Skip to main content

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.

to
1,133
1,932
1,061
1,028
839
928
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
47
2,698
3,049
98
135
362
109
78
174
398
275
238
183
1
116,391
63,512
57,488
27,853
14,590
9,435
6,667
4,335
3,117
2,510
2,374
2,124
613
3,120
1,937
636
2,535
1,573
1,560
979
727
433
406
382
371
323
290
269
269
231
197
158
140
117
111
98
3,609
2,153
1,870
1,806
1,342
303
85
72
47
46
1,185
396
2,922
2,087
Style: Expressionist
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

Coffee Peloton (cp07_Nov23)
Coffee Peloton (cp07_Nov23)

Coffee Peloton (cp07_Nov23)

By Eliza Southwood

Located in Deddington, GB

Original Artwork by Eliza Southwood made from specially treated coffee and then submitted to a further setting treatment. Additional  information: Eliza Southwood Coffee on paper So...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Coffee

Mountain View, Oil Painting
Mountain View, Oil Painting

Mountain View, Oil Painting

By George Peebles

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Rolling fields extend beneath a wide, blue sky. A distant mountain rises along the horizon, while scattered trees punctuate the open land. Loose marks in the fo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Big Rio, Original Contemporary Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting on Linen
Big Rio, Original Contemporary Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting on Linen

Big Rio, Original Contemporary Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting on Linen

Located in Boston, MA

Big Rio, Original Contemporary Expressionist Landscape Painting 48" x 48" x 1.75" (HxWxD) Oil on Linen This large square-format work by artist Carol Tippit Woolworth features a stunning color palette of rich greens and reds combined with muted blues, purples, and orange tones. There is a balance, both with the color, but also with the composition as the Rio Grande wraps around the curves in the Southwestern landscape, opening up towards the viewer and simultaneously guiding your eye around to the landscape in the distance. This Mexican desert appears calm and a bit desolate, but also bursting with life and energy through the colors used and the loose, energetic mark making that is characteristic of expressionist landscape works. Artist Commentary: The Rio Grande About the Artist: Art has always been a central part of Carol's life. Constantly drawing as a child, the passion to create something two dimensional has continued to this day, through oil and gouache. Carol currently lives in Santa Fe, NM and exhibits at Smilow Mathiesen Gallery on Canyon Road. She graduated with a BA in Art through the University of California at Santa Barbara, with an emphasis in Painting, but has continued to study at various art institutions (Parsons NYC; Silvermine Artists Guild, CT; Rohaton Art Center, CT; Delaware College of Art & Design (DCAD), DE) throughout her career. She now teaches painting at DCAD (Continuing Education), has several private art students, and leads painting workshops in France twice a year. She also works as a self-employed graphic designer. Carol has always been interested in France, the French landscape and French culture. She loves the fields and hilltop towns,and the strong clean lines and shapes they create. The past couple of years this influence has dominated her work. Her landscapes are a constant search for color, contrast, and shapes. Recently Carol has discovered the natural beauty of Lancaster County PA and Northern New Mexico, and is applying her French vocabulary to these new areas. Another influence early on was of an artist whom she babysat for, and who lived across the street, in Santa Barbara: Priscella Bender Shore. She eventually became her favorite art teacher and mentor at the Santa Barbara Community College. Priscella's work was of women in a swimming pools, reflecting and refracting light. They were both figurative and abstract. This images haunted Carol's memories until she could recently recreate the swimming pool paintings...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

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

"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

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Otto Gleichmann

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1919 for Das Kestnerbuch (a portfolio of original prints published during the height of the German Expressionist movement). Image size: 7 x 5 ...

Category

1910s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Weight of We - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Whites, Black
Weight of We - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Whites, Black

Weight of We - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Whites, Black

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Ojú lárí, ọ̀rẹ́ ǹ dénú, this Yoruba proverb, which translates to "We only see faces, but true friendship is from within," emphasizes that real connection lies beneath the surface; it...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Window to the Light: Expressionist Oil Painting on Canvas
Window to the Light: Expressionist Oil Painting on Canvas

Window to the Light: Expressionist Oil Painting on Canvas

By Evelyne Ballestra

Located in Miami, FL

Evelyne Ballestra's work with signs, symbols and esoteric spirituality reflects her passion for the ancient past and represents a symbolic return to the ground from which we emerged. Her work creates a commentary about “beginnings” and the transmission of signs and emotions through visual elements evoking a spiritual essence to our scientific notion of etymology. After studying under Rolf Dürig, Ballestra began her flower...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

Les Champs V, Abstract Expressionist Acrylic on Canvas. 160cm x 130cm.
Les Champs V, Abstract Expressionist Acrylic on Canvas. 160cm x 130cm.

Les Champs V, Abstract Expressionist Acrylic on Canvas. 160cm x 130cm.

