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.
Max Weber Woodcut Print from "Primitives" Poetry Book Signed
By Max Weber
Located in Detroit, MI
ONE WEEK ONLY SALE This woodcut print is an expressionist print on one of the poems from Max Weber's poetry collection "Primitives: Poems and Woodcuts". This work is signed in penci...
Woodcut
$346Sale Price|20% Off
Deux danseuses, 1995, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned, numbered
By Jean Jansem
Located in Les Acacias GE, GE
Jean Jansem (1920-2013) Deux danseuses, 1995 Lithographie sur papier Arches, justifiée et numérotée EA Signée en bas à droite 22 x 17 cm / 32 x 26 cm Bibliographie: Catalogue raiso...
Lithograph
Christus, 1961 (Expressionist, Spiritual Theme)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Richard Haizmann Christus, 1961 Woodcut Year: 1987 (printed) Size: 33.66 x 24.01 inches (85.5 × 61 cm) Stamped verso by the Estate, signed "Dr. Wolfgang Wesiack" COA provided *Will ...
Woodcut
Morning at Canyonlands, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A morning scene unfolds at the Canyonlands National Park in Utah. The rising sun lights up the landscape, creating purple shadows on the cliffs with beautiful...
Mixed Media
$272Sale Price|20% Off
20th Paris School Collage Cutout Artwork Wonderful Interior Design options!
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Collage" by Bernard Herzog (French, b.1935) signed lower corner signed and stamped verso with catalogue number photo collage cut outs on paper, unframed overall paper: 25.5 x 20 in...
Photographic Film, Magazine Paper
ANNA TAMAYO 7.19.2 Barcelona Port Olimpic Acrylic Painting, Expressionist
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Anna Tamayo. 1971.An expressionist painter seeks to capture her mood in each of her works. She does this through themes ranging from the most realistic urban landscapes to the most d...
Wood, Acrylic
Flamingo on Gold -Blazing Gradie : Very Thick paper, oil pastel, 70x100cm.
Located in Zofingen, AG
A masterpiece exploring avian elegance, vibrant color theory, and the infinite. This large-scale paper composition captures a sublime transition from a shimmering gold canvas into a...
Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
Kubrick Shining Scarf : Fashionable Cashmere/Modal blend Scarf
Located in New York, NY
Claudia Doring-Baez, "Kubrick Shining Scarf", 2021, Cashmere/Modal blend, 26 x 71 in. Beautiful scarves created by artist Claudia Doring-Baez with her paintings printed on high qual...
Fabric, Wool
Naomie aux Longues Tresses
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Teo Tobiasse (French/Israeli, 1927-2012) Title: "Naomie Aux Longues Tresses" Year: Circa 1970 Medium: Color lithograph Edition: Numbered 146/150 in pencil Paper: Japan...
Lithograph
Blue, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A woman peacefully floats in a world of sand and sea. Layers of blue and ochre blend her figure with the surroundings, creating a dreamlike effect. Artist Richa...
Acrylic
$522Sale Price|20% Off
Provence Fishing Harbour French Expressionist Original Painting
By Akos Biro
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
AKOS BIRO (HUNGARIAN 1911-2002) watercolour / gouache, size: 9.75 x 6.25 inches Beautifully colourful, original painting by the very popular and highly regarded Hungarian/ French pa...
Oil Pastel, Gouache
$1,800Sale Price|20% Off
African Beauty -21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Africa
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The beauty of Africa lies in the faces of its people, a beauty that reveals itself to those who take the time to truly see. Through this artwork, I aim to showcase the rich and diver...
Canvas, Acrylic
original lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1920 on a light brown tinted wove paper for the German Expressionist art revue Das Kunstblatt, published in Berlin by Verlag Gustav Kiepenheue...
Lithograph
The Lonely Tree, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The landscape captures the quiet power of a solitary tree standing against the horizon. The bright pink color of its leaves and the field in the foreground cont...
Acrylic
Ducks in Central Park, New York, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Ducks gracefully glide on a pond, echoing the harmonious rhythm of Central Park. The vibrant blue water reflects the bridge and surrounding fiery autumn foliage...
