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New in Photorealist Art

PHOTOREALISM

A direct challenge to Abstract Expressionism’s subjectivity and gestural vigor, Photorealism was informed by the Pop predilection for representational imagery, popular iconography and tools, like projectors and airbrushes, borrowed from the worlds of commercial art and design.

Whether gritty or gleaming, the subject matter favored by Photorealists is instantly, if vaguely, familiar. It’s the stuff of yellowing snapshots and fugitive memories. The bland and the garish alike flicker between crystal-clear reality and dreamy illusion, inviting the viewer to contemplate a single moment rather than igniting a story.

The virtues of the “photo” in Photorealist art — infused as they are with dazzling qualities that are easily blurred in reproduction — are as elusive as they are allusive. “Much Photorealist painting has the vacuity of proportion and intent of an idiot-savant, long on look and short on personal timbre,” John Arthur wrote (rather admiringly) in the catalogue essay for Realism/Photorealism, a 1980 exhibition at the Philbrook Museum of Art, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At its best, Photorealism is a perpetually paused tug-of-war between the sacred and the profane, the general and the specific, the record and the object.

Robert Bechtle invented Photorealism, in 1963,” says veteran art dealer Louis Meisel. “He took a picture of himself in the mirror with the car outside and then painted it. That was the first one.”

The meaning of the term, which began for Meisel as “a superficial way of defining and promoting a group of painters,” evolved with time, and the core group of Photorealists slowly expanded to include younger artists who traded Rolleiflexes for 60-megapixel cameras, using advanced digital technology to create paintings that transcend the detail of conventional photographs.

On 1stDibs, the collection of Photorealist art includes work by Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Chuck Close, Audrey Flack, Charles Bell and others.

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Style: Photorealist
This Week's Listings Only
San Maurizio
Located in Milano, MI
Photo taken inside the San Maurizio Church of Milan. Marcelo Soulé (Buenos Aires, 1958) trained at the Artistic Lyceum and the Brera Academy in Milan. He lives and works between Mil...
Category

2010s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Black and White, Inkjet, Pigment

"FernLake" Cargo Ship at Sea - Company Chromolithograph on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
"FernLake" Cargo Ship at Sea Chromolithograph on Canvas Original Maiden Voyage of the FernLake Chromolithograph from the painting by Norwegian artist Carl B. Hestman (Norwegian, 19...
Category

1960s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Printer's Ink, Stretcher Bars, Canvas, Photogravure, Lithograph

Ann Richards and Dolly Parton in Austin Texas by Scott Newton
Located in Austin, US
Texan politician and former Texas governor, Ann Richards with Dolly Parton taken at the Driskill Hotel, Austin Texas in 1982 by photographer Scott Newton Photographers notes: We wer...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Moss Landing - 1965 Original Black and White Photograph
Located in Soquel, CA
Moss Landing - 1965 Original Black and White Photograph Original black and white photograph of Moss Landing in 1965 by Al Weber (American, 1930-2016). The photograph shows Moss Land...
Category

1960s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper

C Sørensen, Still Life With Trollius, Tea Cup & Books, Oil Painting
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This charming early 20th-century oil painting by Danish artist C Sørensen depicts an arrangement of trollius with a vase, tea cup and books. Little is known about C Sørensen, which ...
Category

1930s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Milano Palazzo Reale
Located in Milano, MI
Photo taken inside the Royal Palace of Milan. Marcelo Soulé (Buenos Aires, 1958) trained at the Artistic Lyceum and the Brera Academy in Milan. He lives and works between Milan and ...
Category

2010s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Black and White, Inkjet, Pigment

San Pietro
Located in Milano, MI
Photo taken at San Pietro - Rome Marcelo Soulé (Buenos Aires, 1958) trained at the Artistic Lyceum and the Brera Academy in Milan. He lives and works between Milan and Barcelona. He...
Category

2010s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Black and White, Inkjet, Pigment

The Hunter, Mid-Century Photo Realist Drypoint Etching Portrait, Limited Edition
By Gilbert Schoenbrod
Located in Soquel, CA
An incredible photo-realist drypoint etching of a Native American man by Gilbert Adam Shoenbrod (American, 1903-1996), 1937. Titled "The Hunter", this hyper detailed portrait depicts...
Category

1930s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Drypoint

Photorealism acrylic paint on board, Dutch coastline island Texel, Paal 15
Located in DEVENTER, NL
Peter van der Ploeg (Rhenen, The Netherlands, 1954) 'Paal 15' (Texel, The Netherlands) Signed P04 Acylic paint on board 55 x 105 cm. Peter van der Ploeg turns to landscape to find h...
Category

Early 2000s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Diptych Hand Painting
Located in Washington, DC
Exceptional pair of paintings by Washington DC artist Manon Cleary (1942-1911). Paintings are oil on canvas. Dated 1980 and signed in the front lo...
Category

