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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
Paused, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Paused, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Paused, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Debbie Pacheco

Located in Yardley, PA

There is a comfort being with friends, whether talking or just standing together. These two paused on the street for a moment while the city continued to move on. The painting is sof...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

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

Talking Things Out, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Talking Things Out, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Talking Things Out, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Debbie Pacheco

Located in Yardley, PA

Looking into a restaurant where two friends are at lunch,there is a play of reflections from outside mixing with what is inside. As the friends sit and talk about all that is on the...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Martenita Tribute to Picasso Murano Glass Sculpture
Martenita Tribute to Picasso Murano Glass Sculpture

Martenita Tribute to Picasso Murano Glass Sculpture

By Walter Furlan

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...

Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Art

Materials

Glass, Blown Glass

"This is Not a Tree, " Mixed Media on Canvas, 2022
"This is Not a Tree, " Mixed Media on Canvas, 2022

"This is Not a Tree, " Mixed Media on Canvas, 2022

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic

Scène Biblique

Scène Biblique

By Marc Chagall

Located in New York, NY

A very good impression of this lithograph printed in gray and black. Signed and numbered in pencil by Chagall, from an edition of 50.

Category

1970s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Market in Grodek

Market in Grodek

By Emil Orlik

Located in New York, NY

Emil Orlik (1870-1932), Market in Grodek, etching and aquatint, 1898, signed in pencil lower right, in very good condition, trimmed just outside of the platemark and so with a small ...

Category

1890s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

She Still Loves to Feel the Pages

She Still Loves to Feel the Pages

By Todd White

Located in Toronto, ON

23" x 22.75" Unframed Hand Embellished Giclée on Paper of 14 Hand Signed by Todd White COA Included Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood scenes with contrasting color...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Giclée

LADY ON THE COUCH, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
LADY ON THE COUCH, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

LADY ON THE COUCH, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Victor Sheleg

Located in Yardley, PA

I only make original works. Each is a one of a kind so you will have the only one! My artwork is my emotions and you can see that emotions on the canvas - You can experience it each...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Two Sculptors

Two Sculptors

By Airom

Located in Santa Monica, CA

Oil paint and ink.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Ink, Oil

"Muse of Insight", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
"Muse of Insight", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood

"Muse of Insight", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood

By Linden Godlove

Located in Detroit, MI

Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that he...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil

"Muse of Mystery", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood
"Muse of Mystery", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood

"Muse of Mystery", Encaustic, Oil, and Paper on Wood

By Linden Godlove

Located in Detroit, MI

Celebrating our common colors as well as our diversity is Linden Godlove’s latest series of encaustics, “The Muses.” The paintings are modeled after icons, with a direct gaze that hearkens a response to their spirit, to find company in their character. This particular piece is the "Muse of Mystery" and is part of a set of nine that are sold separately from one another. Encaustic painting is an ancient art form (some early icons are encaustic), where hot wax is mixed with pigment and resin, and painted while liquid. Throughout the process, everything is repeatedly fused with fire and sometimes things melt in an unintended direction. Linden’s process involves repeatedly carving parts out and filling them back in, so the works are splayed out in a loose application of hot liquid, then cut back, then washed over with brushes of hot wax again. It’s a combination of chaos and control. The series draws inspiration from women all over the globe, as originally photographed by Mihaela Noroc for her book The Atlas of Beauty. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will go towards her project. While internationally influenced, the pieces were painted, scraped, and carved at the artist’s hundred year old Detroit...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Wood, Paper, Encaustic, Oil

Emmanuel Mane-Katz, Beneath the Monastery Walls, 1966 (after)
Emmanuel Mane-Katz, Beneath the Monastery Walls, 1966 (after)

Emmanuel Mane-Katz, Beneath the Monastery Walls, 1966 (after)

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph after Emmanuel Mane-Katz (1894-1962), titled Sous les murs du monastere (Beneath the Monastery Walls), from the folio Mane-Katz, Douze Lithographies pour St...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Obstacles Ahead, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Obstacles Ahead, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Obstacles Ahead, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Debbie Pacheco

Located in Yardley, PA

She takes a deep breath and gets ready for her day. The path is clear at the moment but she knows she will run into obstacles. Here is that woman. Always observing and preparing for ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Oil Painting of Seated Nude Woman
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Oil Painting of Seated Nude Woman

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Oil Painting of Seated Nude Woman

By Henry Meylan

Located in Genève, GE

Work on canvas signed dimensions with frame : 101 x 86.5 x 3 cm This painting presents a seated nude woman, expressing a captivating presence. The rich, varied tones of the palette, ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

The Painter's Doctor
The Painter's Doctor

The Painter's Doctor

By Lucian Freud

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Lucian Freud (1922-2011) was a seminal figure in 20th-century British art, celebrated for his raw and psychologically charged exploration of the human form. With his distinctive fi...

Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching

Silence, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Silence, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Silence, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Located in Yardley, PA

œWe sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel cont...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Central Park
Central Park

Central Park

By Denes de Holesch

Located in Sheffield, MA

Denes Holesch Hungarian, 1910-1983 City Skyline Oil on board 21 ¾ by 26 in, w/ frame 30 by 34 in Signed lower left Denes Holesch (Denes de Holesch) was born in 1910 in Beszterceban...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Days of Promise -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories
Days of Promise -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories

Days of Promise -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Memories

By Oluwaseun Ojebiyi

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

There was a time when love carried no doubt. The couple in the background shares a moment that feels simple yet full of meaning. Their laughter, their closeness, and the soft light a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Blooming Love Story, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Blooming Love Story, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Elisa Costa

Located in Yardley, PA

My work talks about memories and dialogues with various fabrics, laces, colours and textures. The process of transforming different materials into unique pieces inspires me. They ca...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Ajoke - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative Portrait of Modern Woman, Umbrella
Ajoke - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative Portrait of Modern Woman, Umbrella

Ajoke - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative Portrait of Modern Woman, Umbrella

By Ogunleke Festus Abiodun

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 Ogu...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

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

Fisherman
Fisherman

Fisherman

By Pep Suari

Located in Austin, TX

By Pep Suari 39" x 39" Acrylic on Canvas

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"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

Emancipation Oil and Acrylic Painting, Expressionist, 21st Century
Emancipation Oil and Acrylic Painting, Expressionist, 21st Century

Emancipation Oil and Acrylic Painting, Expressionist, 21st Century

By Joshua Salami

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

This painting conveys the enthusiasm for freedom of self-expression regardless of the restriction to decide what you are and what you want to express by the way you dress and the way...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Acrylic

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

Water lily inspiration
Water lily inspiration

Water lily inspiration

By Elena Lukina

Located in Zofingen, AG

In creating this painting, I was inspired by the tranquil beauty of water lilies. I aimed to capture their serene essence and the dynamic interplay of light on water. This piece blen...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

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

Ian Hornak, Forbidden Fruit, Circa 1963
Ian Hornak, Forbidden Fruit, Circa 1963

Ian Hornak, Forbidden Fruit, Circa 1963

By Ian Hornak

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite woodcut by Ian Hornak (1944–2002), titled Forbidden Fruit, was executed circa 1963 during the artist’s undergraduate studies. Created during the formative years of Hor...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

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

Silence, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Silence, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Silence, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Anamaria Cepoi

Located in Yardley, PA

œWe sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel cont...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

'Mehr Sonne fur 1924' (More Sun for 1924)— German Expressionism
'Mehr Sonne fur 1924' (More Sun for 1924)— German Expressionism

'Mehr Sonne fur 1924' (More Sun for 1924)— German Expressionism

By Karl Michel

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

Karl Michel, 'Mehr Sonne fur 1924. Viel Gluck Wunscht Karl Michel U. Frau', woodcut, 1924, edition 20. Signed, dated, and numbered 'op. 162' and '15/20' in pencil. Signed in the image, lower left. A fine, richly-inked impression on buff wove paper, with full margins (1 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches), in very good condition. Printed by the artist. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. New Year's Greeting – English translation: "More Sun for 1924. Good Luck Wishes from Karl Michel and his Wife." Image size 4 5/8 x 4 3/4 inches (118 x 121 mm); sheet size 7 3/4 x 10 inches (198 x 254 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...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

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

Red Roses In Red Glass Beaker 12.29.08
Red Roses In Red Glass Beaker 12.29.08

Red Roses In Red Glass Beaker 12.29.08

By Abbie Zabar

Located in New York, NY

Colored Pencil on Museum Board Signed and Dated; Impressed with artist's stamp lower right Archivally framed with black float mount and bleached maple surround.

Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Art

Materials

Board, Color Pencil

Ian Hornak, The Sandpit #2, Circa 1963
Ian Hornak, The Sandpit #2, Circa 1963

Ian Hornak, The Sandpit #2, Circa 1963

By Ian Hornak

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite etching by Ian Hornak (1944–2002), titled The Sandpit #2, was executed circa 1963 during the artist’s undergraduate studies. Created during the formative years of Horn...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching

"Grand Studio Celebration Variation, " Mixed Media signed by David Barnett
"Grand Studio Celebration Variation, " Mixed Media signed by David Barnett

"Grand Studio Celebration Variation, " Mixed Media signed by David Barnett

By David Barnett

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Grand Studio Celebration Variation" is an original mixed media piece by David Barnett. The artist signed the piece in the lower right and used watercolor, ink, and iridescent acryli...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor, Rag Paper

County Mayo Beach
County Mayo Beach

County Mayo Beach

By Tom Irizarry Studio

Located in Booklyn, NY

This painting is one of the finest examples of Tom's painting style and materials. Color and paint burst across the canvas, imbued with movement of clouds, sun and water. From a distant shore, County Mayo...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Pigment, Canvas

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

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.