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
19th Century Folk Art Mechanical Clock Painting
Located in Allerum, SE
19th century Folk Art Mechanical Clock Painting with a view of a square in a little town. Painted on wood panel in a gilded frame. Clock maker and artist unknown. Ca 1830 - 50, proba...
Category
19th Century Swiss Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Giltwood
Seascape with Ship Racing a Barkentine, by C.A.S. Orne, 1920
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Seascape with square-rigged ship racing a Barkentine, by C.A.S. Orne, 1920, a watercolor on paper stormy seascape with two square-riggers running before the wind, with choppy...
Category
1920s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
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
Antique Circa 1900 Gouache Painting of Great Lakes Lighthouse Steamships, signed
Located in Centennial, CO
A charming and historic antique circa 1900 gouache on board painting, signed "Tully", of the United States Lighthouse Tender (USLHT) Steamship Fleet. The ships ran supplies (tended)...
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Glass, Birdseye Maple, Paint
Flemish Oil on Board Love Scene. Holland 17th century.
Located in Madrid, ES
Love scene oil on board of Flemish origin. Holland, 17th century. Circa 1680
Category
17th Century Dutch Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, 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
Vintage Primitive 1960s Original Landscape Oil on Board
Located in west palm beach, FL
Evoke nostalgic warmth and homespun charm with this delightful Vintage Primitive 1960s Landscape Painting. This authentic original artwork, rendered on a sturdy board, captures the i...
Category
1960s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Masonite, Paint
Rare Late 19th Century Oil Well Derrick Painting
Located in North Palm Beach, FL
Presenting a captivating and historically significant folk art painting from the late 19th century: an oil rig scene believed to date circa 1892. This remarkable artwork, executed in oil on board, offers a rare glimpse into the early depictions of the burgeoning oil industry...
Category
1890s American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood
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 conditions, circa 1990 issue 226 "Pecho a Pechito llegaré a hojalatear tu corazón".
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 circa 20 years, (all the decade of the 1980s and 1990s) to then go downhill and "evolve", so to speak, until they become sexually explicit...
Category
1990s Mexican Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
Large Oil on Canvas, Mayan Jaguar by Kindrie Grove 2002
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Very large oil on canvas, ancient tableau, Jaguar by Kindrie Grove, Canadian Artist.
Large oil painting that depicts a Mayan Jaguar.
Made in 2002.
The ar...
Category
20th Century Canadian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Primitive Portrait of a Girl, English, Early 19th Century
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful naive oil painting of a girl.
Fabulous muted colors. The austerity of the image is matched by the simplicity of the antique bleached oak frame.
I have chosen not to resto...
Category
1840s English Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oak
Little Boy Blue Painting on Canvas Cloth
Located in Redding, CT
Little Boy Blue Painting on Canvas Cloth. Classic Fairy Tale illustration of Little Boy Blue fallen asleep in the hay. Great for a little boys...
Category
1940s Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Linen
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
Mid Century Surrealist Hand Painted Art Panel Folk or Fairground Art 1960s
Located in Meer, VAN
Mid Century Surrealist Hand Painted Art Panel Folk or Fairground Art, Europe, 1960s.
This is a very unique and strange piece of folk / fairground art from mid 20th century. Hand pai...
Category
Mid-20th Century European Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Folk Art Painting by Latin Artist, Elias Telles
By Elias Telles
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Folk Art Painting by Elias Telles. Telles is a self taught painter and has become quite sought after and collectible. He speaks to the Historical figures and community with his unique subject matter and heavily painted pieces. Telles paints on a variety of unique back grounds, ie, old barn wood...
Category
20th Century Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint, Wood, Canvas
Early 20th Century Southern American Folk Art Painting
Located in Chicago, IL
A captivating and intriguing early 20th century Southern American folk art panel, found in Mississippi, depicting a figure with what appears to be African tribal headgear, and wearing a white collared shirt with black suit jacket. The line work and attention to detail is extraordinary and mysterious, with the artist choosing to incorporate a natural knot in the board to form the mouth of the figure, and the left half of the drawing showing shading, but seemingly left unfinished. The frame is not terribly old, and is constructed from splatter-painted boards...
Category
Early 20th Century 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 Square Impasto Rooster Painting by Von
Located in Redding, CT
Large Square Impasto Rooster Painting by Von. Unframed . Perfect for a kitchen or farmhouse.
Category
Mid-20th Century Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Linen, Paint
Vintage Caribbean Watercolor Painting on Paper - Initialed - Unframed - C. 1994
Located in Chatham, ON
Vintage Caribbean watercolor painting on paper - initialled lower right and dated - unframed - circa 1994.
Good vintage condition - no loss - no damage - no restoration - bright & s...
Category
Late 20th Century Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper
Vintage Latin American Folk Art Oil Painting - Unsigned - Late 20th Century
Located in Chatham, ON
Vintage Latin American folk art oil painting on stretched canvas - likely done for the tourist market - untitled - unsigned - unframed -...
