

"Fish" Watercolor   cm. 18 x 14  1937
"Fish" Watercolor   cm. 18 x 14  1937

"Fish" Watercolor cm. 18 x 14 1937

By Giulio da Milano

Located in Torino, IT

Fish,red,yellow,sea, animals Italian 1937 Giulio DA MILANO (Nizza, 1895 - Torino, 1990) Giulio Da Milano was a Giacomo Grosso's disciple and he was very close to the artists that...

Category

1930s Expressionist Art

Materials

Watercolor

Woven Identities 5 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Woven Identities 5 - 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

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

Anatole Krasnyansky Original Painting
Anatole Krasnyansky Original Painting

Anatole Krasnyansky Original Painting

By Anatole Krasnyansky

Located in San Francisco, CA

Anatole Krasnyansky: 1930-2023. Well listed Ukrainian American artist who just passed away a few months ago. He has had auction results higher than $7100. He was born in Kyiv and emi...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor

Kinetic Motion: 18x24cm Impasto Oil on Canvas Panel (2024)
Kinetic Motion: 18x24cm Impasto Oil on Canvas Panel (2024)

Kinetic Motion: 18x24cm Impasto Oil on Canvas Panel (2024)

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Kinetic Motion" is a vibrant 2024 original oil study from the prestigious series Gravity of Light: Marine Chronicles. Created as an intimate 18x24 cm work on professional canvas pan...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Colourful Abstract Sunset Sky, French Expressionist Original Painting
Colourful Abstract Sunset Sky, French Expressionist Original Painting

Colourful Abstract Sunset Sky, French Expressionist Original Painting

By Akos Biro

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

AKOS BIRO (HUNGARIAN 1911-2002) watercolor/ gouache size: 7.5 x 10.5 inches Beautifully colourful, original painting by the very popular and highly regarded Hungarian/ French painte...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Gouache

First Blossom
First Blossom

Rachael DalzellFirst Blossom, 2023

$5,148Sale Price|24% Off

First Blossom

By Rachael Dalzell

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Acrylic

Easter mood
Easter mood

Easter mood

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this oil painting, I poured my soul into capturing the tenderness of spring. The delicate blossoms, bathed in soft light, symbolize renewal and hope. I chose a harmonious symphony...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Tilted" by Masri - Red, Yellow, and Black Expressionist Hand Painted Portrait
"Tilted" by Masri - Red, Yellow, and Black Expressionist Hand Painted Portrait

"Tilted" by Masri - Red, Yellow, and Black Expressionist Hand Painted Portrait

By Masri Hayssam

Located in Carmel, CA

Masri Hayssam (Lebanese, born 1965) "Tilted" 2024 Oil Paint, Acrylic Paint, Mixed Media, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the bottom left and back of the painting. "Tilted" ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

original etching

original etching

By Leonard Baskin

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original etching. Printed in 1984 on Cartiere Magnani paper at the atelier of Bruce Chandler in an edition of 1500. This work was executed by Leonard Baskin to illustrate the...

Category

1980s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching

Reminding on flowers, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Reminding on flowers, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Reminding on flowers, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Eva Hoffmann

Located in Yardley, PA

In this oil painting, expressionism and impressionism merge with symbolic elements. I have passionately applied every brushstroke to depict emotions and memories. The powerful splash...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Sunflower -21st Century Contemporary Nature, Floral, Landscape, Interior

Sunflower -21st Century Contemporary Nature, Floral, Landscape, Interior

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 Eli...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Winter  1982, canvas, cardboard, oil, 34.5x49 cm
Winter  1982, canvas, cardboard, oil, 34.5x49 cm

Winter 1982, canvas, cardboard, oil, 34.5x49 cm

Located in Riga, LV

Dzidra Bauma (1930) Dzidra Bauma works in watercolor technique. She paint figural compositions, portraits, landscapes, flowers and still life. She is one of the most productive wate...

Category

1980s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Girl Thinking, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist
Girl Thinking, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist

Girl Thinking, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist

By Bernard Harmon

Located in Doylestown, PA

"Girl Thinking" is a painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 40" x 30" oil on board portrait of a young woman is painted in a vibrant color palette. The painting is framed in a new, black wood frame and signed "B Harmon" on verso. Figurative expressionism in the style of Alice Neel. Bernard Harmon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1935. Harmon was primarily a portrait painter and a well loved teacher in the Philadelphia area. A graduate of the Philadelphia Museum School and Temples Tyler School of Art, Harmon traveled extensively in Europe and South America. Beloved by many, Harmon taught in the Philadelphia School District for 32 of his 54 years of life. Beginning his career as an art teacher at West Philadelphia High School, in the early 1960s he became one of the district's artists in residence, traveling from school to school to demonstrate for students how an artist works. Returning to the classroom, Harmon joined the art department at Central High School where he taught for 14 years and became an innovator in art curriculum, developing a program offering advanced placement art classes to gifted students. In his final years Harmon became a supervisor, mentoring teachers and overseeing programs in the Philadelphia school systems District #1. During his short life Harmon taught collage preparatory art classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, summer classes at the University of the Arts, and a Saturday program for gifted children at Drexel University. Among Harmon's portraits were commissioned by Philadelphia Jazz organist Jimmy Smith and Mayor Richardson Dilworth. Bernard Harmon was active in promoting African American Artist throughout his life time. He organized many early shows such as the "Afro American Artists 1800 - 1969" at the Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center in 1969. He was considered a Renaissance man by friends and colleagues for his interests not only in art but music and theater as well. He was familiar and friends with many other African American artists such as Doc Thrash, Selma Burke...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

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

One More Shot 2 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Sport, Golf, Green

One More Shot 2 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Sport, Golf, Green

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 Eli...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

"Women Sleeping Face Down" by Gustav Klimt - Original Print from Courtesan Folio
"Women Sleeping Face Down" by Gustav Klimt - Original Print from Courtesan Folio

"Women Sleeping Face Down" by Gustav Klimt - Original Print from Courtesan Folio

By Gustav Klimt

Located in Palm Beach, FL

Plate #12 from Gustav Klimt's 1907 "Dialogues of the Courtesans" portfolio, consisting of 15 collotypes on cream japon paper. The drawings in this folio are said to be studies for Klimt's well-known Water Serpents paintings...

Category

Early 1900s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper

Still life with watering can and cacti
Still life with watering can and cacti

Still life with watering can and cacti

By William Goliasch

Located in Genève, GE

Work on wood Golden frame Dimensions with frame :64 x 79 x 2.5 cm A close look at this work reveals the artist's astonishing mastery in depicting an apparently simple yet profoundly...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Gouache

My Work

My Work

By Joan Snyder

Located in New York, NY

Joan Snyder has been called an autobiographical, even confessional artist, who draws from her experiences and surroundings to create her paintings. While her subjects vary widely, Sn...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching, Woodcut

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.