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Modern Art

MODERN STYLE

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.

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Style: Modern
Original Lazzaro Donati Painting of an Abstracted Woman
Original Lazzaro Donati Painting of an Abstracted Woman

Original Lazzaro Donati Painting of an Abstracted Woman

By Lazzaro Donati

Located in New York, NY

Lazzaro Donati (Italian, 1926-1977) Untitled (Abstract Woman), Mid-20th Century Oil on board 20 x 16 in. Framed: 25 3/4 x 21 7/8 in. Signed lower right Lazzaro Donati (1926-1977) was born in Florence in 1926 and attended the Academy of Fine Arts. He began to paint in 1953, and in 1955 held his first exhibition at the Indiano Gallery in Florence. Within three years eleven exhibitions followed in Italy, and as his reputation grew he was invited to give major exhibitions in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo. He is considered one of the foremost contemporary Italian painters and his paintings hang in museums and private collections throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Mr. Donati lived and worked at 24 Piazza Donatello in Florence, the square where generations of artists have created works worthy of the great Florentine tradition. As you entered the narrow hallway to his studio, a gilded life-size Venetian angel beckoned you to his door. Once inside, the present faded away and you found yourself in an atelier where early masters might have worked during the Renaissance. Within, luxurious Persian rugs set off the innumerable objects d'art and antique furnishings. Light poured in through the sloping glass wall on the north side. A dramatic stairway led to an overhanging balcony which served as a private gallery where the artist hung some of his favorite early works. To the left of the entrance was a smaller studio where Donati sculpted, with a window overlooking the famous old English cemetery where tourists laid flowers on the grave of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. In the main studio itself, where Donati received his clients in an atmosphere as polished as an office of a top executive, one hardly realized that it was here that the artist actually painted. His easel was covered with Persian blue velvet, the painting on the easel was already framed, his chair was upholstered in red velvet and on his palette the colors were arranged with the precision of a Byzantine mosaic. In a corner stand were his latest works, framed and ready to be sent off to his next exhibition in Europe or America. Donati was a born host with a warm welcome, an elegant man who possessed enormous charm a good nature and a keen sense of humor. Apparently shy, he preferred to speak on subjects extraneous to his art, purposely distracting you from his paintings, then leading you back to them, tactfully and without pretension. He spoke fluent French and English as well as some Spanish and German. "After all", he said, "you've got to know how to sell a painting to everyone." He had no sympathy for the "drip and splash" studios of his contemporaries, preferring to keep his studio tidy and spotless. "Painting is a matter of precision", he said, "If a painter can't put his paint where he wants it to go, I don't see how he can call himself a painter. For me it is absolutely necessary to control the paint." When asked to reveal the technique he used to achieve the enamel-like finish typical of his paintings he answered, "That is a secret between me and my butler. Actually, most of my paintings are done by him!" But in fact behind the façade, Donati was a serious craftsman who devoted to his painting as a way of life and means of expression. From the beginning of his career, his paintings revealed a striving for perfection and continual research in problems of style and technique. His early works indicated a momentary interest in surrealism and abstract art; they were predominantly two dimensional, depending on line and strong color. But by 1958, with his painting The Lady with a Fan...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Pool Patterns, Nautical Abstract Seascape Triptych, Blue Cyanotype Print
Pool Patterns, Nautical Abstract Seascape Triptych, Blue Cyanotype Print

Pool Patterns, Nautical Abstract Seascape Triptych, Blue Cyanotype Print

By Kind of Cyan

Located in Barcelona, ES

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition of a cyanotype. This beautiful triptych is called "Fresh California Pool patterns", which shows the semi-abstract movements of light reflecting in a California swimming pool. Details: + Edition Size: only 20 + Medium: Cyanotype Print on Watercolor Paper + Stamped and Certificate of Authenticity provided. + Measurements : 100x210 cm (40 x 84 in.) Each paper measures 100cm x 70cm (about 40 in. x 28 in.) each. , a standard frame size. + All cyanotype prints...

