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Expressionist Art

EXPRESSIONIST STYLE

While “expressionist” is used to describe any art that avoids naturalism and instead employs a bold use of flattened forms and intense brushwork, Expressionist art formally describes early-20th-century work from Europe that drew on Symbolism and confronted issues such as urbanization and capitalism. Expressionist artists experimented in paintings and prints with skewed perspectives, abstraction and unconventional, bright colors to portray how isolating and anxious the world felt rather than how it appeared. 

Between 1905 and 1920, Austrian and German artists, in particular, were inspired by Postimpressionists such as Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh in their efforts to strive for a new authenticity in their work. In its geometric patterns and decorative details, Expressionist art was also marked by eclectic sources like German and Russian folk art as well as tribal art from Africa and Oceania, which the movement’s practitioners witnessed at museums and world’s fairs.

Groups of artists came together to share and promote the themes now associated with Expressionism, such as Die Brücke (The Bridge) in Dresden, which included Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and investigated alienation and the dissolution of society in vivid color. In Munich, Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, instilled Expressionism with a search for spiritual truths. In his iconic painting The Scream, prolific Norwegian painter Edvard Munch conveyed emotional turmoil through his depiction of environmental elements, such as the threatening sky.

Expressionism shifted around the outbreak of World War I, with artists using more elements of the grotesque in reaction to the escalation of unrest and violence. Printmaking was especially popular, as it allowed artists to widely disseminate works that grappled with social and political issues amid this time of upheaval. Although the art movement ended with the rise of Nazi Germany, where Expressionist creators were labeled “degenerate,” the radical ideas of these artists would influence Neo-Expressionism that emerged in the late 1970s with painters like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente.

​​Find a collection of authentic Expressionist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Expressionist
Violinist - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Women, Musical
Violinist - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Women, Musical

Violinist - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Women, Musical

By Olajide Kuti

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Ola...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Garden of Tenderness - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Women
Garden of Tenderness - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Women

Garden of Tenderness - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Women

By Olajide Kuti

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Ola...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Solitude - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Modern Men
Solitude - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Modern Men

Solitude - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Abstraction, Modern Men

By Olajide Kuti

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Ola...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Ready to Swim -21st Century, Contemporary Figurative Portrait, Children, Africa
Ready to Swim -21st Century, Contemporary Figurative Portrait, Children, Africa

Ready to Swim -21st Century, Contemporary Figurative Portrait, Children, Africa

By Elijah Olanase

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique; it is not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Arti...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Floral Pattern - Original photograph
Floral Pattern - Original photograph

Floral Pattern - Original photograph

By Dora Maar

Located in Paris, IDF

Dora MAAR Floral Pattern Original silver print made from the original 1935 negative Authenticated by the Succession stamp on the reverse (see photo) Limited edition of 5 copies (her...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Nude in Venice: Large Oil/Canvas Contemporary Art 55x40in Unstretched inFlorida
Nude in Venice: Large Oil/Canvas Contemporary Art 55x40in Unstretched inFlorida

Nude in Venice: Large Oil/Canvas Contemporary Art 55x40in Unstretched inFlorida

By Paula Craioveanu

Located in Forest Hills, NY

"Nude in Venice" - original large art by Paula Craioveanu - Contemporary Expressionism Original, large, unique painting, oil on canvas, 55x40in / 140x102cm. Shipped rolled in a tube...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Who Cares If I'm Waiting -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Horse
Who Cares If I'm Waiting -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Horse

Who Cares If I'm Waiting -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Horse

By Elijah Olanase

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique; it is not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Arti...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Venice Palace and Gondola Mooring Colorful Impasto Canal View Oil Painting Italy
Venice Palace and Gondola Mooring Colorful Impasto Canal View Oil Painting Italy

Venice Palace and Gondola Mooring Colorful Impasto Canal View Oil Painting Italy

By Ulpiano Carrasco

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Venice Palace and Gondola Mooring, Colorful Impasto Canal View Artist: Ulpiano Carrasco Title: Palacio y embarcadero en Venecia Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 60 × 73 cm / 23.6 ×...

Category

Early 2000s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

Expressive Castilian Landscape Oil Painting with Olive Trees and Impasto Spain
Expressive Castilian Landscape Oil Painting with Olive Trees and Impasto Spain

