The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.
"New York Skyline" Adelaide Lawson Gaylor, Modernist Landscape, Female Artist
Located in New York, NY
Adelaide Lawson Gaylor New York Skyline, circa 1925 Oil on canvas 48 x 45 inches Modernist artist Adelaide Jaffrey Lawson Gaylor was born in New York City and studied at the Art St...
Canvas, Oil
Skier in Vermont, 1962 - Skier in Snow at Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Skier in Vermont, 1962 - Skier in Snow at Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont by Slim Aarons 16" x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. 'Ski...
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital
$1,653Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary British Acrylic Painting Brown Owl Bird in Woodland
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Owl by Ben George Powell, British contemporary artist signed and dated 2014 acrylic on paper stuck on canvas, unframed canvas: 12 x 9.5 inches provenance: private collection of this ...
Acrylic
'Sailor and His Girl' —Mid-Century Modernism, WWII
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Bernard Brussel-Smith, 'Sailor and His Girl', wood engraving, 1941, edition 35. Signed, titled, and numbered '21/35' in pencil. Signed in the block, lower right. A superb, richly-in...
Woodcut
Marilyn Monroe, 4 Days in New York, 1955
Located in Cologne, DE
This iconic black-and-white photograph features the legendary Marilyn Monroe seated in a cinema, captured in the 1950s. In the foreground, Monroe’s beauty and presence are captured a...
Silver Gelatin
Blue Abstract by Frank Sinatra
Located in New Orleans, LA
Frank Sinatra 1915-1998 American Blue Abstract Signed "Sinatra 90" (lower right) Acrylic on canvas Widely considered the greatest American pop singer of the 20th century, Frank S...
Canvas, Acrylic
Beverly Hills Hotel, 1957 - Sunset Boulevard Hollywood California Landscape
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Beverly Hills Hotel, 1957 - Sunset Boulevard Hollywood California Landscape by Slim Aarons 16 x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped C-Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. Be...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
Colourful Modern French Landscape, The Roofs of St Tropez
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late 20th Century oil on canvas view of the colourful buildings and roofs in St Tropez, South of France, by Franco British artist Isabell Pardoe. The painting is not signed but came ...
Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
1930s American Modernist Landscape Painting by Burchfield Student Albright
Located in Buffalo, NY
A striking winter landscape watercolor by American artist Elisabeth Compton Chase, dated 1948, depicting a rural road leading past a red barn and farmhouse set within a snow-covered ...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, CT
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Paper, Mixed Media
$100,000
Patitcha
Located in London, GB
Henri Matisse Patitcha 1947 Aquatint on BFK Rives paper, Edition of 25 Paper size: 55.5 x 38 cms (22 x 15 ins) Image size: 34.9 x 27.6 cm (13 3/4 x 10 7/8 ins) HM15405 Selected Coll...
Aquatint
Slim Aarons Official Estate Edition - Palm Beach Idyll
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
Palm Beach Idyll A couple sunbathe by the sea at Palm Beach Florida 1955 USA (Photo by Slim Aarons). 40 x 40" inches / 101 x 101 cm paper size Estate Stamped Collection Edition...
Archival Pigment
Sea Drive
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons Sea Drive, 1967 40 x 60 inches Framing is additional Film producer Kevin McClory takes his wife Bobo Segrist and their family for a drive in a...
C Print
Londres - Original China Ink Drawing by J. Cocteau - 1920
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Roma, IT
Londres (Smoking in the Tub) is an original, rare and important realized by the great Surrealist artist Jean Cocteau in 1920. Realized for the book "Dessins" and published in the s...
Ink
Bedside View - In Celebration of Pride Month
Located in New Orleans, LA
Stone and Press Gallery is excited to offer several works in celebration of the LGBTQ community. a sexy young girl lies in bed bathed in sunlight
Digital Pigment
$984Sale Price|20% Off
Mountain Landscape by Henri Weissenbach - Oil on Canvas - 46x55 cm
By Henri Weissenbach
Located in Geneva, CH
Théobald Charles Henri Weissenbach (1891–1966) was a Swiss visual artist known for his contributions to painting. Born in Fribourg, Switzerland, and later active in Geneva, Weissenb...
