Folk Art Paintings
FOLK ART STYLE
Folk art is a genre of art that shares the creator’s traditions, offering not just an artistic display but an opportunity to learn about a culture. Antique, new and vintage folk art typically reflects a heritage or location. It can include utilitarian objects and handmade art as diverse as weather vanes, duck decoys, portraiture and paintings, carnival art and quilts.
Quilts are a quintessential part of American folk art but their roots are international, with quilting dating back to Ancient Egypt. The practice spread to Europe and was especially prominent in the Middle Ages, with one of the oldest surviving examples being the Tristan quilt made in Sicily in the 14th century. They were made as bedcovers and clothing, including as a layer for knights to wear beneath their armor. Native American folk art includes functional objects reflecting their heritage, such as baskets, textiles and wooden pieces.
Elsewhere, the vast range of work associated with Mexican folk art includes masks made by Mexican craftspeople for traditional celebrations and ceremonial dances. Mexican masks are part of the country’s folk-art traditions that go back thousands of years and play a role in festivals and theater.
Works in the folk art tradition are valuable because of the skills involved, like weaving, hand-carving wood and even stonework. Many folk artists are self-taught, while some train as apprentices within their community. By using available materials and taking a personal approach to their creations, artists ensure each piece is unique and conveys a story.
During the Great Depression, artistic materials in America were hard to come by, so artisans used discarded wood from cigar boxes and shipping crates to make highly stylized, notched pieces — most often picture frames and boxes — that are today sought after by collectors. This folk art style is called tramp art and was popular from roughly 1870 until the 1940s.
Folk art brings vibrant culture and traditions into your home. Browse an extensive collection of antique, new and vintage folk art on 1stDibs.
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Style: Folk Art
Pair of Vera Alabaster 'Russian' Original Folk Art Oil Paintings on Canvas
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This pair of oil paintings on canvas are done by the well known portrait and landscape Russian artist, Vera Alabaster in circa 1940 in a Folk Art style. The paintings depict a Jamaic...
Category
Early 20th Century Russian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Surreal Painting, Roland Gautier
Located in London, GB
A large oil painting on ply board by French artist Roland Gautier. A surreal figurative observation of the female form facing a male body in the foreground. Colourful and bold with a...
Category
Late 20th Century French Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Plywood, Paint
Wonderful Folk aRT / outsider art Oil on Board painting by Charles Moore
Located in Buffalo, NY
Wonderful Folk aRT / outsider art Oil on Board painting by Charles Moore ."Tattoo Legs" .Western nEW yORK aRTIST,,
Category
2010s American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
Large Contemporary / Modernist Folk Art Oil on Canvas by M J Meyrs, c.2008
By M J Myers
Located in Buffalo, NY
Large oil on canvas painting by M J MYERS... depicting bar scene,, Amazing use of color ,space and texture,,, Born in Buffalo, NY and raised in the city of Tonawanda, MJ Myers attend...
Category
Early 2000s American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Large Contemporary / Modernist Folk Art Oil on Canvas by M J Meyrs C.2008
By M J Myers
Located in Buffalo, NY
Large oil on canvas painting by M J MYERS... depicting bar scene,, Amazing use of color ,space and texture,,, Born in Buffalo, NY and raised in the city of Tonawanda, MJ Myers attend...
Category
Early 2000s American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
W.P.A. Style Painting, Science, Politics Industry 1940s-1950s, Oil on Board
By WPA
Located in Buffalo, NY
Amazing W.P.A. style painting, trip-tic depicting science, politics industry, worker's, 1940s-1950s. Oil on board, measuring: 52" x 32". Attention to details. Unfortunately not signe...
Category
1940s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
19th Century Folk Art English Coat of Arms
Located in London, GB
19th century Folk Art English coat of arms
A rare 19th century folk art painted on board coat of arms. With its original painted and decoupage frame depicting a several soldiers ...
Category
1850s British Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Pine
Original Mexican Oil on Canvas by Ismael Rivera
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this rare and original handmade painted in oil on canvas by Mexican painter Ismael Rivera, includes signature, circa 1950.
Category
1950s Mexican Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Framed drawing of two women wrestling by the late Outsider Artist Lewis Smith
By Lewis Smith
Located in Fort Payne, AL
This is a framed drawing of four women wrestling by Lewis Smith. It is done in pencil, ink, and crayon on paper from a sketch pad. The paper has yellowed somewhat with age. The sketc...
Category
1970s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
Vintage Reverse Glass Mythical Seascape Painting from Madura Island, Indonesia
By Asian Style
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
A framed reverse glass painting from the island of Madura, off the Northeastern coast of Java. The painting depicts a mythical seascape with a bright array of colours. The painter wo...
