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.
Blue Heaven, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
An expansive blue sky meets the ocean in a quiet, seamless horizon, with a single cloud drifting gently above. Below, the shoreline is alive with wispy grasse...
Oil
Pink sunset by the river
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"In this oil painting, I've captured a tranquil riverside at dusk, evoking serenity. The brushstrokes blend expressionism with a touch of impressionism, creating a scene that's both ...
Canvas, Linen, Oil
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
Beauty in African 1: Charcoal and Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
A woman's polite devotion is her greatest beauty. Painting Charcoal, Acrylic on canvas Size: 18W x 24H Inches Unmounted artwork Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work...
Charcoal, Canvas, Acrylic
September, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
September flourishes at its peak, with trees painted in vibrant autumn hues. A field of grass wraps around the foreground, with a small patch illuminated by s...
Oil
The Bush in the Badlands, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A small green bush stands out as a symbol of life against an eroded desert. The bright sun reveals the ruggedness of the badlands. A darker mesa rises in the di...
Oil
$5,969Sale Price|20% Off
Boats at sunset
Located in Coltishall, GB
Boats at sunset. Inspired by Rachaels life in Norfolk where she she enjoys dog walks along the North Norfolk coast and working in her studio close to the Norfolk Broads. Surrounded b...
Canvas, Wood, Acrylic
White roses 50X40
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I have poured my soul into capturing the timeless elegance of these blossoms. Swirling with emotion, they dance on the canvas—expressive brushstrokes marry real...
Canvas, Oil
"Thelma", Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, 1985
By David Driskell
Located in Astoria, NY
David Driskell (American, 1931-2020), "Thelma", Watercolor and Pencil on Paper, 1985, signed in pencil lower left, wood frame. Image: 12" L x 8.75" W; 19.75" H x 16.75" W x 1.25" D....
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
"Banksy war"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
A painting as a prophetic thought. A philosophical perspective on the sum of actions, the essence of humanity, and the future of the entire race. My images in my paintings come true ...
Oil
$298Sale Price|20% Off
Fragment of a sea wave
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In creating this painting, I sought to capture the essence and vitality of the sea. With each brushstroke, I instilled the raw power and restless spirit of ocean waves. This piece, c...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
Carnavale, Avant Garde Carricature Plaque, Paris
By Arieh Merzer
Located in Surfside, FL
Arieh Merzer was a prominent Israeli artist and metal worker. Arie Merzer, an artist who worked in hand-hammered copper, was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1905, the scion of a large Has...
Metal
$956Sale Price|20% Off
Marc Chagall, David with the Harp, from Drawings for the Bible, 1956
By Marc Chagall
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Marc Chagall (1887–1985), titled David a la harpe (David with the Harp), from Marc Chagall, Dessins Pour La Bible (Drawings for the Bible), Verve: Revue ...
Lithograph
Felix in Blue 131 Acrylic Painting, Expressionist Style, Framed, 2010+
By Ramon Poch
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
130 x 100 cm acrylic painting Born in Badalona (Barcelona). Photographer and advertising film director. Founding partner of the advertising production company La Cosa de las Pelicu...
Acrylic
School of Paris Figurative Female Nude Ink Drawing, Expressionist, 1995
Located in NANTES, FR
This ink on paper created in 1995 by Menachem Gueffen exemplifies one of the artist’s most enduring subjects: the female figure. Reduced to a few essential lines, the nude silhouette...
Paper, India Ink
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
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
$1,504Sale Price|20% Off
"Salève mount landscape" by William GOLIASCH - Oil on canvas 50x61 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Oil on canvas sold with frame Total size with frame 70x82 cm Signed and dated William GOLIASCH is a Swiss artist born in 1922 and died in 1986. His works have been sold at public au...
Oil
Benavente Solís Green Landscape Poppies House in the Countryside original
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
poppies landscape and house original expressionist watercolor painting . framed During its first exhibition in Paris, the French press catalogs it like "The Catalan Sorolla". Honora...
Watercolor
Saxophone
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, I sought to blend the wild expressiveness of expressionism with the textural detail of impressionism, infused with a dash of pop art's boldness. The juxtaposition o...
Canvas, Acrylic
Sea, Boats
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this artwork, I've captured the vibrant dance of light on water, blending impressionist strokes with the emotive dynamism of expressionism. Using oils, I layered colors to evoke t...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Walk under the street lights
Located in Genève, GE
Work on wood Gray frame Dimensions with frame 40 x 40 x 5.5 cm This painting masterfully captures a nighttime street scene, where passers-by cross a space bathed in the soft glow o...
Oil
Venetians Gondolas 2
Located in Zofingen, AG
In creating this artwork, I poured my reverence for the rhythmic dance of Venetian gondolas. The vibrant blue hues and expressive strokes embody the fluidity and reflective beauty of...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$1,424Sale Price|24% Off
"Sicile Landscape" by William GOLIASCH - Oil on wood 35x43 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Oil on wood sold with frame Total size with frame 55x63 cm Signed and dated William GOLIASCH is a Swiss artist born in 1922 and died in 1986. His works have been sold at public auct...
