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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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Period: 20th Century
Period: 1930s
Style: Photorealist
Il passo sospeso del pedone, Roma 1962 - Full Framed Black & White Photography
Located in Brussels, BE
Artwork # 1 on 5 sold in perfect condition Limited Edition of 5 + 2 AP This is a Minimalist framing & presentation of the artwork : The Fine Art print on Baryta paper is mounted o...
Category

1960s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Primeval Landscape, Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: Primeval Landscape Year: 1985 Medium: Acrylic on double layered Masonite Size: 16 x 19 inches Condition: Good Provenance: Estate of Ian Hornak, ...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Masonite

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

"Bowl of Pears, " Large Acrylic Painting on Canvas by Charles Wildbank
Located in Long Island City, NY
This acrylic painting was created in a photorealistic style by American artist Charles Wildbank. It measures 48 x 60 inches and is signed in the lower left hand corner. It is in exce...
Category

1990s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Lowell Nesbitt, "Tulipa Hybrida, " Photorealist Painting, 1976
Located in Long Island City, NY
This painting was created by American artist Lowell Blair Nesbitt. His most well-known series, and perhaps his most beautiful and poetic, are the more than four hundred works he crea...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bridgehampton, Photorealist Screenprint by Arne Besser
Located in Long Island City, NY
Bridgehampton Arne Besser, American (1935–2012) Portfolio: Cityscapes Date: 1981 Screenprint, Signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 250, 30 AP Size: 30 in. x 22 in. (76.2 cm x 55....
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Screen

American School Modernist Trompe L'Oeil Still Life Realist Large Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist realist still life oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed verso.
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Neighbors, Photorealist Lithograph by Harry McCormick
Located in Long Island City, NY
Harry McCormick, American (1942 - ) - Neighbors. Year: circa 1979, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 200, AP, Image Size: 12 x 23 inches, Size: 17 in. x 28 ...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

'L'Oreal No. 2, Troyes', French Village, Boise, National Watercolor Society
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'E. Brigeois' for Evelyne Brigeois (French, 1946-2016) and dated 1985; additionally signed, verso, dated and titled, 'Troyes #2'. Born in Troyes, France in 1946, Evelyne Brigeois grew up in the town of Nimes, east of Paris. She subsequently lived and painted in Germany, England and Spain before moving to the United States in her late twenties. Settling in Idaho, she began a forty-year career as a fine artist, exhibiting widely and with success including, regularly, at both Boise's Art in the Park and Art and Roses Festival. Evelyne Brigeois was also the recipient of numerous national and international awards including from the National Watercolor Society, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Michigan...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Laid Paper

Santa Monica Harley, Tom Blackwell
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Tom Blackwell (1938-2020) Title: Santa Monica Harley Year: 1977 Medium: Silkscreen on Masonite Edition: 56/60, plus proofs Size: 23 x 37.5 inches Condition: Good Inscription:...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Screen

The Angel Concert, Variation II
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: The Angel Concert, Variation II Year: 1979 Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Size: 36 x 48 inches Condition: Excellent Inscription: Signed, dated, and t...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Rare Silver Gelatin Photograph "Jewish Deli, Poland" c.1930
Located in San Francisco, CA
Silver Gelatin Photograph "Jewish Deli, Poland" c.1930 Rare photograph of a group of men standing in the doorway of a Jewish Deli in Poland in the 1930s....
Category

Early 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Film

Suisse - Chutes du Rhin - Rheinfall - Waterfalls: 1925 Swiss original poster
Located in London, GB
Suisse Chutes du Rhin Original lithographic poster (1925) 40x25"
Category

1920s Photorealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

1960's Hollywood Photography by Lawrence Schiller 'Marilyn Monroe'
Located in White Plains, NY
'Marilyn Monroe, 1962' by American photographer, Lawrence Schiller. Digital pigment, AP 2/10. Image: 15.75 x 22.25 in. / Paper: 20 x 24 in. From the set of the film 'Something's Got to Give', this colored photograph features Marilyn Monroe naked in front of a pool. Photograph taken in 1962 and printed in 2023. In 1962, Schiller received an assignment from Paris Match...
Category