Category
1980s Indonesian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Glass, Wood
Folk Art USS Constitution Mixed Media Sea Glass Mosaic on Board
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Folk Art depiction of the USS Constitution composed of cut sea glass mosaic with copper coin decorative accents and hand-painted details on wooden board (ca. 1970s, USA). The text at...
Category
1970s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Copper
Drawing in ink and watercolor, a series of images of people with sea animals.
Located in Fort Payne, AL
This is a drawing in ink and watercolor, with a series of images of people with sea animals. There are whales, seals, and a large beast that looks like a combination of a lion and a ...
Category
Early 2000s American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paper
Four French Oil Paintings on Board of Chickens
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming set of four oil painting on board depicting chickens and roosters of the French city of Rennes. Presented in wood frames and signed by the noted artist Marie Claude de Wilde.
Category
20th Century French Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood
19th C Oil on Canvas Children in Donkey Derby at the Fair
Located in Savannah, GA
Very unusual subject matter, this charming oil on canvas depicts three children participating in a donkey derby. Not only are the facial expressions on the children wonderful, the do...
Category
1880s American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Giltwood
19th Century American Folk Art Oil Painting Landscape Sailboats On River
Located in Stamford, CT
A 19th century American folk art oil painting on canvas depicting a river scene at dawn with a horse and rider on a bridge over a waterfall. A castle in the distance and sailboats on...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
"Patriarch" Framed Limited Edition Print Signed & Numbered by Martin Zipin
By Martin Zipin
Located in Fort Payne, AL
This is a work titled "Patriarch" by Martin Zipin. The title, his signature and the number 20 of 50 are written on the bottom in pencil. to striking image of a Jewish person. The fac...
Category
1960s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
Dutch Ice Skating Oil on Canvas by Van Buiksloot
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a glorious piece of original Dutch art, namely, a scene of Dutch ice skating oil on canvas by Van Buiksloot.
J. Van Buiksloot was a Dutch painter in the 1950s. His work...
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Giltwood
John Nieland Painting
Located in Amstelveen, Noord
Beautiful colorful painting by John Nieland, made in 2000, 4 years after the foundation of the Lamütta company and clearly inspired by his own work but also the other painters in the...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Framed Korean Folk Shamanistic Painting of Polaris and Seven Stars
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Korean folk painting watercolor on linen (silk) with a cloth mat and walnut wood frame. The work is in the shamanistic style and depicts the Buddha personification of the North Sta...
Category
Late 19th Century Korean Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Textile
Abstract Art Oil Paint Painting
Located in Amstelveen, Noord
Beautiful abstract oil painted artwork in blue and red. The artwork has been made in the 1990s and has a signature but up to now we did not recognize the artist. Good condition, the ...
Category
1990s Dutch Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Claus Costa Popart ‘Marilyn Monroe’ Artwork
Located in Amstelveen, Noord
Classical art themes, icons and celebrities: the main sources of inspiration for Claus Costa`s work. Claus Costa's Pop Art paintings aim to organize the contemporary chaos of images ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
African Ethiopian Tribal Folk Art Painting 20th Century
Located in Milan, IT
Ancient Ethiopian painting imported to Italy by a diplomat during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia, in the late 1930s. This genre scene painting is divided into eighteen squares bo...
Category
Mid-20th Century Ethiopian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
19th Century Painting of Island Lighthouse in Maine, Signed E. Chase
Located in Nantucket, MA
19th Century Painting of Island Lighthouse in Maine, signed E. Chase, an oil on board folk art painting of what appears to be Nash Island Light in Maine with square light tower, A-fr...
Category
1870s American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Other
Wild West-Tough Cowgirls by the Outsider Artist Lewis Smith Crayon, Ink, Marker
By Lewis Smith
Located in Fort Payne, AL
Wild West -Tough Cowgirls 27" by 27", Crayon, ink, and marker on the separated top layer of corrugated cardboard. This was pulled out of Smith's collapsed house in his environment. I...
Category
1970s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Other
Folk Art Amish Farmstead Scene by Dolores Hackenberger
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Folk Art painter, Dolores Hackenberger (American, b.1930 - ) was fondly referred to as "the Pennsylvania Dutch Country Grandma Moses." In her many decades living among the Amish in S...
Category
1970s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Australian Papunya Dot Painting by Janet Mick, Canteen Creek, C. 1990s
Located in Peabody, MA
Papunya dot painting by the indigenous artist Janet Mick of Canteen Creek in the Northern Territories of Australia, circa 1990s.
Category
1990s Australian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
African Ethiopian Tribal Folk Art Painting 20th Century Battle Scene
Located in Milan, IT
African Ethiopian painting imported to Italy by a diplomat during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia, in the late 1930s. This tribal folk art painting depicts a battle scene and the ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Ethiopian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
American Legion Baseball and Basketball Folk Art Paintings
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Pair of baseball and basketball paintings found in a Midwestern American Legion hall. These were proudly displayed behind the legion hall bar. Great sports related subject matter. Ba...
