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Mid-Century Modern Paintings

MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE

Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.

ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN

MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW

ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS

VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS

The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.

Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively. 

Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer

Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.

The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.

As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.

Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.

As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.

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Style: Mid-Century Modern
Color:  Gray
Painting for Partners of Americas International Convention by Jaqui Von Honts
Located in San Antonio, TX
Large painting for the Partners of Americas International Convention in 1980 by Texas artist Jacqui Von Honts. Jacqui Von Honts had outstanding creative tale...
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Gathering at the Riverbank Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in New York, NY
Vintage (20th century) painting capturing four figures gathering on the riverbank while buildings with classical architecture loom just across the river, surrounded by a thin brown b...
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Original Bernard Damiano Mid-Century Painting Nudes
By Bernard Damiano
Located in Miami, FL
Original expressionist painting by Bernardo Damiano (also known as Bernard Damiano). He was an Italian expressionist painter and sculptor born on January 10, 1926 in Coni (Piemonte), Italy and died in Nice, France on June 24, 2000. His classical art formation was at the Academia Albertina in Turino, Italy. His works are numerous and well known. It is precisely during the 1970s that Bernard Damiano's painting is said to have moved away from a relationship with Jean Dubuffet, the Art brut or the Cobra movement, in "a nervous touch and a triturated paste" to draw his style from the rest of Expressionism. This proposal is however stated with reserve: like the Spanish Eduardo Pisano...
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20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint, Paper

Charles Hersey Vintage Op Art Painting, circa 1974
Located in San Francisco, CA
Charles Hersey vintage op art painting, circa 1974 Fantastic vintage op art painting by San Francisco artist Charles Hersey. At 46+ years old, thi...
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Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Oil Painting by Victor Tempest
Located in London, London
Oil painting By Victor Tempest On Canvas Framed Dimensions are of frame Mid/late 20th Century
Category

Late 20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Village and Waters Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in New York, NY
Vintage (20th Century) unframed canvas oil painting of a walled-off waterside village, capturing the sunlit buildings in contrast to the darker waters, and dotted with figures rowing...
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20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Large Scale Abstract Expressionist Painting
Located in Atlanta, GA
Large scale abstract expressionist painting, American, circa 1980s. Artist unknown, in the manner of Franz Kline, et al. I...
Category

1980s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Mid-Century Modern Green Watercolor Painting Semmering by Max Dättl 1961 Vienna
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid Century Modern vintage green painting with watercolor by Max Dättl (1894-1989) The delicate watercolor painting on fibre board shows a landscape motif in Lower Austria Kreuzberg ...
Category

1960s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Natural Fiber

Young Girls Painting by Anna Salvatore
Located in Norwood, NJ
Anna Salvatore (1923-1978) Italy. Midcentury beauty featuring two young girls stylistically and colors of the time.
Category

1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint, Canvas

1940's Cubist Art Painting of New York City Skyline by Artist Theodore Hancock
By Theodore Hancock
Located in St. Louis, MO
Rare Mid-Century Modern signed 1949 cubist gouache painting of skyscrapers, rooftops and skyline of the City of New York including The Chrysler building by painter Theodore "Theo" Ha...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Splatter Abstract Oil and Watercolor on Paper
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Unsigned oil and watercolor drip technique on fine art paper. Framed in simple wood frame. Photographed with Knoll chair for scale.
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Ricardo Santamaria, "Recomposition bleu", 1968
Located in Catonvielle, FR
Ricardo Santamaria (1947-2004), acrylic and collage on canvas titled "Blue Recomposition" dated 1968. Measure: Format 93/77 cm Member of the Zaragoza Group, Ricardo Santamaria is a...
Category

1960s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Paper

Stunning Modernist Architectural Rendering, Drawing by G.F.Hahn
Located in Buffalo, NY
Original MCM Pen and ink architectural study for a Palm Springs Residence (unbuilt). Framed and signed; J.H.Hahn, Reminiscent of the famed Dinah Shore hous...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Lead

Mid-Century Modern Vintage Landscape Watercolor Painting Max Daettl Vienna, 1963
Located in Vienna, AT
Mid-Century Modern vintage landscape painting with motif Schneeberg in Lower Austria in pastel tone color blue, grey, silver, green and white with watercolor on cardboard behind glas...
Category

