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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
Blue Round Trash Can

Blue Round Trash Can

Located in Columbia, MO

Born in Jefferson City Missouri in 1976 Justin Allen attended Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri where he studied filmmaking before studying painting at the Art Students Leagu...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Coffee Break

Coffee Break

Located in Fairfield, CT

Direct observation excites me. It allows for close, quiet, and constant discovery. The subtle shifts that occur in natural changing light create living color harmonies and moments of...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Panel, Oil

Óleo sobre tela - Paisaje
Óleo sobre tela - Paisaje

Óleo sobre tela - Paisaje

Located in Sant Celoni, ES

La obra va firmada por el artista en la parte inferior y fechada del año 1889 Estado de conservación aceptable el de la obra La obra se presenta sin enmarcar Medidas obra: 51 cm a...

Category

1880s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Nob Hill; San Francisco
Nob Hill; San Francisco

Nob Hill; San Francisco

By Michael Obermeyer

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Obermeyer" on lower left Artist Statement "During a recent stay in San Francisco, I had this gorgeous view of this beautiful city from my room. Mason Street glows as it heads up to Nob Hill...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Ship Leaving the Bay at Sunrise French Seascape 18th century Rococo Oil Painting
Ship Leaving the Bay at Sunrise French Seascape 18th century Rococo Oil Painting

Ship Leaving the Bay at Sunrise French Seascape 18th century Rococo Oil Painting

Located in Stockholm, SE

Attributed Charles François Grenier de Lacroix or Charles - François Lacroix de Marseille (1700 - 1782) as signed lower left on the stone “Lacroix”. The scene of the departure of nobles on a ship, somewhere among the Mediterranean landscapes at sunrise. Lacroix's sense of color and attention to detail are particularly impressive: the sea is calm, the sun is rising and as a soft pink hue begins to emerge in the clouds, the morning haze has not yet cleared and the air is clear and clean, large ship...

Category

Late 18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Oil

"Three Blue, White and Gold Cups Stacked"
"Three Blue, White and Gold Cups Stacked"

"Three Blue, White and Gold Cups Stacked"

By Olga Antonova

Located in Wellesley, MA

Olga Antonova’s subject is compositions of extraordinarily elegant and beautiful cups, plates, teapots, and dishes, but there is something humorous and provocative about these paintings that belies formality: stacked teacups are also amusing, having a kind of jaunty and upbeat personality of their own, polka dots are as endearing to adults as to children, and everyone responds to the 'bling' and sparkle of gold and Antonova’s seemingly effortless ability to paint these radiant details: Olga Antonova "Three Blue, White and Gold Cups...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Hamburg, Michael's Church, Germany
Hamburg, Michael's Church, Germany

Hamburg, Michael's Church, Germany

By Josef Eidenberger

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Hamburg, Michael's Church, Germany" c.1950 is a color etching on Wove paper by noted Austrian artist Josef Eidenberger, 1899-1991. It is hand signed and titled in pencil by the artist. Published/printed by Graphics International, Austria. The plate mark (image) size is 13 x 9.15 inches, sheet size is 18 x 13.75 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

European Cityscape #5
European Cityscape #5

European Cityscape #5

By Henry Ramirez

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "European Cityscape" c. 1990 is an 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

Axel Axelson Venice Courtyard 1879 Rare Early Scandinavian Painting
Axel Axelson Venice Courtyard 1879 Rare Early Scandinavian Painting

Axel Axelson Venice Courtyard 1879 Rare Early Scandinavian Painting

Located in Stockholm, SE

This painting, signed and dated “Venezia Maj 79”, belongs to the early and formative phase of Axel Axelson’s career and constitutes a rare and significant example of his work from Ve...