Oil
Tulips, Touch : paper, oil pastel, 70x100cm. Very Thick paper
Located in Zofingen, AG
A masterpiece exploring tactile intimacy, floral movement, and the infinite. This large-scale 70x100cm paper composition captures a sublime transition from vibrant organic textures i...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$2,747Sale Price|25% Off
Expresionist Ceramic and Bronze Bust Sculpture with Fragmented Surface
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This figurative ceramic and bronze bust sculpture highlights a fragmented surface that evokes repair, continuity and embodied memory. Part of the Xentes series by Spanish sculptor Óscar Aldonza...
Bronze
Contemporary figurative dog's portrait acrylic painting canvas "Blue gentleman"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Blue Gentleman” is a contemporary acrylic dog painting by French artist Natalya Mougenot, part of her expressive ongoing series dedicated to dogs. Executed in Mougenot’s unique mix ...
Canvas, Linen, Acrylic
"Lighthouse of Peggy's Cove" - Impasto Expressionist Coastal Landscape Painting
By Sandra Pratt
Located in Denver, CO
"Lighthouse of Peggy's Cove" is a beautiful original impasto oil painting, created on linen panel by American artist Sandra Pratt, which depicts a lighthouse on a rocky peninsula, st...
Oil, Board
$2,600Sale Price|20% Off
Culture 3 Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Expressionist, 21st Century
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide 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 Authent...
Canvas, Acrylic
$12,500
General George Custer Battle of Little Big Horn in Expressionist Style, Signed
Located in Miami, FL
The history of American Illustration is filled with battle scenes. Rarely, if ever, have we seen an illustration of raw combat executed in an expressionist style like this. Robert W...
Masonite, Oil
'Court' — WPA Social Conscience, Woman Artist
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Claire Mahl Moore, 'Court' also 'The Authorities', woodcut, 1936, edition 5. Signed 'Mahl' and titled in pencil. A fine, richly-inked impression, on ...
Woodcut
$640Sale Price|20% Off
Peintre dans son atelier, 1969, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned
By Jean Jansem
Located in Les Acacias GE, GE
Jean Jansem (1920-2013) Peintre dans son atelier, 1969 Lithographie sur papier Rives Signée en bas à droite et justifiée en bas à gauche 39 x 52 cm / 56 x 76 cm D'une édition à 120 exemplaires Bibliographie: Jansem Lithographe, 1954-1983, de Francony Editeur, Nice, 1984, n. 211, reproduit p. 53, référencé p. 231. "Ma première lithographie date de 1954. Elle représente un enfant en haillons portant deux seaux d'eau, d'après un croquis rapporté de Cordoue lors de mon voyage en Espagne en 1952. Je l'exécutai sur pierre, au pinceau et à l'encre lithographique. Je fus déçu du résultat et n'en tirai qu'un essai et une épreuve. Quatre ans plus tard, je réalisai une dizaine de nouvelles lithographies, toujours sur pierre, la plupart en noir. Au lieu d'employer l'encre et le crayon...
Lithograph
"Der Unverstandene" original lithograph
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 ...
Lithograph
Judaica German Expressionist Watercolor Painting Lithograph Israeli Bezalel Art
Located in Surfside, FL
Jacob Steinhardt 1887-1968 Lithograph hand colored with watercolor painting. Plate signed and pencil signed lower right Dated 1921 Judaica Shtetl scene with Rabbis and synagogue. ...
Watercolor, Lithograph
$6,737
A gentle stroll. Autumnal landscape. Acrylic on canvas. By Racheal Dalzell
Located in Coltishall, GB
A gentle stroll is an explosion of autumnal colours and texture amongst the smooth blue lines of the calm river water. Boats tucked away on the river bank and people taking it all in...
Canvas, Wood, Acrylic
Kinder halten Essensschüsseln, Expressionist Lithograph by Kathe Kollwitz
Located in Long Island City, NY
Kathe Kollwitz, German (1867 - 1945) - Kinder halten Essensschusseln (Children holding Food Bowls), Year: 1923, Medium: Lithograph, Image Size: 16 x 11 inches, Frame Size: 25.2...
Lithograph
Egon Schiele: Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings
By Rudolf Leopold
Located in New York, NY
Rudolf Leopold (Austrian, 1925-2010) , "Egon Schiele: Paintings, Watercolours, Drawings", London, 1973 Publisher: Phaidon, Uk, 1973 INCLUDES ORIGINAL EGON SCHIELE ARTWORKS...