1960s Austrian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Large Midcentury Oversize Oil on Canvas Painting of Tigers by Peter Colby
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Oil on canvas painting by artist Peter Colby. Large oversize canvas featuring two lions resting upon a patch of green grass. The background of this piece i...
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Rolph Scarlett, Modernist Abstract Composition, Guache on Paper, Ca. 1950’s
Located in New York, NY
Artist: Rolph Scarletti (Canadian, 1889 – 1984) Object: Modernist Abstract Composition Period: Ca. 1950’s Medium: Guache on paper, framed Dimensions (unframed): Height: 9-1/3” Width: 12” Dimensions (framed): Height: 22-3/4”” Width: 25-3/4” Rolph Scarlett (Canadian, 1889 – 1984) was a consummate explorer of twentieth-century abstract painting. Never afraid of trying new styles, curious and opinionated, constantly engaged with the world around him while steadfastly aware that he was on his own path and his alone, Scarlett more than once proved to be at the artistic zeitgeist of the eras in which he lived. Exposed very early on to the work of Paul Klee through a chance meeting in Europe with the artist himself, Scarlett took up abstraction with a fervor that never diminished during his long and impressive career. To create something that had never existed before: this was Scarlett’s great cause. And that is what is most obvious when you look at Scarlett’s work—you have never seen anything quite like it. Scarlett was Canadian-born, came of age in the Midwest, and spent few important years in Hollywood, where he designed stage sets. His work from this early period echoes Klee’s use of color, his confidence in naïve, primitive forms, and his blend of abstraction and figuration. In its flat spatial qualities it prefigures the Indian Space painting of the 1940s by a decade. He moved to New York in 1933 and eventually found his first great patron at the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, directed by Baroness Hilla Rebay and art patron Solomon R. Guggenheim. Guggenheim would collect over 60 works by Scarlett for his collection, more than any other artist outside of Vasily Kandinsky and Rudolf Bauer. As a frequent exhibitor and lecturer at the Museum of Non-Objective Painting (MNOP), Scarlett honed his sensitive feel for bodies in space and capitalized on his trademark use of bright, vivacious colors into accomplished, perfectly harmonized geometric works. However, Scarlett soon morphed these hard-edged forms into a nuanced expressionistic abstraction which, at its best, seems to be populated by dancing forms that animate the canvases. Along this way he was advised by Rudolf Bauer, the German expatriate and one of the originators of non-objective painting in the teens. Bauer had the idea for the Museum, and Rebay, his champion, had found in Solomon Guggenheim a patron for manifesting it. When Bauer emigrated just before World War II, he wanted to meet Scarlett. The two became friends, and Bauer advised Scarlett on his work over the course of many years. Even in a 1979 interview, Scarlett began to tear up as he recalled his first meeting with Bauer, a man whose work he "worshipped," describing that, "It was a touching moment for me, I’ll tell you." Scarlett and Rebay also had a close, important relationship, one in which he bore the brunt of her sometimes condescending, if motherly, critiques and admonitions with tolerance and gratefulness. Eventually, though, he had to push back. In a letter from 1951 he writes, "I have noticed with growing amazement that during the past three years you have accepted less and less of my work—and, that same work, which you rejected has been accepted and shown in the best and largest shows all over this country." This period—the late 1940s to the early 1950s—did in fact correspond to Scarlett’s most critical success, and to a return to the fanciful forms and characters of his pre-war work. At the same time, he found his own rhythm and complexity using a drip style similar to, though denser and more opaque than, the one made famous by Jackson Pollock, who had worked for many years at the MNOP and with whom he shared common influences. In 1949 he had a very well received solo show in 1949 at the Jacques Seligmann Gallery, reviewed very favorably in The New York Times: "The impression made by these paintings is one of originality and strength." He was also included in a juried show "American Painting Today" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1950 and in the Whitney Annual of 1951. The curator for the Whitney show in fact bypassed a selection of Scarlett’s careful geometrics in favor of a new "lyrical" drip painting—one which he describes as having had "a helluva good time" making. Rebay articulated her loss of control over Scarlett very keenly in one of her last official letters to him: "So your way ended in the horrid jungle it is in now; even a Mr. Pollock’s smearage was not bad enough for you to have a try at; and betraying yourself, you betrayed art and my faith in you, and my present disgrace by my failure to foresee such an outrageous possibility—since you even paint objectively now." Yet, despite the fact that he was moving in his own direction when the change in leadership took place at the Museum of Non-Objective Painting and Rebay was forced out as director, Scarlett was hit hard. He understood this change rightly as a betrayal by the establishment. Scarlett was a unique individual and soul, and was affected personally and philosophically by the idea that the movement with which Scarlett had aligned his talents seemed to disappear overnight, and his life’s work rendered valueless. Without the Museum’s support, Scarlett decided eventually to move to the artists’ community of Shady, New York, just outside of Woodstock. He had occasional shows throughout the years, but mostly settled down to regional obscurity. He began making jewelry, which had been his first trade, and it was following a show of his jewelry in 1975 at the Jaro Gallery, that he was rediscovered by Samuel Esses, and his wife Sandy. Samuel Esses was a successful businessman and an avid collector. He always sought out that which was unusual and, like Scarlett, was ahead of his time in many ways. For example, in 1979, Sam became enthralled with the early graffiti appearing on the New York subway trains. With the sole goal of preserving these groundbreaking yet short lived works of art he was inspired to create "The Esses Studio," a painting warehouse and workshop for graffiti artists to work in a studio, collaborate, and paint on canvas. The biggest names of graffiti writing participated—Futura, Crash, Dondi, Zephyr, and Daze to name a few. The project was well received and provided critical validation at an important time for this alternative form of abstraction to be recognized by the established art world. The success of the "Esses Studio" helped fuel an alternative fire that would propel gallerists and curators to acknowledge other street artists and provide a foundation of acceptance for the early careers of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It is not a stretch to say that what Esses saw in the graffiti art of the 1970s was very similar to what he saw in 1950s-era Scarletts—something raw, honest, and melding many twentieth century influences into one unique form. Inspired by the importance of the collection and the passion of the collector, Weinstein Gallery...
Category

