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Realist Art

15,107 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
Sundowners at the Carlton, Cannes

Sundowners at the Carlton, Cannes

By Slim Aarons

Located in New York, NY

Two bikini-clad holidaymakers enjoy a glass of wine outside the Carlton Hotel, Cannes, 1958. Estate stamped and hand numbered edition of 150 with certificate of authenticity from th...

Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Vortex, Oil Painting
Vortex, Oil Painting

Vortex, Oil Painting

By Beth Sistrunk

Located in Denver, CO

Beth Sistrunk's "Vortex" is an oil on two translucent acrylic panels featuring a model with red petals. About the artist: Beth's interests in painting the figure, women’s fashion, ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Foggy Morning
Foggy Morning

Foggy Morning

By Andrei Belaichuk

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Foggy Morning" is a canvas where nature awakens in the embrace of gentle mist. Gray and blue hues seamlessly transition, creating an atmosphere of mystery. In the soft morning gloom...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

2 PM Shift Change

2 PM Shift Change

By Nicholas Berger

Located in Greenwich, CT

Men at work by a Brooklyn East District Terminal locomotive during an afternoon shift change. For over 100 years, the Brooklyn East District Terminal was responsible for floating fre...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Batumi. 1987, paper, watercolor, 18x30.5 cm
Batumi. 1987, paper, watercolor, 18x30.5 cm

Batumi. 1987, paper, watercolor, 18x30.5 cm

By Nikolai Uvarov

Located in Riga, LV

Batumi. 1987, paper, watercolor, 18x30.5 cm The watercolor painting portrays a landscape scene of Batumi, a city in Georgia. The artist skillfully uses watercolor techniques to depi...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

LARGE LATE 18th CENTURY OIL PAINTING
LARGE LATE 18th CENTURY OIL PAINTING

LARGE LATE 18th CENTURY OIL PAINTING

Located in Ferndown, GB

HUGE LATE 18th CENTURY OIL PAINTING Fine OIL PAINTING 18th Century in a Large Gold Gilt Frame Description Excellent condition canvas .relined .. Original Frame is in very good ...

Category

18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

The Entrance to the Citadel of Cairo

The Entrance to the Citadel of Cairo

By David Roberts

Located in London, GB

David Roberts RA The Entrance to the Citadel of Cairo 1796 - 1864 Subscription & first edition lithographs in stock Full plate: 228 Presented in an acid free mount The viewpoint is ...

Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Lithograph

Doll with Pals, childhood toys, realistic oil painting
Doll with Pals, childhood toys, realistic oil painting

Doll with Pals, childhood toys, realistic oil painting

By Douglas Newton

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Realist artist Doug Newton says, Inspired by a doll and stuffed animals from my grown daughter's childhood. I enjoy painting the textures and patterns of the stuffed animals and the ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Peaches  oil/canvas, 40x50cm, 2020
Peaches  oil/canvas, 40x50cm, 2020

Peaches oil/canvas, 40x50cm, 2020

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

Balliol College, Oxford - Joseph Murray Ince (attributed)

Balliol College, Oxford - Joseph Murray Ince (attributed)

By Joseph Murray Ince

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 ...

Category

1830s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Old farmer's dinner  60x54 cm, oil/canvas, 2000
Old farmer's dinner  60x54 cm, oil/canvas, 2000

Old farmer's dinner 60x54 cm, oil/canvas, 2000

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

Laguna Beach (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)
Laguna Beach (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)

Laguna Beach (Slim Aarons Estate Edition)

By Slim Aarons

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Surfers outside a beach hut in Laguna Beach, California, January 1970. Laguna Beach Slim Aarons Estate Print Chromogenic Lambda print with two certificates of authenticity 60 x 40 ...

Category

1970s 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

"Nori I" Acrylic Painting

"Nori I" Acrylic Painting

By Rebecca Mason Adams

Located in Denver, CO

Rebecca Mason Adams (US based) "Nori I" is a black and white acrylic painting that depicts a female figure with a tiara and face paint smiling demurely against a dark background. Rebecca Adams is an artist based out of Providence, RI. She graduated from RISD in 2006 with a BFA in photography. Her paintings focus on black and white portraiture referencing stylized and graphic photography...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Daenerys morning
Daenerys morning

Daenerys morning

By Evgeniy Monahov

Located in Zofingen, AG

Once upon a time, a wonderful girl posed for Evgeniy, outwardly very similar to the well-known blonde from Game of Thrones. Almost a doppelganger of her fairy-tale sister .. And then...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Tempera, Wood Panel

Spring Walk, Realist Style Painting, Traditional Woodland Painting, Floral Art
Spring Walk, Realist Style Painting, Traditional Woodland Painting, Floral Art

