Skip to main content

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.

356
to
219
1,034
930
366
519
1,227
643
60
1,049
373
356
131
58
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
1,968
418
215
176
168
118
104
79
21
20
10
1
1,146
573
410
394
341
264
157
153
142
135
113
109
108
105
85
79
71
66
63
61
1,180
5,164
36,140
6,683
191
449
971
2,251
1,968
6,310
5,771
4,455
2,201
999
1,078
62
58
46
25
20
537
507
298
251
211
Style: Modern
Period: 1940s
"Girl in Pareu"
By RAD Miller
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Robert Alexander Darrah “R.A.D.” Miller (1905 - 1966) Robert Alexander Darrah Miller, called “RAD” by his friends, was born in Philadelphia. He enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1923 to 1927 under the tutelage of Daniel Garber. In 1928, Miller moved to Bucks County where he would meet and marry Celia Belden Marshall, daughter of Dr. George M. Marshall, who at that time owned the Phillips Mill property. Nearly a year later, in 1929, a committee headed by artist, William Lathrop, negotiated to purchase the Mill property from Dr. Marshall for the purpose of holding art exhibitions. Thus, the Phillips Mill Art Association was formed. RAD Miller was a regular exhibitor at the Phillips Mill with the traditional New Hope Impressionists. Many of the original founders of the New Hope Art Colony, set in their ways, frowned upon the concept of modernist painting. A decision was made by the Association to not include the growing group of modernist painters in the area to exhibit with them at Phillips Mill. Although clearly not a traditional impressionist, Miller was not being excluded with the others, largely because his father-in-law formerly owned the mill and was one of the Association’s board of directors. RAD was sympathetic to his fellow modernists. In 1933, he was one of the original members of the Independents, a group formed for modernist artists who chose to embark on a more non-traditional creative path. They would exhibit in tandem with the Impressionists but at different locations. Around the time of his arrival to New Hope in 1928, Miller struck up a friendship with Thomas Hart Benton, and in 1932 he worked under Benton on a mural project. RAD’s paintings...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Rescue
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Exhibitions: It's a Man's World, Illustration Art by and for Men: November 14-17 2012, Illustration House NYC
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Schneelanschaft / Snowy landscape
Located in Wien, 9
The artwork is signed and dated on the lower right and provided with sticker verso. The frame is a golden showpiece. Provenance: Private collection Sweden
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Study for Sculpture of Nude Woman Balancing Baby
Located in New York, NY
Study for Sculpture of Nude Woman Balancing Baby, 1949, by Chaim Gross (1902-1991) Ink on paper 10 ½ x 7 ½ inches unframed (26.67 x 19.05 cm) 1...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

Untitled (Houses and Railroad Tracks)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Untitled (Houses and Railroad Tracks), c. 1940s, oil on canvas board, signed lower right, 16 x 20 inches, presented in a newer frame This work is part of our exhibition America Coas...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Board

My Only Working Tool
Located in Los Angeles, CA
My Only Working Tool, 1949, oil on panel, signed and dated lower right, 16 x 12 inches, remnant of exhibition label verso, exhibited at the Art News Second Annual National Amateur Co...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Untitled (Cubist Portrait)
By Jerre H. Murry
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This work is part of our exhibition - America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s Untitled (Cubist Portrait), 1945, oil on masonite, signed and dated lower middle, 20 x 16 inches,...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Masonite

Landscape
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Landscape, 1940, oil on canvas, 24 x 20 inches, signed, dated and titled verso: “Marcel Cailliet ’40 – S.C.” and “Marcel Cailliet Landscape”; likely exhibited at the annual juried st...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled (Farm in Winter)
By Julius M. Delbos
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This work is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s Untitled (Farm in Winter), 1940s, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 26 x 30 inches, presented in a...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled (Industrial Street)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This work is part of our exhibition - America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s Untitled (Industrial Street), c. 1940s, watercolor on paper mounted on illustration board, estate...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Watercolor, Board

A Valley Streetscape at Night
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This work is part of our exhibition - American Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s A Valley Streetscape at Night, 1948, oil on masonite, signed and dated lower right, 18 x 24 inch...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Untitled (Transcendental Composition)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This work is part of our exhibition - America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s Untitled (Transcendental Composition), oil on board, 1947, oil on board, signed and dated lower r...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Untitled (Collapsed Shacks)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Untitled (Collapsed Shacks), c. 1940s, oil on canvas, signed lower left, 20 ½ x 26 ½ inches, presented in a period frame This work is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: ...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

The Old World
By Russell Cowles
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Old World, by 1943, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 43 ½ x 30 ½ inches, artist’s name and title inscribed verso; exhibited 1) Romantic Painting in America, Museum of Modern Art, N...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Self Portrait
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Self Portrait, c. 1940s, oil on canvas, 14 ¼ x 12 1/4 inches, signed lower left, presented in a newer frame This work is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of th...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Orange Grove Landscape
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Orange Grove Landscape, 1941, gouache on illustration board, 14 inches x 18 inches (image), 22 x 26 inches (framed) signed and dated lower right, newly framed with museum glazing ...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Gouache, Board

Flowers and Arches
By Helen Lundeberg
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Flowers and Arches, 1943, oil on board, initialed and dated lower left, 4 x 7 1/8 inches, presented in an older, but likely not original frame This work is part of our exhibition A...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Riders of Pigeon Hill
By Jon Corbino
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Riders of Pigeon Hill, c. 1940s, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 24 x 36 inches, label verso with title, artist’s name and address; same information inscribed verso; ex-collection...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sea Shells – Blue & Gold
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sea Shells – Blue & Gold, c. 1940s, watercolor on paper, signed upper left, 15 x 19 ¼ inches (image); title and artist’s name and address inscribed verso, presented in a newer glazed...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Man on a Stair" American Scene Social Realism WPA Mid 20th Century Modern
Located in New York, NY
"Man on a Stair" American Scene Social Realism WPA Mid 20th Century Modern Robert M. Cronbach (AMERICAN / NEW YORK / MISSOURI, 1908 - 2001) modernist bronze sculpture depicting a st...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Bronze