Category
1940s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Early 19th Century German Folk Art Oil on Panel Paintings
Located in London, GB
Early 19th century Folk Art oil on panels
We are proud to offer a delightful, matched pair of early 19th Century oil on panel painted portraits depicting man & women with a naïve l...
Category
1840s German Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint, Pine
Large Vintage Balinese Painting on Silk from Ubud Bali 1960's
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Mid 20th Century Balinese Painting on silk fabric, Framed.
Vintage large Balinese art painting, from Ubud, Bali acrylic on silk.
Beautiful artwork by the Indonesian artist from Ubu...
Category
Mid-20th Century Balinese Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Silk
Victor Uhthoff Colorful Abstract Mexican Folk Paint
Located in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon
Colorful painting of a dance in a club in the city by Victor Uhthoff.
Uhthoff is a mexican artist known for his colorful scenes that depict every day life in the big city. His works...
Category
Early 2000s Mexican Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Folk Art Tropical Painting on Canvas
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming acrylic painting on canvas of a group of colorful figures in a tropical setting executed in a naive style. Signed Osnel in the lower right and presented in the original wood...
Category
20th Century Caribbean Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
Vintage Large Balinese Painting on Silk from Ubud Bali
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Mid-20th century Balinese painting on silk fabric, framed.
Vintage large Balinese art painting, from Ubud, Bali acrylic on silk.
Beautiful artwork by the Indonesian artist from Ubu...
Category
Mid-20th Century Balinese Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Silk
American Watercolor Landscape Painting of Barn and Fall Foliage Signed
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Original watercolor of American landscape on paper. Subject features landscape painting of a barn in Fall. Trees in orange and brown fill the background. The foreground shows wheat i...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper
19th C. Silk Embroidered and Hand Painted Seascape by Thomas Willis
Located in Nantucket, MA
19th century silk embroidered and hand painted oil on canvas seascape by Thomas Willis (1850 - 1925), depicting the schooner-rigged racing yacht MARION WENTWORTH with all sails set, ...
Category
1880s American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Silk
Vintage Folk Art Bluebonnet Painting on Wood Trunk Door Stop
Located in Seguin, TX
Circa 1930's bluebonnet painting on a piece of wood trunk. Unsigned, some bark missing, scratches to wood, painting in good condition, darkened with age. Painted surface is 5" x 8".
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Fantastic 19th Century American Pair of Folk Art Still Life Paintings
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Each panel measures approximately 18" x 18". Very rare to see a pair of this quality. They have a great folk art appeal with watermelons, peaches, grapes, etc. Dating to the first ha...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Early Watercolor View of a Sailor with Pet Bird, circa 1800
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique watercolor view of a sailor with pet bird, circa 1800, a lovely detailed painting of a sailor seated in rough chair, tenderly spoon feeding a finch perched on his hand, inscr...
Category
Early 1800s English Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
19th C. Mexican Retablo "Veronica's Veil", c.1880
Located in San Francisco, CA
About
An original 19th century Mexican folk retablo "Veronica's Veil" or "El Divono Rostro" in Spain . Oil paint on tin.
The Veil of Veronica, known in Italian as the Volto San...
Category
19th Century Mexican Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Tin
Antique Victorian P. Hackett Americana Watercolor Painting School Boy with Horn
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Victorian Americana watercolor portrait of a young boy dressed in blue and holding a horn. Signed P. Hackett on the back of the frame.
Category
19th Century Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper
Portrait of the Clipper Ship Oriental by Lucius A. Briggs, 1925
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Seascape Portrait of the Clipper Ship ORIENTAL by Lucius A. Briggs, (Boston and New Bedford: 1852 - 1931), 1925, a watercolor seascape with the tea clipper under rosy sky, si...
Category
1920s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
Man in Snow, oil on board. Late 1950's or early 1960's by the late Martin Zipin
By Martin Zipin
Located in Fort Payne, AL
Man in Snow, oil on board. Late 1950's or early 1960's. A subtle and haunting image. The frame is 22 1/2" by 12", and the image 5 1/4" by 16". It is in excellent condition. Inventory...
Category
1960s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Portrait of an American Indian Holding a Gun, Pastels and Ink on Heavy Chipboard
Located in Fort Payne, AL
This is a portrait of an American Indian holding a gun. It is drawn in pastels and ink on heavy chipboard, with fine detail, unsigned. It is mounted under glass in a beautiful frame ...
Category
1930s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Gesso, Glass, Wood
Barker by the Late Martin Zipin, Oil on Artists Board, Early 1960's
By Martin Zipin
Located in Fort Payne, AL
The Barker, frame 32" by 18 1/2 ", image 26 1/2" by 13 1/4", oil on artists board. The subject is a carnival barker or ticket taker. It was done in the early 1960's and is in excelle...
