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Realist Art

15,200 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.

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Style: Realist
Sovereign
Sovereign

Sovereign

By Michelle Kondos

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Original Oil painting signed by the Artist in the lower left corner.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Robert K. White "Movement" aka "At Sea" 5-Foot Seascape Oil Painting on Canvas
Robert K. White "Movement" aka "At Sea" 5-Foot Seascape Oil Painting on Canvas

Robert K. White "Movement" aka "At Sea" 5-Foot Seascape Oil Painting on Canvas

By Robert Kenneth White

Located in Miami, FL

ROBERT KENNETH WHITE (b. 1950) – "Movement" aka "At Sea" Oil on Canvas ⚜ Signed Lower Right and Titled on Verso ⚜ Frameless Display AN IMMERSIVE STUDY OF OCEAN ENERGY In "Movement" aka "At Sea," Robert Kenneth White focuses on the open water itself, building the composition out of rolling swells, shifting currents, and crisp highlights that skim across the surface. The sea feels alive and dimensional, with layers of deep blue and turquoise creating both depth and motion, while the softened sky keeps the viewer’s attention locked on the water’s constant rhythm. This is not a literal coastline view. It is a concentrated marine painting that captures the experience of the ocean: restless, luminous, and endlessly changing. The result is a large-scale seascape that reads as contemporary realism from a distance, yet becomes richly painterly up close, a hallmark of White’s approach to light, atmosphere, and surface. WHY COLLECT THIS WORK? ✓ Large-scale seascape with strong visual presence and room-defining impact ✓ Ocean subject with year-round appeal for coastal, nautical, and modern interiors ✓ Exceptional handling of wave movement and reflected light across open water ✓ A compelling example of White’s contemporary marine painting in oil on canvas ARTWORK DETAILS: ▸ Title: "Movement" [also known as "At Sea"] ▸ Artist: Robert Kenneth White (b. 1950) ▸ Medium: Oil on Canvas ▸ Year of Creation: 2019 ▸ Signature: Hand Signed Lower Right and Titled on Verso ▸ Provenance: Private Collection ▸ Country of Origin: United States ▸ Dimensions: — ◼︎ Canvas Size: 40 x 60 x 1 inches ▸ Condition: Excellent, commensurate with age ▸ Framing: Frameless Display, ready to hang or frame INCLUDED DOCUMENTATION: ✓ Certificate of Authenticity ✓ Artist Biography Document THE ARTIST: Robert Kenneth White (b. 1950) is a celebrated American painter known for luminous coastal landscapes, marine paintings, figurative works, and portraits executed in oil on canvas. Raised in Salinas, California, White developed an enduring connection to the Central Coast and Monterey region, returning repeatedly to ocean and shoreline subjects where light, atmosphere, and motion become the true narrative. White’s work is frequently sought by collectors searching for California coastal...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lake Tahoe Ladies
Lake Tahoe Ladies

Lake Tahoe Ladies

By Slim Aarons

Located in New York, NY

Caption:A group of young women in their bathing suits on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, 1959. Slim Aarons worked mainly for society publications, taking pictures of the rich and fa...

Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Lincoln Tower

Lincoln Tower

By John Button

Located in New York, NY

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

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Gouache, Paper

San Miguel

San Miguel

By Catherine Koenig

Located in Buffalo, NY

An original realist egg tempera painting by American artist Catherine Koenig created during her travels to Mexico. This work will be featured in the gallery's upcoming exhibition "D...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Board, Egg Tempera

Sunset. Ocean., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Sunset. Ocean., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Sunset. Ocean., Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Iryna Kastsova

Located in Yardley, PA

Sunset. Ocean. The deep, mysterious ocean beckons you to unravel its secrets. Warm water, waves, serene views, shine of the ocean, evening glare of the sun on the water create an atm...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Scout

Scout

By Melissa Cooper

Located in Colorado Springs, CO

Original bronze sculpture by Melissa Cooper. Edition #19/50. Signed on base.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

Guglielmo Ciardi (Venetian painter) - 19th century Realism market scene
Guglielmo Ciardi (Venetian painter) - 19th century Realism market scene

Guglielmo Ciardi (Venetian painter) - 19th century Realism market scene

By Guglielmo Ciardi

Located in Varmo, IT

Guglielmo Ciardi (Venice 1842 - Venice 1917) - Market of Badoere. 20 x 27.5 cm (without frame) - 44.5 x 51 cm (with frame). Pencil on paper, within passe-partout, in wooden frame. ...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil

French school 1920s Brittany Brittons Village fair Pont-Aven Cornouaille
French school 1920s Brittany Brittons Village fair Pont-Aven Cornouaille

French school 1920s Brittany Brittons Village fair Pont-Aven Cornouaille

Located in PARIS, FR

J. BREYNAT (XXth century) Oil on cardboard 20 x 30 cm (28 x 38 cm with the frame) Signed and dated lower left "J. Breynat / 1921" Beautiful carved wooden frame from the 19th century ...