1950s Canadian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Postwar Hawaiian Airbrush Tropical Hibiscus Floral in White Wood Frame, Signed
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Postwar Hawaiian airbrush tropical hibiscus floral on paper in original period white wood frame. Signed by artist Hammis Measures: Art 26" x 36" ...
Category

1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

1960s NYC East River Cityscape Painting
Located in Garnerville, NY
The oil on canvas is signed, L. Jesberger, lower right, has an amazing noir feel to it. The moored tugboat and Silhouette figure in the foreground are juxtaposed with the highly illu...
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Framed Acrylic Abstract Painting of Geometric Shapes in Black, Red, and White
Located in New York, NY
Mid-century acrylic on canvas abstract painting featuring geometric shapes in black and red against a cream colored background in a rectangular black painted wooden frame.
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Sandra Gierke Painting "Restive"
By Sandra Gierke
Located in Highland, IN
This wonderful abstraction by Sandra Gierke is executed in oil on linen. A very active painting with a vivacous composition, staccato shapes and lines, and a fantacstic, heavily work...
Category

1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Linen

Oil on Canvas Elio Pelosi Neapolitan Painter Depicting the Characters, 1971
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Oil on canvas Elio Pelosi Neapolitan painter depicting the characters, 1971.
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Mid-Century Original Oil on Canvas Abstract Painting by Patricia Sloane
Located in San Diego, CA
Mid-century original oil on canvas abstract painting by Patricia Sloane, circa 1960s. Sloane was an American painter, author, and professor of Fine Arts at NYC Technical College of t...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Beverly Lopez, Oil on Canvas
By Beverly Lopez
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Framed in a rustic wood frame with linen mat. Signed under Alias Paul Whitney Hunter. Canvas measures: 24 inches by 30 inches.
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

1950s Miguel Alvarez Acosta Pink Abstract Oil Painting Mexico
Located in Chula Vista, CA
1950s Art Pink Abstract painting Oil on Canvas by Miguel Alvarez Acosta former director of the INBA and cultural ambassador to Mexico. Mexican Modernism 28.5 h x 22.5 w x 1.13 d Ori...
Category

1950s Mexican Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Surrealist Nude Painting by Alex Alemany
By Alex Alemany
Located in Atlanta, GA
Surrealist nude painting by Alex Alemany, Spanish, circa 1970s. Alemany's works are often described as "magical realism." This painting measures 32" H x 25.5" W and is unframed.
Category

1970s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Large Delft Blue Tile Panel "the smiling boy" Frans Hals
Located in Den Haag, NL
Love this painting. The original "The smiling boy" by Frans Hals, 17th century. This Delfs blue tile panel image is hand painted by Nico Koelewijn in the 19...
Category

1950s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Ceramic

Mid-Century Abstract Mixed-Media Painting by Diana Diamond, California, 1968
Located in San Francisco, CA
A heavily textured large abstract mixed media painting by American California artist Diana Diamond, signed lower left and dated 1968. Acrylic with crinoli...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Fabric, Acrylic, Canvas

Midcentury Abstract Painting with Plexiglass André Pailler, 1970
Located in Antwerp, BE
Midcentury abstract painting with paper and plexiglass collage artwork by the artist André Pailler. France, 1970. We bought several works of this artist...
Category

1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Abstract Splatter Painting Signed by Artist
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This wonderful painting makes the perfect addition to any home, business, or office. Creative piece of art with many elaborate colors on the canvas. Please confirm item location ...
Category

1960s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Roy Gates Perham, 1940s Unframed Portrait of an African American Nude
By Roy Gates Perham
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An unframed portrait of an African American nude, circa 1940. Measures: 22" x 27." In good condition with some losses and scratches.
Category

20th Century Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Large Painting by Jac. Haan, Manager of the Famous Metz en Co. Department Store
Located in Doornspijk, NL
Beautifully detailed large painting by Jac. Haan, interior architect and former manager of the furniture department of the famous Dutch department store Metz en Co...
Category