1980s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Related Items
Floating Market Asia
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
Category

2010s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Untitled - Abstract Modern Architecture Photograph
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Pico Garcez (b.1963, São Paulo, Brazil) In Love with Photography, Iconography and Painting, exercises his gaze from childhood when he began to play with his first camera. Practicing ...
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2010s New in Photorealist Art

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Cotton, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Attributes of Art
By Dana Loomis
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Dana Loomis Title: Attributes of Art Year: 1984 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed and titled in marker Size: 40 in. x 46 in. (101.6 cm x 116.84 cm) Frame Size: 41 x 47 inches
Category

1980s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

El Puerto
Located in New York, NY
Steve Schlackman is a lawyer by profession and a photographer by choice. Fascinated by the magical world of photography since his youth, he honed this...
Category

2010s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Digital, Photogram, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment

El Puerto
H 30 in W 40 in D 2 in
Portrait of Nikita Khrushchev in Profile, Mid Century Black & White Photograph
Located in Soquel, CA
Exquisite black and white photograph of Nikita Khrushchev, a portrait in profile of the former Premier of the Soviet Union, by Yousuf Karsh from his ...
Category

1960s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Tempestuous Tidal in Blue, Stormy Seascape Diptych, Cyanotype Print, Duo, Blue
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Tempestuous Tidal in Blue" is an original cyanotype diptych portraying the tidal behavior during a storm. Details: + T...
Category

2010s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, C Print, Color, Dye Transfer, L...

Butterfly suite : Normandy - lithograph - Tall size, 1969
Located in Paris, FR
After Salvador DALI (1904-1969) Butterfly suite : Normandy, 1969 Lithograph and heliogravure Printed signature in the plate bottom right Tall model, from the 700 unumbered edition P...
Category

1960s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Photogravure, Lithograph

Los Angeles Crashing Waves Triptych, Nautical, Handmade Cyanotype in Blue Tones
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series of cyanotype triptychs showcases the beauty of nature scenes, including stunning beaches and oceans, as well as the intricate textures of water, forests, and skies. These...
Category

2010s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Photogram, Monotype, Lithograph, Color, C Print, Phot...

Japan Cherry Trees - Brussels - Gallery Print Edition - Panoramic Photography
Located in Brussels, BE
Panoramic view from the entrance of the Josaphat park in Brussels made from 12 pictures Pigment photographic paper - photography & fine art print © Jean Pierre De Neef You make my h...
Category

2010s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Greta Garbo - Somber Head Shot by Clarence Sinclair Bull, 1931
Located in Soquel, CA
Greta Garbo - Somber Head Shot by Clarence Sinclair Bull, 1931 1931 Black and white somber headshot photograph of Swedish/American actress Greta Garbo (Swedish, 1905-1990) by Clarence Sinclair Bull (American, 1896-1979). Greta Garbo gazes at the camera, her curled hair sits in front of her face. The background is black. A black and white photograph, matte finish, double-weight paper, depicting a 1931 shot of the star titled 'Mata Hari,' printed decades later from the original negative, penciled in the lower left corner "A.P.," Estate stamped and blind embossed in the lower right corner "Clarence Sinclair Bull," further blind embossed in same corner "The Kobal / Collection," verso with the photographer's black ink credit stamp, verso further with two "Edward Weston" black ink credit stamps dated "1981" and "1992," originally from the John Kobal Collection. Greta Garbo was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses of all time, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic characters, and her subtle and understated performances. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Garbo fifth on its list of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema. Clarence Sinclair Bull was born in Sun River, Montana, in 1896. His career began when Samuel Goldwyn hired him in 1920 to photograph publicity stills of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio's stars. He is most famous for his photographs of Greta Garbo, taken between 1926 and 1941. Bull's first portrait of Garbo was a costume study for the silent romantic drama film Flesh and the Devil in September 1926. Bull was able to study with the great Western painter...
Category

1930s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Paper, Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper

Butterfly suite : Auvergne - heliogravure and lithograph - 1969
Located in Paris, FR
after Salvador DALI (1904-1969) France : Auvergne, 1969 Lithograph and Heliogravure / Photogravure after an original design by Dali Blind stamp signature bottom right Numbered / 170...
Category

1960s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Photogravure, Lithograph

Having a cigarette amongst Green and Blue, hand painted Edition #5 large Canvas
Located in London, GB
Hand painted finishing Limited Edition ( #5 of 20 ) Museum archival quality on Canvas Edition . Hand painted finishing by artist with original brushstroke with paints on most highlights of the painting signed and numbered by Shizico Yi...
Category

2010s New in Photorealist Art

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Archival Ink, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Photorealist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Photorealist 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, purple, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Alex Sher, Gregory Block, Lowell Nesbitt, and Ian Hornak. 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 Photorealist art, so small editions measuring 0.79 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 $11 and tops out at $585,000, while the average work sells for $2,404.

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