Category

1920s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

The Ali Children, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
The Ali Children, Slim Aarons Estate Edition

The Ali Children, Slim Aarons Estate Edition

By Slim Aarons

Located in Los Angeles, CA

August 1980: In Spanish style riding clothes from l to r; TRH Princess Rajwa Ali, Princess Basma Ali and Prince Bin Ali. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Editi...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Desire Guides Imagination, Oil Painting

Desire Guides Imagination, Oil Painting

By Robin Cole

Located in Denver, CO

Robin Cole's "Desire Guides Imagination" is an oil painting featuring a woman picking blueberries. About the artist: My work represents an exploration of an inner wilderness by way...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Interior of the Mosque of the Sultan Hassan

Interior of the Mosque of the Sultan Hassan

By David Roberts

Located in London, GB

David Roberts RA Interior Of The Mosque Of The Sultan Hassan 1796 - 1864 Subscription Edition lithograph Full plate: 220 Presented in a acid free mount Open media 1 in modal Regular...

Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Lithograph

Capote Cycling, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Capote Cycling, Slim Aarons Estate Edition

Capote Cycling, Slim Aarons Estate Edition

By Slim Aarons

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Slim Aarons Capote Cycling Slim Aarons Estate Edition 1970: Truman Capote (1924 - 1984) on his bicycle in Palm Springs, California. Author of several novels including 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' which was made into a film. 40 x 60 inches $3950 30 x 40 inches $3350 20 x 30 inches $3000 10 x 12 inches $1350 Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide. Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from the estate. Chromogenic Lambda print from the original transparency Over the course of a career lasting half a century, Slim Aarons (1916-2006) portrayed high society, aristocracy, authors, artists, business icons, the celebrated and their milieu. In doing so, he captured a golden age of wealth, privilege, beauty and leisure that occurred alongside—but quite separate from—the cultural and political backdrop of the second half of the Twentieth Century. The Slim Aarons Estate has released the limited Estate edition as a Lambda print, which is a modern c-type prints. They have chosen Lambda prints for their sharpness, clarity, colour saturation and quality, compared to archival inkjet prints. Lambda printing gives true continuous tone. Photograph is unframed Slide show includes a close-up of the Slim Aarons estate's stamp. Collector will get the next number in the edition * We are pleased to offer the entire archive of the Slim Aarons Estate, offering the official Slim Aarons Estate Edition (only offered in this edition of 150). Please contact us for additional photographs from Slim Aarons * Undercurrent Projects offers premium quality photographic prints from the Slim Aarons Archive, owned and housed by Getty Images. All photographs are printed and authorized by the Getty Images Gallery, London. Photographs are printed utilizing the original transparency held at the archive source. Internal: Vintage Literary photography, vintage writers, vintage glamour, vintage breakfast at...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Wood End Light, Painting, Oil on Wood Panel
Wood End Light, Painting, Oil on Wood Panel

Wood End Light, Painting, Oil on Wood Panel

By David Sipko

Located in Yardley, PA

This piece is an actual working lighthouse on the tip of Cape Cod near Race Point. Wood End Light was built in the 1870's. This is a realistic piece painted on a smooth panel and v...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Pebble Beach, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Pebble Beach, Slim Aarons Estate Edition

Pebble Beach, Slim Aarons Estate Edition

By Slim Aarons

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Riders from the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center wend their way through the Californian sand dunes and pampas grass, November 1976. Slim Aarons Pebble Beach, Slim Aarons Estate Editio...

Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

View Of The City
View Of The City

View Of The City

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Early 20th Century European School, view of the city, with buildings in the background, gouache on paper unsigned in a beautiful custom made Haydenryk frame under glass.

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Gouache, Board

Stormy sea
Stormy sea

Stormy sea

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Ukrainian painter and graphic artist. People's Artist of Ukraine, author of landscapes, portraits and still lifes. He worked in oil painting and watercolor. 1922–1930: received his i...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Infanta Tulipmania, Realist Pencil Drawing, Framed 9 x 7 Inches
Infanta Tulipmania, Realist Pencil Drawing, Framed 9 x 7 Inches

Infanta Tulipmania, Realist Pencil Drawing, Framed 9 x 7 Inches

By Chikako Okada

Located in Burlingame, CA

Chikako Okada’s autobiographical works of art bridge traditional realism with magical realism and surrealism. The artist uniquely addresses questions of the human condition through h...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil, Graphite

Lake landscape - Aquatint 20x28 cm
Lake landscape - Aquatint 20x28 cm

Lake landscape - Aquatint 20x28 cm

Located in Geneva, CH

Aquatint from the beginning of the 19's century Illegible signature gold frame with glass, total size with frame: 38x48x3 cm

Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Aquatint

Horse
Horse

Horse

By Aga Ousseinov

Located in Long Island City, NY

This bronze sculpture, from 1996, is a powerful rendering of a horse rearing. It is not uncommon to see stallions rearing; it is a tactic that can be used to dislodge a predator, to...

Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

British Schooner Anchored at Naples
British Schooner Anchored at Naples

British Schooner Anchored at Naples

Located in Costa Mesa, CA

A classic scene of a large mid-Nineteenth Century schooner at rest in the Mediterranean port painted by the Italian countryman Tomaso De Simone. The complete narrative scene around the schooner's broadside is complemented with a British merchant steam/sail ship, local boats and the colorful sky and headland architecture of the ancient city. The vast serenity and unspoiled life of cruising the Mediterranean Ocean...

Category

1860s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Golden Light

Golden Light

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Andrew Fitzpatrick was born in Greenock in 1966. A plentiful supply of paper from his father’s briefcase encouraged his love of drawing even as a small boy. As he grew older, he was ...

Category

20th Century Realist Art

Materials

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.