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

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

By Marc Chagall

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Marc Chagall (1887–1985), titled Le cirque (The Circus), from Chagall Lithographe I (Chagall Lithographer I), originates from the October 1960 issue publ...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

English Girls Are Mean

English Girls Are Mean

By Todd White

Located in Toronto, ON

24" x 19" Unframed Limited Edition Face Mounted Acrylic Giclee on Canvas with Hand Embellishment of 45 Hand Signed by Todd White Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Giclée

"Moon Spirit Dancer, " Oil on Canvas
"Moon Spirit Dancer, " Oil on Canvas

"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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Young Girl with Baby Oil Painting 1970s Spanish Impressionist Portrait Emotional
Young Girl with Baby Oil Painting 1970s Spanish Impressionist Portrait Emotional

Young Girl with Baby Oil Painting 1970s Spanish Impressionist Portrait Emotional

By Amadeo Freixas Vivo

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Young Girl with Baby Oil Painting 1970s Spanish Impressionist Portrait Emotional Figurative Artwork Medium: Oil on board Period: 1970–1979 Date: circa 1975 Condition: Good condition consistent with age Dimensions: Height: 46 cm (18.12 in) Width: 38 cm (14.97 in) Frame: Unframed Origin: Spain A tender and emotionally engaging oil painting depicting a young girl holding a baby, executed in Spain circa 1975. Rather than a traditional maternal scene, the composition captures a more unusual and compelling dynamic: a child caring for another child. This subtle shift introduces a layer of emotional complexity, where innocence and responsibility coexist. The girl’s expressive gaze becomes the central anchor of the composition, conveying a quiet intensity that draws the viewer in. The artist employs loose yet confident brushwork, with an earthy palette enriched by soft pink tones that enhance the warmth of the scene. This type of subject—intimate, psychological, and slightly unconventional—offers collectors something beyond decorative appeal: a narrative moment suspended in time. Its small scale further increases its charm and versatility, making it ideal for refined interiors or curated gallery walls. A distinctive example of late 20th-century Spanish figurative impressionism, with strong emotional resonance. Amadeo Freixas Vivo (1912–2004) was a Spanish painter known for his figurative and impressionist works. Throughout his career, he developed a personal style focused on intimate scenes and expressive portraiture, often exploring themes of everyday life and human emotion. girl with baby painting, figurative oil painting, spanish painting 1970s, impressionist portrait, child portrait painting...

Category

1970s Expressionist Art

Materials

Board, Oil

Fallobst, Painting, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper
Fallobst, Painting, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper

Fallobst, Painting, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper

By Karin Goeppert

Located in Yardley, PA

Fallobst, which means Windfall or Fallen Fruit in English is a nature inspired painting. I love the warm colors of autumn and the scent of apples in the air. I worked on strong wate...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Fisherman
Fisherman

Fisherman

Located in Austin, TX

By Pep Suari 39" x 39" Acrylic on Canvas

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

'O'Tannenbaum' original color silkscreen signed on verso, Christmas tree, winter
'O'Tannenbaum' original color silkscreen signed on verso, Christmas tree, winter

'O'Tannenbaum' original color silkscreen signed on verso, Christmas tree, winter

By Ruth Grotenrath

Located in Milwaukee, WI

'O'Tannenbaum' (Artist's #30129) is an original color silkscreen print by Ruth Grotenrath, signed by the artist on verso. Influenced by the works of Expressionists like Henri Matisse and the woodblock prints of early modern Japanese artists like Katsushika Hokusai, Ruth Grotenrath's 'O'Tannenbaum' combines the expressive use of color of the former with the precision of the latter to create a Christmas card that is as vibrant as it is subtle. Depicting a pine tree decked with ornaments and stockings, Grotenrath has rendered the tree-topping star as a ball of flames to analogize the warmth and spirit of the holiday season. Original color silkscreen 6.625 x 4 inches, silkscreen 14.375 x 11.375 inches, frame Signed in screen on verso inside-letter Framed to conservation standards using archival materials including 100 percent rag matting and mounting materials, Museum Glass to inhibit UV damage and reduce glare, and housed in a gold finish wood frame. "The paintings of Ruth...

Category

1940s Expressionist Art

Materials

Screen

Flower Field, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Flower Field, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Flower Field, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Karin Goeppert

Located in Yardley, PA

Flower Field ist a large acrylic painting in glowing colors. The grey in the paintings really highlights the brillant reds. The work is ready to hang and signed on the front, the ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Fast Balls Curve Balls

Fast Balls Curve Balls

By Todd White

Located in Toronto, ON

27" x 34" Unframed Limited Edition Giclee with Hand Embellishment of 75 Hand Signed by Todd White Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood scenes with contrasting colors ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Giclée

Abschied (Parting)

Abschied (Parting)

By Emil Nolde

Located in New York, NY

Emil Nolde (1876-1956), Abschied (Parting), etching and aquatint (tonal effects), 1906, signed in pencil lower right. Reference: Schiefler/Mosel 20, third state (of 3). One of only...

