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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
Coral tulips 1
Coral tulips 1

Coral tulips 1

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this piece, I poured my soul into capturing the vibrant energy and delicate beauty of tulips. Through bold brushstrokes and rich oil hues, I aimed to evoke warmth and resilience. ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Woman with a chef's Hat Belle Epoque
Woman with a chef's Hat Belle Epoque

Woman with a chef's Hat Belle Epoque

By René Guinand

Located in Genève, GE

Work on canvas Golden wooden frame 81 x 68 x 3 cm Woman with a chef's hat This striking portrait, typical of Expressionism, depicts a woman in an introspective pose. Vigorous brushst...

Category

1910s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Blooming tree
Blooming tree

Elena LukinaBlooming tree, 2022

$2,099Sale Price|20% Off

Blooming tree

Located in Zofingen, AG

"In this oil painting, I endeavored to capture the ephemeral beauty of nature's awakening. With each stroke, I sought to embody the delicate dance of blossoms on a gentle breeze, inf...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

In Whom I Confide - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women
In Whom I Confide - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women

In Whom I Confide - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

There is a special kind of trust that exists between sisters—not just those bound by blood, but those connected by the unshakable bond of sisterhood. In a world that often feels chao...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Tulips Red 3
Tulips Red 3

Tulips Red 3

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Tulips Red 3" bursts with life, a vivid floral painting where passion blooms in every detail. Red tulips take center stage, their vibrant hues energized by touches of blue, yellow, ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper

Horses of  Branges

Horses of Branges

By André Brasilier

Located in New York, NY

The condition is excellent and ready to hang. A photo certificate accompanies this painting and will be included in the forth coming catalogue raisonne. Signed lower right, and dated...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Fantasy with Flowers 55
Fantasy with Flowers 55

Fantasy with Flowers 55

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 ...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper

"Aus dem Composanto" original woodcut

"Aus dem Composanto" original woodcut

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original woodcut. The inscription on the banner translates to "Come Sweet Death". Printed in Germany in 1922 for the rare Ganymed portfolio of "Das vierte Jahrbuch der Marees...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

EVENING (SELF PORTRAIT with the Battenbergs)
EVENING (SELF PORTRAIT with the Battenbergs)

EVENING (SELF PORTRAIT with the Battenbergs)

By Max Beckmann

Located in Santa Monica, CA

MAX BECKMANN (German 1884 - 1950) EVENING (Self-Portrait with the Battenbergs) 1916, (Hofmaier 90: Gallwitz 67) Etching and drypoint, Plate 10 from the portfolio Gesichter (Faces)...

Category

1910s Expressionist Art

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Hillside in Galilee
Hillside in Galilee

Hillside in Galilee

By Arieh Allweil

Located in North Clarendon, VT

Fantastic estate find, Hillside in Galilee by Arieh Allweil. A beautiful expressionist painting by an exceptional artist. Oil on board, signed lower right, 15" x 11" painting, 20" x ...

Category

1930s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

original woodcut

original woodcut

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original woodcut. This impression on wove paper was printed in 1919 for Das Kestnerbuch, an important collection of original prints published during the height of the German ...

Category

1910s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

"Planetary phallus"
"Planetary phallus"

"Planetary phallus"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

A painting as a prophetic thought. A philosophical view on the sum of humanity's actions and the future of the entire race. My images in my paintings come true in our real lives; it'...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Paper

Row of Plane Trees In Winter - Maussane-les-Alpilles
Row of Plane Trees In Winter - Maussane-les-Alpilles

Row of Plane Trees In Winter - Maussane-les-Alpilles

By Yves Brayer

Located in London, GB

'Row of Plane Trees In Winter - Maussane-les-Alpilles', Provence, watercolour and pencil on art paper, by Yves Brayer (1946). A line of Plane trees greets visitors to almost every vi...

