Skip to main content

Realist Art

14,975 Results
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.

to
1,667
5,530
3,301
2,752
2,022
1,848
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
328
1,169
6,593
7,388
121
76
125
146
171
728
1,324
1,480
917
346
195
119,754
64,124
56,938
29,079
14,524
9,705
6,783
6,160
4,192
3,169
2,518
2,379
2,132
577
7,687
5,253
1,855
6,092
3,019
2,241
1,874
1,841
1,311
1,286
1,159
1,055
989
884
842
747
718
717
658
632
601
568
524
8,201
5,789
3,812
3,572
3,571
3,711
132
98
84
4,110
4,972
10,263
4,074
Style: Realist
"Lady in the mirror"
"Lady in the mirror"

"Lady in the mirror"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Luigi Sorio (1835-1909) – "Lady in the Mirror" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions (Framed): 109 x 84 cm Dimensions (Flat): 84 x 60 cm Signature: Lower left corner Frame: Ornate gil...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"View of Samarkand"
"View of Samarkand"

"View of Samarkand"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Unidentified Artist, 20th Century – "View of Samarkand" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 106 x 73 cm (unframed), 130 x 92 cm (framed) Signature: Lower left corner (illegible) Pro...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Freeway Exit
Freeway Exit

Freeway Exit

By Tony Peters

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Peters" on lower left Description The subject of this painting depicts the northern segment of California Inters...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Self-Made Man
Self-Made Man

Self-Made Man

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Original Sculpture inscribed with the Artist's signature. Open Edition

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

STILL LIFE WITH GRAPES AND PEAR Signed Lithograph, Geometric Pattern, Fruit
STILL LIFE WITH GRAPES AND PEAR Signed Lithograph, Geometric Pattern, Fruit

STILL LIFE WITH GRAPES AND PEAR Signed Lithograph, Geometric Pattern, Fruit

By Lowell Nesbitt

Located in Union City, NJ

STILL LIFE WITH GRAPES is an original hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the American artist Lowell Nesbitt (b.1933-1993). Printed on archival Arches paper, 100% acid free using hand lithography techniques. STILL LIFE WITH GRAPES is a modern fruit still life depicting two bunches of plump green and red grapes, and green pear displayed on an Southwest style geometric Aztec patterned textile as a background. STILL LIFE WITH GRAPES is an eye-appealing composition using vivid colors including warm red, black, gray, yellow gold, light green, purple, burgundy and white. Print size - 21.5 x 28.25 inches, unframed, excellent condition, very fine impression, hand signed in pencil by Lowell Nesbitt Edition size - 175, plus proofs Year published - 1978 Lowell Blair Nesbitt (October 4, 1933 - July 8, 1993) was an American painter, draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor. He studied at Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia and at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Nesbitt worked in abstraction until Robert Indiana suggested in the early 1960s that he explore realism in his paintings. As subjects for his work he favored studio interiors, articles of clothing, piles of shoes, his Rottweiler, the Neo-Classical facades of 19th century cast iron buildings, and Manhattan's bridges. He was also famous for his enormous paintings and prints of roses, lilies, irises, and other flowers. He served as the official artist for the NASA Apollo 9, and Apollo 13 space missions; in 1976 the United States Navy commissioned him to paint a mural in the administration building on Treasure Island spanning 26 feet x 251 feet, then the largest mural in the United States; and in 1980 the United States Postal Service honored Lowell Nesbitt by issuing four postage stamps depicting his paintings. His first solo exhibition was mounted at the Baltimore Museum of Art in 1958 and during his lifetime he had more than 130 solo exhibitions of his work at various galleries, museums, and universities, including the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Kent State University, the McNay Art Museum, the Butler Institute of American Art, the Burpee Art Museum, and the Tyler Gallery...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Evening at the sea"
"Evening at the sea"

"Evening at the sea"

By Oleksandr Khrapachov

Located in Edinburgh, GB

“Evening at Sea” Oil on canvas The golden hour of tranquility: when day turns into evening Alexander Khrapachov captures the most poetic moment of a day at sea—that magical moment wh...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Kerch. Kamysh-Burun Bay"
"Kerch. Kamysh-Burun Bay"