Category

Early 1900s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Pablo Picasso Guernica Studies Facsimile Print, 1990
Pablo Picasso Guernica Studies Facsimile Print, 1990

Pablo Picasso Guernica Studies Facsimile Print, 1990

By Pablo Picasso

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

Pablo Picasso Guernica Studies Facsimile Print, 1990. Facsimile reproduction of Pablo Picasso’s preparatory studies for Guernica, published in 1990 by Editorial Casariego as part of...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Color Pencil

"The storm", Painting, Oil on Canvas
"The storm", Painting, Oil on Canvas

"The storm", Painting, Oil on Canvas

Located in Yardley, PA

One of a kind original Oil painting by Ukrainian artist Alisa Onipchenko-Cherniakovska - Canvas painting stretched and ready to hang (NOT FRAMED. The sides are painted with acrylic. ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Hard Candy

Hard Candy

By Todd White

Located in Toronto, ON

40" x 30" Unframed Limited Edition Giclee with Hand Embellishment of 100 Hand Signed by Todd White Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood scenes with contrasting color...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Giclée

Contemporary Expressionist Landscape, "Foothills Meadow"
Contemporary Expressionist Landscape, "Foothills Meadow"

Contemporary Expressionist Landscape, "Foothills Meadow"

Located in San Diego, CA

This is a one of a kind original expressionist landscape painting by local Southern Californian artist, Joe Oakes. It's dimensions are 12 x 12. It is unframed. The artist has depict...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Winterstimmung 2, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Winterstimmung 2, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Winterstimmung 2, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Karin Goeppert

Located in Yardley, PA

3 small paintings which convey the joys and beauty of winter. It mustn't be a dark season. The works are painted with acrylic colours on canvas. They are ready to hang. They are prot...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Cat Face
Cat Face

Cat Face

Located in Austin, TX

By Pep Suari 39" x 39" Acrylic on Canvas

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Carved banana wood sculpture, expressionist bust, astonished face
Carved banana wood sculpture, expressionist bust, astonished face

Carved banana wood sculpture, expressionist bust, astonished face

Located in Carballo, ES

Hand-carved sycamore wood sculpture by the artist Álvaro de la Vega (1954, Lugo, Spain) in 2008. It is part of a series of sculptures of facial expressions. The sculpture measures 41...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Wood

Regarding the Sky, Oil Painting
Regarding the Sky, Oil Painting

Regarding the Sky, Oil Painting

By Ronda Waiksnis

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This painting captures a tranquil scene where a body of water reflects the sky. The muted, distant horizon suggests an endless expanse, inviting contemplation...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Looking Through the Window
Looking Through the Window

Looking Through the Window

By Pierre Roussel

Located in Sheffield, MA

Pierre Roussel French, 1927-1995 Looking Through the Window Oil on Canvas 21 ½ by 28 ¾ in, w/ frame 29 ¼ by 36 ½ in Signed lower right

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

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

Oil on panel Green Landscape by Damián Segarra Codina Catalan School
Oil on panel Green Landscape by Damián Segarra Codina Catalan School

Oil on panel Green Landscape by Damián Segarra Codina Catalan School

Located in Valladolid, ES

Beautiful and chromatically intense coastal landscape by Damián Segarra Codina, a Catalan artist born in 1936. Nationally renowned, he has exhibited in various cities across Spain. T...

Category

1970s Expressionist Art

Materials

Wood

Village of Iseh, Bali (1948)
Village of Iseh, Bali (1948)

Village of Iseh, Bali (1948)

By Theo Meier

Located in Amsterdam, NL

Theo Meier (1908-1982) View of the Village of Iseh, painted from the house of Theo Signed and dated 48 Theo Meier lower left Oil on canvas, 68.5 x 50 cm In original frame carved by the artist. Note: Theo Meier arrived in Bali in 1936 with the intention of going on to Tahiti where he had been before. However Bali turned out to be the paradise he had been searching for in his dreams and he had no desire any more to move elsewhere. Bali at that time was still a very traditional place where society lived according to an acient religious system and in a luscious tropical setting the modern world was ignored. Here he met Walter Spies...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Rosewood, Oil

IT HAPPENED IN THE PARK
IT HAPPENED IN THE PARK

IT HAPPENED IN THE PARK

By Herbert Siebner

Located in Vancouver, CA

Herbert Siebner (1925-2004) was a German-born Canadian painter whose work is characterized by its expressive use of color and texture, and its exploration of themes of war, exile, an...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Board

Fruits in a white bowl
Fruits in a white bowl

Fruits in a white bowl

Located in Barcelona, CT

This artwork presents a compelling still life composition featuring a bowl of fruit. The painter employs thick, expressive brushstrokes to create texture and depth, offering the view...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Expressive flower still life
Expressive flower still life

Expressive flower still life

Located in Berlin, DE

Oil on canvas 67,5 x52 cm unsigned attribute Hedwig Hausmann-Hoppe was a German painter (born June 29, 1865 in Gumbinnen; died after 1922) specializing in still life, flower, and l...