Located in Cotignac, FR

A large contemporary Abstract Expressionist Color-Field acrylic on canvas by French artist, Christian Manoury. Signed to the back of the canvas. Inspired by the wonderful countrysid...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

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

"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

Vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish Oil Framed Painting - Portrait in Sepia
Vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish Oil Framed Painting - Portrait in Sepia

Vintage Mid-Century Modern Swedish Oil Framed Painting - Portrait in Sepia

Located in Bristol, GB

PORTRAIT IN SEPIA Size: 72 x 56 cm (including frame) Oil on Board A large and striking mid century modernist portrait in oil, painted onto board. With a very distinctive dark sepia...

Category

1950s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Self Portrait -21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Africa, People

Self Portrait -21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Africa, People

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 Emma...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Coffee, Mixed Media

At Lielupe. 1971, oil on canvas, 50x73 cm

At Lielupe. 1971, oil on canvas, 50x73 cm

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 ...

Category

1970s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

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

Impasto Poppies, Elena Lukina, Original Large Impasto Oil Painting
Impasto Poppies, Elena Lukina, Original Large Impasto Oil Painting

Impasto Poppies, Elena Lukina, Original Large Impasto Oil Painting

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Impasto Poppies" captures the essence of a dream inspired by the sun-kissed hills of Tuscany. It's a vibrant ode to idyllic summer days, where soft horizons meet the bold energy of ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Monet's garden, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Monet's garden, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Located in Yardley, PA

About the creation The view is reminiscent of Monet's garden in Giverny in late summer. Perspective leads the viewer into the depths of the landscape where light forms the focal poi...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

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

bright new day I paint the flowers that are plugged in my house, which makes me feel pure and gentle every day when I wake up. A great feeling! :: Painting :: Expressionism :: Thi...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Estate No. 044021

Estate No. 044021

By Otto Neumann

Located in New Orleans, LA

Signed and dated "52" in pencil Otto Neumann (1895-1975) was a German Expressionist painter and printmaker. His monotypes evolved from sharp, angular, black and whites to late abst...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Monotype

Untitled (Support series)

Untitled (Support series)

By Robert Fleming

Located in Buffalo, NY

An original oil on mylar by American contemporary artist Robert Fleming from the artist's Support Series. The work is 36" (h) x 40" (w) unframed.

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Mylar, Oil

Cherry Blossom Season, Still-Life Oil Painting, 2021

Cherry Blossom Season, Still-Life Oil Painting, 2021

By Lynne Friedman

Located in Boston, MA

Artist Commentary: I planted a cherry tree to remind me of the one I had outside my window as a child. It was a Japanese Keanza and very beautiful. About the artist: Lynne's work ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Serene Adagio Original Large Landscape Oil Painting on Italian canvas.
Serene Adagio Original Large Landscape Oil Painting on Italian canvas.

Serene Adagio Original Large Landscape Oil Painting on Italian canvas.

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Serene Adagio" is an original oil painting on canvas that captures a quiet moment. The interplay of light and shadow embraces the woman’s figure, evoking a calm, serene energy. This...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

German Expressionist drawing of abstracted figures by Carl Hofer
German Expressionist drawing of abstracted figures by Carl Hofer

German Expressionist drawing of abstracted figures by Carl Hofer

By Carl Hofer

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

Carl Hofer (German, 1875 – 1955) Abstract figures Pencil on paper 8.1/4 x 9 in. (21 x 23 cm.) With studio stamp (on the reverse) and signature of the artist’s wife Elizabeth Hofer 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, Pencil

Evening lights of Prague. The Charles Bridge.
Evening lights of Prague. The Charles Bridge.

Evening lights of Prague. The Charles Bridge.

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this piece, I've sought to capture the ethereal glow of twilight embracing the iconic architecture. The playful dance of light and shadow melds realism with a hint of impressionis...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard, Giclée

The Songs of Songs of King Salomons
The Songs of Songs of King Salomons

The Songs of Songs of King Salomons

By Théo Tobiasse

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist: Teo Tobiasse (French/Israeli, 1927-2012) Title: "The Songs of Songs of King Solomons" Year: 1975 Medium: Color lithograph Edition: Numbered LVII/C in pencil Paper: Jap...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Marc Chagall, Reverie, from Derriere le miroir, 1969
Marc Chagall, Reverie, from Derriere le miroir, 1969

Marc Chagall, Reverie, from Derriere le miroir, 1969

By Marc Chagall

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Marc Chagall (1887–1985), titled Reverie (Reverie), from the folio Derriere le miroir, No. 182, originates from the 1969 edition published by Maeght Edit...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Oil Painting Titled: Bacall  36 x 36
Oil Painting Titled: Bacall  36 x 36

Oil Painting Titled: Bacall 36 x 36

By Christina Major

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

Custom framed Christina Major was born in Concord, New Hampshire in 1982. She has lived all over the world including Hawaii, France, New York and more currently Florida. Christina...

Category

2010s 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.