Category

2010s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Original Still LIfe Lithograph
Original Still LIfe Lithograph

Original Still LIfe Lithograph

Located in Los Angeles, CA

A large modernist Still life lithograph with great colors. Signed lower right, numbered 12/125 lower left. Matted and framed under plexi. Dimensions: (Frame) H 35.5" x W 41", (Sight)...

Category

1970s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Waterfall - Signed Facsimile, Ltd /450
The Waterfall - Signed Facsimile, Ltd /450

The Waterfall - Signed Facsimile, Ltd /450

By M.C. Escher

Located in Paris, IDF

M.C. ESCHER (1898-1972) The Waterfall, 2008 Facsimile after the original woodcut from 1935 Signed in the plate Numbered / 450 copies (the number you can see can be different) On vel...

Category

20th Century Modern Art

Materials

Color

Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.
Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.

Mary Magdalene - Oil on Canvas by Italian School 19th cent.

Located in Roma, IT

Oil on canvas. cm 60.5 x 2 x 50 Nice Oil painting (Italian School of XIX century) with a rapid sign and intense colors backgrpound. Some color cracking on left margin and top edge, ...

Category

18th Century Modern Art

Materials

Oil

Till It All Withers 3 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Men
Till It All Withers 3 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Men

Till It All Withers 3 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Men

By Samson Olatubosun

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 Samson Olatubos...

Category

19th Century Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Photographic Paper

Original The Rocky Horror Picture Show US 1 sheet movie poster, on linen, 1975
Original The Rocky Horror Picture Show US 1 sheet movie poster, on linen, 1975

Original The Rocky Horror Picture Show US 1 sheet movie poster, on linen, 1975

Located in Spokane, WA

Original The Rocky Horror Picture Show vintage movie poster, professionally linen backed with original fold marks restored, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. A different set of jaws. ...

Category

1970s Modern Art

Materials

Offset

Made In The Shade 5 - Modern Resin Minimalist Multicolor Geometric Abstract Art
Made In The Shade 5 - Modern Resin Minimalist Multicolor Geometric Abstract Art

Made In The Shade 5 - Modern Resin Minimalist Multicolor Geometric Abstract Art

By Ricky Hunt

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art

Materials

Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel

The Solar Woman, 1951 - Original lithograph
The Solar Woman, 1951 - Original lithograph

The Solar Woman, 1951 - Original lithograph

By Françoise Gilot

Located in Paris, IDF

Françoise GILOT (1921) The Solar Woman, 1951 Original lithograph On Marais vellum 28 x 22.5 cm (c. 11 x 9 inches) REFERENCES : Catalog raisonne "Stone Echoes, Original Prints by Francoise Gilot, A catalog Raisonne", Mel Yoakum, #8 From the poetry portfolio "Pages d'Amour" by André VERDET, editions Raison d'être, 1951, printed by Mourlot in 366 copies. Françoise GILOT is a famous french painter...

Category

Late 20th Century Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

RECLINGING WOMAN
RECLINGING WOMAN

RECLINGING WOMAN

By Antoniucci Volti

Located in Los Angeles, CA

ANTONIUCCI VOLTI "RECLINGING WOMAN" BRONZE, SIGNED, NUMBERED 2/6 VALSUANI FOUNDRY ITALiAN, WORKED IN PARIS, C.1960 6.5 X 18.5 X 10.5 INCHES Antoniucci Volti 1915-1989 Sculptor, painter, and printmaker Antoniucci Volti was born in Albano, Italy, in 1915. His family lived in Italy until 1920 when the family moved to France. Volti studied at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Nice from 1928 to 1920. By 1932 the young artist had won a gold medal for two polychrome bas-reliefs before going to Paris, where he entered the studio of Jean Boucher at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris at the age of only fifteen. After serving in the Second World War, when he was interned as a prisoner of war in Bavaria, he returned in poor health to Paris, only to find his studio destroyed. From 1947 he showed work at various Paris Salons and, in 1954 and 1955 at the Brussels and Antwerp Biennales. In 1957 a retrospective of his work was organized at the Museum Rodin in Paris. He died in Paris in 1989 Works by Volti are in leading museums such as the Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris. Antoniucci Volti is one of the most important Late Modern...

