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Realist Art

REALIST STYLE

Realist art attempts to portray its subject matter without artifice. Similar to naturalism, authentic realist paintings and prints see an integration of true-to-life colors, meticulous detail and linear perspectives for accurate portrayals of the world. 

Work that involves illusionistic techniques of realism dates back to the classical world, such as the deceptive trompe l’oeil used since ancient Greece. Art like this became especially popular in the 17th century when Dutch artists like Evert Collier painted objects that appeared real enough to touch. Realism as an artistic movement, however, usually refers to 19th-century French realist artists such as Honoré Daumier exploring social and political issues in biting lithographic prints, while the likes of Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet painting people — particularly the working class — with all their imperfections, navigating everyday urban life. This was a response to the dominant academic art tradition that favored grand paintings of myth and history. 

By the turn of the 20th century, European artists, such as the Pre-Raphaelites, were experimenting with nearly photographic realism in their work, as seen in the attention to every botanical attribute of the flowers surrounding the drowned Ophelia painted by English artist John Everett Millais.

Although abstraction was the guiding style of 20th-century art, the realism trend in American modern art endured in Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth and other artists’ depictions of the complexities of the human experience. In the late 1960s, Photorealism emerged with artists like Chuck Close and Richard Estes giving their paintings the precision of a frame of film.

Contemporary artists such as Jordan Casteel, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Aliza Nisenbaum are now using the unvarnished realist approach for honest representations of people and their worlds. Alongside traditional mediums, technology such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and immersive installations are helping artists create new sensations of realism in art.

​​Find authentic realist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Realist
In Tradition
In Tradition

In Tradition

By Mian Situ

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist. Signed "Mian Situ" on lower right Description In this oil painting titled, In Tradition, Mian Situ pays tribute to the ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Seashell Still Life
Seashell Still Life

Seashell Still Life

By Barbara Gibson

Located in Soquel, CA

Gorgeous watercolor of seashells by Northern California artist Barbara I. Gibson (American, 20th Century).Signed "Barbara Gibson" and dated "1990" lower right. Presented in mat. Unfr...

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Five Maiko (Apprentices) Having lunch – Original hand-colored Meiji era photo
Five Maiko (Apprentices) Having lunch – Original hand-colored Meiji era photo

Five Maiko (Apprentices) Having lunch – Original hand-colored Meiji era photo

Located in Middletown, NY

Yokohama, Japan: c 1890. Hand-tinted albumen print, 8 x 10 1/2 inches (203 x 266 mm), numbered B04 in negative, small spots of fixer on lower right corner, pencil inscription on ver...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Photographic Paper

French Painting Realist School Circle of FEYEN Shrimp Fisherwomen 19th
French Painting Realist School Circle of FEYEN Shrimp Fisherwomen 19th

French Painting Realist School Circle of FEYEN Shrimp Fisherwomen 19th

Located in PARIS, FR

French School 19th century (Circle of Eugène Feyen) Shrimp Fishers in Distress Oil on canvas 53 x 42 cm (65 x 55 cm with frame) Very good condition Beautiful giltwood frame with gadr...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Lady Joan Kitchen - British 1940's art oil painting
Portrait of Lady Joan Kitchen - British 1940's art oil painting

Portrait of Lady Joan Kitchen - British 1940's art oil painting

By Herbert James Gunn

Located in Hagley, England

This lovely British portrait oil painting is by noted portrait artist James Gunn. Painted circa 1940 it is a seated portrait of Lady Joan Kitchen who resided in Sussex. She is wearin...

Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Le Bistro, Passage Verdeau - 21st Century Hyper Realistic oil painting of a City
Le Bistro, Passage Verdeau - 21st Century Hyper Realistic oil painting of a City

Le Bistro, Passage Verdeau - 21st Century Hyper Realistic oil painting of a City

By Roos van der Meijden

Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant

Roos van der Meijden Le Bistro, Passage Verdeau 26 x 26 cm ( framed 32 x 32 cm, frame is included in price ) Oil paint on panel Dutch artist Roos van der Meijden is famous because o...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel, Wood Panel

"Still Life"
"Still Life"

"Still Life"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Johann Rudolf Feyerabend, called Lelong (1749-1814) – Still Life Medium: Reverse painting on glass Dimensions: 16 x 23 cm Signature: Lower right corner Provenance: Private collection...

