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Expressionist Art

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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
Marc Chagall, The Angel, from Chagall Lithographer I, 1960
Marc Chagall, The Angel, from Chagall Lithographer I, 1960

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...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Serenity in chaos" Large contemporary abstract expressionist nature painting
"Serenity in chaos" Large contemporary abstract expressionist nature painting

"Serenity in chaos" Large contemporary abstract expressionist nature painting

By Mougenot Natalya

Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR

"Serenity in Chaos' is a large expressive contemporary abstract painting inspired by the raw energy of nature, combining vibrant color, dynamic movement, and richly layered textures ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Oil Pastel, Acrylic

'Zulu Dancers'
'Zulu Dancers'

'Zulu Dancers'

Located in Amsterdam, NL

‘Zulu Dancers’ Signed bottom right Hardman, titled on a sticker at the reverse and with address Walton End, Walton Lane, Bosham, Chichester, and Price 45 gns. Oil on board, 99 x 87...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Hyacinths
Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Hyacinths

Vintage Mid-Century Swedish Floral Still Life Oil Painting - Hyacinths

Located in Bristol, GB

HYACINTHS Size: 52 x 42 cm (including frame) Oil on Board An expressive and beautifully textured mid-century floral still life painting, executed in oil onto board. The composition...

Category

1950s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

signed original etching - Artist's Proof

signed original etching - Artist's Proof

By Jack Levine

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original soft ground etching. Signed in pencil and annotated "Artist's Proof". Printed in 1967 for the Dreigroschen Film portfolio and published by Touchstone Publishers. Thi...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching

Clown, 1998 - oil paint, 75x60 cm, framed
Clown, 1998 - oil paint, 75x60 cm, framed

Clown, 1998 - oil paint, 75x60 cm, framed

By Armand Avril

Located in Nice, FR

Gouache on paper, signed on the leg of the clown. Armand Avril, né à Lyon en 1926, est un peintre vivant à Cotignac dans le Var. Il est surtout connu pour les assemblages qu'il a réalisés à partir de 1968. D'origine modeste, cependant très tôt intéressé par l'art et les musées où le poussait son père, il s'essaie d'abord à la peinture. Cependant, Avril ne commence à trouver son véritable style qu'à l'âge de quarante-deux ans. Enfant, il est un habitué des musées de Lyon qu’il fréquente sur les conseils de son père. Adulte, sa passion pour la collection l’incite à se nourrir des arts premiers et d’artistes comme Gaston Chaissac...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Liberating the Body Through Dance - Original photograph
Liberating the Body Through Dance - Original photograph

Liberating the Body Through Dance - Original photograph

By Dora Maar

Located in Paris, IDF

Dora MAAR Liberating the Body Through Dance Original silver print made from the original 1935 negative Authenticated by the Succession stamp on the reverse (see photo) Limited editi...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Marc Jesus Red Blue Table original expressionist acrylic paper painting
Marc Jesus Red Blue Table original expressionist acrylic paper painting

Marc Jesus Red Blue Table original expressionist acrylic paper painting

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

MARC JESUS ​​VIVES - Ibiza 1966 Since 1984, he lives and works in Ciudadela de Menorca. (Balearic Islands) Between 1985 and 1988 he studied design in Ciudadela and the Mahon Costume...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

A Look at the Menu
A Look at the Menu

A Look at the Menu

By Marcel Dyf

Located in Sheffield, MA

Marcel Dyf French, 1899-1985 A Look at the Menu Oil on Canvas 21 ¼ by 25 ½ in, w/ frame 27 ¾ by 32 ¼ in Signed lower right Marcel Dyf (Marcel Dreyfus) was born in Paris on October ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

In Bloom - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Realism, Nude, Black and White
In Bloom - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Realism, Nude, Black and White

In Bloom - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Realism, Nude, Black and White

By Sayeed Momoh

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

As in the process of the creation of In Bloom, a blatant ensembling of thoughts and becoming lurked around the process, masked and dropped against a suspended figure in an intimate-a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Brooklyn 1990
Brooklyn 1990

Brooklyn 1990

By Tom Irizarry Studio

Located in Booklyn, NY

One of the tallest buildings in Brooklyn was The Williamsburg Savings Bank. I was always fond of this beautiful bank adorned in blue and multi colored tiles in it's lavish hallway....