Category
1960s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Spaceship and Alien Landscape by the Outsider Sci-Fi Artist Robert E. Gilbert
Located in Fort Payne, AL
Spaceship and alien landscape, framed; 12" by 18" (frame 14 1/2" by 18 3/4"), oil on canvas. Inventory Code REG 10.
From the 1950's through the '70's Robert E. Gilbert (or REG, as ...
Category
1970s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Paint
German Folk Art Naïve Military Painting, circa 1870
Located in London, GB
A wonderful example of a circa 1870 German Folk Art naïve military scene in townscape annotated to celebrate a soldier. In ceremonial regalia in watercolour & gouache framed in its p...
Category
1870s German Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
Vintage Folk Art Ship on River Landscape Long Format Painting
Located in Seguin, TX
Antique circa 1915 oil on wood board folk art river scene with ship flying American flag painting, wood is from an old tobacco crate. Unsigned. Unframed, edge wear.
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Crossing Big Sandy by the Outsider Artist Lewis Smith, Crayon, Marker
By Lewis Smith
Located in Fort Payne, AL
Crossing Big Sandy by the late outsider artist Lewis Smith. 21" by 51", Crayon, markers, and ink. Some water staining on right edge. Smith has had his work shown in galleries across ...
Category
1970s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Other
Vintage Folk Art Winter Snow Landscape Long Format Painting
Located in Seguin, TX
Antique circa 1915 oil on wood board folk art winter forest scene painting, wood is from an old tobacco crate . Signed Rozella D'Hizar. Unframed, edge wear.
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Vintage Folk Art Cabin in Winter Snow Landscape Long Format Painting
Located in Seguin, TX
Antique circa 1915 oil on wood board folk art winter forest cabin scene painting, wood is from an old tobacco crate. Unsigned. Unframed, edge wear.
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Large abstract painting titled "reflection blue" and initialled "CV"
Located in Fort Payne, AL
This is a large abstract painting titled "reflection blue" and initialled "CV". We are not sure what type of paints were used, however the brush strokes are clearly visible. It is in...
Category
Early 2000s American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Plexiglass, Paper
Painted Plywood Cutout by Benny Carter You Are the Apple of My Eye New York City
By Benny Carter
Located in Fort Payne, AL
This is a painted plywood cutout by Outsider Artist Benny Carter. It is lettered with "You Are The Apple Of My Eye", "New York City", and "I Love New York", and signed in the lower r...
Category
Early 2000s American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Plywood, Paint
American Portrait Miniature of a Young Girl
Located in Downingtown, PA
Portrait Miniature of a young girl,
American,
1840s
The oval portrait miniature is painted with a folky painting of a young girl wearing an ocher dress with blue ribbons on the ...
Category
1840s American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Other
Vintage Farm Stand Oversized Strawberry Sign
Located in Garnerville, NY
Bright red and green oversized plywood strawberry farm stand sign. The berry farmer had multiple acres in rural Rhinebeck, New York, Dutchess County. Oversized for greater visibility...
Category
1970s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Plywood, Paint
Late 19th Century Folk Art Painting Depicting Hound Dogs by a River
Located in Middleburg, VA
Late 19th century folk art painting depicting hound dogs by a River
Measures: 10" H, 25.5" W, 1" D.
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Used Artists Pallet an Interesting Decorative Piece
Located in Chillerton, Isle of Wight
A Used Artists Pallet an Interesting decorative piece
The Pallet is made in hard wood and is showing signs of its previous use but plenty of room for more
In good decorative cond...
Category
Mid-20th Century Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Fruitwood
Portrait of the Whaleship Charles W. Morgan, by James Cree, circa 1910
Located in Nantucket, MA
Portrait of the Whaleship Charles W. Morgan, by James Cree (1867 – 1951), artist active in the New Bedford area from 1910 to about 1932, a watercolor of the iconic American whaleship...
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
Santa Fe Art. Ellis, Simone, Published by Crescent Books., New York., 1993 Large
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Santa Fe Art. Ellis, Simone. Published by Crescent Books., New York., 1993.
Large hardcover book.
Illustrated in black, white and color. Important reference work.
Title: Santa Fe ...
Category
Late 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
Unknown paintings for sale on 1stDibs
Unknown paintings are available on 1stDibs for sale. These distinctive objects are often made of paint and designed with extraordinary care. In our collection of unknown paintings there are many options to choose from, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We stock 12 vintage versions of these items, while there is 0 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original paintings by Unknown were created during the 20th century in the folk art style in the United States. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider paintings by and . Prices for Unknown paintings can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes. 1stDibs's price starts at $350 and tops out at $9,500, while pieces like these can sell for $1,248 on average.