Category
Late 20th Century Central American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Naive School Portrait Of A Man With A Map, Original Antique Oil Painting
Located in Bristol, GB
ANTIQUE ORIGINAL OIL ON CANVAS PAINTING DEPICTING A MALE SITTER
Depicting a rather portly man with a characterful face in a curly wig with a flouncy collar and sleeves. He is pointi...
Category
18th Century Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Naive Ethiopian Painting Circle of Life 'Scene of the Year', 1970s
Located in Budapest, HU
The upper two lines show Months of Year form September to February and March to August, below the scenes of life.
with Ge'ez language inscriptions.
Category
1970s Ethiopian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Large Oil on Canvas Oasis, African Zebras by Kindrie Grove, 1999
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Very large oil on canvas, Oasis, African Zebras by Kindrie Grove, Canadian Artist.
Large oil painting that depicts a group of zebras drinking peacefully...
Category
20th Century Canadian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Maurice (Morris) Grabel Outsider Art Nude Painting
Located in Savannah, GA
An outsider art painting depicting three nude ladies and one bottom; one lady with sparkly panties.
By Maurice Morris Grabel (1905-1988) of Philadelphia and Egg Harbor, NJ.
Oil on...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood
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
Canvas painting antique flowers
Located in Cantù, IT
Painting on canvas antique flowers Private Collection Domenico Rugiano
Category
1970s Italian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
American Folk Art paintings of Chickens in Farm Landscape, signed 'Horiz'
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
American folk art painting of chickens in a farm landscape, signed 'Horiz'
USA, 20th century
A captivating American folk art painting depicting chickens in a picturesque farm lands...
Category
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Wood
Antique Naive Portrait of Budgies (Parakeet), Original Oil On Porcelain Painting
Located in Bristol, GB
ANTIQUE ORIGINAL PAINTING DEPICTING BIRDS (BUDGIE AKA BUDGERIGAR AKA COMMON PARAKEET)
A charming scene depicting two colourful birds in lov...
Category
19th Century British Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Porcelain, Velvet, Paint, Glass
JOHN R. WATTS, Folk Art Watercolor & Gouache Landscape Painting, U.S., C.1889
Located in Chatham, ON
JOHN R. WATTS (Unknown/Unidentified Artist) - Folk art watercolor and gouache landscape painting on paper - graphite highlights and shading - unframed - signed and dated lower right ...
Category
Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper
Abstract Folk Art Painting by Michael Davis
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Abstract Folk Art painting on canvas by Michael Davis. Painting measures 35.5" wide, 2.25" deep and 35.5" high.
Category
1980s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
NITA SLATER - "Running Sea" - Folk Art Oil on Panel - Framed - Canada - C. 1954
Located in Chatham, ON
NITA SLATER - "Running Sea" - Vintage Folk Art oil painting on panel - signed lower right - signed and titled verso - dedicated verso - ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Canadian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
K. Hutchings - 'Lac Léman' - Vintage Landscape Painting - Unframed - circa 1990
Located in Chatham, ON
K. HUTCHINGS - 'Lac Léman' (Lake Geneva) - Vintage acrylic landscape painting on stretched canvas - unframed - signed lower right - signed/titled/dated verso - circa 1990.
Excelle...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Madonna Arte Povera
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large Arte Povera painting. Original frame, as shown in the photos.
Category
1930s Italian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Surreal Figurative Painting, Roland Gautier
Located in London, GB
A large oil painting on ply board by French artist Roland Gautier. A surreal figurative observation of two forms with floating heads. A bold piece of qui...
Category
Late 20th Century French Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Plywood, Paint
Naive Ethiopian Genre Painting, 1970s
Located in Budapest, HU
Naive Ethiopian Genre painting, 1970s
oil on canvas
with Ge'ez language inscriptions.
Category
1970s Ethiopian Vintage 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
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 conditions, circa 1990 issue 129 "Sancho te encontr'e en la movidita Sancho".
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 circa 20 years, (all the decade of the 1980s and 1990s) to then go downhill and "evolve", so to speak, until they become sexually explicit...
Category
1990s Mexican Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
Vintage Haitian Still Life Painting on Board
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Eye catching mid century Haitian acrylic painting on board of a still life with flowers and fruit executed in a distinctive naive style with bold colors. Signed, dated, and presented...
Category
Mid-20th Century Haitian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
20th Century Theatre Scenery Trees Wall Sculpture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
American mid-20th century. Stage prop scenery trees from a theatre. Painted canvas on wood, muted greens, blues, browns, grays and golden colors depicting Albizia trees. Two separate...
Category
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Deborah Barrett "Woman in Animal Suit" Graphite Mixed Media on Paper / Collage
By Deborah Barrett
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Title: Woman in Animal Suit
Artist: Deborah Barrett
Medium: Mixed Media Collage on Paper
Signed and date to the lower right and bearing an old Susan...