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Pigment

"Tender embrace" Contemporary figurative expressionist oil painting of two women
"Tender embrace" Contemporary figurative expressionist oil painting of two women

"Tender embrace" Contemporary figurative expressionist oil painting of two women

By Mougenot Natalya

Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR

"Tender Embrace" — Original Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting Depicting Two Women by French Artist Natalya Mougenot "Tender Embrace" is an original contemporary figurative oil pa...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Theater history VI. 1992. Paper, etching, colored pencils 24.5x30 cm
Theater history VI. 1992. Paper, etching, colored pencils 24.5x30 cm

Theater history VI. 1992. Paper, etching, colored pencils 24.5x30 cm

By Roman Lapp

Located in Riga, LV

Roman Lapp (1961. 24. VII Moscow) – painter Artist learned drawing to M. Zuhovickis. He graduated Art Academy of Latvia, department of monumental painting (1988) with diploma work...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Color Pencil, Etching

signed original etching - Artist's Proof

signed original etching - Artist's Proof

By Jack Levine

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original soft ground etching. Signed in pencil and annotated "Artist's Proof". Printed in 1967 for the Dreigroschen Film portfolio and published by Touchstone Publishers. Thi...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Flower of Evil"
Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Flower of Evil"

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Flower of Evil"

By Walter Schnackenberg

Located in Palm Beach, FL

Walter Schnackenberg’s style changed several times during his long and successful career. Having studied in Munich, the artist traveled often to Paris where he fell under the spell of the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s colorful and sensuous posters depicting theatrical and decadent subjects. Schnackenberg became a regular contributor of similar compositions to the German magazines Jugend and Simplicissimus before devoting himself to the design of stage scenery and costumes. In the artist’s theatrical work, his mastery of form, ornamentation, and Orientalism became increasingly evident. He excelled at combining fluid Art Nouveau outlines, with spiky Expressionist passages, and the postures and patterns of the mysterious East. In his later years, Schnackenberg explored the unconscious, using surreal subject matter and paler colors that plainly portrayed dreams and visions, some imbued with political connotations. His drawings, illustrations, folio prints, and posters are highly sought today for their exceedingly imaginative qualities, enchanting subject matter, and arresting use of color. SCHNACKENBERG: KOSTUME, PLAKATE UND DEKORATIONEN, a cardboard bound art book consisting of 43 prints of work by Walter Schnackenberg, 30 of which are color lithographs that are signed and some are titled and dated in the plate, as well as black and white prints and photographs with accompanying text by Oskar Bie; lithographs printed at Kunstanstalt Oskar Consee in Munich, other images printed by Gesellschaft Pick & Co. in Munich, the text and cover with color images by Schnackenberg front and verso printed by R. Oldenbourg in Munich; published by Musarion Verlag, Munich, 1920. The majority of Walter Schnackenberg’s artistic output was destroyed by bomb attacks in Munich in 1944. The highly publicized 2013 auction in New York of the recovered pre-war poster collection once belonging to German poster aficionado, Hans Sachs...

Category

1910s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Paul Cesar Helleu "Le Duet"
Paul Cesar Helleu "Le Duet"

Paul Cesar Helleu "Le Duet"

By Paul César Helleu

Located in Los Angeles, CA

PAUL CÉSAR HELLEU Le Duet. Color chalks and pencil on tan wove paper, circa 1900. 653x500 mm; 25 3/4x19 3/4 inches. Signed in pencil, lower right recto. Framed size: 36.5 x 31 x 1....

Category

Early 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Chalk, Pencil

Côte d’Azur
Côte d’Azur

Côte d’Azur

Located in Sheffield, MA

Michel Dureuil French, born 1929 Côte d’Azur Oil on Canvas 15 by 18 ¼ in, w/ frame 22 ¾ by 25 ¾ in Signed lower right Michel Dureuil was born in Paris...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Estate No. 091013

Estate No. 091013

By Otto Neumann

Located in New Orleans, LA

Otto Neumann (1895-1975) was a German Expressionist painter and printmaker. His monotypes evolved from sharp, angular, black and whites to late abstract p...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Monotype