Category

18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Moths and a Lady Bug in a Landscape: A Hand-colored Engraving by Moses Harris
Moths and a Lady Bug in a Landscape: A Hand-colored Engraving by Moses Harris

Moths and a Lady Bug in a Landscape: A Hand-colored Engraving by Moses Harris

By Moses Harris

Located in Alamo, CA

This is a hand-colored engraving depicting the natural history of moths and a lady bug, which is plate 22 from Moses Harris' publication "The Aurelian: or Natural History of English Insects; Namely Moths & Butterflies", first published in London in 1766 and this from an 1840 edition. The engraving depicts the natural history developmental stages of the Burnished Brass Moth, the Dark Gothic...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Engraving

Sleeping Man (portrait)
Sleeping Man (portrait)

Sleeping Man (portrait)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Douglas Martenson (b.1960). Sleeping Man, 1982. Pencil on paper. Sheet measuring 11 x 15 inches. Framed measurement: 12 x 16 inches. Mahogany custom frame. Signed with artist i...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil

Hocus pocus woman with a rabbit
Hocus pocus woman with a rabbit

Hocus pocus woman with a rabbit

By Serghei Ghetiu

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this piece, I poured my fascination with whimsy and mystery, capturing the quiet magic between a performer and her loyal companion. The tension between vibrant abstraction and de...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Orientalist "Moorish Soldier Holding a Rifle" Manuel Garcia Hispaleto
Orientalist "Moorish Soldier Holding a Rifle" Manuel Garcia Hispaleto

Orientalist "Moorish Soldier Holding a Rifle" Manuel Garcia Hispaleto

Located in SANTA FE, NM

"Moorish Soldier Holding a Rifle" Manuel Garcia Hispaleto (Spanish, 1836-1898) Watercolor on paper Signed lower left "MGHispaleto" Original wood frame with gilded stucco 18 3/4 x 12 1/2 (33 1/2 x 26 frame) inches Manuel García Hispaleto, originally Manuel García y Martínez (22 November 1836, Seville -26 December 1898, Madrid) was a Spanish painter known for portraits and costumbrista (genre) scenes. His brother, Rafael García...

Category

1850s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Handmade Paper

Pair of 19 century oil on porcelain portraits
Pair of 19 century oil on porcelain portraits

Pair of 19 century oil on porcelain portraits

Located in San Francisco, CA

Pair of fabulous 19 century oil on porcelain portraits. These finally detailed paintings are most likely, a husband and wife. The male portrait could possibly be Napoleon the second....

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Magnolia. Original oil painting
Magnolia. Original oil painting

Magnolia. Original oil painting

By Irina Trushkova

Located in Zofingen, AG

These stunning magnolia placed in a transparent vase. A dark background helps to reveal delicate forms of flowers and capture the reactions of light with glass. The medium used is oi...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Red (Floral Still Life)
Red (Floral Still Life)

Red (Floral Still Life)