1990s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Henri Valachman "gouter aux poires" Oil on Canvas
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Henri Valachman (1925-2020) "gouter aux poires" oil on canvas.
Category

1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

George Gach 'Hungarian-American, NY, 1909-1996' Oil On Canvas, "Jones Beach 1968
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Signed and dated 1968 on the lower right and on verso with title and date. Christies labels on the stretcher- 10-JAN 07, sale 1786 lot 23. A wonderful view of the crowded beach with some women wearing two-piece bathing suits...
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Pierre Verite, Le dépôt dans le quartier de La Ruche, Huile sur toil
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Pierre Verite (1900-1993). Le dépôt dans le quartier de La Ruche. Huile sur toile, signée en bas à droite. 100 x 80 cm. Etiquette Musée Jacquemart André...
Category

1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Modern Still-Life Pinecone Oil Painting Panel Buffie Johnson 1974 Plant Series
By Buffie Johnson
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on linen. "Pit Thea", Study of a pine cone. From the Plant Series 1968-1989. Signed lower left, dated 1974. Signed and titled and dated on back. 20" X 24" (floating frame 21" X 25"). My imagery is rooted in the world of the spirit which manifests itself through ritual, myth and symbol. The monolithic single-image plant forms which I began painting in 1968 are potent symbols of the ancient Great Goddess in Her aspect as ‘Lady of the Plants’, who . . . has been worshipped under a thousand names since the beginnings of prehistory.” (Buffie Johnson, Artist’s Statement for the exhibition catalogue of The Language of Symbols, Landmark Gallery, New York City, April 1980.) “... in the ancient world ... such images were perceived as sacred. This sense of divinity inherent in the plant has inspired these icons and through them I hope to evoke a similar magical experience. These forms were created both as metaphors for the spiritual mystery of nature . . . [and] as celebrations of the feminine.” (Buffie Johnson, Artist’s Statement for the exhibition catalogue of Buffie Johnson: The Spirit of Plants, Chuck Levitan Gallery, New York City, October 3rd – October 26th, 1997.) BORN: February 20, 1912 New York City DIED: August 11, 2006 at her home and studio , Greene Street, New York City SOLO EXHIBITIONS: 1937 * Jake Zeitlin Gallery, Los Angeles (First Solo Exhibition) 1939 * Galerie Andre J. Rotge, Paris: “Peintures Recentes de Buffie Johnson” (First Solo Exhibition in Paris) 1939 * Wakefield Gallery, NYC: “Buffie Johnson” (First Solo Exhibition in New York) 1941 * James O’Toole Gallery, NYC: “Recent Paintings and Portraits by Buffie Johnson” 1942 * Robert C. Vose Galleries, Boston: “Paintings and Portraits by Buffie Johnson” (First Solo Exhibition in Boston) 1944 * Caresse Crosby's G Place Gallery, Washington, D.C. 1945 * Howard Putzel’s 67 Gallery, NYC: “An Exhibition of Recent Paintings by Buffie Johnson” 1948 * The John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota: “Buffie Johnson” * Galleria del Cavallino, Venice: “Buffie Johnson” 1949 * The Hanover Gallery, London: “Buffie Johnson” (First Solo Exhibition in London) * Galerie Colette Allendy, Paris: “Buffie Johnson” * The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota * Galleria del Cavallino, Venice 1950 * Betty Parsons Gallery, NYC: “Recent Works by Buffie Johnson” 1951 * Galerie Bing, Paris * The Paul Mellon Gallery, The Choate School, Wallingford: “Exhibit of Portraits: Buffie Johnson 1936-51” 1956 * Galerie Bing, Paris: “Buffie Johnson: Exposition de peintures” 1960 * Galerie Bing, Paris: “Buffie Johnson: peintures recentes” * Bodley Gallery, NYC: “Buffie Johnson” 1961 * Gallery Thibaut, NYC: Buffie Johnson: “Phases of the Sun” 1963 * World House Gallery, NYC 1964 * Galeria de Antonio Souza, Mexico City: “La exposicion de las obras de Buffie Johnson” * The Granville Gallery, NYC: “Buffie Johnson: Recent Paintings” * World House Gallery, NYC 1966 * Galeria de Antonio Souza, Mexico City 1969 * The New School for Social Research/The New School Associates, NYC: “Buffie Johnson: Creation Myths - Oils” 1973 * Max Hutchinson Gallery, NYC: Buffie Johnson: Paintings 1968-1973” 1975 * Palm Beach Galleries, Palm Beach “Buffie Johnson” 1976 * Andre Zarre Gallery, NYC: “Buffie Johnson: Recent Paintings” 1977 * The Stamford Museum and Nature Center, Stamford: “Two Organic Women: Buffie Johnson / Stella Snead” 1979 * Gallery 700, Milwaukee: “Buffie Johnson: Floral Paintings” 1981 * Ankrum Gallery, Los Angeles: “Buffie Johnson” * Landmark Gallery, NYC: "Retrospective" 1984 * Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland: “Buffie Johnson” 1989 * 56, Bleecker Gallery, Ltd., NYC: “Buffie Johnson Portraits 1936-1947” 1991 * Cardiff House at University of California, Santa Cruz: “The Numbering Series” 1992 * PMW Gallery, Stamford: “Buffie Johnson: A Span of Time” Retrospective 1993 * The Institute for Contemporary Art, P. S. 1 Museum, Long Island City: “Buffie Johnson: Paintings from the 40s and 90s” curated by Director, Alanna Heiss 1995 * Kingsborough Community College Art Gallery of The City of New York, Brooklyn: “Buffie Johnson: Plants” 1996 * Millennium Art Gallery, East Hampton: “Perceptions”: Buffie Johnson – A Retrospective of her work from the 1940s to the 1990s” 1997 * Chuck Levitan Gallery, NYC: “Buffie Johnson: The Spirit of Plants" (Part I) 1998 * Chuck Levitan Gallery, NYC: “Buffie Johnson: The Spirit of Plants" (Part II) 2002 * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: "Buffie Johnson: Transcendentalist" 2007 * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: "Buffie Johnson Memorial Exhibition" Group exhibitions: 1938 * Galerie Le Niveau, Paris: “Paysages: Exposition de Groupe” 1939 * Wakefield