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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
Stripe Folk Art Tiger Painting in Blue and Black on Wood
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A gorgeous painting of a tiger in blue and black. This piece features the outline of a tiger in black, on blue and white stripe background. This piece is painting on wood and is read...
Category

2010s American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paint

JOHN R. WATTS, Folk Art Watercolor & Gouache Landscape Painting, U.S., C.1890
Located in Chatham, ON
JOHN R. WATTS (Unknown/Unidentified Artist) - Folk art watercolor and gouache landscape painting on paper - unframed - twice signed and dated lower right (one with applied paper stam...
Category

Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint, Paper

Large Vintage Tribal Folk Art Batik Fabric Painting Art with Mid Century Modern
Located in Seattle, WA
Vintage African Folk Art Batik Fabric Painting Art with Mid Century Modern Influence and wooden outer Framing. In good vintage condition and no ...
Category

1970s Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Textile

African Ethiopian Tribal Folk Art Painting 20th Century Battle Scene on Canvas
Located in Milano, MI
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 canvas is mounted on a parallelogram-shaped frame. It is a large battle painting...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ethiopian Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas

American Miniature Folk Art Portrait Of a Young Gentleman
Located in Hudson, NY
Stunning little american folkhart water color of a young gentleman. Sitting with his arm over the back of what appears to be a tiger maple chair of the period. In the lower right corner we can see what is a tiger maple table...
Category

Early 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paper, Paint

Large-Scale American Folk Art Carnival Game Board, Very Graphic
Located in Atlanta, GA
Large-scale Folk Art Carnival game board, American, circa 1940s. This painted carnival game board came from Texas and combines wonderfully patinate...
Category

1940s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Wood, Cork

E. SIMCOE - Vintage Oil Painting on Panel - Unframed - Canada - Mid 20th Century
Located in Chatham, ON
E. Simcoe - Vintage Impressionist style oil painting on panel - signed - unframed - Canada - mid 20th century. Excellent vintage condition - very clean - no loss - no damage - no re...
Category

Mid-20th Century Canadian Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Masonite, 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 watercolou...
Category

1870s German Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paper

Mexican Wrestler Painting
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970, we offer this rare Mexican Wrestler Acrilic Painting.
Category

1970s Mexican Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint

Antique Original Naive Still Life Oil Painting Depicting Fruit, Early 20th C.
Located in Bristol, GB
Antique Original Oil on Canvas Painting Depicting Fruit A charming depiction of a menagerie of fruit on a pewter plate including bananas, apples, grapes, plums and an orange. Paint...
Category

Early 20th Century British Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Great Oil Painting of a Garden Scenery, Alexander Michael 1997
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Great Oil Painting of a Garden Scenery, Alexander Michael 1997 A framed oil painting depicting a colorful, vibrant garden scene filled with greenery, flowering plants and a garden h...
Category

Late 20th Century German Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paint

Still Life Oil On Artist Board
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Still life oil on artist board depicting a Holy Bible casting it's reflection on the table top surface and covered with a cascade of flowers and foliage. Presented in a two-tone wo...
Category

20th Century Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paper

Large Mid-19th Century Oil on Canvas Folk Art Painting by John McAulliffe
Located in Middleburg, VA
"Harry Lathrop Driven by Dan Mace" by John McAulliffe This large mid-19th century, oil on canvas painting depicts a horse, son of Blood's Black Hawk, driven by Dan Mace. Mace was on...
Category

Mid-19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Mid-Century Folk Art Signed Framed Oil On Canvas By Helen Strong - Park Scene
Located in Kennesaw, GA
This is a signed mid-century Folk Art painting by Helen Strong. It is a charming depiction of a park scene.i could not find any information regarding the artist. It is in an ebonized...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

Swedish 19th Century Folk Art Oil Painting With Kids
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Swedish naive oil painting with the original frame, from the 2nd part of the 19th Century. This folk art work on canvas represents kids and a dog playing by a courtyard, opening the...
Category

Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood

Watercolor of Nantucket Railroad, by Doris and Richard Beer, circa 1940
Located in Nantucket, MA
Vintage Watercolor of Nantucket Railroad, by Doris and Richard Beer, circa 1940, a watercolor on paper view of the Nantucket narrow gauge "Dummy...
Category