By Elizabeth Osborne

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Elizabeth Osborne (American/Philadelphia, b. 1936) "Red." Watercolor on paper. 1991/1992. Signed and dated l.r.. Sight: 9" x 12". Frame: 18 1/4" x 21 1/2". Provenance: Purchased from Jane Haslem Gallery in 1994. From the collection of Nancy Elizabeth Stanley. 1936, born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1959, BFA, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1954-58, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania SOLO EXHIBITIONS Berry Campbell, New York, Elizabeth Osborne: A Retrospective, 2022. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Reflections: Painting Memory, 2017. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Watercolors: Five Decades, 2017. The Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware, Elizabeth Osborne: The 1960s, 2016. Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., Color Bloc: Paintings by Elizabeth Osborne, 2015. The James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Veils of Color: Juxtapositions and Recent Work by Elizabeth Osborne, 2015. (Traveled to The Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 2016.) Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Luminous Gestures: New Works by Elizabeth Osborne, 2013. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Osborne: Watercolors, 2011. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Work, 2011. The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Osborne: The Color of Light, 2009. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Figurative ‘60s, 2007. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Floating Landscapes: 1971-1979, 2006. J. Cacciola Galleries, New York, Works on Paper, 2006. The Print Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Recent Prints, 2005. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2004. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Osborne: 30 Years, Works on Paper, 2002. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Vantage, 2000. Old Main Art Museum, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 1998. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1997. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1994. Jane Haslem Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1994. North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, North Dakota, 1993-94. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1992. Arronson Gallery, The University of Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Watercolors, 1991. University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1990. Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1988. Fischbach Gallery, New York, 1988. Fischbach Gallery, New York, 1984. Fischbach Gallery, New York, 1982. Fischbach Gallery, New York, 1980. Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1978. Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1976. Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer, Ltd., New York, 1977. Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer, Ltd., New York, 1974. Marian Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Landscapes, 1972. Makler Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1970. American Consulate, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1969. Peale Galleries, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1967. Perakis Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1967. Perakis Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1963. GROUP EXHIBITIONS Avery Galleries, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, The Women of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Past to Present, 2024. Berry Campbell, New York, Perseverance, 2024. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, From Dusk Till Dawn, 2015. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, “Something Clicked in Philly”: David Lynch and His Contemporaries, 2014. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, It’s Not the Numbers, 2014. Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Works on Paper, 2013. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Female Gaze: Women Artists Making Their World, 2013. Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Four Visions/Four Painters: Murray Dessner...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Rag Paper

"Beginning of Spring"
"Beginning of Spring"

"Beginning of Spring"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

“Beginning of Spring” (3rd quarter of the 20th century) Oil on canvas 100 × 150 cm Signed lower right Born in Golitsyno in 1916 into the family of Russian painter Konstantin Kirillo...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Ukrainian Cossacks"
"Ukrainian Cossacks"

"Ukrainian Cossacks"

By Mihail Chemiakin

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Mikhail Chemiakin (b. 1943) “Ukrainian Cossacks”, 1981 Watercolor, ink on paper 29.5 × 29.5 cm Signed lower right A vivid and theatrical work by the internationally acclaimed Russia...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

Blue Fish Cove, Point Lobos
Blue Fish Cove, Point Lobos

Blue Fish Cove, Point Lobos

By Jennifer Moses

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Moses" lower left Frame: 18.5" x 15.5" x 1"; Unframed: 14" x 11"

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Panel

Portrait of a Man Smoking a Pipe in Oil on Masonite
Portrait of a Man Smoking a Pipe in Oil on Masonite

Portrait of a Man Smoking a Pipe in Oil on Masonite

Located in Soquel, CA

Portrait of a Man Smoking a Pipe in Oil on Masonite Detailed portrait of a man with a pipe by Heinz Robert Schubert (German, 1912-2001 approx.). A man wearing a short-brimmed hat is...

Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Masonite, Oil

European Cityscape #1
European Cityscape #1

European Cityscape #1

By Henry Ramirez

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "European Cityscape" c. 1990 is a oil painting on hard board by Argentinian artist Henry D. Ramirez. It is signed at the lower left corner by the artist. The hard board ...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

State of Mind 14 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women
State of Mind 14 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women

State of Mind 14 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women

By Damola Ayegbayo

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authent...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Caribbean Sandy Shore, Cyanotype on Watercolor Paper, Beach House Art in Blue
Caribbean Sandy Shore, Cyanotype on Watercolor Paper, Beach House Art in Blue

Caribbean Sandy Shore, Cyanotype on Watercolor Paper, Beach House Art in Blue

By Kind of Cyan

Located in Barcelona, ES

This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. "Caribbean Sandy Shore" is a cyanotype of a shoreline on a Caribbean beach. It is a beautiful image for tropical decor and...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, C Print, Co...