Marital Portrait - Drawing by Alberto Savinio - 1948
Located in Roma, IT
Marital portrait is a modern artwork realized by Alberto Savinio in 1948. Pencil on paper. Hand signed by the artist and dedicated to Raffaele Carrieri. Certificate of authenticity by Ruggero Savinio...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil

Rabbit Hunters
By Roger Medearis
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rabbit Hunters, egg tempera on Masonite, 12 x 9 inches, 1947, signed and dated lower left, signed, titled and dated verso “Rabbit Hunters Egg Tempera Roger Medearis 1947,” exhibited ...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Tempera, Board

Untitled (Horns and Bow)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This painting is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s. Untitled (Horns and Bow), 1941, oil on board, signed and dated lower right, 15 x 20 1/x inches...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Blue Lake
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This painting is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s. Blue Lake, c. 1940s, oil on masonite, signed lower right, 20 x 36 inches, label and inscriptio...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Family at the Beach WPA Modernism American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century
Located in New York, NY
Family at the Beach WPA Modernism American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century William Gropper (1898 - 1977) "Family at the Beach" 27 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches Mixed media on paper, c. ...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Gouache, Watercolor, Ink, Paper

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Artist's Studio - Drawing - 1941
Located in Roma, IT
Artist's Studio is a modern artwork realized by an unknown artist in 1941. Watercolor on paper. Dated and Hand-signed, illegible. Good conditions.
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Watercolor

Portrait of Mrs Gilles - Photograph by Renzo Cinti - 1940
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Mrs Gilles is a Photograph realized by Renzo Cinti in the 1940s. Good condition included a cream-colored carboard passpartout (32x23 cm). Hand-signed by the artist on t...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Portrait of Mrs Gilles - Photograph by Renzo Cinti - 1940
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Mrs Gilles is a Photograph realized by Renzo Cinti in the 1940s. Good condition included a cream-colored carboard passpartout (32x23 cm). Hand-signed by the artist on t...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Stieglitz, The Terminal, Alfred Stieglitz Memorial Portfolio (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Halftone photographic print on gloss photographic paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, Alfred Stieglitz Memorial ...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Matisse, Flowers I, Verve: Revue Artistique et Littéraire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Marais paper. Inscription: Signed in the plate, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Verve: Revue Artistique et Littéraire, Vol. IV, N° 13, Novem...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Don't be Fuel-ish original vintage poster by HM Bateman WW2 Home Front
Located in London, GB
To see our other original vintage public information posters, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this seller" - or send us a message if you ca...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

H. M. Bateman Don’t be Fuel-ish original vintage poster World War 2 Home Front
Located in London, GB
To see our other original vintage public information posters, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this seller" - or send us a message if you ca...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Don't be Fuel-ish original vintage poster by HM Bateman WW2 Home Front
Located in London, GB
To see our other original vintage public information posters, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this seller" - or send us a message if you ca...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Save Fuel for Battle original vintage poster by HM Bateman WW2 Home Front
Located in London, GB
To see our other original vintage public information posters, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this seller" - or send us a message if you ca...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Don't be Fuel-ish original vintage poster by HM Bateman WW2 Home Front
Located in London, GB
To see our other original vintage public information posters, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this seller" - or send us a message if you ca...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Henry Moore 1949 School Prints Red Sculpture Lithograph "sculptural Objects"
Located in Surfside, FL
Henry Moore (British, 1898 - 1986) "Sculptural Objects" - 1949 Lithograph, signed in the plate. Mounted to backing sheet support Image Size: 19.5 x 30 in. Sheet Size: 22 x 32.5 i...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Don’t leave it all to your fuel watcher Original Vintage Poster WW2 Home Front
Located in London, GB
To see our other original vintage public information posters, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this seller" - or send us a message if you ca...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Stieglitz, Mountains and Sky, Alfred Stieglitz Memorial Portfolio (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Halftone photographic print on gloss photographic paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, Alfred Stieglitz Memorial ...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gracie Mansion
By Isabella Banks Markell
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This painting is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s. Gracie Mansion, c. 1944, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 25 x 30 inches, presented in a ne...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Homage to Leger
By Jean Kellogg
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This painting is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s. Homage to Leger, 1941, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 14 x 17 inches; inscribed ...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Marie Laurencin - Woman Angel - Original Etching
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Marie Laurencin - Woman Angel - Original Etching Paris, Le Gerbier, 1946 Edition of 340 Signed in the plate
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Etching

Untitled (Biomorphic Composition)
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This painting is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s. Untitled (Biomorphic Composition), 1948, oil on textured paper mounted on board, signed and da...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, Alfred Stieglitz Memorial Portfolio (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Halftone photographic print on gloss photographic paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, Alfred Stieglitz Memorial ...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Stieglitz, Poplars, Lake George, Alfred Stieglitz Memorial Portfolio (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Halftone photographic print on gloss photographic paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, Alfred Stieglitz Memorial ...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Stieglitz, Equivalent, Series 107, Alfred Stieglitz Memorial Portfolio (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Halftone photographic print on gloss photographic paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the folio, Alfred Stieglitz Memorial ...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

Gromaire, Composition, Gromaire (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin du Canson & Montgolfier Vidalon-Les-Annonay paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the volume, Gromaire, 1949. Publis...
Category

1940s Modern Art

Materials

Lithograph

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.

Recently Viewed

View All