Martha Swope
1950s American Modern Animal Prints
Engraving
1960s American Modern Animal Prints
Engraving
1960s American Modern Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1950s American Modern Figurative Prints
Engraving
1940s American Modern Animal Prints
Engraving
1950s Surrealist Figurative Prints
Engraving, Etching
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1960s American Modern Nude Drawings and Watercolors
Permanent Marker
1950s American Modern Figurative Prints
Engraving
People Also Browsed
2010s American Minimalist Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
2010s American Folk Art Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
2010s American Folk Art Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
2010s American Folk Art Figurative Sculptures
Steel
2010s American Minimalist Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
2010s American Folk Art Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
2010s American Folk Art Figurative Sculptures
Steel
2010s American Folk Art Figurative Sculptures
Steel
2010s American Folk Art Figurative Sculptures
Steel
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Prints
Paper
Mid-20th Century British Industrial Floor Lamps
Steel
2010s American Folk Art Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
2010s American Folk Art Figurative Sculptures
Steel
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Chandeliers and Pendants
Copper
2010s American American Craftsman Cupboards
Steel
1990s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
Fabric, Wood
Recent Sales
20th Century American Modern Books
Paper
A Close Look at modern Art
The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.