"Kerch. Kamysh-Burun Bay"

By Oleksandr Khrapachov

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Kerch. Kamysh-Burun Bay Alexander Khrapachov, 2012 Canvas, oil • 55×70 cm --- This work is the living breath of the Black Sea, captured on the shore of the legendary Kamysh-Burun ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Pools of Hahamongna; Arroyo Seco
Pools of Hahamongna; Arroyo Seco

Pools of Hahamongna; Arroyo Seco

By Peter Adams

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist. UNFRAMED: 30" x 40" FRAMED: 39" x 48.5" x 3" Artist Statement “For this large painting I did a number of preparatory ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

The Smell of Us (Hand signed poster)
The Smell of Us (Hand signed poster)

The Smell of Us (Hand signed poster)

By Larry Clark

Located in New York, NY

Larry Clark The Smell of Us (Hand signed poster), 2015 Offset lithograph poster Pencil signed by Larry Clark on the back 10 1/2 × 15 1/2 inches Unframed Limited edition poster; hand ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

"Scena alegorica"
"Scena alegorica"

"Scena alegorica"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

"Scena Allegorica" Copy after a Venetian 16th century masterpiece by Veronese Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions (Framed): 97 x 107 cm Dimensions (Canvas): 91 x 100 cm Signature: Upper right corner This copy after a Venetian 16th century masterpiece by Veronese, exquisite 19th-century oil painting by Antonio Franchini...

Category

18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

German Aircraft, original vintage WW2 poster
German Aircraft, original vintage WW2 poster

German Aircraft, original vintage WW2 poster

Located in London, GB

German Aircraft Original vintage poster Lithograph 57 x 45 cm This original vintage poster, published in 1941, depicts a series of German aircraft, including the fighter plane He...

Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Autumn"
"Autumn"

"Autumn"

By Oleksandr Khrapachov

Located in Edinburgh, GB

In the glow of the golden rays of the autumn sun, we see the majestic work of Alexander Khrapachov “Autumn” (2013) - a work that embodies the artist's amazing ability to convey the m...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Impressionistic Realism Ocean City Beach Seascape Oil Painting Michael Budden
Impressionistic Realism Ocean City Beach Seascape Oil Painting Michael Budden

Impressionistic Realism Ocean City Beach Seascape Oil Painting Michael Budden

By Michael Budden

Located in Chesterfield, NJ

Original Summers Point Bridge to Ocean City, NJ oil/canvas 20 x 28 image size 26 x 34 framed (frame shows some age with marks, etc. on sides but shows well front on) An oil painting ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Dunes

Dunes

By John Button

Located in New York, NY

Gouache on paper Signed and dated in pencil, l.r. This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City Born in California, John Button (1929-1982) was educated at Universi...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Gouache, Paper

Acapulco Lunch
Acapulco Lunch

Acapulco Lunch

By Slim Aarons

Located in Los Angeles, CA

A long afternoon lunch at Acapulco. Among the guest are (from left to right) film star Douglas Fairbanks Junior (1909 - 2000), couturiers Oscar de la Renta, and standing behind him E...

Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

C Print

Framed 1930s Realist Oil Painting of Lilies, 50x35.5 cm
Framed 1930s Realist Oil Painting of Lilies, 50x35.5 cm

Framed 1930s Realist Oil Painting of Lilies, 50x35.5 cm

Located in Genève, GE

Work on wood Dimensions with frame : 63.5 x 49 x 3 cm This work of art features a bouquet of lilies elegantly arranged in a clear glass vase. The flowers, delicately painted in shade...

Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

The evening light.
The evening light.

The evening light.