Category

1940s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

Shadow Dance, Original
Shadow Dance, Original

Shadow Dance, Original

By Eleanor Woolley

Located in Deddington, GB

Shadow Dance is an Original Oil painting by Eleanor Woolley. The artists inspiration for this painting is the play of light on figures in urban settings. The contrast of backlit figu...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Attitude - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women Fashion
Attitude - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women Fashion

Attitude - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women Fashion

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

The painting titled “Attitude” captures the very ‘essence’ of his subjects who they are and what they represent outside of their roles experiences obligations and accomplishments. Ma...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Composition, Poems of Léopold Sédar Senghor, Lois Mailou Jones
Composition, Poems of Léopold Sédar Senghor, Lois Mailou Jones

Composition, Poems of Léopold Sédar Senghor, Lois Mailou Jones

Located in Southampton, NY

Silkscreen on vélin paper. Paper Size: 22 x 17 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the album, Poems of Léopold Sédar Senghor, 1996. Published by The Limited Editions Club, New York; printed by Studio Heinrici, Ltd., New York, under the direction of Alexander Heinrici, New York, 1996. Excerpted from the album, CCC examples of this album have been printed by Daniel Keleher at Wild Carrot Letterpress. This edition was designed and set in Bodoni types by Dan Cart and Julia Ferrari at Golgonooza Letter Foundry. The silkscreen prints were made by Alexander Heinrici at Studio Heinrici. LOIS MAILOU JONES (1905-1998) was an African American artist and educator, often associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Jones was raised in Boston by working-class parents who emphasized the importance of education and hard work. After graduating from Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Jones began designing textiles for several New York firms. She left in 1928 to take a teaching position at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina. At Palmer, Jones founded the art department, coached basketball, taught folk dancing, and played the piano for Sunday services. Two years later, she was recruited by Howard University in Washington, D.C., to join its art department. From 1930–77, Jones trained several generations of African American artists, including David Driskell, Elizabeth Catlett, and Sylvia Snowden...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Screen

H.O. Miethke Das Werk folio "Judith I" collotype print
H.O. Miethke Das Werk folio "Judith I" collotype print

H.O. Miethke Das Werk folio "Judith I" collotype print

Judith I, no. 9 from the second installment of Das Werk Gustav Klimts Much like his treatment of the Classical personage, Danae, from Greek mythology, Klimt’s depiction of Judith takes an Old Testament character, a heroine who avenges the death of her husband by killing an Assyrian king, and firmly positions her in his present-day Vienna. His multicolored collotype rips the canvas from its gilded frame which directly references the subject with its title: “Judith und Holofernes”. Now in print form, Judith, holding the severed head of a male in murky shadow, is the ultimate Viennese femme fatale. Her likeness is unmistakably similar to a former lover of Klimt’s and famous Viennese soprano, Anna von Mildenburg. Though his allusion to ancient Assyria is apt, Klimt literally lifted the gold patterned background’s design motif from a relief detail from Sennacherib’s Palace displayed in a London museum. His context then is contemporary. In a sensual and sexually powerful tour de force, Klimt’s Judith...

Category

Early 1900s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

"Bildnis" original lithograph

"Bildnis" original lithograph

By Ludwig Meidner

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 ...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Poppy meadow 50X70
Poppy meadow 50X70

Poppy meadow 50X70

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this oil painting, I have captured the wild spirit of a meadow, brimming with vibrant poppies. My brushstrokes dance with expressionism and impressionism, while fine art technique...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Chama Canyon hand pulled serigraph by William Hook
Chama Canyon hand pulled serigraph by William Hook