Category

1870s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Contemporary portrait "Вlack Leather Gloves"
Contemporary portrait "Вlack Leather Gloves"

Contemporary portrait "Вlack Leather Gloves"

Located in Zofingen, AG

This is a partial homage to David Hockney's art. In this painting, I explored the interplay of realism and symbolism through the figurative use of acrylic. The central figure, clad i...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Chinese Contemporary Art by Su Yu - Beach

Chinese Contemporary Art by Su Yu - Beach

By Su Yu

Located in Paris, IDF

Oil on canvas Su Yu is a Chinese artist born in 1987 who lives and works in Beijing. He was an old student of prestigious art teachers as Shi Liang & Chen Danqing at Oil Paintin...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Beverly Hills Hotel Slide Print
Beverly Hills Hotel Slide Print

Beverly Hills Hotel Slide Print

By Slim Aarons

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Cars parked outside the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard in California, 1957. Slim Aarons 1957, printed later C-type print on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, Crisp detail, contin...

Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Colorful Flowers Growing out of Grey Mountains

Colorful Flowers Growing out of Grey Mountains

By Robin Hextrum

Located in Denver, CO

Robin Hextrum's "Colorful Flowers Growing out of Grey Mountains" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts flowers and fruit in front of a mountainous landscape.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Linen

"Glory to Ukraine!"
"Glory to Ukraine!"

"Glory to Ukraine!"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The painting is written in honor and memory of the hero of Ukraine, Oleksandr Mitsievsky. He was shot by soldiers of the Russian army after they took him prisoner. His last words wer...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Barbizon School, Fontainebleau landscape with walkers, oil on canvas
Barbizon School, Fontainebleau landscape with walkers, oil on canvas

Barbizon School, Fontainebleau landscape with walkers, oil on canvas

Located in Paris, FR

Barbizon School, French circa 1850 Fontainebleau landscape with walkers Oil on canvas 21.5 x 31 cm Framed : 32 x 41.5 cm In good condition, some minor lacks of paintingsdue to a former frame abrasion mainly on the right border and in the lower border (see photographs please) This landscape is probably a view of the Fontainebleau forest. This type of scene was painted by the Barbizon painters and by Camille Corot. The village of Barbizon is very close to the forest of Fontainebleau and the painters who lived there, such as Camille Corot, painted the most picturesque views of the spectacular stone quarries. There were also many walkers and hikers in these places, as the artists had made them famous and fashionable. The author of this charming little painting wanted to depict the wildness of the place and, in contrast, the walkers who made it a pittoresque curiosity. Although it's difficult to identify or ascribe the work, as there's no signature or other indication, there's a great deal of sensitivity and self-confidence in a very lively touch that heralds Impressionism. The detail of the barely sketched silhouettes...

Category

1850s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Christ Church Oxford College, William Nicholson lithograph 1905 Stafford Gallery

Christ Church Oxford College, William Nicholson lithograph 1905 Stafford Gallery

By William Nicholson

Located in London, GB

To see our other views of Oxford and Cambridge, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the view you want. William Nicholson Canterbury Gate, Christ Church, Oxford College Published by Stafford Gallery...

Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Donut - Unique 3 foot Large Frosted  Donut with Sprinkles sculpture/sign
Donut - Unique 3 foot Large Frosted  Donut with Sprinkles sculpture/sign

Donut - Unique 3 foot Large Frosted Donut with Sprinkles sculpture/sign

Located in New York, NY

Donut with Sprinkles – Large 3-Foot Pop Art Sculpture 🍩✨ 📏 Size: 3 Feet (36 Inches) – Oversized Statement Piece 🎨 Style: Pop Art, Americana, Vintage Advertising, Retro Decor 🏗 Material: Durable, Hand-Painted This large, eye-catching donut sculpture...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Steel

Popocatépetl, the Second Highest Peak in Mexico
Popocatépetl, the Second Highest Peak in Mexico

Popocatépetl, the Second Highest Peak in Mexico

Located in San Francisco, CA

The reason Mexican painter Rafael Huerta Carreón was referred to as "El paisajista del Estado de México" (The landscapist of the State of Mexico) was his output of works like this, t...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Desert House Party, Estate Edition From the Poolside Series, Palm Springs
Desert House Party, Estate Edition From the Poolside Series, Palm Springs