Category
1990s American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Gesso, Paper
Still Life with Flowers, Oil Painting on Canvas by American-Italian Artist
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Artwork from US born Italian artist Emanuele Laustino (Pittsburgh 1916-Asti 1988). Laustino was the son of immigrants from Asti´s countryside in Northern Italy, and moved to the Unit...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood
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
Masonic Sheepskin Man Portrait
Located in London, GB
Masonic Sheepskin Man Portrait
We are proud to offer a highly unusual subject matter oil on canvas painting by the recently deceased Cornish artist James Scrase. A fine example from a member of the Royal Society of National Portraits members, trained under the guidance of Italian artist Annigoni in the early 1970s. James produced some wonderful piece of art in many different mediums. The unusual thing about this portrait is not only the fact that the subject sits proud in a sheepskin coat as his best attire, but also the fact that the artist name is hidden in the note painted...
Category
1950s British Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Naive Ethiopian Painting, Greatest Scenes of Religion, Society and History 1970s
Located in Budapest, HU
Naive Ethiopian painting, The Greatest Scenes of Religion, Society and History.
Oil on Canvas
Measures: 100 x 190 cm
s.b.r.
with Ge'ez language ...
Category
1970s Ethiopian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Signed and Dated Oil Painting of a Judaic Lumberjack
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Amazing painting of Judaic farmer fetching water. This painting is signed and dated. This item has minor wear consistent with its age. Painting is signed S. Brunstein and dated 1974....
Category
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Outsider Art "Indian and Caravan" Oil on Panel by Bruno Del Favero
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on panel by acclaimed outsider artist, Bruno Del Favero (b. Italy 1910, d. USA 1995), circa 1970.
Fine example showcasing Del Favero's aptitude for cre...
Category
1970s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paint
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
Nantucket Old North Slip Watercolor by Doris & Richard Beer, circa 1940
Located in Nantucket, MA
Vintage Nantucket Old North Slip watercolor by Doris & Richard Beer, circa 1940, a watercolor on paper view of Old North Slip (Wharf), signed in pencil power right. Doris and Richard Beer (1898-1967 and 1893-1959 respectively) produced a well-known series of watercolor miniatures featuring popular Nantucket scenes. Working at their Wharf Head Studio on Old North Wharf for 18 years, the couple worked together on these copyrighted creations, photo-duplicating Doris's line sketch and Doris and Richard completing the watercolor.
One of a large collection of beer watercolors...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Paper
Abstract Folk Art Painting by Michael Davis
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Abstract Folk Art painting on canvas by Michael Davis. Painting measures 33.75" wide, 2.25" deep and 33.25" high.
Category
1980s American Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Vintage fairground male & female portraits with hinged faces & cut-out nose/eye
Located in Hastings, GB
Vintage Belgian oddities: be your own Dutch Master painting. Vintage male & female portraits with hinged faces, and cut-out nose/eye. Guessing they're from a fairground / funfair? Gr...
Category
Mid-20th Century Belgian Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Plywood, Paint
Saidi Nakoko, African Tingatinga School Painting, Oil on Canvas, 1970s, Framed
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
Saidi Nakoko, Tingatinga, Tanzania, 1970s
Oil on canvas
Work signed by the artist
Working dimensions 44/33
Framed work
Tinga Tinga is an art style originating from East Africa. It w...
Category
1970s Tanzanian 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
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
Gloria Laposka (American, 1922-2015) "Lost In The Crowd" Oil On Board
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Gloria Laposka (American, 1922-2015) "Lost in the Crowd" oil on canvas board painting depicting the Springfield county fair bustling with crowds, a big top, and a band in vibrant col...
Category
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Other
Caucasian School Man and Woman Oil on Canvas
Located in Astoria, NY
Caucasian school oil on canvas depicting a man and a woman seated on a bench, signed "Kovkas Z?" to lower right, housed in a orange painted wood frame.
Dimensions: Image: 41" H x ...
Category
20th Century Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Gloria Laposka (1922-2015) Oil On Board Painting, Coney Island Train
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An oil on board painting depicting a train interior full of people, advertisements lining the roof and a plane flying a "Coney Island" banner out the window.
Presented in a black fr...
Category
20th Century North American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Other
Oil on canvas depicting gentleman - gold leaf wood frame - ITALY 1910.
Located in Milano, IT
Italian school early 20th century (year about 1910)
Oil on canvas depicting gentleman
with wooden frame finished in gold leaf.
Category
1910s Italian Vintage Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Gold Leaf
Purvis Young Original Painting "Procession" in Series #1, Signed
By Purvis Young
Located in North Miami, FL
Depiction of a procession - oil on recycled curtain vinyl by acclaimed Miami street artist Purvis Young. Gustavo Olivieri sourced directly from Mr. Young while he was alive and enjoy...
Category
Late 20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
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.