Category

1960s Modern Art

Materials

Bronze

Untitled, Nude
Untitled, Nude

Untitled, Nude

By June Felter

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist: June Felter (1919-2019) Title: Untitled Year: 1964 Medium: Watercolor Sight size: 20 x 14.25 inches. Framed size: 29.25 x 23 inches Signature: Si...

Category

1960s Modern Art

Materials

Watercolor

"Lahti" Rope work on canvas, by Axelle Gosse (40x 60 in), 2026
"Lahti" Rope work on canvas, by Axelle Gosse (40x 60 in), 2026

"Lahti" Rope work on canvas, by Axelle Gosse (40x 60 in), 2026

Located in Paris, France

This artwork by Axelle Gosse explores the interplay of structure, rhythm, and color through a complex composition crafted from rope and textile. Meticulously arranged lines create a ...

Category

2010s Modern Art

Materials

Textile

Cappiello's Contratto Canelli Vermouth - later printing, archival linen-backed
Cappiello's Contratto Canelli Vermouth - later printing, archival linen-backed

Cappiello's Contratto Canelli Vermouth - later printing, archival linen-backed

By Leonetto Cappiello

Located in Spokane, WA

Original Contratto Canelli Vermouth vintage Italian liquor poster. Archival linen backed and ready to frame. Very good condition. This is the later c.1950 lithograph printing of the poster. Beautiful advertising vintage affiche printed in offset lithography (second edition). There is no second printing date besides the original date inside the poster by Cappiello's signature. (Note that the earlier printing sells for about $9500.) Most standard size original Italian posters are 39" x 55" in size; or 27.5" x 39 half sheets. This is currently the lowest and best price for this Cappiello Contratto poster...

Category

Late 20th Century Modern Art

Materials

Offset

Important Colorful Still Life Oil on Canvas Painting, Fruit-Bowl Motif
Important Colorful Still Life Oil on Canvas Painting, Fruit-Bowl Motif

Important Colorful Still Life Oil on Canvas Painting, Fruit-Bowl Motif

Located in Atlanta, GA

Bursting with color and movement, this vibrant oil‑on‑canvas still life presents a boldly modern interpretation of the classic fruit‑bowl motif. The composition features grapes, appl...

Category

1980s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Scribe, Rabbi Writing A Torah, Judaica Artists Proof
The Scribe, Rabbi Writing A Torah, Judaica Artists Proof

The Scribe, Rabbi Writing A Torah, Judaica Artists Proof

By Emanuel Schary

Located in Surfside, FL

EMANUEL SCHARY Israel, b. 1924, d. 1994 A lively affection for humanity characterizes the work of the Israeli-American artist Emanuel Schary (1924-1994). Working in a range of media,...

Category

20th Century Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Warhol‑Style Colorful Flowers
Warhol‑Style Colorful Flowers

Warhol‑Style Colorful Flowers

Located in Zofingen, AG

shipped in roll Acrylic on canvas Size: 60 x 90 x 2 cm Style: Modern minimalistic and pop art Professional-grade acrylics on canvas Signed by the artist with certificate of authenti...

Category

2010s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

1960’s French Stylish Portrait of a Woman Modernist Oil 1965
1960’s French Stylish Portrait of a Woman Modernist Oil 1965

1960’s French Stylish Portrait of a Woman Modernist Oil 1965

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Artist/ School: French School signed A.Bertin signed on back, dated 1965 Title: Period portrait of a woman Medium: oil on board, framed Framed: 18.5 x 12.5 inches Board : 18 x 12 ...

