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Realist Art

15,081 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
Italian painter - 19th century Baroque-style still life with fruit basket
Italian painter - 19th century Baroque-style still life with fruit basket

Italian painter - 19th century Baroque-style still life with fruit basket

Located in Varmo, IT

Italian painter (19th century) - Still life with fruit. 50 x 65 cm (without frame) - 64 x 76 cm (with frame). Oil on canvas, in carved and gilded wooden frame (not signed). This s...

Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study of a Pointer Running by Léon Espinasse (French 19th/20th)
Study of a Pointer Running by Léon Espinasse (French 19th/20th)

Study of a Pointer Running by Léon Espinasse (French 19th/20th)

Located in SANTA FE, NM

"Study of a Pointer Running" Léon Espinasse (French, c. 1870 to 20th century) Watercolor on paper Signed on right 15 x 11 1/2 (28 1/4 x 23 1/2 frame) inches A stunning exercise in ...

Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

19th Century Neapolitan Boat Ride Painting, Oil on Canvas, Signed
19th Century Neapolitan Boat Ride Painting, Oil on Canvas, Signed

19th Century Neapolitan Boat Ride Painting, Oil on Canvas, Signed

Located in New York, NY

Magnificent work by Pietro Gabrini, very striking due to its size and luminosity. Signed and dates P. Gabrini 78. Very good condition. All of our works are covered by our own guaran...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Courtesan Kashiwagi and the Kamuro Wakano - Japanese Woodblock Print
The Courtesan Kashiwagi and the Kamuro Wakano - Japanese Woodblock Print

The Courtesan Kashiwagi and the Kamuro Wakano - Japanese Woodblock Print

By Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

Located in Soquel, CA

The Courtesan Kashiwagi and the Kamuro Wakano - Japanese Woodblock Print Original Toyokuni III/Kunisada (Japanese, 1786 - 1864) Japanese Woodblock Print "The Courtesan Kashiwagi and...

Category

1820s Realist Art

Materials

Printer's Ink, Rice Paper, Woodcut

Taos (Timeless Ritual) Native American 1939 Indian Portrait Drawing
Taos (Timeless Ritual) Native American 1939 Indian Portrait Drawing

Taos (Timeless Ritual) Native American 1939 Indian Portrait Drawing

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Boleslaw Cybis (1895-1957). Taos (Timeless Ritual), Indian Negro Series, 6 of 18. Conte on paper, sheet measures 18 x 23 inches. Small tear in sheet left margin. Evidence of alteration of image lower left where writing was probably removed before photographs require to create lithograph. The area has oxidized consequently. Signed by the artist some years after its creation in blue ink, lower left, ca. 1950's. the sheet is hinged at top margin, not glued down to backing board. Provenance: Cybis Archive. This original drawing was created in 1939-40 during an extensive visit to the Southwest US. The artist created 18 portraits and titled the series "Indian Negro Serie". Of the 18 images, 9 were selected to be included in a limited edition lithographic series some 30 years after creation. 1000 editions were printed. This is the original drawing upon which one of the images is based, and is thus unique. Of the 18 original drawings, 2 are owned by the polish government, 5 are in our collection and the other 11 are whereabouts unknown. The artist and his wife opened a porcelain factory in the 1950's, Cybis Studios. The only non-porcelain retail offering from the Cybis studio was a 1970s art issue called the Folio One. This was a limited edition reproduction series taken from nine conté drawings of Native Americans made by Boleslaw Cybis in 1939. Conté is the name of a type of crayon made of compressed charcoal or graphite mixed with wax or clay. The artist Georges Seurat was particularly fond of using conté for his drawings. Boleslaw Cybis was fascinated by the Native American (then typically referred to as American Indian) culture and peoples. This may seem odd when you consider that much of his ceramic-based works were distinctly Rococo and/or Old World European in style….a pretty stark contrast, I’d say! But Cybis was nothing if not eclectic in his tastes. The originals were reproduced as color lithographs, in an edition of 1000, in 1970. This meant “1000 of each individual print.” At present its original issue pricing is unknown, but a Spring 1972 dealer price list shows the full set of nine at $500. Individual prints could also be purchased at either $50 (for Comanche, Shoshone, or Apache) or $65 (for any of the other six)… representing a $40 savings when buying the entire folio at once versus singly. The Spring 1981 price list is the final one that shows the Folio One set for sale, still at the same price ($500) as it was a decade earlier. Individual prints are not available on that list. According to the 1979 Cybis catalog text “Each of the 12″ x 20″ prints is hand-numbered on heavy Beckett rag-content paper, with a specially designed validating hallmark in the lower right-hand corner, and carries an accompanying page with a brief tribal history.” The hallmark is blind-embossed, not surface printed. However, the Spring 1972 dealer price list cited above described the prints as being 17″ x 23″ in size. Checking past auction listings for the set, the actual prints are indeed 17″ x 23″, which means that the 12″ x 20″ size probably refers to the image area. The overall size of the set’s burlap-covered box is 18.5″ x 24.5″. These nine portraits represent seven different tribes: the Comanche, Shoshone, Taos, Apache, Hopi, Mohave, and Yuma. A bit of trivia is that only two of those tribes (Apache and Shoshone) were featured within the modern studio’s North American Indians porcelain...