1940s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paper

Original Cover of Mexican Comic "Sensacional de Maestros"
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this amazing original cover painted in gouache in excellent vintage condition, issue 291 "Al gato y al ratón jugabas con mi chon", circa 1990. About the Sensacional Comics as part of the Mexican Culture: "Sensacional" is the generic name of a handful of Mexican comics published at the end of the 1970s (1979 to be exact) and whose "boom" remained in force within the Mexican idiosyncrasy for around 20 years, (all the decade of the 80's and 90's) to then go downhill and "evolve", so to speak, until they become sexually explicit...
Category

1990s Mexican Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Late 20th Century Vintage Boho Tropical Seascape on Canvas
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Escape to a tranquil paradise with this charming vintage original tropical seascape painting on canvas. This delightful artwork captures the essence of an idyllic island getaway, fea...
Category

Late 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

Agapito Labios Mexican Folk Art Oil Painting on Canvas of a Girl
By Agapito Labios
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Enchanting oil painting on canvas of a girl in a ceremonial dress against an architectural background executed in a distinct naive folk art style. Signed Agapito Labios and presented...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mexican Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint

Large 18th Century Italian Oil On Canvas Painting Of Christ
Located in London, GB
A large scale (life size) 18th Century Italian oil on canvas. 'THE BODY OF THE DEAD CHRIST IN THE TOMB' after Hans Holbein the Younger, showing Christ lying in the tomb. His head re...
Category

18th Century Italian Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Agustin Gainza Oil Painting "Wedding at The Havana Cathedral c1880"
Located in Miami, FL
Agustin Gainza Oil Painting "Wedding at The Havana Cathedral c1880" Offered for sale is a large oil painting on canvas by Cuban-American artist Agustin Gainza. The painting is sig...
Category

Late 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

WPA Street Scene Painting American School
Located in Wiscasset, ME
WPA street scene painting American school. Unsigned, could be NYC.
Category

1960s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings

19th Century Horse Race Painting by California Artist Edward Burn
Located in San Francisco, CA
American folk art style late 19th century flat track horse race with sulky painting by California artist Edward Burn. Oil on canvas in gilt wood frame. Titled: Sunol 3 year old Reco...
Category

Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Large Vintage Floral Still Life Painting, Original Oil On Canvas, Mid-20th C.
Located in Bristol, GB
VINTAGE ORIGINAL OIL ON CANVAS PAINTING Depicting a central vase bursting with hydrangeas on a kitchen table surrounded by a wealth of different fruits including grapes, plums, app...
Category

Mid-20th Century European Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Felicien Rops (Belgium, 1833-1898) Oil Board, Village Landscape In Winter
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An exceptionally well painted antique oil on board painting by Belgian artist Felicien Rops whom lived and was active during the 19th century. The painting is a landscape scene depi...
Category

19th Century Belgian Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Wood, Giltwood

Mexican Wrestler Painting
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970, we offer this rare Mexican Wrestler Acrilic Painting.
Category

1970s Mexican Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint

Collection of Mexican Prayer Plaques "Retablos Ex-Votos" from 1950s and 1960s
Located in North Miami, FL
This is an amazing and important collection of 8 plaques (7 tin metal and one in wood) that have been hand painted by Catholic religious devotees in gratitude to either Christ, Virgi...
Category

1950s Mexican Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Tin

Deep Design Nine Little Art Histories by Libby Lumpkin Art Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Deep Design: Nine Little Art Histories by Libby Lumpkin. January 1, 1995 In nine ambitious essays of uncommon erudition, art historian Libby Lumpkin constructs quirky condensed his...
Category

20th Century American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paper

Antique Rosen Style Folk Art Fruit Still Life Oil on Canvas Painting, C1830
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique Severin Rosen Style Folk Art Fruit Still Life Oil on Canvas Painting Seated in Giltwood Frame C1830 Measures- 18''H x 22.25''W x 2.5''D; 14.5''...
Category

Early 19th Century Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Palm Tree Painting on Canvas with Seashell Frame
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming palm tree painting on canvas with a mixed media approach using oil, gouache, and watercolor. Featuring a three-dimensional folky sea shell and sea life...
Category

20th Century American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Charles Saül Framed Haitian Vintage Village Scene Acrylic on Canvas Painting
Located in Miami, FL
An original framed acrylic on canvas painting of a Haitian village scene with people going back and forth, huts, and tall foliage and palm trees. Signed...
Category

