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.
$2,495Sale Price|20% Off
Still life. 2007, oil on canvas, 60x73 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Still life. 2007, oil on canvas, 60x73 cm Sergey Inkatov Was born: 13.09.1971 in Baku. Painter Sergey Inkatov belongs to young generation of artists of Estonia. He was born in Ba...
Canvas, Oil
Crepe-Myrtle 2, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A crepe-myrtle tree blooms with delicate flowers that resemble colorful confetti. Its leaves sway gently in the breeze, glowing softly in the summer sunlight. E...
Oil
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Solitude - 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, Acrylic
We are the same. Warm colors, friendship, man with a bird, together, closed eyes
Located in Oslo, NO
The painting "We Are the Same" shows a man with closed eyes alongside a bird, both captured in quiet stillness. The scene unfolds in soft, subtle tones, where presence and reflection...
Canvas, Oil
Blooming balcony – Impressionist Landscape Garden Oil Painting Wall Art
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
This vibrant oil painting is an evocative landscape painting titled Blooming balcony created by the internationally registered artist Elena Lukina in 2020.As a comforting landscape p...
Canvas, Oil
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Come A Long Way 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Oil, Modern, Fashion
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
"Secret Garden" (2023) by Leigh Ann Van Fossan, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Leigh Ann Van Fossan's "Secret Garden" (2023) is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a path surrounded by colorful flowers and trees arching over. Van Fossan was born in...
Canvas, Oil
Men from Ecce Homo - Original Lithograph by George Grosz - 1923
By George Grosz
Located in Roma, IT
Men from Ecce Homo is an original offset and lithograph realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n. 80 from the porfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923,edition of D...
Paper, Lithograph
$673Sale Price|40% Off
Jean Jansem (1920-2013), Les trois masques, 1980, Lithograph on paper
By Jean Jansem
Located in Les Acacias GE, GE
Jean Jansem (1920-2013), Les trois masques, 1980, Lithographie sur papier Arches justifiée Signée en bas à droite 76 x 55 cm CR Jansem, 1984, n°451 "Dans mes dernières lithograp...
Paper, Lithograph
"The Lion" original lithograph
By René Beeh
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1920 on smooth wove paper for the Deutsche Graphiker der Gegenwart portfolio, and published in Leipzig by Klinkhardt & Biermann in an edition ...
Lithograph
$790
Vivid Lush Leaves Sketch, Botanic Drawing, Expressionist Style, Watercolor Paper
Located in Barcelona, ES
This expressionist botanical drawing on paper captures the raw vitality of exotic flowers through fresh, vigorous gestures. Milano's drawings abandon precise realism in favor of emot...
Paper, Wax Crayon, Acrylic
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Quiet Strength 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Oil, Modern, Fashion
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
Abstract Expressionist Embrace Earth Figurative
Located in Soquel, CA
Compelling abstract expressionist painting "Embrace" figurative by San Jose, California area artist Daniel David Fuentes (American, 20th Century). From a collection of his works. Un...
Canvas, Oil
Helado beach scene of a man eating ice cream cone sunny warm pastel colors
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pastel on archival paper signed and dated bottom right hand corner suitable for framing under glass Stephen Basso's highly origional pastels and oil paintings are romantic yet though...
Pastel, Archival Paper
House on Old Ocean Street, Original Painting
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...
Acrylic
$2,240Sale Price|20% Off
My Brother - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Men, Colour Pattern
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, Acrylic
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Waiting for My Name to Return - 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, Acrylic
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
Look Through My Eyes: Expressionist Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Afolayan Emmanuel's "Look Through My Eyes" is a captivating artwork featuring a woman in a seductive pose. The piece is a celebration of female beaut...
Oil, Canvas
4 Frozen Echo Oil Painting on Canvas, Expressionist, 2010s, Unframed
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, Linen, Oil
$803Sale Price|20% Off
Walk. Oil on cardboard, 70, 5 x 65, 5 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Walk. Oil on cardboard, 70, 5 x 65, 5 cm Aleksandr Rodin (1922-2001) Painter Born in a family of farmers. Wife Rasma Lace - art scholar. Studied at the Stalingrad School of Art, Sar...