Category

1930s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Conté

WESTERN PEAKS
WESTERN PEAKS

WESTERN PEAKS

By Harold Lukens Doolittle

Located in Santa Monica, CA

HAROLD LUKENS DOOLITTLE (1873 - 1974) WESTERN PEAKS c. 1945 Aquatint signed and titled in pencil. 6 3/4 x 8 7/8 sheet 9 5/8 x 12 3/4. Good condition save for just a hint of darkening within the window and small bits if tape on the sheet edge verso. Doolittle was a renaissance man. His day job was as an engineer for the Edison Electric Co. But he produced an outstanding body of prints for 5 decades as well as photographs. His very rare arts and crafts furniture is highly sought after. He was a long time member and officer in the California Print...

Category

1940s Realist Art

Materials

Aquatint

Antique Anglo Indian Drawing of Bombay in 1875
Antique Anglo Indian Drawing of Bombay in 1875

Antique Anglo Indian Drawing of Bombay in 1875

Located in Palm Beach, FL

Transporting 19th century British colonial drawing on paper of a street scene in Bombay India capturing the hot, dusty mood of the day, executed in a distinctive Anglo Indian style. ...

Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Wood, Paper, Pencil

Argonauts. Limited Edition AP 2 - Bronze Sculpture
Argonauts. Limited Edition AP 2 - Bronze Sculpture

Argonauts. Limited Edition AP 2 - Bronze Sculpture

Located in Riga, LV

Dimensions: 57 W x 37 H x 14 D cm Weight: 7,6 kg Material: Bronze, patina, metal Edition: AP 2, signed on base Condition: Excellent, certificate Free worldwide shipping in a branded ...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Metal, Bronze

Echo of the Black Cat
Echo of the Black Cat

Echo of the Black Cat

By Nataliya Bagatskaya

Located in Zofingen, AG

This striking, contemporary painting invites the viewer into a space of quiet mystery and irony. A young woman with auburn hair, dressed in a dark, structured dress, stands confide...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Still Life Cabbage
Still Life Cabbage

Still Life Cabbage

By Elizabeth Osborne

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Elizabeth Osborne (b.1936). Still Life Cabbage, 1983. Watercolor on paper, sheet measures 22.5 x 30 inches; 29.5 x 37 inches in custom frame. Original Fischbach Gallery label affixed...

Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Portrait of a Young Woman with Shawl - British early 19thC portrait oil painting
Portrait of a Young Woman with Shawl - British early 19thC portrait oil painting

Portrait of a Young Woman with Shawl - British early 19thC portrait oil painting

By Thomas Lawrence (circle)

Located in Hagley, England

This lovely British early 19th century female portrait oil painting is attributed to the circle of Sir Thomas Lawrence. Painted circa 1800 it is a half length portrait of a beautiful...

