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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
MAN RAY (1890-1976), MRS ROWELL, 1930 Photogravure, FIRST EDITION
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Man Ray (American born, 1890 - 1976) Title: MRS ROWELL Date Of Negative: 1930 Type Of Print: Authentic Vintage Sheet Fed Photogravure/Heliogravure. Date Of Print: 1934 1st Ed...
Category

1920s Photorealist Art

Materials

Photogravure

Freedom and love
Located in Zofingen, AG
This piece captures the sublime sensation of freedom found beneath the surface of the water — a space where vulnerability and liberation coexist. In this raw, elemental environment, ...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Veil of the Sea - original contemporary realism waterscape painting for sale
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Les Carreaux Anciens, Photorealist Still Life Oil Painting by Patrick Le Flohic
Located in Long Island City, NY
Les Carreaux Anciens Patrick Le Flohic, French (1952) Oil on canvas, signed lower left, titled on verso Size: 44.5 x 57.5 in. (113.03 x 146.05 cm)
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Night, Times Square 1979 Signed Limited Edition Screen Print
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Noel Mahaffey Night Times Square – 1979 Print – Silkscreen print on Somerset Paper 22” x 30” Edition: signed in pencil and marked PP 4/25 Noel Mahaffey was born in St. Augustine, ...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Screen

"The Hope" (2025) Oil Portrait Painting on Canvas
Located in Denver, CO
This incredible original oil painting is framed at 19 x 19 inches, and is ready to hang. About the Artist: Serge Marshennikov was born in 1971 in Ufa (Bashkiria, USSR). His grandfat...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Azure Tempest -original modern realism seascape oil painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. In "Azure Tempest," Lia Madsen presents a breathtaking vista o...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

WAITING IN THE WINGS Signed Lithograph, Ballerinas in Stairwell, Pink Blue Tutus
Located in Union City, NJ
WAITING IN THE WINGS is an original hand drawn lithograph by the photorealist American painter Douglas Hofmann printed using hand lithography techniques on archival Arches paper, 100...
Category

1990s Photorealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Pool Party II - underwater monochrome nude photograph - archival pigment print
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
An underwater photograph of two naked young women in the pool. The minimalistic photograph partially depicts bodies in blue color schema. Original gallery quality print signed by th...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Co-signed Raquel Welch on the cross by Terry O'Neill
Located in Austin, TX
Co-signed by both Raquel Welch and photographer Terry O'Neill, 20x24" silver gelatin print. Actress Raquel Welch in a photo conceived by photographer Terry O'Neill after Welch noted that she was afraid that the press would "crucify" her for her film choices, taken on the Fox Lot in the late 1960s. Originally deemed too scandalous for promotional use at the time, the photo wasn't published until 30 years later, on the cover of The Sunday Times...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Brazil - 21st Century, Figurative Painting, Green, Flag, Bikini Bottom
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Brazil, 2010 Oil on canvas (Signed, front right middle) 14.96 H x 18.11 W in. 38 H x 46 W cm. The contemporary society is seen as an "extra-wrapped" society by the artist Mihai Flor...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Sky 54" Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
James Van Fossan's "Sky 54" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a skyscape of grey and white clouds arching through a blue sky.
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Ain't no Mountain high enough by K. Husslein Impasto Landscape Mountain Painting
Located in DE
Katharina Husslein's textural and abstract paintings vividly encapsulate the vibrancy and movement found in a bouquet of flowers. This series differs from Husslein’s more controlled...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

New York Skyline 1980 Cityscape Signed Limited Edition Lithograph
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
H.N. Han Han Hsiang-Ning (Chinese b.1939) New York Skyline 1980 From the Cityscape Portfolio Pencil signed, dated and marked PP 4/25 in the margin Color lithograph on Somerset. Pape...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Walk - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Sea, Beach View, Realism, Woman
Located in Salzburg, AT
Artodyssey "Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with co...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Infinity - underwater black and white nude photograph - archival paper 28"x35"
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
An underwater black and white photograph of a topless female dancer in the pool. Original gallery quality print signed by the artist. Digital archival pigment print on archival pap...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Timeless Beauty, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Original, one-of-a-kind, hand-painted, inspired by the aerial view of The Bahamas and Turks And Caicos Islands from my last vacation there Dealing with depression, PTSD, and anxiety...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Robert & Patti, New York 1969 “Patti with Cigarette”
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition fine art print of Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, taken in her kitchen in New York by celebrated photographer and filmmaker, Norman Seeff in 1969. This Patty Smith...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

"Cherished Playthings" (2020), Photorealist Pastel Still-Life with Toys on Paper
Located in Denver, CO
Irene Georgopoulou's "Cherished Playthings" (2020) is an original soft pastel on paper artwork, measuring 17 x 11 inches, and framed at 19 x 13 x 3 in. Georgopoulou's expert use of ...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Untamed - Powerful Ocean Waves
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Steven Nederveen's art is a testament to the complex and ever-evolving relationship between humans and nature. His vivid nature scenes, often seemingly uplifting and idyllic, also reveal the darker aspects of our connection with the natural world. Through his work, Nederveen explores the dualities of our relationship with nature - the love and destruction that can coexist within us. His masterful use of color and light illuminates the beauty and mystery of natural environments such as oceans and...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel

South Manhattan from Chelsea area NYC - Contemporary Panoramic Color Photography
Located in Brussels, BE
Pigment photographic paper - photography & fine art print © Jean Pierre De Neef Artwork sold in perfect condition from a limited edition of 12 ex- Composition from an assembly of 6 ...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Mick Jagger Parka by Terry O'Neill signed limited edition artist proof print
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition photographic print of The Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger posing in a fur parka, with a fur trimmed hood, 1964, by Terry O'Neill Signed limited edition "Lif...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Sunkissed Peaches -original hyper-realism fruit oil painting- contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. “Sunkissed Peaches” by Ann Goldberg is a radiant example of co...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1960's Hollywood Photography by Lawrence Schiller 'Marilyn Monroe'
Located in White Plains, NY
'Marilyn Monroe, 1962' by American photographer, Lawrence Schiller. Digital pigment, Ed. 26/35. Image: 13.5 x 19 in. / Paper: 16 x 20 in. From the set of the film 'Something's Got to...
Category

1960s Photorealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Sleeping Swan - underwater nude ballet photograph - print on paper 16.5” x 23.5”
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Underwater ballet. An underwater photograph of topless ballerina in white tutu skirt on a bottom of a pool. Original gallery quality archival pigment print on archival paper signed ...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Music of the ocean 2., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Music of the ocean 2. Blue water, ocean, shimmering sun glare on the water, clear sky, small waves, create an atmosphere of relaxation and romance. Made in the style of realism, ligh...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Marilyn Monroe nude in Somethings Got To Give by Lawrence Schiller
Located in Austin, TX
Museum quality print of Marilyn Monroe by Lawrence Schiller, taken on the set of Somethings Got To Give in 1962 during the famous naked swimming pool scene ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Untitled
Located in Miami, FL
Carlos Enrique Alvarez Untitled, 2024 Oil on canvas 47 x 47 in
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Beatles 1963 by Norman Parkinson
Located in Austin, TX
The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr at the President Hotel, Russell Square, London, 12 September 1963 by Norman Parkinson NORMAN PARKINSON POST...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

C Print

Filled with Light
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
The picture belongs to. a set of photographs, done by Kallay in NYC in 1965 for a German book publisher.
Category

1960s Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Ripples - underwater black & white nude photograph - archival pigment print
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Underwater nude black and white photograph of a perfect female torso wrapped in sunlight. Original gallery quality archival pigment print on archival paper signed by the artist, fur...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Porsche, Photorealist Screenprint by Ron Kleemann
Located in Long Island City, NY
Ron Kleemann, American (1937 - 2014) - Porsche, Year: 1980, Medium: Screenprint on Arches Paper, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 250, Size: 23.5 x 33 in. (59.69 x 83.82...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Screen

MAN RAY (1890-1976), ABSTRACT RAYOGRAPHY, 1927 Photogravure, FIRST EDITION
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Man Ray (American born, 1890 - 1976) Title: ABSTRACT RAYOGRAPHY Date Of Negative: 1927 Type Of Print: Authentic Vintage Sheet Fed Photogravure/Heliogravure. Date Of Print: 19...
Category

1920s Photorealist Art

Materials

Photogravure

The Heirloom / oil on linen
Located in Burlingame, CA
Persimmons, cobalt blue table linens and silver are the focus of this elegant and dramatic still life. Colors include silver, orange and blue. Photorealist oil painting on canvas. T...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

Childhood of Hephaestus, Variation V
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: Childhood of Hephaestus, Variation V Year: 1985 Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, with Artist Painted Frame Size: 47 x 59 in...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

"His Master's Aim" Frank Califano, Trompe l'oeil, Photorealism, Italian Artist
Located in New York, NY
Frank Califano His Master's Aim, circa 1922 Signed lower right Oil on canvas 36 x 22 1/4 inches Provenance Zaplin-Lampert Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico Private Collection (acquired ...
Category

1920s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Blue Rolling Waves off Sidney, Seascape Diptych Cyanotype, Australian Coast Surf
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Rolling Waves off Sidney" is a gorgeous original cyanotype diptych showing energetic waves embracing the Australian coas...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Emulsion, Watercolor, Lithograph, Monotype, Rag Paper

Deco Delight
Located in Burlingame, CA
'Deco Delight' depicts a San Francisco building facade with cool shadows cascading across an art deco building and golden light reflected in the window panes. The subtle and brillian...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Liquid Fire - underwater nude photograph - archival pigment print 25.5 x 35"
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
An underwater photograph of a naked young women with long blonde hair diving in a pool. The realistic photograph is taken with red background. Original gallery quality archival pigm...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna - Hand Colored Cityscape Lithograph
Located in Soquel, CA
Detailed and dramatic hand-colored etching by Luigi Kasimir (Austrian, 1881-1962). St. Stephen's cathedral towers above the streets of Vienna, with people going about their daily bus...
Category

1920s Photorealist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Lithograph