Oil, Cardboard
Fantasy with Flowers 25
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
Genesis II
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to premier for the first time in more than twenty years, the paintings of Austrian/American artist Gustav Rehberger (1910–1995). ...
Mixed Media
The Rhythm of Ethereal Structures, Impressionist Oil Painting, Canvas
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"The Rhythm of Ethereal Structures" by Elena Lukina (2022), from the series "The Architecture of Fragility". In this artwork, the artist transcends the traditional botanical subject,...
Canvas, Oil
"Lago Maggiore" original lithograph
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...
Lithograph
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...
Etching
1 Depth in Minor Painting, Turquoise Palette, Venice Biennale 2026
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Depth in Minor" is the fundamental work that opens the entire Venetian cycle. It captures the incredible, translucent emerald light within a cresting wave — a symbol of inner streng...
Canvas, Linen, Oil
$283Sale Price|20% Off
Litografia sobre papel - A las puertas del parque - Tiraje: 1/250
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
Firmada a lápiz por el artista en la parte inferior y con tiraje 1/250 En buen estado de conservación Sin enmarcar Medidas: 49 cm x 58 cm.
Lithograph
$359Sale Price|20% Off
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: ...
Lithograph
$4,000Sale Price|20% Off
Into The Light 2 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Surrealism, Women
By Elisha Nyong
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
A garden of broken vows— where lilies bloom with ash in their throats and mirrors drip with the sweat of secrets. Two shadows entwine, Yet one dissolves into smoke, The other crumble...
Linen, Oil
Rise and Shine, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Soft morning light bathes winter trees in a warm glow. A house peeks out from behind the branches, partially hidden within the landscape. Minimal detail is used...
Acrylic
Max Eisler Eine Nachlese folio "Lady in a Feathered Hat" collotype
Located in Palm Beach, FL
After Gustav Klimt, Max Eisler Plate #2, Dame mit Blumenhut (aka The Violet Hat); sepia monochrome collotype after the 1909 painting in oil on canvas. ...
Paper
$3,840Sale Price|39% Off
20th Century Bucks County Colorful Landscape Painting, Italian artist
By Louis Bosa
Located in Beachwood, OH
Louis Bosa (American, 1905–1981) Bucks County, 1934 Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right 17.5 x 21.5 inches 25.5 x 29 inches, framed Born in Codroipo, a small village only a f...
Oil
Stolphärbre in Moonlight
Located in North Clarendon, VT
Beautiful colorist Alf Sundstrom oil on canvas painting of moonlight over a Stolphärbre in Sweden 1923. Wilhelm Alfons (Alf) Maria Sundström was born April 16, 1888 in Nansta, Gävle...
Oil
Woman with a Chef's Hat, Expressionist Oil Painting, Framed, 1910s
By René Guinand
Located in Genève, GE
A compelling and psychologically charged portrait by Swiss painter René Guinand, signed and dated 1918. Executed in oil on canvas, this striking work depi...
Oil, Canvas
Triptych "Ocean of possibilities"oil abstraction of Volskya Lilya.
Located in Zofingen, AG
Triptych "Ocean of possibilities"oil abstraction of Volskya Lilya. Do all artists have equal opportunities? Is talent an illusion or a gift from God? Whose paintings will remain in t...
Canvas, Oil
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Chagall, Die Zauberflöte (Mourlot CS. 38), The Metropolitan Opera (after)
By Marc Chagall
Located in Fairfield, CT
Title: Die Zauberflöte (Mourlot CS. 38), The Metropolitan Opera Year: 1973 Medium: Lithograph on wove paper Size: 39.5 x 25.75 inches Notes: From the opening of Mozart's 'The Magic F...