Late 20th Century Haitian Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Large Port Scene Painting of a View of Valletta Harbour, Malta
Located in Downingtown, PA
Large Port scene painting of a view of Valletta Harbour, Malta, Oil on canvas, Mid-19th century. The massive painting was made from the upper gardens...
Category

Mid-19th Century Maltese Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint

Outsider Portrait Painting of a Man in Green on Canvas 16" x 20"
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A tall portrait painting of a gray-haired man on canvas. This piece is by an unknown outsider artist. It features an older gentleman with clipped gray and brown hair and a tan suit j...
Category

20th Century American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Naive Ethiopian Painting for the 79th Anniversary Italo-Ethiopian War in 1975
Located in Budapest, HU
Mengistu Haile Mariam and other Generals looking at the celebrators oil on canvas painting, 90 x 190 cm with Ge'ez language inscriptions.
Category

1970s Ethiopian Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Rustic Figures in a Farmyard, in the Manner of Jack Kampmann, C.1950.
By Jack Kampmann
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Charming painting of 2 female farm labourers Unsigned. In the style of Jack Kampmann Oil on board. Possibly Faroe Islands Presented in an antique whi...
Category

1950s Faeroese Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint

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

Bali Hindu Textile Framed 'Kamasan' Painting, Indonesia C. 1940
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
An early 20th century 'Kamasan' cotton textile painting from Bali, Indonesia. The hand-painted image has great detail and depicts Balinese Hindu mythology. It is stretched over a can...
Category

1950s Balinese Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Paint

Karl Viktor Mayr, Austrian Oil on Canvas "An Exotic Nude Girl"
By Karl Viktor Mayr
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Karl Viktor Mayr (Austrian, 1882-1974) a very fine Austrian oil on canvas "An Exotic Nude Girl" depicting a young semi-nude woman, revealing her breast...
Category

Early 1900s Austrian Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Giltwood

Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces at the Musee d'Orsay Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces at the Musee d'Orsay by Anne Distel, Genieve Lacambre, Sylvie Gache-Patin, et al. Musee d'Orsay Impressionist and Post-Impressioni...
Category

Late 20th Century Indian Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paper

The World of Bruegel by Timothy Foote Hardcover Art Book in Sleeve
Located in North Hollywood, CA
The World of Bruegel, By Timothy Foote hardcover book Slipcase. The World of Bruegel: 1525-1569. The work of the Flemish artist discussed in a blend of biography and art criticism wi...
Category

20th Century Belgian Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paper

Blue and White Stripe Zebra Painting on Wood
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
A gorgeous painting of a zebra in blue and black. This piece features the outline of a zebra in black, painted on a blue and white striped background. This piece is painted on wood a...
Category

2010s American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Wire

Roberto Benites Pair of Modernist Figural Paintings
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Striking pair of acrylic paintings on canvas of traditional Peruvian figures executed in a modernist minimalist folk style. Signed Roberto Benites and presented in wood frames.
Category

20th Century Peruvian Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint

Oil Painting on Canvas of a 16th Century Building
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Architectural oil painting on canvas of Heydon Hall executed in a rustic naive style with contrived aging and presented in a maple frame. Signed Dan Dunton.
Category

20th Century English Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint

Late Naive English School "Bull Broke Loose" Bull Baiting Oil on Canvas
Located in Lowestoft, GB
A late 18th century oil on canvas depicting a bull baiting scene In England during the time of Queen Anne, bull-baiting was practised in London at Hoc...
Category

Late 18th Century English Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Maple, Canvas

19th Century Diorama of Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark
Located in Copenhagen, K
Amazing Danish model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures of Frederiksborg castle and gardens. With miniature people and trees in the f...
Category

Early 19th Century Danish Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint

Pair of Paintings of Boy and Girl
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Charming pair of oil paintings on canvas of a boy and a girl, one with a doll and one with watermelon. Executed in a naive style once seen hard to forget. Signed Manuel Velazquez and...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mexican Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint

Rufus Porter Mural from New Hampshire Tavern
By Rufus Porter
Located in Milford, NH
Mural by Rufus Porter from Prescott Tavern in East Jaffrey, New Hampshire, circa 1824. This panel was removed from the tavern prior to its being torn down in 1950. This mural hung in...
Category

