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Modern Paintings

MODERN STYLE

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”

Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.

Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chaircrafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.

It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.

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Style: Modern
Framed Oil Painting on Board by Sara Skaaning
Located in New York, NY
Oil painting on board by Sara Skaaning. Based in the Island Mon, Denmark, the visual artist Sara Skaaning starts from her surroundings that twists and transforms until completely di...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Danish Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Michelle Hénault Modern Abstract Painting "Summertime III", 2019
Located in Montreal, QC
Modern abstract, oil on canvas painting, titled “Summertime III” by Michelle Hénault, a conceptual fine artist. Signed on front bottom right, also, signed, dated and titled on back; measuring approximate 30" H x 36" W x 1.5” D. Gallery wrapped, finished sides, dated circa 2019. Michelle Hénault is a Conceptual Fine Artist, born in Lachute, Quebec, living and working in Montreal since 1991. She completed a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts at UQAM in 1998. After exploring sculpture and photography, she dedicated herself to oil painting. She has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows over the last fifteen years. In 2010, she moved to Scotland with her partner for two years. Since returning to Montreal, she has devoted her time to oil painting and her work has flourished. Inspired by her many travels, her work explores landscapes as a contemplative territory. The desire to revisit past voyages through painting and to recapture the sentiments she experienced in various places was her primary motivation for producing these landscapes. "For the last fifteen years I have explored the reconstruction of landscapes in my painting. My practice is concerned with our relation to land as the memory of place. A land can be occupied, shared, transformed and dreamed, idealized. The land, as homeland or an idyllic land to travel to, where the memory is presupposed. Through my art, I explore that memory of travel, the journeys I made and the ones I dreamed. When contemplating a landscape and experiencing the change of light or atmosphere we realize the passage of time. As explorers from bygone eras, seeking unknown lands, my work proposes a return to the essential…that the French call ‘le bapteme de la solitude’. It is a unique sensation, and it has nothing to do with loneliness, for loneliness presupposes memory. Here, in this wholly mineral landscape lighted by stars like flares, even memory disappears; nothing is left but your own breathing and the sound of your heat beating. A strange, and by no means pleasant, process of reintegration begins inside you, and you have the choice of fighting against it, and insisting on remaining the person you have always been, or letting it take its course. For no one...
Category

2010s Canadian Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Michelle Hénault Modern Abstract Painting "Terre Inconnue 1/Unknown Land 1" 2017
Located in Montreal, QC
Modern abstract, oil on canvas painting; titled “Terre Inconnue 1/Unknown Land 1” by Michelle Hénault, a conceptual fine artist. Signed on front bottom right, also, signed, dated and...
Category

2010s Canadian Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Michelle Hénault Modern Abstract Painting "Malte/Malta ", 2016
Located in Montreal, QC
Modern abstract, oil on canvas painting, titled “Malte/Malta” by Michelle Hénault, a conceptual fine artist. Signed on front bottom right, also, signed, dated and titled on back; mea...
Category

2010s Canadian Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Pierre Fortin Modern Figurative Abstract Charcoal Painting Titled Brothers
Located in Montreal, QC
Charcoal on paper mounted on wood panel; titled: Brothers; approx. size: 30" x 56" 1.5" artist signed Pierre Fortin and dated 2020 on the back. Pierre F...
Category

2010s Canadian Modern Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paper

Zafiro Primavera Spring Sapphire Still Life Watercolor Painting Andrew Plum
Located in Montreal, QC
This work is signed "PLUM” on recto; unframed size - 25.5" x 20.25 x 1.5" profile; framed size 18.5" x 13.5”, circa 2013. Andrew Plum was born in Lancashire, England in 1965 and move...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Marcel Mulot, Polychrome Abstract Gouache, 1965
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Marcel Mulot, signed. Abstract gouache on paper with geometrical concentric colored swathes in the green, yellow, orange, black and white tones. Work signed “M. Mulot” and dated ...
Category

1960s French Vintage Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

A Small Watercolor of “Sunrise” by Nadezhda Fedorovna Stepanova-Senichkina
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A beautifully executed impressionist watercolor on cardboard titled sunrise at a suburb of Leningrad ( St Petersburg now) signed and dated 1989 by Russian artist Nadezhda Fedorovna S...
Category