Beach & Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting with Dunes by Michael Budden
Beach & Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting with Dunes by Michael Budden

Beach & Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting with Dunes by Michael Budden

By Michael Budden

Located in Chesterfield, NJ

Dunes & Beach Path 11 x 14 unframed and 16.5 x 19.5 framed signed LL Dunes & Beach Path is an oil painting on panel by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Still Life - Flowers in Urn with Bird's Nest
Still Life - Flowers in Urn with Bird's Nest

Still Life - Flowers in Urn with Bird's Nest

Located in San Francisco, CA

This large, colorful still life painting by Paul Longenecker (1920-2008) depicts a varied assortment of flowers in an urn. There is a bird’s net to the lower right of the urn as well...

Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Rediscovered Mastery: A Portrait by Nina Bergstedt
Rediscovered Mastery: A Portrait by Nina Bergstedt

Rediscovered Mastery: A Portrait by Nina Bergstedt

Located in Stockholm, SE

This poignant portrait by Swedish artist Nina Bergstedt captures a quiet intensity that lingers in the viewer’s mind. The sitter, an unknown woman, is portrayed with deep emotional p...

Category

1890s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Diex, Carinthia, Austria
Diex, Carinthia, Austria

Diex, Carinthia, Austria

By Josef Eidenberger

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Diex, Carinthia, Austria" c.1950 is a color etching on Wove paper by noted Austrian artist Josef Eidenberger, 1899-1991. It is hand signed in pencil by the artist. Published/printed by Graphics International, Austria. The plate mark (image) size is 13.75 x 10.75 inches, sheet size is 20.5 x 16.15 inches. It is in excellent condition, has never been framed. About the artist. Josef Eidenberger was born in 1899 in the little town of Goisern, Austria,he began his artistic career as a landscape painter. In 1923 he enrolled in the famed Graphic Academy of Art in Vienna and studied under Professor Alfred Cossman. His recognized talent brought him many commissions from city officials and members of the business communities throughout Europe, especially in Austria and Germany. In 1973 after visiting the United States for the first time he created a series of California etchings...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching

The Great Pyramids of Giza, Oil on Canvas, Signed, Realist
The Great Pyramids of Giza, Oil on Canvas, Signed, Realist

The Great Pyramids of Giza, Oil on Canvas, Signed, Realist

By Andrew McCallum

Located in New York, NY

Andrew Mac Callum (British, 1821-1902) Title: The Great Pyramids of Giza Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 36 in x 52 in Markings: Signed lower right and dated 1878 Andrew MacCallum was b...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Mighty Ocean" Oil Painting by Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973)
"Mighty Ocean" Oil Painting by Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973)

"Mighty Ocean" Oil Painting by Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973)

By Montague Dawson

Located in New York, NY

Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973) Mighty Ocean oil on canvas signed Montague Dawson (lower left); titled and inscribed (on the stretcher) 24 x 36 in. (61 x 91.4cm) Provenance...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

'Portrait of a Man in a Black Coat' - signed and dated 1903 'T Frans'
'Portrait of a Man in a Black Coat' - signed and dated 1903 'T Frans'

'Portrait of a Man in a Black Coat' - signed and dated 1903 'T Frans'

Located in Knokke, BE

Artist 19th - 20th century 'Portrait of a Man in a Black Coat' Signature: signed lower right and dated 1903 'TFrans 1903'; inscription lower left 'à mon bon ami J. Templinck, cordi...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Morning Surf, Garrapata
Morning Surf, Garrapata

Morning Surf, Garrapata

By Michael Godfrey

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Godfrey" on lower right FRAMED: 14.25" x 14.25" x 1.75" UNFRAMED: 8" x 8" Exhibited Monumental Miniatures 2022...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Chickadee Box

Chickadee Box

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Original bronze sculpture by artist Melissa Cooper. Edition 15/35.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Realist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist 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, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Slim Aarons, Michael Budden, Daniel Pollera, and Su Yu. 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 Realist art, so small editions measuring 0.1 inches across are also available.