1960s Photorealist Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Steve Martin, “Let’s Get Small Sequence” 1974 by Norman Seeff
Located in Austin, TX
As a renowned graphic designer (with 5 Grammy nominations), Norman Seeff has designed a number of large-scale composites and sequences. Signed limited edition sequence print of comed...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

In the rain. 1990, cardboard, oil, 90x140 cm with minor defects
Located in Riga, LV
In the rain. 1990, cardboard, oil, 90x140 cm with minor defects Liga Purmale (1948) Was born on October 4, 1948 in Dundaga. She graduated from the secondary art school of Janis Rose...
Category

1990s Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

The Sanchez Twins 1968 Groupies, signed limited edition silver gelatin print
Located in Austin, TX
The Sanchez Twins by Baron Wolman, taken in San Francisco in 1968 as part of Baron's Groupies series, taken for Rolling Stone magazine. Limited edition ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Paeseggio Urbano, New York City (1955) - Large size Black & White Fine Art Print
Located in Brussels, BE
Artwork # 1 on 5 sold in limited edition in perfect condition This photo was made in 1956, the negative was digitized during the artist's lifetime and the technical parameters (fram...
Category

1950s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

The Ramones perform at CBGB, 1977
Located in White Plains, NY
'The Ramones perform at CBGB,' 1977 by famed American photographer, Allan Tannenbaum. Archival pigment print, 10 x 15 inch photo on 17 x 22 inch on the finest satin photo paper, Ed. ...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Jim Morrison of The Doors by Art Kane
Located in Austin, TX
Jim Morrison, taken in 1968 by Art Kane Art Kane and Jim Morrison hit it off and spent the shoot discussing culture, literature and current events. Kane photographed Morrison for Li...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

C Print

The Great Republic, freighter on the Detroit River
Located in Clinton Township, MI
Freighter traffic on the Great Lakes is abundant and exciting to ride along side of! This photograph is of the Great Republic. It may also be ordered as a 5 x...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Antique Russian Trompe L'Oeil Super Realist Kitchen Still Life Signed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique Russian super realist still life painting by Sergei Petrovich Ivanov (1893 - 1983). Oil on canvas, circa 1945. Signed. Displayed in a period modernist frame. Image size, 3...
Category

1940s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American Trompe L'Oeil Corn Still Life Original Realist Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American school trompe l'oeil corn still life oil painting. Oil on board, circa 1940. Possibly faintly signed lower right. Displayed in a giltwood frame. Image, 22"L x 24"H.
Category

20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage Large American Modernist Trompe L'Oeil Rose Flower Still Life Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American super realist oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Possibly signed verso.
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

George Washington Bridge, Silkscreen on Aluminum by Richard Haas
Located in Long Island City, NY
A lithograph and silkscreen on aluminum by Richard Haas from 1999. A detailed sectional view of the support and suspension structure of the George Washingt...
Category

1990s Photorealist Art

Materials

Metal

David Bowie Aladdin Sane contact sheet by Brian Duffy
Located in Austin, TX
David Bowie Aladdin Sane contact sheet print from Brian Duffy, taken during the phot shoot for the Aladdin Sane album cover. The print features the Aladdin Sane album cover in color ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

C Print

Willie Nelson by Ebet Roberts
Located in Austin, TX
Willie Nelson at The Palladium in NYC on December 11, 1980 by Ebet Roberts. Signed limited edition, hand printed silver gelatin print. Ebet Roberts began her career in 1977 when sh...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Oil Well, Screenprint by Tom Blackwell
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Tom Blackwell, American (1938 - ) Title: Oil Well Year: 1981 Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 250 Paper Size: 30 x 22 i...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Screen

Little Italy, Gumball Machine - Photorealist Screenprint by Charles Bell
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Charles Bell, American (1935 - 1995) Title: Little Italy Year: 1981 Medium: Screenprint on White Somerset Satin, signed and numbered in pencil Edi...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Screen

Colored Piccadilly Circus Plaza Street Scene London, England
Located in Houston, TX
Colored photograph of a Plaza street scene in London. The photograph is matted to a thick board to protect against bending. The work is not framed.
Category