Category

1890s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

"Woman Desired by Man" original woodcut
"Woman Desired by Man" original woodcut

"Woman Desired by Man" original woodcut

By Max Pechstein

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original woodcut. Printed in 1920 for the Deutsche Graphiker der Gegenwart portfolio, and published in Leipzig by Klinkhardt & Biermann in an edition of 500. Catalogue re...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Provencal Landscape Poppy Fields Original Oil Painting
Provencal Landscape Poppy Fields Original Oil Painting

Provencal Landscape Poppy Fields Original Oil Painting

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Stunning mid 20th century French Expressionist oil painting on canvas. The work depicts this gloriously vibrant and colourful landscape in Provence - we are told by the former owner it represents the Luberon Valley region in Provence, in the fields around Cucuron. We acquired the painting from a private collector in the heart of Provence who had owned the painting for many years. The work is unsigned but very, very close in every respect to the Corsican born artist PIERRE AMBROGIANI (1907-1985) and further research in this direction could be fruitful. Condition and Size: The painting is in good condition. The paint has begun to split in places as one would expect with such thickly applied oil paint. The canvas, unframed is 38cm x 55cm. Pierre Ambrogiani was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, although he was brought up in Marseille, where he continued to live and work for the rest of his life. He was an Expressionist painter of Provençal landscapes...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

"White dream"
"White dream"

"White dream"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

As a child, I really loved dogs. I liked that I could play with them, stroke them, hug them.. I also loved lying on the grass and watching the birds fly. But I was very sorry that I ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Woven Identities 8 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa

Woven Identities 8 - 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

"Artist Painting Still Life" Expressionistic Style Oil Painting on Canvas
"Artist Painting Still Life" Expressionistic Style Oil Painting on Canvas

"Artist Painting Still Life" Expressionistic Style Oil Painting on Canvas

By Michael Baxte

Located in New York, NY

A strong modernist oil painting depicted in the Mid Centruy by Russian painter Michael Baxte. Mostly known for his abstracted figures on canvas or street scenes, this piece is a wonderful representation of his interior scenes with expressive use of color, shape, and form. Later in his career, Baxte explores Expressionism, infusing both European and North American stylistic trends. This painting measures 32 x 25.5 inches Michael Posner Baxte was born in 1890 in the small town of Staroselje Belarus, Russia. For the first half of the 19th century, it was a center of the Chabad movement of Hasidic Jews, but this group was gone by the middle of the 19th century. By the time the Baxte family immigrated to the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, the Jewish population numbered only on the hundreds. The native language of the Baxte family was Yiddish. It is likely that the death of Michael Baxte’s father triggered the family’s immigration. Three older brothers arrived in New York between 1903 and 1905. Michael and his mother, Rebecca, arrived in 1907. By 1910 Michael, his mother, and brother, Joseph, were living in New Orleans and may have spent some time on a Louisiana plantation...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Hommage to Debussy: Contemporary Abstract Acrylic on Paper, 145x105 cm
Hommage to Debussy: Contemporary Abstract Acrylic on Paper, 145x105 cm

Hommage to Debussy: Contemporary Abstract Acrylic on Paper, 145x105 cm

Located in Cotignac, FR

A large contemporary abstract expressionist acrylic on paper by French artist, Christian Manoury. Signed bottom right. Inspired by the wonderful music of Debussy, a beautifully ligh...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

"Head Study" original etching

"Head Study" original etching

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original etching. Published in Vienna in 1901 by Vervielfaltigende Kunst for the "Kunst in Wien" portfolio. A rich, magnificent impression with plate tone printed on heavy wo...

Category

Early 1900s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching

"Freude am Schonen" original lithograph

"Freude am Schonen" original lithograph

By Rudolf Grossmann

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This is one of the scenes of the Berlin art world executed by Rudolf Grossmann. Printed in 1919 at the Wolf & Sohn atelier for the Ganymed portfolio ...

Category

1910s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Girl at Desk, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist
Girl at Desk, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist

Girl at Desk, Expressionist Portrait of Young Woman by Philadelphia Artist

By Bernard Harmon

Located in Doylestown, PA

"Girl at Desk" is an oil on board portrait painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon of a young woman, presumably a student, sitting by her desk. This work features a second portrait on verso of an elegant older woman. The painting is 40" x 36" in size and is signed "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, Paul Keene...

Category

1970s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

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.