Oil
$1,280Sale Price|31% Off
"Lighthouse" by William GOLIASCH - Oil on wood 16x26 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Oil on wood sold with frame Total size with frame 36x47 cm William GOLIASCH is a Swiss artist born in 1922 and died in 1986. His works have been sold at public auction 100 times, ma...
Oil
$956Sale Price|20% Off
Marc Chagall, Jeremiah, from Drawings for the Bible, 1956 Bible
By Marc Chagall
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Marc Chagall (1887–1985), titled Jeremie (Jeremiah), from Marc Chagall, Dessins Pour La Bible (Drawings for the Bible), Verve: Revue Artistique et Litter...
Lithograph
Mirando al Cielo 2 - Misty Landscape Countryside Murmuration Photograph Print
By Rosa Basurto
Located in Brighton, GB
Mirando al Cielo 2 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...
Cotton, Photographic Paper, Digital, C Print
$1,047Sale Price|27% Off
Intimate Moment: Mid-20th Century Expressionist Oil Portrait
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Title: *An Intimate Moment* Artist: Pedro Creixams (1893-1965) Technique: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 18.1 x 15 inches Condition: Unframed Style: Expressionist portrait with ...
Canvas, Oil
Summer Soirée
Located in Coltishall, GB
Summer Soirée. Inspired by Rachaels life in Norfolk where she she enjoys dog walks along the North Norfolk coast and working in her studio close to the Norfolk Broads. Surrounded by ...
Canvas, Wood, Acrylic
$733Sale Price|26% Off
Country House In The North (Landhaus im Norden)
By Paul Klee
Located in Kansas City, MO
Paul Klee (after) Country House In The North (Landhaus im Norden) Year: 1925 Serigraph Size: 14x16.9 on 19x21.5 inches Edition: 440 Signed in the stone, numbered by hand Publisher: K...
Screen
Chief Wets It - Assinnboine, Expressionist Lithograph by Leonard Baskin
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Leonard Baskin, American (1922 - 2000) Title: Chief Wets It - Assinnboine Year: 1972 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 160 Size: 35 in. x 25 in. (88...
Lithograph
$2,011Sale Price|20% Off
Expressionist Marketplace Oil Painting, Mid-20th Century, Framed
Located in Genève, GE
Knife painting Work on canvas, mounted on panel. Panel support dimensions: 40 x 61 x 0.5 cm
Oil
Venice 3
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this fervent composition, I melded acrylics and oils to capture Venice's aura, blending realism's clarity with impressionism's vigor and expressionism's raw emotion. Each stroke e...
Oil, Acrylic, Cardboard
Romance in Paris 55X40 oil on canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I've captured the essence of love and beauty inspired by the enchanting city of Paris. The vivid, soft brushstrokes of the blooming roses in the foreground are ...
Canvas, Oil
Blue Pond 30X30
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I poured my emotions into the delicate balance between tranquility and fleeting movement. The shimmering water lilies float gently, capturing the quiet moments of refl...
Canvas, Oil
Little Red Riding Hood 60X40 oil
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I've melded expressionism with touches of impressionism and realism to capture a moment of serene companionship amidst nature's downpour. The vivid red umbrella...
Canvas, Oil
Fantasy with Flowers 13
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Fantasy with Flowers" (series of 200+ pictures) paper 59x42cm On the paper acrylic, oil pastel, felt-tip pen, ink, gold leaf, pencils, silver,mixed media. Flowers are a smile of ...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Field melody
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I've encapsulated the serene interplay of nature's symphony and the tranquil sights of the countryside. Notice how the storks atop the hay bales serve as conductors of...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard, Giclée
'Exotic Fruits and a Smoker’s Pipe' by Hubert Malfait (1898 – 1971)
Located in Knokke, BE
Hubert Malfait Astene 1898 – 1971 Sint-Martens-Latem Belgian Painter 'Exotic Fruits and a Smoker’s Pipe' Signature: signed top right 'H. Malfait' Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: ...
Canvas, Oil
Irises on the pond
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, I sought to capture the ephemeral beauty of irises by the pond's edge, reflecting my deep admiration for nature's transient moments. The oils allowed me to blend vi...
Canvas, Oil, Linen
BIRD 19
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this piece, I've melded acrylic and oil to capture the frailty yet resilience of nature, through a burst of textured strokes embodying both expressionism and impressionism. The ey...
Oil, Acrylic, Cardboard
The Thrushes Oil Painting on Cardboard, Expressionist, Framed, 1944
By Paul Mathey
Located in Genève, GE
Work on cardboard signed Paul Mathey and dated (19)44 Dimension with frame :41 x 49 x 4 cm Original figurative painting depicting two thrushes, executed with a confident and express...