Late 20th Century Russian Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Hans Henrik Husemann Painting "Terra Magenta III" acrylic on canvas
Located in Münster, DE
Hans-Henrik Husemann (*1943 Celle), „TERRA MAGENTA III“, Öl auf Leinwand, Entstehung 2019, signiert und datiert „HUS 19“, 100 x 140 cm Born in 1943, grew up in Hamburg and Berlin,...
Category

2010s German Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Hans Henrik Husemann Painting "Dante Zyklus II" acrylic on canvas
Located in Münster, DE
Hans-Henrik Husemann (*1943 Celle), "Dante Zyklus II", acrylic on canvas, titled and signed on verso 150 cm x 160 cm Born in 1943, grew up in Hamburg and Berlin, studied at the ...
Category

2010s German Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Omar Ananias Acrylic On Canvas
Located in West Palm Beach, US
BIO The career of Peruvian-Palestinian artist Omar Ananias:

Ananias's artistic career began with sculpture and drawing under the guidance of his mother as his principal mentor, following in the footsteps of his family's long tradition of opera singers, musicians, classical dancers, painters, writers, and other artists. She owns "The House of Nymphs," an exquisite oceanfront artist retreat in Peru with a very unique private collection of artists, including friends, relatives, and Omar's earliest works.



Omar has also trained as a professional contemporary dancer and a yoga/mindfulness teacher since he was fifteen years old and, as a result, sought accreditation as an art therapist.

His work with sexual workers, the disabled, indigenous populations living in the Amazon Rainforest, prisons, and orphanages has brought him well-known recognition. He has worked for more than 20 years with various governments and organizations all over the world.



Techniques and inspiration used by Ananias:

His artwork has drawn inspiration from various sources including: the natural world, his personal encounters with marginalized communities, and the indigenous knowledge of the rain forest. Additional inspiration is drawn from Kris Gebhardt, Viviana Quea, Gam Klutier, Hideaki Yamanobe, and Carola Kastman.



Omar Ananias's love of the natural world also inspires him to create landscape designs and live plant sculptures made of clay, glass, and wood, in addition to his digital portraits and mixed-media abstract paintings on canvas.

He uses many self-made and unconventional instruments/materials for his paintings such as condor feathers, Peruvian gold...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Floral Watercolor Painting
Located in Madrid, ES
This charming and sophisticated wall decoration has been entirely hand-painted on 100% natural cotton paper, using the sumi-e technique inspired by ancient Korean paintings. Particul...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Acrylic, Paper

Night Rose
Located in Madrid, ES
This charming and sophisticated wall decoration has been entirely hand-painted on 100% natural cotton paper, using the sumi-e technique inspired by ancient Korean paintings. Particul...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Acrylic, Paper

Stick Insect Watercolor Painting
Located in Madrid, ES
This charming and sophisticated wall decoration has been entirely hand-painted on 100% natural cotton paper, using the sumi-e technique inspired by ancient Korean paintings. Particul...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Acrylic, Paper

Scarabeo Watercolor Painting
Located in Madrid, ES
This charming and sophisticated wall decoration has been entirely hand-painted on 100% natural cotton paper, using the sumi-e technique inspired by ancient Korean paintings. Particul...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Acrylic, Paper

Abstract Mixed Media Collage on Paper by Edith Isaac-Rose
Located in New York, NY
Abstract Mixed Media on Paper Collage by Edith Isaac-Rose (8" x 11" Art on 11" x 14" Paper)
Category

Late 20th Century North American Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Painting Blue Black Contemporary Geometric Futuristic Acrylic Spray on Wood A-12
Located in Seville, ES
"ATLAS 12" "Atlas" proposes a disruptive vision of the space-time concept, as a reflection between the ancestral and the comic, making us wander about the connection between both ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood

Painting Green Black Contemporary Geometric Futuristic Acrylic Spray on Wood A14
Located in Seville, ES
"ATLAS 14" "Atlas" proposes a disruptive vision of the space-time concept, as a reflection between the ancestral and the comic, making us wander about the connection between both ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood

Painting Green Pink Contemporary Geometric Futuristic Acrylic Spray on Wood
Located in Seville, ES
ATLAS 04 "Atlas" proposes a disruptive vision of the space-time concept, as a reflection between the ancestral and the comic, making us wander about the connection between both and t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood

Painting Black Color Contemporary Geometric Futuristic Acrylic Spray on Wood
Located in Seville, ES
ATLAS 01 "Atlas" proposes a disruptive vision of the space-time concept, as a reflection between the ancestral and the comic, making us wander about the connection between both and t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood

21st Century Watercolor Giraffe
Located in Madrid, ES
This charming and sophisticated wall decoration has been entirely hand-painted on 100% natural cotton paper, using the sumi-e technique inspired by ancient Korean paintings. Particul...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Acrylic, Paper

Watercolor "Golden Poppies"
Located in Madrid, ES
We present here a unique piece that is part of a set of 3 watercolours painted on 100% cotton paper of 190 gms. They are unique and unrepeatable pieces as they are preliminary studie...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Paintings

Materials

Cotton, Paper, Acrylic

"It's Magic" Acrylic on Canvas by Esther Ritz
Located in Dallas, TX
Esther Ritz, born New York City, has been working as an abstract painter and contemporary artist in Dallas for the last twenty years. She is represented at...
Category

2010s North American Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Kathleen Ball An Abstract Mixed Media
Located in Pewsey, GB
Kathleen Ball - An Abstract Mixed Media - Image Size 17 x 23 cm .Having first discovered art at the age of nine, many years were spent developing her interest in illustration, portra...
Category

Late 20th Century British Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Marko Milovanovic Self-Portrait Red and Green, Dated 1991
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Marko Milovanovic (1965-) "Self-portrait red and green behind a glass", painting and pigments, signed below and dated 1991.
Category

Late 20th Century European Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Gilles Afera Ferrand, "Espace 15" Oil on Canvas, Signed, and Dated 1984
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Gilles Afera Ferrand, "Espace 15" oil on canvas, signed, and dated 1984 Small cracks in the paint.
Category

Late 20th Century European Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Oil on Canvas Painting, "Los planetas frutales" by Paola Vega, Argentina, 2020
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Oil on canvas painting, "Los planetas frutales" by Paola Vega, Argentina, 2020 The painting was exhibited in her solo show "The life of paintings" at Calvaresi in Buenos Aires, 2020. Paola Vega bio: Paola Vega is an artist, researcher and curator. She graduated with a degree in History from the Universidad Nacional del Sur in 2003. In parallel, she began to study painting in Bahía Blanca at Espacio Vox with Gustavo López, and carried out work clinics with Jorge Gumier Maier and Diana Aisenberg between 2001 and 2002, and later in Buenos Aires with Pablo Siquier (2004) and Tulio de Sagastizábal (2005-2007). In 2003 she obtained a scholarship granted by the Antorchas Foundation to continue her training. She was selected to participate in the Artists Program of the Torcuato Di Tella University (2011) with tutoring from Jorge Macchi. In 2015 she did a residency in Madrid at El Prado...
Category

2010s Argentine Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Clider, "Dame à vélo", Acrylic on Canvas Signed
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Clider, "Dame à vélo", acrylic on canvas signed.
Category

1970s European Vintage Modern Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

C. Bogaert, Oil on Canvas Signed and Dated 1975
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
C. Bogaert, oil on canvas signed and dated 1975.
Category

1970s European Vintage Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Acrylic Painting by David Svensson, Sweden, 2002, Blue, geometic, woven
Located in Stockholm, SE
Painting by David Svensson, Sweden, 2002. Mixed-media on board.
Category

Early 2000s Swedish Modern Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Hunt Slonem 1951 'Red Ascension, Oil on Canvas 2008
Located in Bellport, NY
Hunt Slonem's most iconic subject "Butterflies" titled 'Red Ascension" Oil on canvas. A simple subject brought to life with his genuine love of nature ...
Category

Early 2000s American Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Lucio Fontana "Concetto Spaziale" black, red and white oil on glass, signed 1956
Located in Rome, IT
Lucio Fontana. Concetto Spaziale 1956 Oil and mixed media on glass. withe, black and and red stripes on colored glass Measures: 58 X 108 cm (72 cm x 122 with frame). signed L. Fon...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Modern Paintings

Materials

Glass

akb_23_21, IT, 2023
Located in New York, NY
While visually maintaining a balance of chaos and control, Aurel K. Basedow’s paintings become a conversation between the rigid technical handling of resin, his chosen media, and the gestural possibilities of chromatic layering. Basedow most closely shares a kinship with 20th century painters like Mark Rothko, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, and Hermann Nitsch, whose paintings convey emotion and energy through physical and conceptual expression rather than realistic depiction or predetermined outcomes. Employing various mediums, the artist creates a vigorous composition of geometric lines and expressive brush strokes, with each gesture building on the previous one, separated by layers of clear resin. The use of multiple pigments and pouring techniques can create a fluid, dynamic appearance, with the colors mixing and blending together in unpredictable ways. Basedow leaves the edges of his paintings unrefined, revealing a visual history of each layered application. The use of resin also allows Basedow to incorporate unusual objects...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Paintings