By Giulnara Khabibulina

Located in Zofingen, AG

"The plot speaks for itself. It's already evening. The dog is lying on the couch. The floor lamp is on. Comfort and warmth. The atmosphere of the house speaks volumes. Very nice and ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Yearling Black Bear, " Oil painting
"Yearling Black Bear, " Oil painting

"Yearling Black Bear, " Oil painting

By Susan McDonnell

Located in Denver, CO

Susan McDonnell's (U.S. based) "Yearling Black Bear" is an original, handmade watercolor and gouache painting of a young bear peeking behind a tree. The painting is 11 x 15" and with the frame it is 15.37 x 19.87". Artist bio: Susan McDonnell is a realist painter who has recently moved back to Minnesota after living in Southern California for 30 years. Her paintings are narratives inspired by her observations of wild animals in their natural habitats. Albrecht Dürer and Otto Marseus van Schrieck...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

Sierra Mountain Reflections - Black & White Landscape Photograph
Sierra Mountain Reflections - Black & White Landscape Photograph

Sierra Mountain Reflections - Black & White Landscape Photograph

By Robert Werling

Located in Soquel, CA

Stunning black & white landscape photograph with trees reflecting in water in the Sierra Nevada mountains by California artist Robert Werling. Signed on mat lower right: "Bob Werling." Presented in a silver metal frame. Image, 15"H x 19"W. Robert Werling was born in San Francisco, California in 1946 and realized an interest in art at an early age. While briefly attending a commercial art school, he found photography to be his medium and went on to obtain both a BA and an honorary MS from the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. He also studied privately under Ansel Adams from 1966 to 1970 and Imogen Cunningham from 1969 to 1975. Through his affiliation with Adams, Werling came to know and work with other noted photographers. Brett Weston became his close friend and mentor and Marion Post Wolcott, relying on his darkroom expertise, entrusted her negatives to his printing genius. While creating an impressive number of his own fine art prints, Werling also lectured extensively and worked as an instructor for the Brooks Institute, the University of California, Santa Barbara, the Zone System Seminars and Workshops in the United States, and for the Werkschule fur Fotografie in Soltau, Germany. Werling has exhibited his photographs in over sixty one-man and group shows in both the United States and Europe. He was guest curator of photography for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art organizing VIVO, the Contemporary Japanese Photography and Brett Weston’s photographs...

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Doll
Doll

Vincente EsparzaDoll

$400Sale Price|20% Off

Doll

By Vincente Esparza

Located in Atlanta, GA

Item is in excellent condition and has only been displayed in a gallery setting. Vincente Esparza was born in Graus, Huesca in 1946. In 1967 he began his studies at La Escuela De ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Old Woman 1893 by Famous Russian Master Oil Painting on Canvas Frame
Portrait of Old Woman 1893 by Famous Russian Master Oil Painting on Canvas Frame

Portrait of Old Woman 1893 by Famous Russian Master Oil Painting on Canvas Frame

Located in Stockholm, SE

Attributed by Nikolay Alekseyevich Kasatkin (1859 - 1930). In this touching artwork, the artist perfectly conveyed the character of the old woman, who has seen a lot in her life. The hands, tired out and riddled with veins, lie helplessly on the knees. Her slouched body tells us about the load of years lived. The painter skillfully conveys a sense of wisdom, kindness, and humility through her wrinkled face and detached gaze. The painting exudes warmth with a subtle touch of sadness and reflection on a life lived. Thanks to moderately contrasting colors, the portrait comes to life and shows us the depth of the artist's intention. Kasatkin not only continued the traditions of the best masters of portraiture in Russia in the 19th century, but also introduced new principles into it. He sought to display on canvas not only the external features of a person, but also to demonstrate his spiritual world. Antique oil painting on canvas, signed bottom left, framed. Size app.: 68.5 x 52.3 cm (roughly 27 x 20.6 in), frame is 80.5 x 63.5 cm (roughly 31.7 x 25 in). Very good condition, very well preserved recently conserved condition with minimal wear (notice few micro losses here and there). Please study good resolution images for cosmetic condition. In person actual painting may appear darker or brighter than in our pictures, strictly depending on sufficient light in your environment. Weight of app. 5.4 kg is going to measure 8 kg packed for shipment. Nikolay Alekseyevich Kasatkin (1859 - 1930) was a Russian painter, considered to be one of the founders of Social Realism in Russia. From 1873 to 1883 he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture with Vasily Perov and Illarion Pryanishnikov. Upon graduating, he received a medal for his painting "Beggars at the Church Door". In 1891, he began exhibiting with the Peredvizhniki and, from 1894 to 1917, was a teacher at his alma mater. For thirty years, beginning in 1883, he worked with Ivan Sytin, providing illustrations for his popular almanac/calendars and teaching lithography. He also contributed The Great Reform, an encyclopedia that celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Emancipation (1861), and a collection called "Russian History in Pictures". In 1903, he became a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He participated in the Exposition Universelle (1900), where he won a silver medal, and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904), among others. In 1923, following the Civil War, he was named the first "People's Artist of the Republic" and became a member of the AKhRR (Association of Artists). He is considered to be one of the forerunners of Socialist Realism in the arts and was sometimes called the "Gorky of Painters". In 1956, the Soviet Union honored him with a 40 kopeck commemorative postage stamp. In 1971, his painting of a female mine worker...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Oil