19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings

Pair of Vintage Indonesian/Balinese Paintings by Artist W. Suaridi
Located in COLMAR, FR
Two absolutely fantastic, vintage paintings from Indonesia in a traditional Balinese style. One of the paintings is signed by the artist, W. Suaridi in the lower left (see photo). Bo...
Category

Late 20th Century Indonesian Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Plywood

Pair of Vintage Mexican Folk Art Paintings of a Man and a Woman by Oscar Bernach
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Double take pair of vintage Mexican oil paintings on canvas of a man and a woman in interior settings executed in a distinctive naive sty...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mexican Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mirror, Giltwood, Paint

Large Contemporary / Modernist Folk Art Oil on Canvas by M J Meyrs, c.2008
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 attended the State University at New Paltz where he received a Bachelors of Fine Arts with a concentration in Drawing and Painting and a minor in Art History. Deeply embedded in the Buffalo art world, Myers works as an art handler for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, UB Anderson Gallery, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin D.Martin house. His work has been shown at multiple galleries as well as in many performances by the Buffalo, NY performance troupe Torn Space Theater. In 2014, MJ performed his first wedding painting...
Category

Early 2000s American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Bali Hindu Textile Framed 'Kamasan' Painting, Indonesia C. 1950
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
This striking vintage Balinese Kamasan painting, rendered on handwoven cotton, beautifully captures the timeless elegance of classical Wayang-style st...
Category

1950s Balinese Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Paint

Large Oil Painting on Canvas, Modernist Abstract, by Jim Bray, circa 1963
By Jim Bray
Located in Buffalo, NY
Large oil painting on canvas. Modernist Abstract, by Jim Bray, circa 1963. Charming image. Child-like. Great use of color, texture, space.
Category

1960s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Framed Korean Folk Painting of General Guan Gong
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Korean folk Shamanism watercolor on textile matted with woven brocade and presented in a wood frame with an oriental style metal hanging hardware. The painting was estimated to be from early 20th century circa 1910-1930s. It depicts Guan Yu (160-220AD), a legendary Chinese warrior and general from Eastern Han Dynasty. Long worshiped in China as a deity, across all three major religions, Guan Gong...
Category

Early 20th Century Korean Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Textile, Brocade

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 pe...
Category

Early 1800s English Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paper

Vintage Boho Original Everglades Oil Landscape on Board
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Escape to a lush, tropical paradise with this captivating vintage oil landscape painting. Signed by the artist "By Lu," this original work of art beautifully depicts a serene Evergla...
Category

Late 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Paint

Pastel Portrait of a Woman with Dark Hair and Purple Top, 1960s - Signed
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Portrait of a woman with dark hair on paper. Drawn using pastel chalk, the subject of this piece is a woman with a bouffant with short dark brown hair gazing at the artist. She wears a high neck purple top...
Category

20th Century American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Paint, Paper

19th Century Seascape with Lighthouse
Located in Nantucket, MA
19th Century seascape with lighthouse, circa 1890, an oil on canvas view of a white-washed lighthouse tower on a small offshore rocky ledge, most...
Category

Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Large Danish Folk Art Church Procession Painting, circa 1960s
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Large impressive Folk Art acrylic painting of a haunting, moonlit, church procession is signed by the Danish born artist and dated 1963. There is one small tear in the canvas as shown. Frame is aluminum and wood. This artist's work also includes our listed Folk Art Angel...
Category

1960s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Aluminum

Naive Oil Painting of Fish Hawkers. C.1950
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Delightful naive painting of possibly fish hawkers or market traders Possibly Italian. Venetian? Amazing colours. Coarse canvas. Artist unknown. Initial A.D to bottom left. Pre...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas

19th Century American Folk Art Pair of Male and Female Portraits
Located in Queens, NY
Pair of American Folk Art (19th Century) mahogany and birdseye maple framed oil painting portraits of man with paper and lady with book (signed).  
Category

19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Maple, Paper

Folk Art paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique folk art paintings for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage paintings created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include folk art, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with canvas, fabric and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Folk Art paintings made in a specific country, there are North America, and United States pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original paintings, popular names associated with this style include Purvis Young, Alejandro Rangel Hidalgo, M J Myers, and A. Tamme. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for paintings differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,380 and tops out at $2,600 while the average work can sell for $2,490.

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