Materials

Resin, Wood, Paint

akb_23_16, IT, 2023
Located in New York, NY
While visually maintaining a balance of chaos and control, Aurel K. Basedow’s paintings become a conversation between the rigid technical handling of resin, his chosen media, and the gestural possibilities of chromatic layering. Basedow most closely shares a kinship with 20th century painters like Mark Rothko, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, and Hermann Nitsch, whose paintings convey emotion and energy through physical and conceptual expression rather than realistic depiction or predetermined outcomes. Employing various mediums, the artist creates a vigorous composition of geometric lines and expressive brush strokes, with each gesture building on the previous one, separated by layers of clear resin. The use of multiple pigments and pouring techniques can create a fluid, dynamic appearance, with the colors mixing and blending together in unpredictable ways. Basedow leaves the edges of his paintings unrefined, revealing a visual history of each layered application. The use of resin also allows Basedow to incorporate unusual objects...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Paintings

Materials

Resin, Wood, Paint

akb_22_51, 2022
Located in New York, NY
While visually maintaining a balance of chaos and control, Aurel K. Basedow’s paintings become a conversation between the rigid technical handling of resin, his chosen media, and the gestural possibilities of chromatic layering. Basedow most closely shares a kinship with 20th century painters like Mark Rothko, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, and Hermann Nitsch, whose paintings convey emotion and energy through physical and conceptual expression rather than realistic depiction or predetermined outcomes. Employing various mediums, the artist creates a vigorous composition of geometric lines and expressive brush strokes, with each gesture building on the previous one, separated by layers of clear resin. The use of multiple pigments and pouring techniques can create a fluid, dynamic appearance, with the colors mixing and blending together in unpredictable ways. Basedow leaves the edges of his paintings unrefined, revealing a visual history of each layered application. The use of resin also allows Basedow to incorporate unusual objects...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Paintings

Materials

Resin, Wood, Paint

Annie Morris, Untitled Peg Piece, 2010
By Annie Morris
Located in Hudson, NY
Using 1500 clothes pins to combine painting and sculpture to a dramatic affect is what artist Annie Morris is most famed for. Each peg is individually pai...
Category

2010s British Modern Paintings

Materials

Wood, Paint

Large Painting of a Woman by Lee Ames
Located in New York, NY
Large original painting of a woman carrying two martini glasses by Lee Ames (1921-2011). This painting is on a board. Great item for a collector.
Category

20th Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Paint

Monumental 3 Panel Painting by Cynthia Knapp
Located in New York, NY
Monumental 3 panel painting by Cynthia Knapp (American 20th century) oil on canvas painting of abstract color splashes. The panels can be used together o...
Category

1980s American Vintage Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Large, Signed, Framed Livio De Simone Original Hand Painted Flower on Fabric
Located in New York, NY
Large, signed, framed Livio de Simone original hand painted flower on cotton fabric. Made in Italy. Nice vibrant and bold colors. Livio de Simone - D...
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Modern Paintings

Materials

Cotton

Large, Signed Livio de Simone Original Hand Painted Geometric Fabric Framed
Located in New York, NY
Large, Signed Livio de Simone original hand painted geometric shaped pattern on cotton fabric. Made in Italy. Livio de Simone, designer-artist and cre...
Category

1980s Italian Vintage Modern Paintings

Materials

Cotton

Karel Appel, NL, 1921-2006, Biomorphics, W/C
Located in NYC, NY
Karel Appel, Dutch, 1921-2006, biomorphic figures, watercolor and graphite, circa 1971. Provenance: painted for and personally given to the superintendent of Appel's apartment buildi...
Category

1970s American Vintage Modern Paintings

Materials

Paper

Modern paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique 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, more furniture and collectibles and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with fabric, canvas and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Modern paintings made in a specific country, there are North America, Europe, 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 Richard A. Hirsch, Harry Hilson, Cecilia Setterdahl, and Peter Keil. 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 $25 and tops out at $166,872 while the average work can sell for $2,187.

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