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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
Mediterranean Village of Mallorca oil on canvas painting
Mediterranean Village of Mallorca oil on canvas painting

Mediterranean Village of Mallorca oil on canvas painting

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Artist: Bernat Sanjuan i Tarré (Barcelona, 1915 – Deià, Mallorca, 1979) Title: Mediterranean Village of Mallorca Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 65 × 92 cm (25.6 × 36.2 in) Framed:...

Category

1950s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Les Acadiens, 1993, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned and numbered
Les Acadiens, 1993, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned and numbered

Les Acadiens, 1993, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned and numbered

By Jean Jansem

Located in Les Acacias GE, GE

Jean Jansem (1920-2013) Les acadiens, 1993 Lithographie sur papier Arches, justifiée E/A 16/30 Signée en bas à droite 65,5 x 50 cm / 76 x 56 cm Bibliographie: CR Jansem, 2000, n°9...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Kinetic Motion: 18x24cm Impasto Oil on Canvas Panel (2024)
Kinetic Motion: 18x24cm Impasto Oil on Canvas Panel (2024)

Kinetic Motion: 18x24cm Impasto Oil on Canvas Panel (2024)

By Elena Lukina

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Kinetic Motion" is a vibrant 2024 original oil study from the prestigious series Gravity of Light: Marine Chronicles. Created as an intimate 18x24 cm work on professional canvas pan...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Lady In White 1 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Women, Modern
Lady In White 1 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Women, Modern

Lady In White 1 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Women, Modern

By Olaniyi Timothy

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

She holds on to her integrity and purity. Lady in white captures a desire to be hidden, but her presence is revealed through her unquenched innermost beauty. Lady in white captures h...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Still Life with Wildflowers, Oil Painting
Still Life with Wildflowers, Oil Painting

Still Life with Wildflowers, Oil Painting

By James Hartman

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Vases and pots support an array of textured wildflowers, standing out against a rich, dark background. A freeform stripe pattern on the tablecloth adds rhythm a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Marsh Near the South River, Original Painting
Marsh Near the South River, Original Painting

Marsh Near the South River, Original Painting

By Robert Hofherr

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This simple study of a southern Massachusetts marsh transforms the landscape through bold color and the removal of unnecessary detail. Expressive brushwork give...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

"Coriolan und seine Mutter" signed original woodcut

"Coriolan und seine Mutter" signed original woodcut

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original woodcut. Signed in pencil by Peter Trumm and printed in Germany in 1922 for the very rare "Die zweite Ganymed-Mappe" portfolio of "Das vierte Jahrbuch der Marees Ges...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Don't Rush Life 3 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men
Don't Rush Life 3 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men

Don't Rush Life 3 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men

By Elijah Olanase

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

"Schwartzer Fleck" original woodcut

"Schwartzer Fleck" original woodcut

By Wassily Kandinsky

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original woodcut. Catalogue reference Roethel 145. Printed in Paris in 1938 for the art revue XXe Siecle (issue number 3). Image size: 7 x 8 1/2 inches (170 x 218 mm). Sheet ...

Category

1930s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Natalie Bird, Summer Bloom, Original Still Life Floral Painting, Affordable Art
Natalie Bird, Summer Bloom, Original Still Life Floral Painting, Affordable Art

Natalie Bird, Summer Bloom, Original Still Life Floral Painting, Affordable Art

By Natalie Bird

Located in Deddington, GB

Summer Bloom [2021] Original Flowers Mixed media on board Image size: H:45 cm x W:3 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:45 cm x W:30 cm x D:30cm Framed Size: H:45 cm x W:45 cm x D:3cm Sold Framed Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look Summer Bloom is an original painting by Natalie Bird...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Board

Original mid 20th Century French drawing by Expressionist Morot-Sir 'Graphica'
Original mid 20th Century French drawing by Expressionist Morot-Sir 'Graphica'

Original mid 20th Century French drawing by Expressionist Morot-Sir 'Graphica'

By Gerard Morot-Sir

Located in Petworth, West Sussex

Gerard Morot-Sir (French, 1931 – 2003) Graphica Ink on paper Signed and dated ‘ Morot-Sir, 59’ (lower left) 12.1/2 x 9.5/8in. (31.7 x 24.5cm.) Newly framed in a limed wood frame in a...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

House on Old Ocean Street, Original Painting
House on Old Ocean Street, Original Painting

House on Old Ocean Street, Original Painting

By Robert Hofherr

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Spring blossoms emerge under the morning sunlight, casting vivid colors across the landscape, even in the shadowed areas. Tall trees surround the house, creatin...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

La petite danseuse, 1990, original lithograph by Jean Jansem handsigned numbered
La petite danseuse, 1990, original lithograph by Jean Jansem handsigned numbered