Mirando al Cielo 13 - Murmuration Countryside Landscape Photograph
By Rosa Basurto
Located in Brighton, GB
Mirando al Cielo 13 is a beautiful 30cm x 30cm Digital Print on 50cm x 50cm Cotton Paper. This is a Limited Edition of 9 + 2 Artist Proofs in this size. Rosa Basurto is a self-taug...
Color, Digital, Photographic Paper, C Print
Giner Bueno Reparando Las Redes Painting, Acrylic Canvas, Framed
By Giner Bueno
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Giner Bueno (1935-2000) Reparando Las Redes Painter from Alicante, son of the painter Luis Giner Valls. He studied at the School of Arts and Crafts of Valencia and finished his stu...
Canvas, Acrylic
Mirando al Cielo 3 - Lone Walker Countryside Murmuration Landscape Photograph
By Rosa Basurto
Located in Brighton, GB
Mirando al Cielo 3 is a beautiful 30cm x 30cm Digital Print on 50cm x 50cm Cotton Paper. This is a Limited Edition of 9 + 2 Artist Proofs in this size. Rosa Basurto is a self-taught...
Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, C Print
$2,320Sale Price|20% Off
Wish You Merry and Happy 1 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Holiday, Dog
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Season is the day that holds all time together with endless peace, joy, and love. Do not set aside your happiness season, do not wait to be happy in the future because the best time...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Raventos Blue Navy Sunrise original abstract mixed media
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
original abstract painting. virtual framed RAVENTÓS Mª Assumpció – (San Sadurní d’Anoia, Barcelona 1930). Raventos trained at the elite Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. ...
Acrylic, Cardboard
Expressionist Tree Landscape
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Vibrant Tree, 1955. Signed "I. Pitsch" and dated upper right. Oil on canvas measuring 18 x 20 inches. Unframed.
Canvas, Oil
Mirando al Cielo 12 - Birds Murmuration Sky Landscape Photograph
By Rosa Basurto
Located in Brighton, GB
Mirando al Cielo 12 is a beautiful 30cm x 30cm Digital Print on 50cm x 50cm Cotton Paper. This is a Limited Edition of 9 + 2 Artist Proofs in this size. Rosa Basurto is a self-taug...
Color, Digital, Photographic Paper, C Print
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Between Where I Stand and Where I’m Going - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait
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...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$1,082
Flowering branch – Impressionist Cherry Blossom Oil Painting Wall Art Canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
This vibrant original oil painting is an evocative landscape painting titled Flowering branch created by the internationally registered artist Elena Lukina in 2022.As a comforting la...
Canvas, Oil
6 Vulnerable Beauty Oil Painting on Canvas, Expressionist, 2010+
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
THE PROJECT: INDEPENDENT PAVILION VENICE 2026 This work is a cornerstone of the "In Minor Keys: The Turquoise Silence" series — a large-scale artistic manifesto created specifically ...
Canvas, Oil, Linen
The Songs of Songs of King Salomons
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...
Lithograph
"Naturamorta con fiori " cm. 70 x 52 Olio su tavola di legno 1970 ca
By Enzo FARAONI
Located in Torino, IT
natura morta con bellissima cornice in legno Enzo FARAONI (S. Stefano Magra, La Spezia, 1920/2017) Signed top right Enzo Faraoni is a great painter and engraver from Florence; he e...
Wood, Oil
"Flatirons" (2025), Impressionist Rocky Mountain Landscape, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Painted plein air in Boulder, Colorado. Kirsten Savage is one of Colorado’s top representational artists. As an avid world traveler and experienced mountaineer, Kirsten spends her t...
Oil, Panel
Lieder des Pierrot Lunaire - Woodcuts by Conrad Felixmüller - 1910s
Located in Roma, IT
Complete suite of 11 plates in artist’s proof (in search for the final colours) on thin Japan paper, with Author’s hand-written title, date, notes and signature in pencil. 5 of the p...
Paper, Woodcut
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Bop Daddy - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Expressionism, Africa
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...
Canvas, Mixed Media
French Village Street View with Fountain. Pastel on Paper. 23cm x 30.5cm.
Located in Cotignac, FR
A mid-century French Village Street scene in pastel on Paper by French artist Alfred Salvignol. Signed bottom right and titled "Mollans", a French village on the Swiss/German border....