Category

1960s Modern Art

Materials

Oil

Kui, Modern Woodcut Print by Stephen White
Kui, Modern Woodcut Print by Stephen White

Kui, Modern Woodcut Print by Stephen White

By Stephen White

Located in Long Island City, NY

Stephen White - Kui, Year: 1981, Medium: Woodblock on Japon, signed, dated, titled and numbered in pencil, Edition: AP 16/20, Size: 36 x 24.5 in. (91.44 x 62.23 cm)

Category

1980s Modern Art

Materials

Woodcut

Fine 1950's English Oil Grand Interior Room Scene Ancestral Portraits signed
Fine 1950's English Oil Grand Interior Room Scene Ancestral Portraits signed

Fine 1950's English Oil Grand Interior Room Scene Ancestral Portraits signed

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

The Guildhall, Worcester English School, mid 20th century indistinctly signed verso oil on canvas canvas: 20 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good and sound condition The Worcester Guildhall was originally built as a meeting place for Worcester merchants around 1227. As with many other guildhalls, it became the centre for civic administration, a role it maintained after the merchant guild had disappeared. The present Worcester Guildhall is a superb Queen Anne building, begun in 1722 by Thomas White, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren. White was badly paid for his efforts, and he died in poverty in 1738, bestowing the money he was owed on the Worcester Royal Infirmary. The city finally paid its debt in 1753. The exterior of the Guildhall is brick, dressed with stone. White himself is said to have carved the figure of Queen Anne over the entry, as well as those of Charles I and II, a reminder of the city's long history of royal support. The interior is superb, boasting exceptional period decoration. The Tourist Information Centre is now located in the Guildhall. HISTORY In 1227 Henry III granted the citizens of Worcester a royal charter granting them the right to establish a guild of merchants. The guild was responsible for controlling trade in the city, but their meeting place gradually became the main centre of administration for city government and acted as a courthouse. So, in effect, the Guildhall was the town hall, and though the city guilds have long since vanished, the Guildhall name lives on. The medieval guild merchants would not recognise the building that faces onto High Street now. Their guildhall was a large timber-framed building, occupying the same site, with a piazza for shops fronting the street, courts of justice at each end, and a prison to the north of the building. Part of the prison was a cell called 'the peephole', which gained a notorious reputation. There was a gaoler's house, and attached to it an alehouse from which the gaoler sold ale at extremely high prices to any prisoner who could afford the cost. In 1717 the city administration decided on a new Guildhall, and they knew just who to call; upon to build it. Thomas White was not an architect in the way we think of it today, but a stonemason. In 1705 he had carved a statue of Queen Anne to stand in front of the medieval Guildhall and was made a Freeman of the City. The total cost of the fashionable new red-brick building was £3727. The Corporation only put forward £800, and the rest had to be raised by public subscription. The centre section of the new Guildhall was finished by 1724 and has remained almost unchanged since then. The central facade is a wonderful example of early Georgian style, with three bays flanked by Corinthian pillars. Over the entrance is a huge carving incorporating the Hanoverian royal arms. White's earlier statue of Queen Anne was placed in a niche over the door, and on either side were statues of Charles I, depicted holding a church, and Charles II, with an orb and royal sceptre. On the rooftop are figures of Labour, Peace, Justice, Plenty, and Chastisement. North and south wings were added within a few years of the central block. The south wing was used as a judge's lodging when the assizes were taking place, but throughout the rest of the year it housed a coffee shop. The most striking external feature of the Guildhall is a set of iron gates...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Cat and Mouse : Original etching, Handsigned
Cat and Mouse : Original etching, Handsigned

Cat and Mouse : Original etching, Handsigned

By Mordecai Moreh

Located in Paris, IDF

Mordecai MOREH Cat and Mouse, 1982 Original etching Handsigned in pencil Numbered / 300 On vellum 9 x 21 cm (c. 4 x 8 inch) INFORMATION : This etching was created for the Greeting ...

Category

1980s Modern Art

Materials

Etching

Modern art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Modern 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 blue, red, orange, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Kevin Westenberg, Stuart Möller, Destro, and Christel Haag. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Modern art, so small editions measuring 0.4 inches across are also available. Prices for art made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $33 and tops out at $390,000, while the average work sells for $1,912.