Chama Canyon hand pulled serigraph by William Hook

By William Hook

Located in Paonia, CO

Chama Canyon is a limited edition hand-pulled serigraph no. 225 /260 in excellent condition. It is signed in pencil and published by Aspen Mountain Graphics. sheet size 14 x 18 image 12 x 16 For American artist William Hook ( b. 1948- ) art was a central focus in his family home and he began his career in art at an early age.. He studied at several prestigious art schools in the US and abroad. His work has been featured in magazines such as Southwest Art, Art of the West, U. S. Art, American Artist and Focus Santa Fe. The book… Leading the West… by Donald Hagerty features William Hook as one of the most notable influences on the western art scene. Publishers Harper-Collins and North Light have included his work in numerous books written about the contemporary art process in Europe and America. Hook’s paintings can be found in the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum, the Tucson Art Museum, the University of New Mexico, the FORBES Museum, NYC, and the Genesee Museum, NY as well as in many corporate and private collections. His work has also been featured in prints for the New Mexico Symphony, Music from Angel Fire...

Category

20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Screen

Blue Memories, Original Painting
Blue Memories, Original Painting

Blue Memories, Original Painting

By Robert Hofherr

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A Fauvist composition depicts a series of reimagined abandoned structures, stacked one on top of another. The layered mix of deep blue, green, and brown hues co...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Irises Still Life
Irises Still Life

Irises Still Life

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this oil painting, I've captured the delicate interplay of light and color through a tender arrangement of irises. My artistic expression melds impressionism with realism, allowin...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ewie - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral, Modern, Women
Ewie - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral, Modern, Women

Ewie - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral, Modern, Women

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Born in 1993 in...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Tulips Red 6
Tulips Red 6

Tulips Red 6

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Tulips Grey" is a vibrant floral painting where emotion takes center stage through swirling colors. Acrylic, oil pastel, and colored pencil dance across the paper, creating a dynami...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper

The Yellow Pitcher
The Yellow Pitcher

The Yellow Pitcher

By Charles Kvapil

Located in London, GB

'The Yellow Pitcher', oil on canvas, by Charles Kvapil (1939). A prolific painter of bouquets, the artist created dozens of tableaux with flowers as sub...

Category

1930s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Positive Gaze
Positive Gaze

Esther ObiwuruPositive Gaze, 2022

$2,850Sale Price|20% Off

Positive Gaze

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Positive Gaze is an Original painting by Esther Obiwuru. Esther created Positive Gaze with Acrylic on a 36W by 48H primed canvas. Positive Gaze fo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Erste Beruhrung" First Stirrings
"Erste Beruhrung" First Stirrings

"Erste Beruhrung" First Stirrings

By Ernst Neuschul

Located in Brecon, Powys

Oil on canvas, signed and dated 'EN [19]63' lower right, titled and dated to stretcher, numbered 33 and with paper label 34 to stretcher, From the family of the artist by direct des...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Interior Scene with Figure" Expressionistic Style Oil Painting on Masonite
"Interior Scene with Figure" Expressionistic Style Oil Painting on Masonite

"Interior Scene with Figure" Expressionistic Style Oil Painting on Masonite

By Michael Baxte

Located in New York, NY

A strong modernist oil painting depicted in 1969 by Russian painter Michael Baxte. Mostly known for his abstracted figures on canvas or street scenes, this piece is a wonderful representation of his bold still life paintings, with expressive use of color, shape, and form. Later in his career, Baxte explores Expressionism, infusing both European and North American stylistic trends. This piece is from later in his career, but we can feel this underlying style throughout. Art measures 21.75 x 18 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. Around 1912, Michael Baxte returned to Europe to study the violin. In 1914 he, his mother, and Joseph moved to New York City. Meanwhile, in Algeria, a talented young woman painter, Violette Mege, was making history. Since for the first time, a woman won the prestigious Beaux Art competition in Algeria. At first, the awards committee denied her the prize but, with French government intervention, Mege eventually prevailed. She won again 3 years later and, in 1916, used the scholarship to visit the United States of America. When Violette came to New York, she met Baxte, who was, by then, an accomplished violinist, teacher, and composer. Baxte’s compositions were performed at the Tokyo Imperial Theater, and in 1922 he was listed in the American Jewish Yearbook as one of the prominent members of the American Jewish community. As a music teacher he encouraged individual expression. Baxte stated, “No pupil should ever be forced into imitation of the teacher. Art is a personal experience, and the teacher’s truest aim must be to awaken this light of personality through the patient light of science.” By 1920 Michael Baxte and Violette Mege were living together in Manhattan. Although they claimed to be living as husband and wife, it seems that their marriage did not become official until 1928. On their “unofficial” honeymoon around 1917, in Algiers, Baxte confided to her his ambition to paint. There and later in New Mexico where the wonderful steeped sunlight approximates the coloring of Algiers, she taught him his heart’s desire. He never had any other teacher. She never had any other pupil. For ten years she devoted all her time, energy, and ambition to teaching, encouraging, inspiring him. Then in 1928, their mutual strivings were rewarded, as his works were being chosen as one of the two winners in the Dudensing National Competition for American Painters. Out of 150 artists from across the country participated in the Dudensing, and Michael Posner Baxte and, Robert Fawcett...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Masonite