Lithograph
$3,720
Framed En Grisaille Self Portrait Three-Quarter Nude In Heroic Pose Circa 1925
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Alexandre-Louis Martin. Belgian ( b.1887 - d.1954 ). Self-Portrait Of The Artist. Oil On Canvas. Signed On The Reverse Of The Canvas. Image size 22.4 inches x 16.9 inches ( 57cm x 43...
Oil, Canvas
Fantasy with Flowers 54
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
$2,100
Raventos SHEET MUSIC Violin original expressionist acrylic paintig
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Partituras original expressionist acrylic paintig. RAVENTÓS Mª Assumpció – (San Sadurní d’Anoia, Barcelona 1930). Raventos trained at the elite Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Bar...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$245Sale Price|20% Off
Surreal Female Portrait Painting Orange Folk Character Mixed Media Wall Art
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Surreal female portrait painting with orange background, folk-inspired features and whimsical character design. Surprise is a mixed media portrait by Inés Silvalde from her celebrat...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Gaspar Riera Terracotta Cylinder Mallorca original ceramic sculpture
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Mallorca landscape original ceramic sculpture. piece unic born in the town of Estellencs on the island of Mallorca, from his youth he dedicates himself to drawing and watercolor, g...
Ceramic
Luminous Coastline: 30x40cm Oil on Caravaggio Italy Canvas (2024)
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Luminous Coastline" is an exquisite 2024 original oil painting from the prestigious series Gravity of Light: Marine Chronicles. Created on world-renowned Italian Caravaggio canvas, ...
Canvas, Oil
$236Sale Price|75% Off
Odalisque Watercolour on Paper, Nude Female Figure, Late 20th Century
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late 20th Century watercolour on paper of a naked female figure before an open window. Signed bottom right but as yet not deciphered. Presented in carved, white painted wood frame. ...
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache
Les Quais a Venise
By Jean Jansem
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Jean Jansem (French/Armenian, 1920-2013) Title: Les Quais a Venise Year: 1966 Medium: Color lithograph Edition: Numbered 127/160 in pencil Paper: Arches paper Image size: 18....
Lithograph
Expressionist Flowers Still-Life Oil Painting, Late 20th Century
Located in Genève, GE
Work on a paper that is mounted on a canvas Dimension with frame : 50 x 61 x 4.5 cm This painting depicts a vibrant bouquet of red, white, and purple flowers arranged in a yellow and...
Oil
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
"Death Takes The Children" lithograph 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...
Paper, Ink, Lithograph
$1,214Sale Price|20% Off
Family on a Bench at the Port, Expressionist Oil on Board, 1970s
Located in London, GB
'Family Seated on a Bench at the Port', oil on board, by François Diana (circa 1970s). A painting with a very wholesome, homespun theme harks back to a more innocent time. A family i...
Oil, Board
Still life with peonies
By Elena Lukina
Located in Zofingen, AG
In creating this piece, I sought to capture the effervescence of nature's transient beauty. I used oil to express the delicate vibrancy of peonies, with my brushstrokes blending impr...
Canvas, Oil
Atlas Cornice Drawings 2 —Vienna Secessionist
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Two early 20th-century Vienna Secessionist, male nude cornice drawings. Graphite on pale blue/grey wove drawing paper, spot glued by the artist to ...