Desert House Party, Estate Edition From the Poolside Series, Palm Springs

By Slim Aarons

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Discover this stunning photograph from Slim Aarons sought-after Palm Springs 'Poolside' series. 'Desert House Party' encapsulates the essence of vintage 1970s glamour, captured with vibrant color palette of bold yellow, crisp white, and vibrant turquoise, synonymous with the classic Palm Beach aesthetic. This coveted photograph, taken in 1970, presents an intimate glimpse into a poolside party at a desert house, a Palm Springs masterpiece by famed architect Richard Neutra for Edgar J. Kaufmann. This is not just a photograph, but an entry into the world of luxury, architecture, and the golden era of Palm Springs. Highlighted in the image are industrial designer Raymond Loewy, known for his unparalleled design philosophy, central and standing, and Nelda Linsk, elegantly dressed in a radiant yellow, an iconic cultural patron and the wife of prominent art dealer Joseph Linsk. Also captured in the frame is Helen Dzo Dzo, the former fashion model, gracefully adorned in white lace, adding a touch of timeless elegance to the vibrant gathering. The photograph artistically integrates the natural beauty of the Palm Springs landscape...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Morning in the Old town  oil/canvas, 70x90 cm, 2019
Morning in the Old town  oil/canvas, 70x90 cm, 2019

Morning in the Old town oil/canvas, 70x90 cm, 2019

By Igor Maikov

Located in Riga, LV

Igor Maikov (1966) Education: 1981 - 1984 The Art Academy of Latvia 1973 - 1983 Salaspils Primary and Secondary School Exhibitions: 1994 - Group Exhibition «Rol-Art», Latvia ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Free from religion"
"Free from religion"

"Free from religion"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

One of the most fascinating topics in religion for me remains the theme of the Last Supper. What did Jesus say to his disciples? This is not the first interpretation I have made on t...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

"Ivano-Frankivsk"
"Ivano-Frankivsk"

"Ivano-Frankivsk"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Ivano-Frankivsk. Summer glow of the city Oleksandr Khrapachov, 2013 Canvas, oil • 50×70 cm --- In this work, Oleksandr Khrapachov masterfully captures a moment of a summer day in ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cyclamen II

Cyclamen II

By Michael Mazur

Located in New York, NY

Mr. Mazur’s restless artistic temperament led him to explore a variety of styles and media, shuttling between realism and abstraction. He produced narrative paintings like “Incident ...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Monotype

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

"Evening at the sea"

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

"Flemish genre tavern scene"
"Flemish genre tavern scene"

"Flemish genre tavern scene"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Unidentified Artist 17th-Century Tavern Scene Oil on canvas Framed: 113 x 103 cm Canvas: 96 x 91 cm This 17th-century oil painting captures a lively tavern scene, a popular subject in Dutch and Flemish genre painting of the Golden Age. The composition is rich in character and storytelling, depicting a group of men engaged in a card game, with coins, letters, and drinks scattered across the table. A standing woman, possibly a barmaid or concerned onlooker, leans in, while a man enters from the left, holding his hat and appearing amused by the game. In the foreground, a small child tends to a jug and tankard, adding a touch of humor and domestic realism. Executed in oil on canvas, the painting showcases earthy, warm tones and rich chiaroscuro, emphasizing the candlelit glow of the scene. The artist masterfully captures the textures of fabrics, wood, and metal, giving depth and dimension to the environment. The expressive faces and animated gestures highlight the social interactions typical of Dutch and Flemish tavern paintings...

Category

17th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Familia Indigena III
Familia Indigena III