Expressive Castilian Landscape Oil Painting with Olive Trees and Impasto Spain

By Ulpiano Carrasco

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Expressive Castilian Landscape Oil Painting with Olive Trees and Impasto Artist: Ulpiano Carrasco Title: Verano en Castillejo Year: 1998 Technique: Oil on canvas Artwork dimensions: 54 × 65 cm / 21.26 × 25.59 in Framed dimensions: 78 × 89 cm / 30.71 × 35.04 in Signature: Signed and dated on the reverse Inscription: Titled “Verano en Castillejo” on the reverse Framing: Framed Condition: Good overall condition, with rich original impasto and visible pictorial texture Description A vibrant expressive landscape by Spanish artist Ulpiano Carrasco, titled Verano en Castillejo and dated 1998 on the reverse. This oil on canvas represents a powerful Castilian landscape, built through dense impasto, energetic brushwork and a luminous palette of greens, yellows, blues, whites and earthy reds. The composition captures an open rural panorama with olive trees, rolling cultivated fields and distant hills, transforming the Spanish countryside into an intense chromatic experience. Carrasco does not approach landscape as simple topography. His painting turns nature into matter, rhythm and emotion. The fields appear almost sculpted with paint, while the olive trees emerge as dark, expressive forms against the vibrating surface of the land. The result is a landscape full of movement, heat and Mediterranean-Castilian atmosphere. The work is especially attractive for collectors of Spanish contemporary landscape painting, expressive impasto painting, Mediterranean landscapes, olive tree paintings...

Category

1990s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

What Does The Future Hold 1 -21st Century Contemporary, Portrait, Modern Fashion

What Does The Future Hold 1 -21st Century Contemporary, Portrait, Modern Fashion

By Afolayan Emmanuel

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Villiers le Bel
Villiers le Bel

Villiers le Bel

Located in Paris, FR

PRESSEMANE Joseph 'Villiers le Bel'. Oil on board. Signed. 47 x 21 cm. Titled and signed on the back. Biography Born Jozef Presman in 1904 in Berestechko, Ukraine, he studied at th...

Category

1950s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil

African Woman 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, People, Black
African Woman 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, People, Black

African Woman 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, People, Black

By Faith Gbadero

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bey...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

North West. Richard K Blades. Oil painting of the sea and sky Turner influence.
North West. Richard K Blades. Oil painting of the sea and sky Turner influence.

North West. Richard K Blades. Oil painting of the sea and sky Turner influence.

By Richard K Blades

Located in Coltishall, GB

North West - a tumultuous seascape beneath a dramatic sky. Blades' textured brushstrokes that merge shades of deep indigo and soft pink, suggest an impending storm. The transition fr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

African Woman 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, People, Black
African Woman 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, People, Black

African Woman 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, People, Black

By Faith Gbadero

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bey...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Don't Rush Life 2 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men
Don't Rush Life 2 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men

Don't Rush Life 2 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Men

By Elijah Olanase

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Where am from Bandana was once a common style, we called it Big Boy Style, then it's seem to me like a style or fashion only, because our elder brothers only allowed to used it but n...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Poppies and Wildflowers, Figurative Triptych, Large Botanical Landscape on Paper
Poppies and Wildflowers, Figurative Triptych, Large Botanical Landscape on Paper

Poppies and Wildflowers, Figurative Triptych, Large Botanical Landscape on Paper

By Romina Milano

Located in Barcelona, ES

This original painting by Romina Milano presents a lyrical field of poppies and wildflowers, where gestural brushwork and simplified forms create a vivid, contemporary botanical comp...

Category

2010s Expressionist Art

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Handmade Paper

Shadow marshes. Richard K Blades. Painting of sea at sunset. Turner influence.
Shadow marshes. Richard K Blades. Painting of sea at sunset. Turner influence.

Shadow marshes. Richard K Blades. Painting of sea at sunset. Turner influence.

By Richard K Blades

Located in Coltishall, GB

A warm sunset over Norfolk's Cromer beach. Between Thoughts is a sublime oil painting that captures the mesmerizing tranquility of a sunset over thw North Sea. The horizon is ablaze...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Magicien, 1978 Lithograph on Arches Paper, Signed, 68.5 x 51.5 cm
Magicien, 1978 Lithograph on Arches Paper, Signed, 68.5 x 51.5 cm

Magicien, 1978 Lithograph on Arches Paper, Signed, 68.5 x 51.5 cm

By Jean Jansem

Located in Les Acacias GE, GE

Jean Jansem (1920-2013) – Magicien, 1978 Lithographie sur papier Arches, Signée en bas à droite, justifiée 68,5 x 51,5 cm / 76 x 54 cm Bibliographie: CR Jansem, 1984, n°405 "M...

Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Aimasiko - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Women
Aimasiko - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Women

Aimasiko - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Women

By Elijah Olanase

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Yoruba proverb says, "Adániwáyè ò gbagbé enikan; àimàsikò lóndààmú edá", meaning "The Creator does not forget anyone; ignorance of divine timing troubles humans". Difficult times may...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Gentleman 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Mixed Media
Gentleman 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Mixed Media

Gentleman 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Mixed Media

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Pastel, Acrylic

Between Thoughts. Richard K Blades. Painting of sea at sunset. Turner influence.
Between Thoughts. Richard K Blades. Painting of sea at sunset. Turner influence.

Between Thoughts. Richard K Blades. Painting of sea at sunset. Turner influence.