Pastel
Mirando al Cielo 15 - Murmuration Asiatic Countryside Landscape
By Rosa Basurto
Located in Brighton, GB
Mirando al Cielo 15 is a beautiful 30cm x 30cm Digital Print on 50cm x 50cm Cotton Paper. This is a Limited Edition of 9 + 2 Artist Proofs in this size. Rosa Basurto is a self-ta...
Color, Digital, Photographic Paper, C Print
$360Sale Price|20% Off
What Does The Future Hold 2 -21st Century Contemporary, Portrait, Modern Fashio
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 (Issued by the Gal...
Canvas, Oil
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Where The Body Breaks The Line - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, 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...
Canvas, Coffee, Mixed Media
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Woven Identities 2 - 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...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$408Sale Price|60% Off
Expressionist Oil on Board: The Life-Drawing Class, Circa 1960s
Located in London, GB
'The Life-Drawing Class', oil on board, by French (likely) artist M David (circa 1960s). A swirling, colourfully vivacious artwork that is immediately attractive and captivating. A l...
Oil, Board
$500
Post Soviet Avant Garde Russian Woodcut Print With Hand Watercolor Painting
By Ilya Shenker
Located in Surfside, FL
This depicts a wedding scene in a style of German Expressionism. hand signed and hand painted in watercolor. Ilya Shenker, Russian/American (1922 - ) As a soldier in World War II, ...
Watercolor, Woodcut
$2,771Sale Price|24% Off
Expressionist Figurative Bust Sculpture, Coloured Glazed Refractory Ceramic
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Xente Abrigo is an expressionist figurative bust sculpture by Spanish artist Óscar Aldonza Torres, combining high-temperature refractory ceramic, experimental glazing and oil-based p...
Ceramic, Oil
Benavente Solís Poppies Red Green Landscape original painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
landscape- original figuratif watercolor painting framed of the Spanish artist BENAVENTE SOLIS. Watercolor on paper. Perfect state . During its first exhibition in Paris, the Fren...
Watercolor
$1,968Sale Price|20% Off
Young Woman with Pearl Necklace, Oil on Canvas, 1920s Framed Art
Located in Genève, GE
An expressive and highly atmospheric portrait signed J. Prina, depicting a seated young woman adorned with a pearl necklace and dressed in an elegant light-colored gown. Executed in ...
Oil, Canvas
$1,301Sale Price|20% Off
French Modernist Biblical Style Oil Painting Group Figures Desert Journey
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
**Title** French Modernist Biblical Style Oil Painting Group Figures Desert Journey **Key Details** **Artist:** French School, indistinctly signed and dated **Title:** Group of Figu...
Canvas, Oil
$60,000
George Grosz NYC City Scene Modernism Watercolor German Expressionism Weimar
By George Grosz
Located in New York, NY
George Grosz NYC City Scene Modernism Watercolor German Expressionism Weimar George Grosz (Germany, 1893-1959) "City Scene," 17 x 12 inches, signed and dated “33” lower left, watercolor on paper. This drawing, created while Grosz was living in NYC. Period frame, It has been authenticated by Ralph Jentsch, the globally recognized Grosz expert. Provenance: Hirschl & Adler and 511 Gallery...
Paper, Watercolor
Red Koi Fish: The Genesis of Motion" (2020) – Original Watercolor on Paper
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"The Genesis of Motion" (2020) is a pivotal masterpiece that marks a defining moment in Elena Lukina’s internationally acclaimed exploration of aquatic life. Part of the foundational...
Paper, Watercolor
$1,276Sale Price|20% Off
Houses in Twilight: Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting, c. 1950
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Author: Francisco Salès (Barcelona, 1904 – Paris, 1976) Title: Houses in the Twilight Technique: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 50 x 73 cm (19.7 x 28.7 in) Dimensions with frame: 58 x 81 ...
Canvas, Oil
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
Don't Rush Life 3 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Where am from Bandana was once a common style, we called it Big Boy Style, then it's seem to me like a style or fashion only, because our elder brothers only allowed to used it but n...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Moments We Shared 2 -21st Century Contemporary Nature, Animals, Horses Landscape
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
Magnolia, Still Life Painting, Oil on Canvas, 2021
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A vibrant expressionist painting depicting lush blooming magnolia branches. Delicate white and soft pink blossoms contrast against a deep, textured background of dark greens, blues, ...
Oil