La petite danseuse, 1990, original lithograph by Jean Jansem handsigned numbered

By Jean Jansem

Located in Les Acacias GE, GE

Jean Jansem (1920-2013) La petite danseuse, 1990 Lithographie sur papier Arches Justifiée Signée au crayon 50 x 65 cm / 53.5 x 75.5 cm Imprimeur: Mourlot, Paris Editeur: Jansem, Par...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Strong and Bold 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women, Fashion, Hair
Strong and Bold 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women, Fashion, Hair

Strong and Bold 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women, Fashion, Hair

By Gobe Joseph

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

The painting “Strong and Bold” from the series painting of Emily’s Diary portrays a compelling depiction of an African woman adorned with a nourishing Afrocentric hairstyle The fac...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Ballerine sur fond vert, 1995, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned
Ballerine sur fond vert, 1995, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned

Ballerine sur fond vert, 1995, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned

By Jean Jansem

Located in Les Acacias GE, GE

Jean Jansem (1920-2013) Ballerine sur fond vert, 1995 Lithographie sur papier Arches, justifiée et numérotée 48/100 Signée en bas à droite 22 x 17 cm / 32 x 26 cm Bibliographie: ...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Lago Maggiore" original lithograph

"Lago Maggiore" original lithograph

By Richard Seewald

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. Catalogue reference: Jentsch 91. This impression on wove paper was printed in 1919 for Das Kestnerbuch, an important collection of original prints publis...

Category

1910s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Mujer de Juchitan
Mujer de Juchitan

Mujer de Juchitan

By Raul Anguiano

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Raul Anguiano, Mexican (1915 - 2006) Title Mujer de Juchitan Year: 1974 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.l., signed, dated and titled verso Size: 25.5 x 37.25 in. (64.77 x 94...

Category

1970s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

'The Garden' — Celebrated Contemporary African American Artist

'The Garden' — Celebrated Contemporary African American Artist

By Margo Humphrey

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

Margo Humphrey, 'The Garden (Adam and Eve)', reductive color woodcut, 1989. Signed, dated, and annotated 'A/P' in pencil. Signed and dated in the image, lower right. A fine, richly-inked, artist's proof impression, with fresh, vivid colors, on BFK Rives, heavy, off-white wove paper; the full sheet with margins (1 to 1 3/8 inches), in excellent condition. Archivally sleeved, unmatted. Scarce. Image size 27 1/4 x 39 1/8 inches (692 x 994 mm); sheet size 29 1/2 x 42 inches (749 x 1,067 mm). ABOUT THIS WORK "Humphrey continued to reinterpret stories from the Bible with African American figures. In 1989 she published the woodcut print 'The Garden' at Magnolia Editions in Oakland, CA. For this rare foray into relief printmaking, she employed the reductive method, which uses only one block that is successively carved for each color segment, reducing the block with each cutting. Technically challenging, this lush and elaborate print is a testament to Humphrey’s skills as a printmaker. A youthful Adam and Eve are depicted in a luxuriant tropical landscape. Here, Humphrey chooses not to include the traditional symbols of humanity’s downfall but instead portrays them as being protected by angels in an atmosphere of idyllic bounty. ...Although Humphrey challenges traditional representation of Christian themes, her images are not iconoclastic but present a broader, more inclusive engagement with religious spirituality." — Adrienne L. Childs, 'Margo Humphrey, The David C. Driskell Series of African American Art: Volume VII,' Pomegranate Communications, Inc., 2009, page 71. ABOUT THE ARTIST American printmaker, illustrator, and art teacher Margo Humphrey was born in Oakland, California, in 1942. She earned a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from the California College of Arts and Crafts and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking from Stanford University. Humphrey began teaching in 1973 at the University of California Santa Cruz and has since taught at the University of Texas at San Antonio, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has also taught at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji; Yaba Technological Institute of Fine Art, Ekoi Island, Nigeria; the University of Benin in Benin City, Nigeria; the Margaret Trowell School of Fine Art in Kampala, Uganda, and the Fine Art School of the National Gallery of Art, Harare, Zimbabwe. In 1989, she was appointed Department Head of Printmaking at the University of Maryland in College Park. Humphrey has worked in lithography, monoprint, and woodcut with significant printmaking ateliers, including the Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper, the Bob Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, and the Tamarind Institute in New Mexico. She was one of the earliest African-American woman artists to distinguish herself as a lithographer in a highly technical, male-dominated profession and was the first to have her prints published by Tamarind in 1974. Humphrey’s imagery combines historical perspective, autobiography, and fantasy to illuminate her experience as an African American woman. Bold, saturated color, animated figures, and syncopated rhythmic arrangements are hallmarks of Humphrey's oeuvre. Though Humphrey labels her distinctive style "sophisticated naive," the narrative complexity and technical skill of her works attest to her artistic virtuosity. Joyful, expressive, and at times humorous, her works offer engaging commentary on the presumptions of American culture and myth while embracing her personal vision of authenticity and spirituality. She developed her 1987 work The Last Bar-B-Que, a vividly colored transformation of the Last Supper, following a three-year period during which she examined portrayals of the iconic subject by artists from Pietro Lorenzetti to Emil Nolde. Her narrative work The Garden, a monumentally scaled reductive woodcut, is a further example of an archetypal subject—Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden—debunked and rendered with fresh, life-affirming vibrancy. Since her first solo exhibition in 1965, Humphrey’s works have been exhibited internationally. They are held in major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Hampton University Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, and the National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos. In 1996, she was invited to be part of the World Printmaking Survey at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. In 2011, Hampton University Museum mounted a 45-year retrospective of Humphrey’s work Her Story: Margo Humphrey Lithographs and Works on Paper, jointly curated by Robert E. Steele, executive director of the David Driskell...