Spring Walk, Realist Style Painting, Traditional Woodland Painting, Floral Art

By Jane Peart

Located in Deddington, GB

Spring Walk is an original acrylic painting by artist Jane Peart. Jane took sintered from a walk through the woods on a spring day when the blossoms were out. This painting really capture the light passing through the trees. Jane Peart prints are available at Wychwood Art online and in the gallery. Jane Peart was born in London and studied illustration at Ealing School of Art where she graduated with distinction in 1975. She worked in a design studio in London before moving to Oxford in 1978. After many years of devoting time to pencil and pen & ink drawings, Jane took up etching - she now devotes most of her creative energies to printmaking. Jane Peart's work has been exhibited at Printspace Bankside, London; The Affordable Art Fair Battersea, 2003 annually to date; The Brighton Art Fair 2004, 2006; The Contemporary Art Fair Battersea and annually during the Oxford Artweeks Festival. I also took part in the Edinburgh Art Fair 2011; she regularly exhibits with The Oxford Printmakers venues including; The Ashmolean Museum, Christchurch Picture Gallery...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Bulldog with a bone

Bulldog with a bone

Located in London, GB

This striking mid-century oil painting captures the essence of the bulldog with remarkable character and presence. Seated on a lawn, he exudes a sense of sturdy confidence, his powe...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Black Rainbow
Black Rainbow

Black Rainbow

By Evgeniy Monahov

Located in Zofingen, AG

On one hot June day, a beautiful Ethiopian girl was playing in Monahov's studio with a sparkling glass prism, watching objects refracted in the room and outside the window.. and at s...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Tempera, Wood Panel

'Still Life with Books' by Fernand Adriaenssens ( 1859 – Antwerp – 1944 )
'Still Life with Books' by Fernand Adriaenssens ( 1859 – Antwerp – 1944 )

'Still Life with Books' by Fernand Adriaenssens ( 1859 – Antwerp – 1944 )

Located in Knokke, BE

Fernand Adriaenssens 1859 – Antwerp – 1944 Belgian Painter 'Still Life with Books' Signature: signed lower middle left 'F Adriaenssens', on revers signed and placed Antwerp 'F. Adriaenssens Anvers' Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: Image size 50,5 x 75,5 cm, frame size 62,5 x 87,5 cm Biography: Adriaenssens Fernand...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Poppies, Jegun" Contemporary Impressionist oil painting en plein air in France
"Poppies, Jegun" Contemporary Impressionist oil painting en plein air in France

"Poppies, Jegun" Contemporary Impressionist oil painting en plein air in France

By Tina Orsolic Dalessio

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

"Poppies, Jegun" is a contemporary Impressionist painting, painted en plein air in rural France. Tina Orsolic Dalessio is a figurative painter born and raised in Zagreb, Croatia. Sh...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

New York City Skyline Modern Print Chrysler State Building Framed Unique Etching
New York City Skyline Modern Print Chrysler State Building Framed Unique Etching

New York City Skyline Modern Print Chrysler State Building Framed Unique Etching

By Katherine Gallagher

Located in Buffalo, NY

Limited edition aquatint etching of the New York City skyline by Katherine E. Gallagher. This piece features the famous Chrysler Building prominently in the background along with a M...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

The Chinese Jacket - 20th Century British drawing of a Woman

The Chinese Jacket - 20th Century British drawing of a Woman

Located in London, GB

CAROLYN SERGEANT (1937-2018) Woman in a Chinese Jacket Pencil, unframed 49.5 by 36 cm., 19 ½ by 14 ¼ in. (mount size 65.5 by 51.5 cm., 25 ¾ by 20 ¼ in.) Carolyn Cann studied at ...

Category

1960s Realist Art

Materials

Pencil

"Red Vase" painting by John Powell
"Red Vase" painting by John Powell

"Red Vase" painting by John Powell

By John Powell

Located in Hinsdale, IL

John Powell has worked in the arts throughout his life. Born in Hollywood, California, he began to paint at the age of 16. Over the past 45 years he has melded his life experiences i...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Apple tree_02, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper

Apple tree_02, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper

By Helal Uddin

Located in Yardley, PA

This is one of my studio paintings. I love watercolor because it’s a very challenging medium. I used Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors with world-class acid-free Arches 300gsm wa...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

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

20th-century Italian figurative painting of a woman's portrait
20th-century Italian figurative painting of a woman's portrait

20th-century Italian figurative painting of a woman's portrait

Located in Florence, IT

Oil painting on chestnut panel (18 x 13.8, with wooden frame 34.5 x 30.5) depicting a young woman with her hair held back by a clip, wearing a white shawl and long gold earrings. Her...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Walk, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Walk, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Steven Boksenbaum

Located in Yardley, PA

Two tethered friends finishing their walk along the park road on a sunny day. There is an homage to Mark Rothko hidden in the painting. Oil on cotton canvas over a pine frame ready t...

Category

2010s 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.