Peach Lily on Beige, Photorealist Screenprint by Lowell Nesbitt
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Lowell Blair Nesbitt, American (1933 - 1993) Title: Peach Lily on Beige Year: 1980 Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 200 Image Size: 40 x 29 inches Si...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Screen

"Umber" Oil Painting 80" x 50" inch by Casey Baugh
Located in Culver City, CA
"Umber" Oil Painting 80" x 50" inch by Casey Baugh Medium: oil on canvas The artwork signed and dated by the artist. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Baugh's work can be described as narrative i...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Mermaid Angel - underwater photograph - print on paper 26" x 35"
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
An underwater photograph of a beautiful young woman in transparent dress on dark background. Original gallery quality print signed by the artist. Digital archival pigment print on ...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Porcelain and Тurquoise - underwater nude photograph - archival pigment 48x35"
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
An underwater photograph of a naked young women diving next to the bright turquoise dress she just took off. Original gallery quality print signed by th...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Four Flowers, Photorealist Screenprint on Paper by Lowell Nesbitt
Located in Long Island City, NY
Four Flowers Lowell Blair Nesbitt, American (1933–1993) Date: 1980 Screenprint, signed, numbered and dated in pencil Edition of 137200 Image Size: 25 x 25 inches Size: 31.5 x 31.25 i...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Screen

Five Vases, Photorealist Oil Painting on Canvas by Gustavo Schmidt
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Photorealist Still Life painting of five glass vases on a table by Chilean-born artist Gustavo Schmidt. Five Vases Gustavo Schmidt, Chilean/American (1963-) Date: 2012 Oil on Canv...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jimi Hendrix by Gered Mankowitz
Located in Austin, TX
Jimi Hendrix, London 1967 by Gered Mankowitz A portrait of Jimi looking serious while in an embroidered jacket. "Shot during my first session with Jimi at my Studio in early 1967." ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Kelp Nymph - underwater ocean black & white photograph print on paper 26" x 36"
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
An underwater black and white photograph of a beautiful young woman diving in kelp forest. The picture is taken in Pacific Ocean near Palos Verdes, Califor...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Archival Paper

Gabriel’s Pavilion Variation II
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: Gabriel’s Pavilion Variation II Year: 1980 Medium: Pencil on Arches paper Size: 29 x 41 inches Condition: Good Provenance: Fischbach Gallery, Ne...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Pencil

"Blackberries Are Red When They Are Green" - Trompe L'Oeil Still Life
By Alexis Pencovic
Located in Soquel, CA
"Blackberries Are Red When They Are Green" - Trompe L'Oeil Still Life Hyper realistic still life by Alexis Pencovic (American, 1921-1987). A still life arrangement of blackberries w...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

SEASHORE 2
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Seashore 2” captures the fleeting moment when a wave bursts into sparkling spray, bringing the ocean’s energy to life. The emerald tones and dynamic textures invite the viewer to fe...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

White Swan - underwater nude ballet photograph - print on paper 16.5” x 23.5”
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Underwater ballet. An underwater photograph of topless ballerina in white tutu skirt on a bottom of a pool. Original gallery quality archival pigment print on archival paper signed...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Autumn Gift - Seasonal Harvest Still Life with Flowers
Located in Soquel, CA
Autumn Gift - Seasonal Harvest Still Life with Flowers by Albin Kern. This still life by Austrian-American painter Albin Kern (b. 1884, d. 1975) depicts a seasonal spread of gourds...
Category

1950s Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil, Masonite

James Carter, "Blue Print" Serenity in Ivory, Taupe & Black
Located in San Francisco, CA
Clarity plus precision in execution could yield, in this case, serenity. Perhaps this is the magic formula that has put James Carter’s works into such high-powered corporate collecti...
Category

1990s Photorealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Panel

Sensu - underwater black & white photograph - archival paper 16x23.5"
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Underwater black and white photograph of a young woman gracefully poised beneath the dark water surface. Her tulle dress merging with her reflection on the underside of the water for...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Gravity, Contemporary Art, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Varvarov Anatoly Viktorovich Title: Gravity Sise: 16x12 inches, (40x30 cm) Medium: Oil on Canvas Hand painted, original, one of a kind, Ready to Hang A paper boat floating d...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Glow, " Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Karen Offutt's "Glow" is an original, handmade painting that depicts a close up view of a feminine face with her eyes closed as her necklace and alabaster skin reflect brightly again...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Fishing port France oil on canvas painting seascape boats
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Signed Adolfo Perez Frameless
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Mermaids - a book of underwater nude and ocean wildlife photographs
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
The book “Mermaids” has the best of Alex Sher’s underwater photography for eight years (2010-2018). It blends human erotics with the beauty of the ocean wildlife - transforming the c...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Magazine Paper

Weekend, Figurative, Contemporary art, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Varvarov Anatoly Viktorovich Title: Weekend, Sise: 43.5x51 inches, (110x130 cm) Medium: Oil on Canvas Hand painted, original, one of a kind. This charming oil painting will add a touch of whimsy to any space. Painted in bright yellow-green tones, "Weekend" features children sitting on the...
Category

2010s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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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