20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

David Bowie at The Dorchester Hotel 1972 - Artist Proof Print
Located in Austin, TX
Signed artist proof 20x24" print of David Bowie by Alec Byrne, taken at the Dorchester Hotel, July 1972 Signed by photographer, Alec Byrne and marked "AP" ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Shabbas Candles, Modern Portrait Lithograph by Sandu Liberman
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Sandu Liberman, Romanian/Israeli (1923 - 1977) Title: Shabbas Candles (Green) Year: circa 1970 Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 136/150 Image Size: ...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

ARCHITECTURE - Photograph on baryta paper, Bob De Masi, Italy 1970s
Located in Napoli, IT
Black and white photograph on baryta paper, title "Architecture" 1970s - Bob De Masi, with frame
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Afternoon Swim
Located in Fairfield, CT
Eric Nash is a California artist working in oil and charcoal. Often highly realistic, his images are pared down to their idealized essence often conveying a film still or a memory. H...
Category

20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

PALM BEACH American PHOTOREALIST Rolls Royce Hyper Realist Painting
Located in New York, NY
Up for sale, I have a large Photorealist painting by Contemporary artist Clarence Measelle The painting is very large and depicts a Palm Beach street view through a Rolls Royce sid...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Still Life with Grapes, Photorealist Lithograph by Lowell Blair Nesbitt
Located in Long Island City, NY
A lithograph print by Lowell Nesbitt from 1975. A colorful still life that combines both organic and geometric elements. Still Life with Grapes Lowell Blair Nesbitt, American (1933–...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Pink Rose, Realist Flower Painting by Lowell Nesbitt 1976
Located in Long Island City, NY
A beautiful realist painting of a rose by American Artist, Lowell Nesbitt who was great inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe. Artist: Lowell Blair Nesbitt, Ameri...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Blue Iris, Photorealist Etching on Paper by Lowell Nesbitt
Located in Long Island City, NY
Lowell Blair Nesbitt was an American painter and printmaker who’s work consists of unique and vivid depictions of flowers. Blue Iris Lowell Blair Nesbitt, American (1933–1993) Date:...
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Etching

Magenta Iris, Photorealist Oil on Canvas Painting by Daniel Maffia
Located in Long Island City, NY
Daniel Maffia, French (1937 - ) - Magenta Iris, Year: 1985, Medium: Oil on Canvas, Size: 30.25 x 24 in. (76.84 x 60.96 cm)
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Oil

David Bowie "Keep Your 'Lectric Eye" by Sukita
Located in Austin, TX
16" x 20", signed limited edition print of David Bowie, titled "Keep Your 'Lectric Eye" by Masayoshi Sukita. This print is also available as a 30x40" signed limited edition print....
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

C Print

Hollywood Photography from 1970 by Lawrence Schiller 'Clint Eastwood'
Located in White Plains, NY
Available at Madelyn Jordon Fine Art. 'Clint Eastwood, 1970' by American photographer, Lawrence Schiller. Archival digital print, EP 2/5. Image: 12.5 x 19 in. / Paper: 16 x 20 in. Fr...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Untitled (Abstract Still Life with Flowers), 1963, Ian Hornak — Painting
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: Untitled (Abstract Still Life with Flowers) Year: circa 1963 Medium: Acrylic on double layered Masonite Size: 29.5 x 21 inches Condition: Good P...
Category

1960s Photorealist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

The Beatles Shea Stadium 1965
Located in Austin, TX
The Beatles, approaching the stage at Shea Stadium by Robert Whitaker. The Beatles walking onto the field at Shea Stadium in New York City. This show ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

C Print

Led Zeppelin on the Starship 1973
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition print of Led Zeppelin by Michael Brennan, taken aboard their Boeing 707 ‘Starship’, on their way to Detroit, US, January 31, 1975. T...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

C Print

Untitled
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Claudio Bravo (1936-2011) is a renowned Chilean artist, best known for his meticulous hyperrealist artworks. Bravo is celebrated for his intricate precision which captures his distin...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Pencil

Marilyn Monroe . Wine on the bed . The last sitting (1962)
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Marilyn Monroe by Bert Stern (19642 wine on the bed circa 2009 hand double signed and dated by Bert Stern COA hand signed by bert stern edition of 72 perfect condition
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Il cuoco felice - Thailand 1959 - Full Framed Black & White Fine Art Print
Located in Brussels, BE
Artwork # 1 on 5 sold in limited edition in perfect condition Il cuoco felice This photo was made in 1959, printed later, the negative was digitized during the artist's lifetime and...
Category