Gallery, NYC * The Fine Arts Gallery, Balboa Park, San Diego: The Fine Arts Society of San Diego: “The Eleventh Annual Southern California Art Exhibition” * Galerie de Beaune, Paris: “VIIe Exposition de Gravures et Platres Gravés du Groupe de L’Atelier 17” 1940 * Wakefield Gallery, NYC: “Group of Small Paintings” 1941 * Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh: "International Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture" * Marie Sterner Gallery, NYC: “International Group of Contemporary Painters” * The American British Art Center, NYC: “First ABAC Exhibition: Paintings and Sculpture from England, Canada & America” * The American British Art Center, NYC: “Stage and Circus: An Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings, Designs and Model Stages by American and British Artists” 1942 * Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach: “Fourth Annual Exhibition by Artist Members” * Parke-Bernet Galleries, NYC: “A Loan Exhibition of Paintings for the Benefit of The American Red Cross representing Happier Days in The United Nations arranged by Marie Sterner” 1943 * Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century, NYC: “Exhibition by 31 Women” 1945 * Howard Putzel’s 67 Gallery, NYC: “Preview 1945-1946 Season of Two-man and Group Exhibitions at this Gallery” * Howard Putzel’s 67 Gallery, NYC: “40 American Moderns” 1946 * Walker Art Center, Minneapolis: "136 Americans" * The Springfield Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA: “Sixth Annual Spring Purchase Exhibition: 30 Paintings by 30 Contemporary American Artists” 1948 * Salon des Realites Nouvelles, Paris 1949 * Salon des Realites Nouvelles, Paris 1950 * The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn: "Fourth National Print Annual Exhibition" * La Galerie Arnaud, Paris: “sculpteurs et peintres abstraits americains de paris” * The Riverside Museum, NYC: “Creative Art Associates” * Guild Hall, Moran Gallery, East Hampton: 10 East Hampton Abstractionists” 1951 * Guild Hall, East Hampton: “Frankly Romantic” 1953 * Guild Hall, East Hampton: "A Selection from 12 East Hampton Collections" * Guild Hall, East Hampton: "17 East Hampton Artists" * The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn: "17th Biennial International Watercolor Exhibition" 1954 * stabile Gallery, NYC * Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC: “The Whitney Annual” * The Baltimore Museum, Baltimore * Hampton Gallery & Workshop, Amagansett: "Group Show: Eight Painters, Two Sculptors" 1955 * stabile Gallery, NYC * Moderna Galerija, Ljubljana, “Exposition Internationale de Gravure” 1956 * Haus der Heimat, Iserlohn: "Junge Amerikanische Kunst" * Group Espace, Paris * Guild Hall, East Hampton: “13 Artists of the Region: Museum Acquisitions and Recent Works” 1957 * Signa Gallery, East Hampton: "Second Exhibition" 1959 * Hirschl & Adler Galleries, NYC: "Works by Gallery Artists" 1960 * Guild Hall, East Hampton: "Monotypes and Prints" * Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC: Friends of the Whitney Museum of American Art: "Business Buys American Art" * Bodley Gallery, NYC * The Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia: “Monotypes & Prints of Related Techniques” Shown concurrently with the publication of Henry Rasmusen’s Printmaking with Monotype 1961 * Bertha Schaefer Gallery, NYC: "Contemporary Collage" 1964 * Long Island University/The Parrish Art Museum, Southampton: "Long Island Artists" at Long Island University’s Galleries * Guild Hall, East Hampton: “Festival of the Arts Exhibition: Artists of the East Hampton Area Each showing one of his own works along with a favorite work of art or object from his collection.” 1965 * The Parrish Art Museum, Southampton: "Twelve Women Painters of the South Fork” 1970 * Le Salon International de la Femme, Nice. (Medailles d’argent) 1971 * Museum of Modern Art, NYC: "Penthouse Exhibition" * Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC: "American Art of Our Century" 1972 * Kunsthaus Hamburg, Hamburg: "Gedok American Woman Artist Show" * Suffolk Museum and Carriage House, Long Island: “Unmanly Art” 1973 * The New York Cultural Center, NYC: "Women Choose Women" * Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC: “1973 Biennial Exhibition: Contemporary American Art" * Women's Interart Center, NYC: "In the Beginning: Women and Religion" * University of Texas at Austin, "The Ciba-Geigy Collection of Contemporary Paintings" * A .I. R. Gallery, NYC * Brooklyn College, Brooklyn: "New York Women Artists" * Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA: "New York Women Artists" 1974 * Kresge Art Center Gallery, Michigan State University at East Lansing: “Works by Women from the CIBA-GEIGY Collection” * Weatherspoon Art Gallery, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro: “Works by Women from the CIBA-GEIGY Collection” * Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills: "Waves: An Artist Selects" * Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids: "Waves: An Artist Selects" 1975 * Women's Interart Center, NYC: "Color, Light & Image" * The Pratt Institute Gallery, Brooklyn: "Women's Exchange Exhibitions: Artists from the Women Artist Historical Archives of the Women’s Interart Center" * Ashawagh Hall, Springs: "Women Artists Here & Now" * The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield: "A Change of View" * The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn: "Works on Paper: Women Artists" * Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC: "Women from the Permanent Collection" 1976 * Buecker & Harpsichords, NYC: “Recent Portraits of Sari Dienes” * Soho Art Tour: A Benefit for Guild Hall of East Hampton * Guild Hall, East Hampton: "Artists and East Hampton: A 100 Year Perspective" * Landmark Gallery, NYC: “10 Artists" * The Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D. C.: "A Bicentennial Edition of Banners" * Chuck