Gathering -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, People, Expressionism, Africa
Gathering -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, People, Expressionism, Africa

Gathering -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, People, Expressionism, Africa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

In every culture, there is a circle where wisdom gathers — a space where stories are not simply told, but lived. The Gathering captures this timeless communion of hearts and minds, w...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Coffee, Mixed Media

Tulips Yellow 3, Expressionist Pastel on Paper, 2025
Tulips Yellow 3, Expressionist Pastel on Paper, 2025

Tulips Yellow 3, Expressionist Pastel on Paper, 2025

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this piece, I poured raw emotion into vibrant yellow tulip forms, blending oil pastel and colored pencil to create energetic motion. The expressive strokes capture a spontaneous d...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper

Sea of Blues N10, Abstract Blue and White Fish Patterns, Mediterranean Style
Sea of Blues N10, Abstract Blue and White Fish Patterns, Mediterranean Style

Sea of Blues N10, Abstract Blue and White Fish Patterns, Mediterranean Style

Located in Barcelona, ES

This series by Enric Servera explores the relationship of humans to salt and seawater. The intention of these works is to submerge us into the sea, a salty treasure that surrounds us and reminds us of its natural beauty and the importance of its preservation. Details: Title: Sea of Blue N10 Medium: Mixed Media on Paper Size: 63 x 90 cm (28.4 x 35.4 inches). Year: 2021 * Frame is for illustrative purposes only. Artwork shipped carefully rolled and packaged in a tube. * Certificate of Authenticity provided. Enric Servera (Ciutadella de Menorca, 1970) lives and works between Barcelona and Menorca, Spain. His works explores the colors and forms of the ocean, inspired by the fauna and flora of the Mediterranean Sea. His work has shown in galleries across Spain, and is part of several public and private collections. Words that may describe this series of artworks are: Mediterranean-inspired art, abstract sea...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor

Pink bouquet 35X35 oil painting.
Pink bouquet 35X35 oil painting.

Pink bouquet 35X35 oil painting.

Located in Zofingen, AG

In my creation, I sought to capture the fleeting beauty of life through vibrant strokes, harmoniously blending realism and impressionism. This oil painting is a celebration of nature...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tides of  Change 1 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative People, Expressionism
Tides of  Change 1 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative People, Expressionism

Tides of Change 1 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative People, Expressionism

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Tides of Change captures the constant ebb and flow of human experience, where moments of uncertainty give rise to transformation. Like the sea, life moves in rhythms of loss and rene...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Coffee, Mixed Media

Roses in vase
Roses in vase

Roses in vase

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this piece, I sought to capture the ephemeral beauty of nature, using the giclée print medium to convey the delicate dance between light and shadow. My brushstrokes breathe life i...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard, Giclée

Houses in Twilight: Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting, c. 1950
Houses in Twilight: Expressionist Landscape Oil Painting, c. 1950

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 ...

Category

1950s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

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.