Oil, Canvas
$716Sale Price|34% Off
Arp, Composition, Arp: On My Way (after)
By Jean Arp
Located in Southampton, NY
Woodcut on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition. Notes: From the folio, The Documents of Modern Art. Arp: On My Way, Poetry And Essays 1912 - 1...
Woodcut
The Italian filmmaker Alberto Bevilacqua - B/w Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Photo
Photographic Paper
Slim Aarons The Carlton Hotel Limited Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
The Carlton Hotel (1955) - Limited Estate Stamped - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo By Slim Aarons/Getty Images Archive) A Cadillac with Florida plates parked outside the Carlto...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$1,500
Skybird, Flying Colors for Braniff Airlines, Lithograph by Alexander Calder
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Alexander Calder (after) (American, 1898-1976) Title: Skybird, Flying Colors for Braniff Airlines Year: 1974 Medium: Lithograph, signed in the plate Size: 20 in. x 26 in. (50...
Lithograph
Slim Aarons 'Port Life'
By Slim Aarons
Located in New York, NY
Slim Aarons Port Life 1977 C-Print Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate. A man stops to watch a ...
Lambda
La Petite Corrida - Original lithograph (Bloch #839 / Mourlot #302)
Located in Paris, IDF
Pablo PICASSO La Petite Corrida, 1957 Original lithograph Printed signature in the plate On wove paper 31 x 24 cm (c. 12 x 10 in) Edition San Lazarro, 1958 - The edition was of ab...
Lithograph
Untitled
Located in Dallas, TX
Francis Chapin was one of the most celebrated painters in Chicago during his lifetime. When he was a young art student, Valley House founder, Donald Vogel, painted with "Chape" on th...
Paper, Watercolor
$7,761
Portrait of Giuseppe Garibaldi - Original Marble Sculpture - Late 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
This Portrait go Giuseppe Garibaldi is an original decorative marble sculpture realized in Italy by Italian manufacture during the end of the XIX century. The alabaster marble sta...
Marble
Artist Studio Interior with Easels Portraits and Painting Tools French Modernist
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Artist Studio Interior with Easels Portraits and Painting Tools French Modernist Guy Nicod (French 1923 - 2021) Gouache on artist paper, unframed Size: 19.75 x 24 inches (hei...
Gouache
$220Sale Price|89% Off
Summer in Provence Signed French Modernist Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Provence Huguette Ginet-Lasnier (French 1927-2020) signed watercolor painting on paper, mounted on card framed: 7 x 5.5 inches canvas: 5 x 5 inches. All the paintings we have for sal...
Watercolor
Broadway Costume Illustration by Designer Mabel E. Johnston
Located in New York, NY
Mabel E. Johnston Untitled, c. 1920s Watercolor and pencil on paper Sight: 18 x 12 1/2 in. Framed: 39 x 21 1/4 x 1/2 in. Signed lower right: Mabel E. Johnston The first tidbit I fou...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
Decorative Motifs - Chinese - Chromolithograph by A. Alessio
Located in Roma, IT
Decorative Motifs - Chinese Styles is a print on ivory-colored paper realized by Andrea Alessio in the early 20th Century. Signed on the plate on t...
Lithograph
$780Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage American Modernist Street Scene Signed Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive modernist street scene painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a period giltwood molding. Excellent condition,...
Canvas, Oil
Japanese Print, The Flight of the Crows at Sunset - Signed Woodcut
Located in Paris, IDF
Mokuchu URUSHIBARA The Flight of the Crows at Sunset, c. 1930 Woodcut after on an ink drawing Signed with the artist's stamp On paper 39.5 x 28 cm (c. 15,35 x 11.02 in) INFORMATIO...
Woodcut
Louis Armstrong, Berlin 1965
Located in Cologne, DE
This black-and-white photo captures jazz legend Louis Armstrong playing his trumpet during a performance in Berlin in 1965. Armstrong, with intense focus, holds the trumpet close to his lips, his cheeks slightly puffed as he blows into the instrument. The lighting creates a dramatic effect, highlighting the shine of the trumpet and his facial expression, which conveys his passion and dedication to the music...