Category

Early 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Juchiteca's Platicando (Juchitecan Women Talking)
Juchiteca's Platicando (Juchitecan Women Talking)

Juchiteca's Platicando (Juchitecan Women Talking)

By Francisco Zúñiga

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled "Juchiteca's Platicando (Juchitecan Women Talking) 1985 is an original colors lithograph on Wove paper by Costa Rican/Mexican artist Francisco Zuniga, 1912-1998. It is hand signed, dated and numbered 72/150 in pencil by the artist. The size is 22.75 x 30 inches. It is in excellent condition, 2 small pieces of hanging tape remaining on the back at the top edge of the sheet from previous framing. About the subject: This print, Juchitecas Platicando (Juchitecán Women Talking), depicts three statuesque women from the city of Juchiteca in the state of Oaxaca in southeastern Mexico. Juchiteca is a largely matriarchal society, in that women control the economy and hold positions of power. It is also home to a large Zapotec population, indigenous to the land that became Mexico. Francisco Zúñiga lived within the community of Juchiteca for a period of time and adopted the women of the area as one of the central motifs of his artwork, both on paper and in sculpture. Through his selective coloring, Zúñiga highlights the women’s clothing, including their recognizable huipiles or tunics, conveying the pride in locally made textile art 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, André Breton and Antonin Artaud. Then as now, Mexico City was a major world capital with the infrastructure necessary to exhibit and expose new aesthetic concepts. For all these reasons it was the most obvious destination of choice for Zuñiga. In Mexico he worked with the painter Manuel Rodríguez...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

During the performance
During the performance

During the performance

By Serghei Ghetiu

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this painting, I captured the delicate grace and strength of a ballerina, blending realism with impressionistic emotion. The doves symbolize freedom and purity, enhancing the sere...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Young Scandinavian Woman, Original Swedish Oil Portrait
Young Scandinavian Woman, Original Swedish Oil Portrait

Young Scandinavian Woman, Original Swedish Oil Portrait

Located in Stockholm, SE

Torsten Schonberg (1882–1970) Sweden Portrait of Ingrid Schonberg signed oil on wood panel unframed 40 × 32 cm (15.7 × 12.6 in) framed 50 × 42 cm (19.7 × 16.5 in) Provenance: Priv...

Category

1920s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Study of a Boxer
Study of a Boxer

Study of a Boxer

Located in San Francisco, CA

This is a fabulous study of a boxer. It was done by the British artist Nigel Mould. It is so life like one would think it was painted in oil. But he did this in pastel. It measures 1...

Category

1950s Realist Art

Materials

Oil Pastel

Large Scale Winter Twilight Landscape Painting by Artist Mauritz Lindström
Large Scale Winter Twilight Landscape Painting by Artist Mauritz Lindström

Large Scale Winter Twilight Landscape Painting by Artist Mauritz Lindström

By Arvid Mauritz Lindström

Located in Stockholm, SE

This stunning winter landscape by Mauritz Lindström captures the serene yet striking beauty of a snow-laden scene illuminated by the warm glow of twilight. The interplay between the soft, colorful hues of the evening sky and the intricate, frost-covered branches creates an almost three-dimensional effect, drawing the viewer into the composition. The detailed rendering of the snow and the trees evokes a profound sense of coldness, making the atmosphere almost palpable. Measuring an impressive 101 x 152 cm (39 3/4 x 59 7/8 in) with the frame, this large-scale work is a testament to Lindström's mastery of light and texture. Arvid Mauritz Lindström...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Landscape with wooden bridge and figures"
"Landscape with wooden bridge and figures"

"Landscape with wooden bridge and figures"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Attributed to Giuseppe Zola (1672-1743) – "Landscape with Wooden Bridge and Figures" Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions (Flat): 190 x 301 cm Description: This monumental 18th-century ...

Category

17th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

That's Saying Something, Original Painting
That's Saying Something, Original Painting

That's Saying Something, Original Painting

By Emil Morhardt

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A realistic animal painting depicts three great blue herons. Two of the herons are scanning their surroundings, seemingly in search of good fortune, trouble, or...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Cup of coffee and tangerine
Cup of coffee and tangerine

Cup of coffee and tangerine

By Irina Trushkova

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Cup of coffee and tangerine” is a celebration of the beauty that can be found in the simplest of things. The style of the painting is inspired by the Holland masters of the 17th cen...

Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jagellonian Library, Krakau, Poland
Jagellonian Library, Krakau, Poland

Jagellonian Library, Krakau, Poland

By Luigi Kasimir

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork titled " Jagellonian Library, Krakau, Poland" 1941 is an original color etching by Austrian artist Luigi Kasimir 1881-1962. It is hand signed in pencil at the lower righ...

Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching

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.