1950s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Iconics by Fabrizio La Torre - Set # 2 - Roma - 1956 - Vintage Photographs
Located in Brussels, BE
Artworks sold in perfect condition : Set # 2 composed of 5 Gallery Print 30x40 cm This is an exceptional offer that we are presenting today. For almost four years, here on 1stdibs, a...
Category

1950s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Norman Rockwell 'Gaily Sharing Vintage Time' 1977, signed & numbered lithograph
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
"Gaily Sharing Vintage Times" From the Four Ages of Love Suite by Norman Rockwell Media: Lithograph on Paper Image Dimensions: 21" x 22" Year Produced: 1977 Edition Size: 200 Numbered (1-200), 60 Artists Proofs (1-60) Edition Number: A/P (Artist proof) Signed and Numbered in pencil by the artist Condition: In excellent condition Norman Rockwell was an American painter and illustrator known for his iconic depictions of American culture created for The Saturday Evening Post. With a range of favorite subjects that included nuclear families, mischievous children, and small-town life, his work has achieved an iconic status: the 1943 painting of a Thanksgiving dinner, Freedom from Want, has been reproduced and parodied countless times in contemporary culture. As an artist, Rockwell has had a lasting effect on US society beyond any singular work, with his paintings seen as indelible images that went on to inspire American directors such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and particularly Robert Zemeckis, whose 1994 film Forrest Gump recreates several of Rockwell’s paintings as scenes throughout the film. Though he enjoyed success throughout his career, Rockwell’s idyllic and sentimental outlook on American society was not necessarily embraced by art critics, though his later politically activist work garnered praise for its tackling of controversial subjects. Born on February 3, 1894 in New York, NY, he went on to study at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League. Rockwell notably had a longstanding relationship with the Boy Scouts of America...
Category

1970s Photorealist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Wallace Nutting Antique Hand Colored Photograph c.1910 Pencil Signed
Located in San Francisco, CA
Wallace Nutting Antique Hand Colored Photograph Photo dimensions 75" wide x 9.5" high The frame measures 14" wide x 18" high The pho...
Category

Early 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Mezzogiono al Pantheon, 1958 - Roma - Contemporary Black & White Photography
Located in Brussels, BE
Artwork sold in perfect condition Mezzogiorno al Pantheon, 1958. At noon, a fountain in the Pantheon Square, work of Giacomo della Porta, (such as so many other achievements of this...
Category

1950s Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Marilyn Monroe . Passed out on the bed . The last sitting
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Marilyn Monroe by Bert Stern (1964) passed out on the bed circa 2009 hand double signed and dated by Bert Stern COA hand signed by bert stern edition of 72 perfect condition
Category

1980s Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Trompe L'oeil Airbrush Painting on Canvas Duck Decoy Fishing Lure James Carter
By James Carter
Located in Surfside, FL
Provenance: Madison Gallery (Madison Connecticut) bears their label verso. Hunting and fishing cabin themed artwork in a hyper realist or photo realist style. James Carter (Born 194...
Category

20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, New York 1969 by Norman Seeff
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 P...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Mick Jagger, Marquee Sound Check, London 1971
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition, archival pigment print of Mick Jagger by Alec Byrne, taken at The Marquee Club, London, March 26th 1971, during the Rolling Stones soundcheck. Alec recalls, “I’d photographed them in big theaters and at Hyde Park, of course, but I’d never been this close, just a few feet from Jagger (not counting that time in the bed). I literally felt the sweat coming...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Silver Gelatin

Kate Bush
Located in Austin, TX
Absolutely stunning portrait of singer Kate Bush by acclaimed photographer, Gered Mankowitz, taken in his London studio in 1978. Kate Bush has seen a huge r...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

C Print

European Canal Fisherman Early Black and White Photograph
Located in Houston, TX
Early black and white photograph of a fisherman fishing in what appears to be a European town setting. The photograph is matted to a board to prevent bendi...
Category

20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

George Michael Contact Sheet Print by Chris Cuffaro
Located in Austin, TX
George Michael by Chris Cuffaro, taken in Los Angeles, California for CBS Records in 1987. Available in the following paper sizes 11 x 17” - Open edition, signed by Chris Cuffaro ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Art

Materials

Giclée

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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