Pencil
$7,000
'Improvisation 7' second ed. woodcut from 'Klänge' by Wassily Kandinsky
Located in Milwaukee, WI
'Improvisation 7' second ed. woodcut from 'Klänge' is a woodcut print created by Wassily Kandinsky. The present woodcut print comes from the second edition of 'Klänge (Sounds),' a book of original graphics and poetry by Wassily Kandinsky. The title of the album and of this print, 'Improvisation,' demonstrated Kandinsky's interest in music and how abstract musical forms could be translated into images on a two-dimensional surface. This particular composition is difficult to read, but through the abstraction, one can make out various figures and a landscape beyond. Originally carved and printed in 1911, this second edition print was done ca. 1938. It is a woodcut in black ink on woven paper. Signed with encircled 'K' in the block, lower right (from the book, signed in ink, ed. 117/300) Image Size: 7 1/2" x 5 inches Frame Size: 22 1/4" x 18 3/4" Ref. Roethel 124 Artist Bio: The Museum of Modern Art described 'Klänge (Sounds)' as follows: Vasily Kandinsky's self-described "musical album," Klänge (Sounds), consists of thirty-eight prose-poems he wrote between 1909 and 1911 and fifty-six woodcuts he began in 1907. In the woodcuts Kandinsky veiled his subject matter, creating increasingly indecipherable images (though the horse and rider, his symbol for overcoming objective representation, runs through as a leitmotif). This process proved crucial for the development of abstraction in his art. Kandinsky said his choice of media sprang from an "inner necessity" for expression: the woodcuts were not merely illustrative, nor were the poems purely verbal descriptions. Kandinsky sought a synthesis of the arts, in which meaning was created through the interaction of, and space between, text and image, sound and meaning, mark and blank space. The experimental typography shows his interest in the physical aspects of the book. Klänge is one of three major publications by Kandinsky that appeared shortly before World War I, alongside Über die Geistige in der Kunst (Concerning the Spiritual in Art) and the Blaue Reiter almanac...
Woodcut, Laid Paper
11 Breath of Silence Venice Biennale 2026 Project
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
C'est le Passe que Nous Attendons
Located in Long Island City, NY
An oil painting by Theo Tobiasse from 1967. An expressionist-style textural painting of intensely dark and vivid color palette. Inspired from the artist's personal experiences of the...
Canvas, Oil
$1,752Sale Price|20% Off
David's Journey Oil and Acrylic Painting, Expressionist, 21st Century
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
"David's Journey" by Joshua Salami is a captivating artwork that beautifully encapsulates the spirit of a young man embarking on a profound voyage of self-discovery, passion, and vis...
Oil, Canvas, Acrylic
$212
"Burst of spring colors " (Contemporary semi-abstract expressive floral art)
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This artwork belongs to my “Floral” series which is full of expressive brush strokes where I could experience a floral theme. It is a bold and eclectic mix of art which radiates str...
Paper, Acrylic
$1,822Sale Price|40% Off
The Park, Expressionist Oil on Canvas, Framed, Circa 1920s, 66 cm
Located in London, GB
'The Park', oil on canvas, by M. Phidias (circa 1920s). Painted using this artist's trademark impasto, the effect is to add depth and texture to the exuberant display of hues and ref...
Canvas, Oil
$661Sale Price|30% Off
Le coffre et la lanterne, 1986, original lithograph by Jean Jansem, handsigned
By Jean Jansem
Located in Les Acacias GE, GE
Jean Jansem (1920-2013) Le coffre et la lanterne, 1986 Lithographie sur papier Arches Signée en bas à droite et justifiée en bas à gauche 67 x 51 cm / 76 x 54 cm D'une édition à 30...
Lithograph
$1,988Sale Price|20% Off
The Port of Honfleur, Oil on Canvas, Expressionist, Framed, 1958
Located in London, GB
'The Port of Honfleur, France', oil on canvas, by Julien Varlet (1958). A vibrant and evocative harbour scene from the historic port city of Honfleur in Normandy, France. Colourful, ...
Canvas, Oil
The sun is bright. Colorful, framed, warm, landscape, summer, small, hot, sunny
Located in Oslo, NO
The sun fills this landscape until everything seems touched by its heat. The village appears almost unreal, houses with unusual shapes, walls glowing in warm colors, and a space wher...
Canvas, Oil
The Joshua Tree in the Canyon, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A Joshua tree stands among yellow desert bushes, its leaves appearing to glow under the bright sun. In the distance, a blue ridge and a mountain rise. Rugged fo...
Oil
$3,308
Large modern expressionist figurative still life painting "Threefold Grace"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Threefold Grace" is a contemporary still life by French artist Natalya Mougenot, whose vibrant floral compositions celebrate color as emotion and gesture as language. In this radia...
Canvas, Linen, Acrylic