Levitan Gallery, NYC: "A Bicentennial Edition of Banners" * National Museum Singapore, Singapore: “Artists Celebrate the Bicentennial” * Marion Koogler McNay Art Institute, San Antonio: "American Artists ‘76: A Celebration" * The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx: "The Year of the Woman: Reprise" 1977 * The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx: "The Magic Circle" * Hurlbutt Gallery, Greenwich: The Friends of the Greenwich Library Present: "Contact: Women and Nature” The Works of 30 contemporary women artists selected by New York critic and author Lucy R. Lippard * The Brooklyn Museum Art School, The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn: "Contemporary Women: Consciousness and Content" * New York University, Contemporary Arts Gallery, NYC: Visual Artists Coalition Exhibition: “Women Painters and Poets” 1978 * Women’s Interart Center, NYC: Women Artists: Sketch Books 1979 * Elaine Benson Gallery, Bridgehampton: "Five Artists New York/Hamptons" * Connecticut College, Cummings Center, New London: Visual Artists Coalition Exhibition: “Women Painters and Sculptors” * Clayworks Benefit Exhibition, 4 Great Jones Street, NYC 1980 * Landmark Gallery, NYC: "The Language of Symbols" * Fordham University, Lowenstein Library Gallery, NYC: “Evocative Images” * The Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota, Duluth, “Invitational Print Show” 1981 * Landmark Gallery, NYC: "118 Artists" * The Parrish Art Museum, Southampton: "Alive at the Parrish" * American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, NYC: "Paintings And Sculpture by Candidates for Art Awards" 1982 * Westbeth Gallery #1, NYC: “Sexuality in Art: Two Decades from a Feminist Perspective.” One of sixteen shows of “Views by Women Artists: Sixteen Independently Curated Theme Shows Sponsored by the New York Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art” * The State University of New Jersey Rutgers, Mabel Smith Douglass Library, New Brunswick: Women Artist Series at Douglass College: “Modern Masters: Women of the First Generation” * Frank Merino Gallery, NYC: “Heresies 3rd Annual Art Benefit: Work by 146 Women Artists for Sale at Artists’ Prices” 1983 * Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia: “An Exhibition of Work by Artists in the Historical Archives of the Women’s Interart Center of New York City” 1984 * Suzanne Gross Gallery, Philadelphia: "Major Contemporary Women Artists: In Celebration of Simone de Beauvoir" 1985 * The Parrish Art Museum, Southampton: "Looking At Pictures" 1987 * Schick Art Gallery, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs: "Self-Portraits: The Message, The Material" * Hofstra Museum - Emily Lowe Gallery, Hempstead: "Self-Portraits: The Message, The Material" 1988 * Phoenix II Gallery, Washington, D. C.: “Small Works by Forty-Two Artists 1989 * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: "Early Abstractions: Painting and Sculpture of the 40’s and 50’s" * Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville in conjunction with Bennett Galleries, Knoxville: "American Women Artists: The 20th Century" 1990 * Queensborough Community College Art Gallery, Bayside: "American Women Artists: The 20th Century" * Guild Hall/East Hampton Center for Contemporary Art, East Hampton: "East Hampton Avant-Garde: A Salute to the Signa Gallery 1957-60" 1991 * Harmon-Meek Gallery, Naples, FL: “Gallery Group Exhibition” * Harmon-Meek Gallery, Naples, FL: “Recently Added Artists” * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: “The Prevailing Fifties” 1992 * The Institute for Contemporary Art, P. S. 1 Museum, Long Island City: "Slow Art: Painting in New York Now." Curated by the museum’s Director, Alanna Heiss * Stuart Levy Gallery, NYC: “American Vanguard: Jackson Pollack, Lee Krasner and Friends” for the benefit of The Study Center Development Fund of The Pollock- Krasner House and Study Center, East Hampton, New York * Harmon-Meek Gallery, Naples, FL: “Flowers in Art” * Melvin Gallery, Florida Southern College, Lakeland: “Women Artists From the Harmon- Meek Gallery” * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: “The Americas” 1993 * Richard Anderson Gallery, NYC: “Songs of Retribution.” Curated by Nancy Spero * Snyder Fine Art, NYC: “Out of the ‘50s”: Works Shaped by the Aesthetic of the 1950s * Benton Gallery, Southampton: “Woman!” * The Museum of the Provincetown Art Association, Provincetown: The Art Students League of New York and The Provincetown Art Association and Museum Exhibition of: “The League at the Cape” Part II: Contemporary Invitational Section * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: “Women of the Fifties” 1995 * The New York Open Center, NYC: “The Creative Call to the Divine: An interfaith art show and healing experience” * Millennium Gallery, East Hampton: "Living Legends" * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: “Artists of the Fifties” (Part 2) 1997 * Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, Springs, East Hampton: "Art of This Century: The Women" 1998 * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: “Earthly Delights” 1999 * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: “The Immortals” 2000 * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: “Buffie Johnson, William Scharf, Yvonne Thomas, Rufus Zogbaum, Wilfrid Zogbaum: Feb. 12-April 29, 2000” 2001 * Emily Lowe Gallery, Hofstra University, Hempstead: “Abstract Expressionism, Then and Now” 2003 * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: "Re-Examining Abstract Art, Part 2" 2004 * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: "New York School Artists: Work of 50’s & 60’s" 2005 * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: "Betty Parsons & the Women" 2007 * Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC: "Collectors' Choices" * Thomas McCormick Gallery, Chicago: “Suitcase Paintings...
Category

1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

"Damay" by Vanessa Joy, 2020
Located in Westport, CT
Title: Damay Artist: Vanessa Joy Medium: Acrylic on canvas Subject matter: Abstract Art Size: 36 x 36 inches The painting Damay depicts the movement...
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"in the Forest, " Midcentury Églomisé Painting with Woman and Dog in Red and Blue
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A magnificent example of midcentury reverse-painted glass, this piece by Marianna von Allesch depicts a woman and her square-jawed dog, possibly a boxer, amidst a grove of trees and ...
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Glass

Oil on Canvas 1969 Depicting Jewish Priest with Signature in the Back
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Oil on canvas 1969 depicting Jewish Priest, with signature in the back.
Category

1960s Israeli Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Charles Hersey Vintage Acrylic Op-Art Painting, circa 1971
Located in San Francisco, CA
Charles Hersey vintage acrylic op-art painting, circa 1971 Fantastic op-art painting by San Francisco artist Charles Hersey. Bold black and green ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

20th Century John De Tore Vintage "Abstract Cityscape" Original Watercolor
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mid-Century Modern watercolor by John De Tore, circa 1960s Abstract cityscape. Signed lower right. Beautifully matted and framed. Dimensions: 19 1/2...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Midcentury Abstract Expressionist Watercolor Painting, Salvatore Grippi, Blue
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This ink and watercolor figurative abstract expressionist piece on paper is signed by its creator, noted New York School artist Salvatore Grippi. Though undated, the piece is fits in...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Mid-Century Modern Harlequin Painting, circa 1970
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mid-Century Modern harlequin oil painting. This fine Harlequin painting is bold, bright, colorful and executed by a very talented artist. T...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Other

Watercolor by Jacob Semiatin
Located in New York, NY
Watercolor on paper by Jacob Semiatin. USA, circa 1970. Signed. Custom matter and framed in a Larson Juhl silver leaf wood frame.
Category

1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paper

Dora Holzhandler Watercolor of a Nude Couple Titled "Lovers"
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Watercolor depicting a nude couple reclining on blue bedding in a room with a nightstand in the upper right and a painting on the wall. Signed Dora Holzh...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Modernist Abstract Oil by Sidney Zimmerman, Dated 1960
By Sidney E. Zimmerman
Located in Peabody, MA
Modernist abstract oil on canvas, a tapestry of flowing ribbons in peacock hues, by noted New York artist Sidney E. Zimmerman, dated 1960. Zimmerman (1926-2007) studied in Berlin dur...
Category

1960s North American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Portrait of an Elegant Woman, Signed Hugo Scheiber
Located in New York, NY
Watercolor / painting signed Hugo Scheiber: Budapest (1873-1950). Hugo Scheiber was born in Budapest in 1873. At the age of eight, he moved with his family from Budapest to Vienna. ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Hungarian Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Jacob Semiatin 1950s Abstract Painting
Located in Garnerville, NY
Period abstract oil paint on canvas by New York artist, Jacob Semiatin. Signed lower right, Semiatin, circa 1958. Heavy impasto paint. Expressive use of brush and tube paint applicat...
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Paint

Still Life Painting on Canvas, Victor Petré, Belgium, circa 1960
Located in Brussels, BE
Still life painting on canvas, Victor Petré, Belgium, circa 1960.
Category

1960s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

David Fortney 'American, 20th Century' "Dark Star" Original Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
"Dark Star" is an amazing oil on canvas by David Fortney, circa 1970 Abstract painting with amazing movement and texture. The colors and technique used cr...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Greco Roman Classical Wrestlers Oil Painting
Located in Rochester, NY
Late 20th century modernist oil painting of Greco Roman wrestlers done in the classical style. By David Loeb. Oil on handmade paper. Signed on reverse and dated 1989. Loeb was born in 1953 and raised in Chappaqua, New York, David Loeb’s mother and her identical twin were painters, and he has been painting since childhood. He studied with Gillian Pederson-Krag at Cornell University; Reed Kay at Boston University; Louis Finkelstein, Wolf Kahn and Philip Guston at the Yale Summer School of Art and Music; and attended graduate school at Indiana University, Bloomington, where he studied with Robert Barnes...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Bernard Buffet Lithograph on Paper "Limited Edition" 299/300
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful limited edition lithograph on paper by Bernard Buffet done in the 1950's. The piece is in excellent condition signed and dated. 29 1/2" high x 24 1/2" wide If you are ...
Category

1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

"Three Men in Tatters, " Surrealist Painting with Semi-Nude Figures by Lear
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Over his long career, John Lear liked to depict nude or half-nude male figures set in fantastic or exotic environments such as the circus, carnival, deserted beach, or Dali-esque set...
Category

1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Eleanor Coen Abstract Expressionist Painting, 1960's
Located in Phoenix, AZ
This multicolored expressionist style painting by American artist Eleanor Coen depicts the layered feeling of a city with its patchwork of buildings and l...
Category

1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

1980 Richard Allen Morris Abstract Painting Collage
By Richard Allen Morris
Located in San Diego, CA
A strong little abstract oil collage from 1980 by Richard Allen Morris. Overall frame measures 13" wide, 11" tall, 1" deep. Image size is 7" wide,...
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Abstract Framed Art
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Colorful abstract painted artwork with wood frame. (Please confirm item location - NY or NJ - with dealer).   
Category

1960s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Brussels Street Scene Painting on Canvas, Victor Petré, Belgium, circa 1960
Located in Brussels, BE
Brussels street scene painting on canvas - Victor Petré, Belgium, circa 1960.
Category

1960s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

1970s Danish Mixed-Media Painting
Located in London, London
Mixed-media On paper  Danish 1970s.
Category

Late 20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Vintage 1980s Danish Mixed-Media Painting on Board
Located in London, London
Mixed-media painting Laid on board Titled "Fragile", 1980s, Denmark Perspex frame.
Category

Late 20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Mid-century Modern paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern 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 wall decorations, folk art, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with fabric, paint and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern paintings made in a specific country, there are North America, United States, and Europe pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original paintings, popular names associated with this style include Peter Keil, Jacob Semiatin, Daniel Clesse, and Charles Levier. 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 $45 and tops out at $275,000 while the average work can sell for $1,851.

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