By Richard K Blades

Located in Coltishall, GB

A warm sunset over Norfolk's Cromer beach. Between Thoughts is a sublime oil painting that captures the mesmerizing tranquility of a sunset over thw North Sea. The horizon is ablaze...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Beauty We Carry 1, - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral
Beauty We Carry 1, - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral

Beauty We Carry 1, - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Floral

By Faith Gbadero

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

This piece begins a new body of work that asks a simple question: What if becoming never required us to leave ourselves behind? For me, growth should never come at the cost of ident...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Sailors in Nice: Mixed Media Gouache and Pastel on Paper, 1950s
Sailors in Nice: Mixed Media Gouache and Pastel on Paper, 1950s

Sailors in Nice: Mixed Media Gouache and Pastel on Paper, 1950s

By Alfred Salvignol

Located in London, GB

'Sailors in the Port of Nice', mixed media - gouache, pastel and oil on paper, by Alfred Salvignol (circa 1950s). The Port of Nice is one of the key hubs of Nice and, in fact, of the entire French Riviera, standing out as one of the main harbours for the boats which sail across the Mediterranean Sea. It accommodates both the ships operated by ferry companies and the private yachts of visitors who come to Nice by sea. The artist here depicts a group of crusty sailors watching...

Category

1950s Expressionist Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Oil, Gouache

Aurora Over a Northern Lake, Expressionist Oil on Canvas, Framed, 1916
Aurora Over a Northern Lake, Expressionist Oil on Canvas, Framed, 1916

Aurora Over a Northern Lake, Expressionist Oil on Canvas, Framed, 1916

Located in Stockholm, Stockholm

Aurora over a Northern Lake, signed and dated “G Claeson 1916”, oil on canvas. This evocative landscape, executed in an expressionist manner, and on the same time almost modern, cap...

Category

1910s Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Venus'  — German Expressionism
'Venus'  — German Expressionism

'Venus' — German Expressionism

By Karl Michel

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

Karl Michel, 'Venus, Ex Libris - Hanns U. Herta Heeren', woodcut, 1923, edition not stated but small. Signed, dated, and numbered 'op.154' in pencil. Signed in the block, lower left. A fine impression, on cream Japan paper, with full margins (15/16 to 2 11/16 inches), in good condition. Printed by the artist. Matted to museum standards (unframed). . Translation: Venus Ex Libris for Hanns and Herta Heeren. Image size 5 15/16 x 4 inches (156 x 102 mm); sheet size 9 5/8 x 6 inches (245 x 152 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST Karl Michel (1889-1984) was a noted graphic designer and expressionist printmaker during Germany's pre-Nazi Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Michel’s work was the subject of a feature article in the influential German graphic design magazine Das Plakat (The Poster) in 1920. An anti-war advocate, Michel created a suite of 12 wood engravings depicting his impressions of the humanitarian toll of WWII entitled ‘Humanitas’ (Humanity). The German publishing house Greifenverlag published the series in a reduced folio of unsigned prints. Michel’s graphic work is held in the permanent collections of the Auckland War Memorial Museum (New Zealand), Frederikshavn Kunstmuseum & Exlibrissamling (Denmark), Museum of Applied Arts (Budapest), The Robert Gore Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the German Expressionism...

Category

1920s Expressionist Art

Materials

Woodcut

HAMBURGER KNIEPPE
HAMBURGER KNIEPPE

HAMBURGER KNIEPPE

By Käthe Kollwitz

Located in Santa Monica, CA

KATHE KOLLWITZ (1867-1945) HAMBURGER KNIEPPE, 1901) (K.58 IIIb) Soft Ground Etching, Plate 9 ¾ x 8 ¼ sheet 10 ½ x 13 ¾. With the von de Becke blind stamp in the lower right. Prin...

Category

Early 1900s Expressionist Art

Materials

Etching

French Expressionism "A Vase of Flowers" Gen Paul (French, 1895-1975)
French Expressionism "A Vase of Flowers" Gen Paul (French, 1895-1975)

French Expressionism "A Vase of Flowers" Gen Paul (French, 1895-1975)

By Gen Paul

Located in SANTA FE, NM

"A Vase of Flowers" Eugene Paul aka Gen Paul (French, 1895-1975) Oil crayon on paper 20 1/2 x 14 (28 x 21 1/2 frame) inches "Gen Paul is undoubtedly the greatest representative, and...

Category

1960s Expressionist Art

Materials

Oil Crayon, Paper

Melanin - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Fashion

Melanin - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Fashion

By Gobe Joseph

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Gob...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Mixed Media

women Camelias
women Camelias

women Camelias

By Anastasia Aureum

Located in London, London

Stained Glass Opalescent Glass Leaded Glass / Copper Foil Hand-Blown Glass "The dimensions listed are for the pictured panel. This design can be custom-scaled and fabricated to...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Art

Materials

Glass, Blown Glass

Expressionist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Expressionist 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 orange, blue, purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Iryna Kastsova, George Grosz, Stephen Basso, and Marc Chagall. 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 Expressionist art, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available.