"Adobe Ruin - New Mexico" Oil Painting
"Adobe Ruin - New Mexico" Oil Painting

"Adobe Ruin - New Mexico" Oil Painting

By Stephen Day

Located in Denver, CO

Stephen Day's (US based) "Adobe Ruin - New Mexico" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a caved in rust colored Abode exposed to the elements of the high desert. Stephen Day was born in Sheridan, Wyoming, and, while growing up he lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Aspen Colorado, and Durango, Colorado. He always felt the wonderfully unique beauty of the west but until he became an artist he really didn't know how to fully respond to that beauty. Day is now a full-time artist living in Taos, New Mexico. Working mainly in oil he paints various subjects from life but the landscape is his first love. He says of his working philosophy, "I paint almost exclusively from life trying to capture the feeling and the mood of the subject before me. This work philosophy forces me to paint quickly to get a spontaneous and fresh response, because everything around us (including ourselves) is in a constant state of change." Day frequently paints on location and uses these smaller paintings to create larger studio paintings. Artist's Background: 1976 - Bachelor of Arts Degree, McMurry College, Abilene, Texas 1980 - Master's Degree, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas Studied at the Art Students League of Denver with Bruce Cody...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Dreamer
Dreamer

Dreamer

Located in Stratford-Upon-Avon, GB

Graeme Wilcox (British born.) Dreamer Medium: Oil on canvas Unframed size: 27.5 x 23.75 inches Framed size: 34 x 30 inches Signature: Signed (on the reverse) Provenance: Direct fro...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Italian Landscape - British 19th century art landscape oil painting hills Italy
Italian Landscape - British 19th century art landscape oil painting hills Italy

Italian Landscape - British 19th century art landscape oil painting hills Italy

By Ramsey Richard Reinagle

Located in Hagley, England

An original British large oil painting on canvas by Ramsay Richard Reinagle which is signed and looks to be dated 1832. Lovely rich colouring depicting a mountainous Italian panorama...

Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Original Painting of Sweden Norway Fjord Landscape by Danish Landscape Artist
Original Painting of Sweden Norway Fjord Landscape by Danish Landscape Artist

Original Painting of Sweden Norway Fjord Landscape by Danish Landscape Artist

By Jens Christian Bennedsen

Located in Preston, GB

Original Painting of Sweden Norway Fjord Landscape by Danish Landscape Artist. Art measures 27 x 23 inches Frame measures 33 x 29 inches An oil pain...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil

48. Hibiscus

48. Hibiscus

By Maria Sibylla Merian

Located in Columbia, MO

Maria Sibylla Merian was born in Germany in 1647 and received early artistic training from her stepfather, an established still life painter. She was fascinated by insects and collec...

Category

18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Pigment

Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning

Sunday Morning

By John Button

Located in New York, NY

Oil on canvas Signed, recto This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City Born in California, John Button (1929-1982) was educated at University of California, Berk...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Sun Ripened, Original Painting
Sun Ripened, Original Painting

Sun Ripened, Original Painting

By Dwight Smith

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Complementary colors take center stage in this still life. Purple plums rest in a yellow bowl, creating an immediate impact of bright hues. Above, a brightly ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

"Luna" Oil Painting
"Luna" Oil Painting

"Luna" Oil Painting

By Kierstin Young

Located in Denver, CO

Kierstin Young's (US based) "Luna" is an oil painting that depicts a battered white moth and a black background with the phases of the moon overhead Artist Statement/Bio: (b. The Ye...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Masonite, Oil

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.