Photographic Paper, Black and White
$1,320Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American School Modernist Framed Signed Exhibited Abstract Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Oil on board. Framed. Signed. Exhibited at the Butler Art Institute.
Canvas, Oil
Illustration of Jewish Laborers by Chaim Goldberg
Located in New York, NY
Chaim Goldberg (Polish-American, 1917-2004) Untitled, 20th century Ink and gouache on paper Sight: 11 1/4 x 14 in. Framed: 19 1/2 x 22 1/4 x 7/8 in. Signed lower left: Chaim Goldberg...
Paper, Ink, Gouache
Original "Our America, #4, the Future for Electrical Power" vintage poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original Coca-Cola: Our America Electricity #4, original vintage poster, archival linen backed, mint condition, horizontal, ready to frame. Light, Power...
Offset
Hylas and the Nymphs - Original wooodcut, Handsigned and numbered / 160
Located in Paris, IDF
Adolpho DE CAROLIS (1874-1928) Hylas and the Nymphs, 1925 Original woodcut Handsigned in pencil Numbered /160 On vellum 32.5 x 25.5 cm (c. 13 x 10 in) Bears the blind stamp of the e...
Woodcut
Hormiga con Hoja
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gerardo Fernandez South American Artist set of 10 bronze stick bugs with iron antennas. Some bugs have circles on their feet in order to make an art ...
Bronze
$396Sale Price|20% Off
Important Contemporary Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive contemporary abstract expressionist painting by Stephen Heigh. Oil on canvas. Signed. Image size, 8H x 10L.
Canvas, Oil
After Pablo Picasso - The Dwarf Dancer - Handsigned and Dedicated Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
After Pablo Picasso 1881 - 1973 The Dwarf Dancer (Barcelona Series) - 1966 Framed Offset Color lithograph signed, dated and dedicated at the bottom "For L...
Lithograph
$1,099Sale Price|20% Off
French 20th Century Modernist Painting Artists Paint Room Still Life
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artists Room by Guy Nicod (French 1923 - 2021) oil on artist paper, unframed painting : 19.75 x 24 inches stamped verso provenance: artists estate, France condition: very good and s...
Oil
$796Sale Price|20% Off
Jean Cocteau, Untitled, from Recipes for a Friend, 1964
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Jean Cocteau (1889–1963), titled Sans titre (Untitled), originates from the 1964 album Recettes pour un ami, illustrations de Jean Cocteau (Recipes for a...
Lithograph
Alfred Bendiner, Avalon (New Jersey)
Located in New York, NY
Apparently Bendiner never went a day without drawing. He was amazing! From Bendiner's Philadelphia the New Jersey beaches were an easy drive. Avalon is st...
Watercolor
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Promenade Danis Le Parc Etching, Modern Style, Signed, 10/25
Located in Belgrade, MT
This etching by Dimitrios Galanis , Greek early 20th century artist is part of my private collection and there is only one available. Dimitrios Galanis was a good friend of Picasso. ...
Paint, Ink, Etching, Lithograph
$777Sale Price|20% Off
Still Life With Blue Flowers and Green Drapery French Modern Gouache Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Still Life With Blue Flowers and Green Drapery French Modern Gouache Painting Guy Nicod (French 1923 - 2021) Gouache on artist paper, unframed Size: 22.5 x 19 inches (height ...
Gouache
The Couple - Etching by Mino Maccari - 20th Century
By Mino Maccari
Located in Roma, IT
The Couple is an original etching realized by Mino Maccari in the mid-20th Century. Good condition. Mino Maccari (1898-1989) was an Italian writer, painter, engraver and journalist...
Paper, Woodcut
Dean Rounds Up Taylor (1956) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print
Located in London, GB
Dean Rounds Up Taylor (1956) Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo Cineclassico/Alamy Archives) GIANT Elizabeth Taylor Rock Hudson James Dean 1956. Directed by George Stevens...