Familia Indigena III

By Francisco Zúñiga

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Familia Indigena III" 1983 is an original colors lithograph on Wove paper by renown Costa Rican/Mexican artist Francisco Zuniga, 1912-1998. It is hand signed, dated and numbered 67/100 in pencil by the artist. The artwork size is 22 x 29.85 inches, framed size is 28.5 x 36.5 inches. Published and printed by La Poligrafa, Barcelona, Spain. Referenced and pictured in the artist's catalogue raisonne "Zuniga The Complete Graphics, 1972-1984, by Jerry Brewster, plate #93. Beautifully framed in a custom acrylic display box, with brown fabric backing. It is in excellent condition. About the artist: Internationally acclaimed sculptor and printmaker Francisco Zuñiga was born in Costa Rica. He studied drawing, stone sculpture, and engraving at the School of Fine Arts in San Jose. Later, in 1936, he studied stone carving at La Esmeralda in Mexico City. He was appointed to the faculty of La Esmeralda where he remained until his retirement in 1970. Zuniga's art reflects a love and respect for Central American people and traditions. In 1972, he created his first lithograph. As a complement to his emotionally powerful sculpture, Zuniga's prints articulate the sensitivity and sensuality of the human figure. He has been the recipient of numerous international prizes and awards. His work is exhibited frequently in prominent galleries throughout the world and may be found in the permanent collections of twenty-nine museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum, the Mexican Museum in San Francisco, and the Phoenix Art Museum. In 1936, Francisco Zuniga left San Jose, Costa Rica, where he had studied drawing at the School of Fine Arts and worked as an assistant in his father's studio, a workshop which produced religious sculpture for the churches and convents in and around the city. His destination was Mexico City. It was from there that he would begin an illustrious career as a sculptor and draftsman. Zuñiga's exploration into the nuances of volume, in line and space, are demonstrated in this, the most complete exhibition of his work to be shown in more than a decade. Mexico City in 1936 was, even then, one of the major art centers of the Americas. As such it witnessed and participated in many of the frenzied and controversial art movements which reflected the political and intellectual climate of the first three decades of the twentieth century. Muralism, the graphic arts, the incorporation of in-ternational movements had produced an artistic climate, which would eventually attract to Mexico international artists and intellectuals such as Sergei Eisenstein...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

477 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Cat Size: 12 x 16 inch, (30...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Pomona, oil painting, Women in the Arts, Realistic painting, Historical Figures
Pomona, oil painting, Women in the Arts, Realistic painting, Historical Figures

Pomona, oil painting, Women in the Arts, Realistic painting, Historical Figures

Located in Houston, TX

Pomona reexamines portraits of individuals throughout history to illustrate the premise that history flows into the present in an ever-changing state. And, with each new context, we view people and events through a contemporary lens specific to that moment. Pomona appropriates and contextualizes original portrait elements to create reinvented portraits using technique and patterning that brings a contemporary context and perspective to these historically inspired portraits. My current body of work, Contemporary Histories, explores this phenomena by re-interpreting historical portraiture using a contemporary visual language. It is my intent to create a modern visual lens through which to view these individuals and their legacies, as they continue to flow into the present in ever-changing states. As a keen example of how history changes and morphs over time, I have selected portraits of women who chose an alternate path from the traditional ones prescribed in their times. Some of these individuals overtly stepped outside the traditional roles prescribed for women to realize their goals. Others astutely maneuvered within the social system they lived in to obtain their aspirations. Whether altruistic or nefarious, these women and their actions altered the future cultural landscape. Through a 21st century lens, we view them as women with minds of their own, who made choices to control their own lives and futures. Often, in stark contrast to how they were viewed and how their actions were recorded in their own times. For a modern visual language, a combination of fine and decorative arts has inspired my approach to this subject. Employing several formal contemporary tenets, most notably, rather than place the figure in a 3-dimensional space, as in the originals, the figures reside in flat graphic picture planes of damask designs, repetitive patterns or botanical grounds as modern settings for their modern legacies. These graphic backgrounds symbolize what was historically considered a woman’s proper domain, in particular, gardening and needle crafts, such as; quilting, embroidery and sewing. Formally, unlike the originals, I am working alla prima, rather than with a base grisaille and delicate layers of glazing. While, the patterned and botanical environments, along with gold leaf applications, contemporary compositions and color palettes are formally influenced by a spectrum of 19th - 21st century artists and artisans; from Gustav Klimt and the Wiener Werkstatte to Henri Rousseau, Tamara de Lempicka and Will Cotton. BIO Honora Jacob...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

463 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Cat Size: 12 x 16 inch, (30...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

462 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Cat Size: 12 x 16 inch, (30...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

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.