Taormina
Taormina

Taormina

By Erich Waske

Located in Wien, 9

Deling with the work of Erich Waske today, one encounters first of all a number of reasons why this outstanding artist has fallen into such undeserved oblivion. In addition to the de...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Who Knows One (Passover), Large Tapestry Rug by Shlomo Katz
Who Knows One (Passover), Large Tapestry Rug by Shlomo Katz

Who Knows One (Passover), Large Tapestry Rug by Shlomo Katz

By Shlomo Katz

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: after Shlomo Katz, Polish/Israeli (1937 - 1992) Title: Who Knows One (Passover) Year: 2000 Medium: Woolen Carpet Tapestry, signature in the cache Size: 120 x 95 in. (304.8 x ...

Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Art

Materials

Tapestry, Wool

Carnation Flowers -21st Century Contemporary Nature, Floral, Landscape, Interior

Carnation Flowers -21st Century Contemporary Nature, Floral, Landscape, Interior

By Elijah Olanase

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

Expressionist Still Life With Flowers Framed Oil Painting on Canvas, Mid century
Expressionist Still Life With Flowers Framed Oil Painting on Canvas, Mid century

Expressionist Still Life With Flowers Framed Oil Painting on Canvas, Mid century

Located in Cotignac, FR

Mid century oil on canvas still life of flowers in a vase by A Thuillier. The painting is signed bottom left and is presented in a gilt wood and hessian cloth period frame. This vib...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

untitled, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper
untitled, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper

untitled, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper

By Barbara Kroll

Located in Yardley, PA

Emotions are important. For example, when I look at a picture that caught my attention, I get in a certain mood that I think is very important. A starting point for the works are oft...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Pencil

'Viel Gluck 1923' (Good Luck Wishes)  — German Expressionism
'Viel Gluck 1923' (Good Luck Wishes)  — German Expressionism

'Viel Gluck 1923' (Good Luck Wishes) — German Expressionism

By Karl Michel

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

Karl Michel, 'Viel Gluck 1923 Wunscht der Graphikverlag, J.G. Holzwarth/Bad Rothenfelde', woodcut, 1922, edition 20. Signed and numbered op. 135d and 20/20 in pencil. Signed in the image, lower left. Annotated 'Vorgesdruck' [artist’s proof] in pencil. A fine, richly-inked impression, on heavy, cream Japan paper, with full margins (5/8 to 1 1/8 inches), in good condition. With the artist’s blind stamp in the top left margin. Printed by the artist. Matted to museum standards, unframed. New Year's Greeting - "1923, Good Luck Wishes from the Graphic Press, J.G. Holzwarth/Bad Rothfelde." Image size 5 x 3 1/2 inches (127 x 89 mm); sheet size 6 5/8 x 5 7/8 inches (168 x 149 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST Karl Michel (1889-1984) was a noted graphic designer and expressionist printmaker during Germany's pre-Nazi Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Michel’s work was the subject of a feature article in the influential German graphic design magazine Das Plakat (The Poster) in 1920. An anti-war advocate, Michel created a suite of 12 wood engravings depicting his impressions of the humanitarian toll of WWII entitled ‘Humanitas’ (Humanity). The German publishing house Greifenverlag published the series in a reduced folio of unsigned prints. Michel’s graphic work is held in the permanent collections of the Auckland War Memorial Museum (New Zealand), Frederikshavn Kunstmuseum & Exlibrissamling (Denmark), Museum of Applied Arts (Budapest), The Robert Gore Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the German Expressionism...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Let The Poor Breathe -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Africa
Let The Poor Breathe -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Africa

Let The Poor Breathe -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Africa

By Olajide Kuti

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 Ola...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Marc Chagall, Jeremiah, from Drawings for the Bible, 1960
Marc Chagall, Jeremiah, from Drawings for the Bible, 1960

Marc Chagall, Jeremiah, from Drawings for the Bible, 1960

By Marc Chagall

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Marc Chagall (1887–1985) Title: Jeremiah (Jeremie) 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: ...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Day at the Races
Day at the Races

Day at the Races

Located in Sheffield, MA

Gertrude Fiske American, 1879-1961 Day at the Races Oil on Canvas 10 by 14 in, w/ frame 14 by 18 in Fiske (1879-1961) was a Boston School Painter, a...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

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.