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
$2,000Sale Price|20% Off
LOTUS FLOWER - ROEDING PARK - Provincetown Style
By Mary Travis
Located in Santa Monica, CA
MARY TRAVIS (Active 1935 - 40) LOTUS FLOWER ROEDING PARK. c.1935-40 White line color woodcut. Signed and titled in pencil. Small edition. 10” x 8”. Full sheet. tears in upper margin. Travis worked in Berkeley, California and was probably a follower of William S...
Woodcut
La Donna Lucertola, Modern Etching by Rafael Alberti
Located in Long Island City, NY
This captivating 1971 etching by Rafael Alberti features abstract imagery inspired by the “lizard woman” theme through Modern Abstract Art sensibility. Alberti, renowned as a poet of...
Etching, Aquatint
Sleeping Nude Large Wall Art Cast Paper
By Frank Gallo
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Sleeping Nude Large cast handmade paper, artist signed AP 10/20, 1981 62x52x5.5 wood, linen and lucite box frame. Stunning art wall sculpture by Fran...
Lucite, Handmade Paper
$384Sale Price|20% Off
French Modernist 20th Century Oil Painting Knight in Shining Armour on Horseback
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Knight in Shining Armour French Modernist painter, circa 1950's oil on board unframed board: 10.5 x 9 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound...
Oil
Snow in the Valley - Winter Landscape in Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Snow in the Valley - Winter Landscape in Oil on Canvas Serene winter landscape by A. V. Gagliardi (20th Century). A valley is covered with snow, with a small house and river in thew...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
'C. Z. Guest' 1955 Palm Beach Slim Aarons Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print
By Slim Aarons
Located in London, GB
'C. Z. Guest' Palm Beach 1955 Slim Aarons Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print American socialite Mrs. Winston F. C. Guest (aka C. Z. Guest, 1920 - 2003) with a Great Dane at her o...
C Print
Hotel Hacienda, 1978 - Hotel Swimming Pool, Spanish Island of Ibiza Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Hotel Hacienda, 1978 - Hotel Swimming Pool, Spanish Island of Ibiza Photograph by Slim Aarons 16" x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. ...
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital
$232Sale Price|77% Off
Sketch of woman by Henri Fehr - Drawing
By Henri Fehr
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper Golden wooden frame with glass pane 85 x 68 x 2,7 cm
Crayon
Laszlo Willinger, Greer Garson, photograph
Located in Chatsworth, CA
This piece is an original vintage photograph, shot by Laszlo Willinger in the 1940's. It depicts English actress Greer Garson, a major star at Metro-Goldw...
Photographic Paper
A Colorful 1950s Mountain Beach Scene by Famed Modern Artist, Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A Vibrant, Colorful 1950s Painting of a Beach Scene along a Mountain Coast by Famed Chicago Modern Artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a picturesque view of a quiet bea...
Masonite, Oil
“Pauline Trigere”
Located in Southampton, NY
Here for your consideration is an original watercolor and gouache with traces of acrylic paint fashion illustration by the world renowned fashion artist, Kenneth Paul Block. Painted ...
Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper, Acrylic
The Bible : Adam and Eve banished from Paradise - Original Lithograph
By Marc Chagall
Located in Paris, IDF
Marc Chagall (1887-1985) The Bible, Adam and Eve banished from Paradise Original lithography (Daeger Workshop) On paper 36 x 26.5 cm (c. 14.2 x 10.2 in) Second illustration on the...
Lithograph
A Captivating 1940s Modern Painting of a Seated Female Nude by Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A captivating, 1940s Modern painting of a seated nude on a garden bench by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A sensitive, skilled portrait of a young female mode...
Oil, Masonite
Mrs George Cameron - Society Portrait of Socialite with Red Lips on Tiger Rug
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Mrs George Cameron - Society Portrait of Socialite with Red Lips on Tiger Rug by Slim Aarons 16" x 16" print on 16" x 20" paper. Limited Edition Estate...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
Scrabble in Palm Springs - Playing Scrabble by Swimming Pool in Tennis Whites
By Slim Aarons
Located in Brighton, GB
Scrabble in Palm Springs - Playing Scrabble by Swimming Pool in Tennis Whites by Slim Aarons 16" x 20" print. Limited Edition Estate Stamped Print. Edition of 150. Printed Later. '...
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital