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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
Period: 1990s
Photorealism Acrylic on Canvas Titled “Chris” After Chuck Close
Located in West Palm Beach, US
Large acrylic on canvas portrait of a young man with a facial piercing, featuring mosaic like cells that were popularized by the world renowned artist Chuck Close. The reverse bears ...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"Girl With Mandolin" Painting Pablo Picasso Re-creation. Sela Cubist Art Decor
Located in Peoria, AZ
Stunning! Re-creation of Pablo Picasso's Iconic Cubist Painting "Girl With Mandolin" Signed verso: Sela Dimensions: 36" by 24" In the late 1980's Picasso artwork was really start...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Mid Century Modern Danish Abstract Multi Color Painting Signed 1965
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Mid Century Danish Abstract Signed Painting- 1965 Dive into the vibrant world of mid-century art with this stunning Danish Multicolor Abstract painting from 1965. With dimensions of...
Category

1990s Danish Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Wood

Mid Century Modern Danish Abstract Painting - 1993
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Mid-Century Danish Abstract Painting - Signed & Dated on back, 1993 Explore the depth of Danish abstract art a captivating piece from 1993 that embodies the essence of minimalist e...
Category

1990s Danish Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Claude Pellier Painting Abstract decor patterns Signed and dated 1998
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Claude Pellier Painting Abstract decor patterns Signed and dated 1998
Category

1990s French Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Abstract Acrylic Painting by Imke Plattel, 1993
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large abstract acrylic painting on wood board by Imke Plattel, 1993. Plattel was born in 1960 in Zwolle, The Netherlands and lives and works in Amsterdam. This striking work has a vi...
Category

1990s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood

Abstract Acrylic Painting by Imke Plattel, 1993
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large abstract acrylic painting on wood board by Imke Plattel, 1993. An abstract in blue with the sensation of water and wind. Plattel was born in Zwolle, The Netherlands in 1960 and...
Category

1990s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

1990s Signed Mario Schifano Artwork
Located in Roma, IT
Enamel on canvas "Untitled" signature on the back. Certification by the artist is present. Archived in 1997 Monte Titano Arte General Archive of Mario Schifano's paintings n. 713/97 dated 19.09.1997 Monte Titano Arte. Bibliography: the work is present in III° Mario Schifano Works on Canvas 1991-1998 page 401 The dimensions are without frame. This painting, comes from a private collection and is beautified by an impressive original frame in natural wood, in almost perfect condition. The painting is also protected by glass Every item of our Gallery, upon request, is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Sabrina Egidi official Expert in Italian furniture for the Chamber of Commerce of Rome and for the Rome Civil Courts. Mario Schifano (Homs 1934 - 1998) was an Italian painter and filmmaker. Together with Franco Angeli and Tano Festa he represented a fundamental point of Italian and European Pop Art. Perfectly integrated in the international cultural scene of the 1960s, he was reputed to be a prolific, exuberant and drug-addicted artist. A keen student of new painting techniques, he was among the first to use computers to create works and was able to process images from the computer and transfer them onto emulsified canvases. Mario Schifano was born in Italian Libya and after the end of the war returned to Rome where, due to his restless personality, he left school early to follow in his father's footsteps who worked at the Etruscan museum of Villa Giulia as an archaeologist and restorer. Thanks to this experience, he approached art, initially producing works that were influenced by Informal Art. His first solo exhibition was at the Galleria Appia Antica in Rome in 1959. In the late 1950s, he participated in the artistic movement Scuola di Piazza del Popolo together with artists such as Francesco Lo Savio, Mimmo Rotella, Giuseppe Uncini, Giosetta Fioroni, Tano Festa and Franco Angeli. The group met at Caffè Rosati, a Roman café then frequented by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Alberto Moravia and Federico Fellini, among others, and located in Piazza del Popolo, from which they took their name. In 1960, the group's works were exhibited in a group show at Galleria La Salita. In 1961 he exhibited in a solo show at Galleria La Tartarugadi Plinio De Martiis in Rome. In the meantime, he had met, among others, his future lover Anita Pallenberg at the Caffè Rosati, with whom he made his first trip to New York in 1962, where he came into contact with Andy Warhol and Gerard Malanga at the Factory. During this period he participated in the New Realists exhibition at the Sidney Janis Gallery, a group show that included most of the young artists of Pop art and Nouveau Réalisme, including Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. He then had the opportunity to participate in the New York social scene, which led to his first experiments with LSD.[6] On his return from New York, after participating in exhibitions in Rome, Paris and Milan, he took part in the XXXII International Art Exhibition in Venice in 1964. During this period, his paintings defined as 'Anemic Landscapes', in which it is memory that evokes the representation of nature with small details or allusive inscriptions, and the reinterpretations of art history that later led to his famous pictorial works on futurism appear in embryo. In Rome, he met and frequented Marco Ferreri and Giuseppe Ungaretti to whom, already in his 80s, he offered an evening at Peyote. But one of the acquaintances of this period that most influenced him was that with Ettore Rosboch, with whom he formed a deep friendship, based on a shared passion for music. In those years, also thanks to their constant trips to London, the two became friends with the Rolling Stones, to whom they introduced Anita Pallenberg, who in 1965 began a relationship with Brian Jones, and years later became Keith Richards' partner. In 1969, the flat in Piazza in Piscinula in Rome that then belonged to Schifano was used by Ferreri as the set for the film Dillinger is Dead, on the walls of which some of the artist's paintings can be seen. In 1969, the Rolling Stones dedicated the song Monkey Man to Mario Schifano. In 1971 some of his paintings were included by Achille Bonito Oliva in the exhibition Vitalità nel negativo nell'arte italiana 1960/70. Many of his works, the so-called 'monochromes', present only one or two colours, applied on wrapping paper glued on canvas. The influence of Jasper Johns was manifested in the use of numbers or isolated letters of the alphabet, but in Schifano's way of painting analogies can be traced to the work of Robert Rauschenberg. In a painting from 1960, one can read the word 'no' painted with drips of colour in large capital letters, as in a wall graffiti. The influence of Pop art can be seen in all the artistic production of Mario Schifano, who was fascinated by new technologies, advertising, music, photography and experimentation. In particular, the artist's closest works to Pop Art are those of the 1980s. Among the most important works of this period are the Propagande, a series dedicated to advertising brands (Coca-Cola and Esso) in which we have a clear example of the conveyance of commonly used and easily recognisable images quoted in multiple ways or details of them, bicycles, flowers and nature in general (among the most famous series are the Paesaggi anemici, Vedute interrotte, L'albero della vita...
Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Glass, Wood

Acrylic on Canvas Boxer Painting
Located in Oakland, CA
Acrylic on canvas painting of two boxers in the ring with the spectators in the background. Done in a slightly figure abstract style with the look and feel of the 1950s. The canvas i...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Original Modern Cubist Oil Painting! "FORBIDDEN FRUIT" Abstract Art Dan Sharp
Located in Peoria, AZ
SINFULLY GOOD! ORIGINAL OIL "FORBIDDEN FRUIT" ABSTRACT PAINTING DAN SHARP SIGNED & TITLED Circa 1993 Mid Century Revival Expressionism Dimensions: LARGE Approximately 32...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Original Acrylic Painting by Italian Listed Artist Piero Pastacaldi
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Beautiful original acrylic painting on canvas by Italian listed artist Piero Pastacaldi. The painting depicts the artist home town Livorno's port of Italy. The paint is acrylic on...
Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Wood

20th Century Korean School Red and Blue Etched, Signed Duck Sung Kang
By Duck Shin
Located in Valladolid, ES
Beautiful work of art by the contemporary Korean artist Duck Sung Kang, is a etched or mixed technique in blue, black and red color, a piece unique with...
Category

1990s Korean Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Authentic Jamali Pigment on Cork Painting
Located in Palm Desert, CA
The artwork is in impeccable condition and comes complete with a certificate of authenticity. We are open to considering all reasonable offers. Media- Pigment on cork. About the ...
Category

1990s North American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Cork, Paint

Midcentury Oil Championship Golf Club Painting, Brown Wood Frame, 1960s, Europe
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Oil painting with Golf motive. Hand painted in England. In the set of gold wood frame. Very nice decoration for every interior. Only one unique piece.
Category

1990s English Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paint

Georges Ferrato Painting Abstract decor patterns Signed and dated 1993
By Georges Ferrato
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Georges Ferrato is a French Riviera Painter. This Painting is in an asbtract style, and had been made in 1993. The color are sienna and blue. In the back the title of the painting "P...
Category

1990s French Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Carlos Leon Cruz Peruvian 'Born 1967' Abstract Figural Oil on Canvas
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Abstract oil on canvas original painting by Carlos Leon Cruz, signed on lower right corner. Comes in a faux stitched leather wood frame. Carlos Leon Peruvian artist born in Otuzco, La Libertad, Peru, in 1967, León studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes of Trujillo, graduating with highest honors in 1991. Carlos Leon artwork maintains an enduring and active dialog between the remnants of the Inca culture in the Peruvian mountains...
Category

1990s Peruvian Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood

Midcentury Oil Brighton Tennis Club Painting, Brown Wood Frame, 1960s, Europe
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Oil painting with Brighton Tennis Club motive. Hand painted in England. In the set of gold wood frame. Very nice decoration for every interior. ...
Category

1990s English Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paint

Sonia Delauney Style Painting
By (after) Sonia Delaunay
Located in Atlanta, GA
Large Scale Abstract Painting, in the style of Sonia Delaunay, actual artist unknown, American, circa 1990s. This painting packs a lot of colorful graphic punch and measures an impre...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Wood

William P. Katz, "The Lady of the Forest" Mixed Media on Paper, 1991
Located in Norwalk, CT
William P. Katz, American (1926-2003). "The Lady of the Forest", mixed media gouache and pastel on paper, 1991. Signed/dated "W.P. Katz '91" bottom right, inscribed on verso: "To Ruthie 4/6/92; Happy birthday from 'The Lady of the Forest'". Presented in a gold-painted wooden frame. A lovely and whimsical painting in pastel colors by respected sculptor/artist William P. Katz, depicting the face of a woman...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint, Paper

Fausta Dossi Oil on Canvas "Eternita", circa 1995
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas by Fausta Dossi (B 1936) Description This is an abstract oil painting on canvas created by Fausta Dossi, a renowned Italian artist from Milan, in 20...
Category

1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Abstract Mid-Century Modern Painting Titled "Lumieres"
Located in Redding, CT
Abstract Mid-Century Modern painting titled "Lumieres". Signed by artist Lee Clarke. Nice composition of yellow orbs with blue and white light. Celestial, ...
Category

1990s Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Riding the Storm by Maxine Snider, 1990s
Located in Chicago, IL
A large scale abstract mixed media painting on canvas by Chicago artist Maxine Snider, 1990s. Signed en verso. Maxine Snider is a Chicago artist and d...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint, Canvas

Domestic Issues by Maxine Snider, 1990s
Located in Chicago, IL
A large scale abstract mixed media painting on canvas by Chicago artist Maxine Snider, 1990s. Signed en verso. Maxine Snider is a Chicago artist and d...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint, Paper, Canvas

Gentle Horizon by Maxine Snider, 1990s
Located in Chicago, IL
A large scale diptyque acrylic painting on canvas by Chicago artist Maxine Snider, 1990s. This piece is presented in a wood frame with a silver finish. S...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint, Canvas, Wood

Original Vintage Abstract Color Lithograph, Abrakadabra by Carl F. Reuterswärd
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd, Abracadabra, 1990s Color lithograph Number 34/200 Work with the artist's signature, title and individual number (...
Category

1990s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Original Vintage Abstract Color Lithograph, Vintern by Knut Grane, 1991
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
Knut Grane, Vintern, 1991 Color lithography Number 371/500 This work is signed by the artist and has an individual number Working dimensions 26/35 This work is framed Knut Be...
Category

1990s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Original Vintage Abstract Color Serigraphy, Intermezzo by Peter Foeller
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
Peter Foeller, Intermezzo, 1990. Color serigraphy. Number 91/130. This work is signed by the artist. It has a title, date and individual number. Sheet dimensions 100/75 Work dimensio...
Category

1990s German Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Original Vintage Abstract Color Serigraphy, Feuerschiff by Peter Foeller
Located in Warszawa, Mazowieckie
Peter Foeller, Feuerschiff, 1990. Color serigraphy. Number E/A. This work is signed by the artist. It has a title, date and individual number. Sheet dimensions 100/75 Work dimen...
Category

1990s German Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Painting by Gonzales on Canvas, 1998
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Painting by L.Gonzales, 1998. On canvas. Handsigned and dated. In original condition, with some visible signs of previous use and age, preserving a beautiful patina. Materia...
Category

1990s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Isabella Garfias Large Abstract Oil on Canvas
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Large abstract mixed media oil on canvas with organic earthtone colors, with an emerging esoteric face in the center of the painting and heavy intention craquelure and imbedded leave...
Category

1990s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Meresad Berber Graphic Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A painter born in Bosnia, Berber was one of the best-known graphic artists in the world. He went on to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. From 1992 until his death in Oc...
Category

1990s Balkan Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Large Painting by Eddie Powel AKA Tao Gaea
By Taogaea
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Introducing the captivating "Oil on Canvas Painting" by the renowned artist Eddie Powel, also known as Tao Gaea. This exquisite piece of art is a true testament to the artist's ski...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Meresad Berber Graphic Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A painter born in Bosnia, Berber was one of the best-known graphic artists in the world. He went on to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. From 1992 until his death in Oc...
Category

1990s Balkan Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

20th Century School "jeune femme alanguie" Watercolor on Paper, Signature
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
20th century school "jeune femme alanguie" watercolor on paper. Signature to identify lower right and dated 90, measures: 23x32 cm sight.
Category

1990s European Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Molgra Fauvist Painting, circa 1995
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Fauvist Painting by the Spanish artist Molgra, circa 1995. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautif...
Category

1990s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Wood, Canvas

Abstract Original Signed Painting by Arlene Carr
Located in West Hartford, CT
Stunning original oil on canvas abstract with multitudes of blue waves by the artist Arlene Carr. Signed at bottom. Frame appears to be new.
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Molgra Fauvist Painting, circa 1995
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Fauvist painting by the Spanish artist Molgra, circa 1995. In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautif...
Category

1990s Spanish Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood

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

Mid-Century Modern Style Oil Painting
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Colorful vintage modern Style oil painting signed and framed. "For he that catches the clouds". Please confirm item location (NY or NJ).
Category

1990s Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Painting by Jac. Haan, Manager of the Famous Metz en Co. Department Store
Located in Doornspijk, NL
Very nicely detailed 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

Extensive Landscape by Peter Solow 'Oil On Canvas'
By Peter Solow
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Extensive landscape by Peter Solow (American, 20th Century), oil on canvas. Signed and dated in lower right, Solow '92. Signed and dated on verso, P. Solow...
Category

1990s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

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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