Category

1980s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Gouache Painting Jules Pascin Hand Signed Woman in Boudoir German Expressionism
Gouache Painting Jules Pascin Hand Signed Woman in Boudoir German Expressionism

Gouache Painting Jules Pascin Hand Signed Woman in Boudoir German Expressionism

By Jules Pascin

Located in Surfside, FL

Genre: German Expressionist Subject: Woman Medium: gouache paint Surface: Paper board This is hand signed lower right. Framed it measures 17.25 X 15.5, sheet 12 X 10 This came from ...

Category

Early 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache, Cardboard

Mid-Century French Feutre on Paper. Tea time In the Kitchen.
Mid-Century French Feutre on Paper. Tea time In the Kitchen.

Mid-Century French Feutre on Paper. Tea time In the Kitchen.

By Jean Arène

Located in Cotignac, FR

Late Mid Century French feutre drawing on paper of a Provençal lady sitting in her kitchen by Jean Arène. Signed and dated bottom left. This artwork is a striking pen-and-ink drawing that vividly captures a cluttered interior scene filled with an assortment of teapots and household objects. The central figure, an elderly lady with an expressive face, sits at a table surrounded by an overwhelming array of details. The artist uses bold, dynamic lines to convey a sense of chaos and charm, creating an atmosphere of cozy clutter. The composition’s intricacy draws the viewer's eye around the room, showcasing...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Felt Pen

"Bread" lithograph by Käthe Kollwitz
"Bread" lithograph by Käthe Kollwitz

"Bread" lithograph by Käthe Kollwitz

By Käthe Kollwitz

Located in Soquel, CA

Bold lithograph titled "Bread" by Kathe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945). This piece is one of the Lithographic reproductions of the original lithographs, plate 2 from a series of 10, pr...

Category

1940s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Lithograph

(after) Frans Masereel "Le Calvaire"
(after) Frans Masereel "Le Calvaire"

(after) Frans Masereel "Le Calvaire"

By Frans Masereel

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: collotype (after the woodcut). Printed in 1925 and published in Paris by Albert Morance for "L'Art d'Aujourd'hui", and now very scarce. Image size: 8 x 4 3/4 inches (205 x 11...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Photogravure

"Death Takes The Children" lithograph by Käthe Kollwitz
"Death Takes The Children" lithograph by Käthe Kollwitz

"Death Takes The Children" lithograph by Käthe Kollwitz

By Käthe Kollwitz

Located in Soquel, CA

Bold print of "Death Takes the Children" by Kathe Kollwitz (German, 1867-1945). This piece is one of the Lithographic reproductions of the original lithographs, plate 9 from a series...

Category

1940s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Lithograph

"Woman Leaning Forward" by Gustav Klimt - Original Print from Courtesans Folio
"Woman Leaning Forward" by Gustav Klimt - Original Print from Courtesans Folio

"Woman Leaning Forward" by Gustav Klimt - Original Print from Courtesans Folio

By Gustav Klimt

Located in Palm Beach, FL

Plate #3 from Gustav Klimt's 1907 "Dialogues of the Courtesans" portfolio, consisting of 15 collotypes on cream japon paper. The drawings in this folio are said to be studies for Klimt's well-known Water Serpents paintings...

Category

Early 1900s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper

Bad For Your Health

Bad For Your Health

By Todd White

Located in Toronto, ON

33.75" x 17.5" Unframed Limited Edition Giclée with Hand Embellishment of 135 Hand Signed by Todd White “Definitely a painting about the ones you know are a total mistake from the ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Giclée

Azalea and Dogwood, Original Painting
Azalea and Dogwood, Original Painting

Azalea and Dogwood, Original Painting

By Robert Hofherr

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
In a vibrant yard, pink flowering trees and yellow bushes flourish, partially concealing a two-story house with their lush foliage. The bright morning sunlight ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Jardin des Tuileries
Jardin des Tuileries

Jardin des Tuileries

By Gabriel Spat

Located in Sheffield, MA

Gabriel Spat American, 1890-1967 Jardin des Tuileries Oil on board 8 ⅛ by 11 ⅛ in, w/ frame 13 ¾ by 17 in Signed lower left Gabriel Spat spent most of his career in France painting...

Category

Early 20th Century 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.