Oil, Cardboard
Couple Dancing at Sunset - Bay Area Figurative School
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderfully expressive Bay Area Figurative School piece featuring a silhouette of a couple in a dynamic and colorful sunset landscape scene ...
Oil, Linen
$1,200
Algerian French Vibrant Colorful Expressionist Beach Scene Oil Pastel Drawing
By Armand Henri Nakache
Located in Surfside, FL
Armand Nakache was the foremost champion of Expressionism in France, an area unfairly shunned by a society more attracted to the charms of classical painting, Impressionism, Post-Imp...
Paper, Oil Pastel, Pastel
$1,500Sale Price|25% Off
Berg See (Mountain Lake)
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Title: Mountain Lake (Berg see) Creator: Lovis Corinth Date Created: 1922 Signatures / Inscriptions: Signed by artist Set or Series Title: Early Spring in the Mountains (Vorfrühling ...
Lithograph
Nick's Coffee House in the Village - Rare Edition 1970s Modern Figurative Print
By Lenore SImon
Located in Soquel, CA
This bold screen print depicts a scene from the 1950s, set in a jazz coffee house in Greenwich Village called Nick's, which Simon patronized while in high school. The original stone ...
Archival Paper, Screen
$1,750
Raventos Vertical Green Window original expressionist acrylic painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
original expressionist acrylic painting. RAVENTÓS Mª Assumpció – (San Sadurní d’Anoia, Barcelona 1930). Raventos trained at the elite Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. ...
Acrylic
Zebra in profile
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this expressionistic oil painting, I captured the intricate lines and soulful demeanor of a zebra, employing a palette that evokes a sense of both vintage and timelessness. With e...
Canvas, Oil, Cardboard
Fujita Hotel in Kyoto
Located in OPOLE, PL
Bernard Buffet (1928-1999) - Fujita Hotel in Kyoto Lithograph from 1981. Artsit's edition. On Arches paper. Dimensions of work: 71 x 53.5 cm. Hand signed. The work is in Excell...
Lithograph
Sunflowers 40X30
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
Imbued with the warmth of a golden hour, my brushstrokes capture the essence of sun-kissed petals and the dance of light on leaves. This expression of nature's joy and resilience, wi...
Canvas, Oil
Landscape With River Abstract Expressionist
By Jacques Kupfermann
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Expressionist Landscape With River Signed lower left. Jacques Herbert Kupfermann (1926–1987) was an American Expressionist painter who was born in Vienna, Austria. His work, both ab...
Canvas, Oil
Seated Woman (1958) by Chana Orloff (1888–1968)
By Chana Orloff
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Chana Orloff (1888–1968) Seated Woman, 1958 Bronze, Height: 55 cm Signed, dated, and numbered 3/8 Stamped with foundry mark Susse Fondeur, Paris A masterful example of Chana Orloff’...
Bronze
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
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Marc Chagall, Lamentations of Odysseus, from Homer, The Odyssey, 1989 (after)
By Marc Chagall
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph after Marc Chagall (1887–1985), titled Wehklagen des Odysseus (Lamentations of Odysseus), from Homer, Die Odyssee (The Odyssey), originates from the 1989 Ge...
Lithograph
The balance of love. 30X60 oil.
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil painting, I've passionately melded expressionism with realism to evoke the intimate harmony shared between two souls amidst nature's embrace. The tranquil scenery and sof...
Canvas, Oil
Sunny flowers 3D (24X18)
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this oil creation, I've poured my passion into every stroke, bringing the vibrancy of sunlit flowers to life. It's a fusion of expressionist energy and impressionist grace, with a...
Canvas, Oil
$977Sale Price|30% Off
Jazz Night Abstract Expressionist Oil on Board, Signed, 39.2x30 cm
By Thierry Miramon
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late 20th century abstract expressionist oil on board representation of a lively jazz night by French artist, Thierry Miramon, signed top left and pres...
Acrylic, Board
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Marc Chagall, The Bouquet in Hand, from Chagall, 1957
By Marc Chagall
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Marc Chagall (1887–1985), titled Le Bouquet a la Main (The Bouquet in Hand), from the album Chagall, originates from the 1957 edition published by Maeght...
Lithograph
Summer Bouquet – Vibrant Floral Impressionist Painting on Canvas
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Summer Bouquet” – Vibrant Floral Impressionist Painting on Canvas Bring the beauty of summer into your home with this stunning hand-painted floral artwork titled “Summer Bouquet.” ...
Oil
Daybreak, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Strong morning light intensifies the vivid colors and dramatic contrasts across the trees and foliage, creating a striking visual impact. The tall trunk at the ...
Acrylic
Field herbs of Provence 30X40 oil.
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
With each brushstroke, I sought to capture the essence of wild, untamed beauty. This piece, alive with color and emotion, embodies the vibrancy found in nature's own canvas. Each pop...
Canvas, Oil