The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.
Midnight Bloom
Located in Zofingen, AG
acrylic on canvas shipped in roll Two bouquets left after the evening. They carry traces of conversation, the breath of night, the freshness of air that still remembers warmth. A few...
Canvas, Acrylic
Hidden Portraits XIX, Acrylic on Canvas, Modern, Framed, 1980s
Located in London, GB
'Hidden Portraits XIX', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing ...
Canvas, Acrylic, Board
King David, Jerusalem (after Marc Chagall) Oil Painting Israeli Judaica Art
Located in Surfside, FL
Framed 41.5 x 29.5 image 35.5 x 23.5 This large painting depicts a man and woman, Adam and Eve, interlocked and embracing one another. The woman holds an enticing apple as they are ...
Canvas, Oil
A Modern 1950s Watercolor of Male Nude Bathers in Morocco by Artist Andre Delfau
By Andre Delfau
Located in Chicago, IL
A Mid-Century Modern 1950s watercolor of male nude bathers in Morocco by notable French artist, Andre Delfau. Image size: 7 1/2 x 7 3/4 inches. Gouache on paper, dating circa 19...
Gouache, Paper
The Dacha. Contemporary Painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
Early work was impressionistic and hard abstract. Carola later developed a more mature way of working in a colourful exploration of the subject. Colour was her main interest and she...
Oil, Gouache
Cabane de Cacharel, Modern Gouache on Paper, Signed, Circa 1950s
By Yves Brayer
Located in London, GB
'Cabane de Cacharel', gouache on paper, by Yves Brayer (circa 1950s). In the Camargue region of Southern France, there is an historic Mas (farmhouse / ranch) called Cacharel, nearby ...
Paper, Gouache
A town 10. Contemporary figurative mixed media artwork, Landscape, Polish art
Located in Warsaw, PL
This artwork presents a surreal village scene, characterized by its whimsical depiction of architecture. The painting captures a cluster of quaint, red-roofed houses that defy grav...
Mixed Media, Oil, Cardboard
$464Sale Price|20% Off
Late Mid Century Interior Scene, A Villa at Cannes, South of France. Oil, Board
By Bill Brown 1
Located in Cotignac, FR
Late 20th century oil on board of an interior scene with seated female figure by Bill Brown. Initial signed and dated 76 bottom right and titled to the reve...
Oil, Board
Neighbors
By Norman Barr
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Neighbors, 1939, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 22 x 26 inches Norman Barr was an American Scene painter and muralist known for his poignant depictions of working-clas...
Canvas, Oil
$488Sale Price|20% Off
1950's Modernist/ Cubist Painting - Busy Figures In Forest
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French Landscape by Bernard Labbe (French mid 20th century) original gouache on paper stuck on card size: 18 x 25 inches condition: very good and ready t...
Gouache
Czech American Floral Oil Painting Jan De Ruth Vibrant Modernist Flowers in Vase
By Jan De Ruth
Located in Surfside, FL
Jan de Ruth (Czech/American, 1922-1991) Still Life of Flowers Oil on canvas, Hand signed lower right Verso bears gallery label from Harbor Gallery, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. Dimensi...
Oil, Canvas
Oil Pastel and Gouache Painting, Figurative, Circa 1950s, 14x17
By Donald Stacy
Located in Arp, TX
Donald Stacy "Mark" c.1950s Oil pastel and gouache paint on paper 14x17" unframed Unsigned Came from artist's estate Donald Stacy (1925-2011) New Jersey Studied: Newark School of ...
Paper, Oil Pastel, Gouache
A French Modern 1950s Watercolor of a Young Male Bather by Andre Delfau
By Andre Delfau
Located in Chicago, IL
A vibrant, Modern 1950's watercolor of a young male bather kneeling against a sunny Mediterranean beach by notable French artist Andre Delfau. Painted most likely near Marseille in ...
Watercolor, Paper
$1,800
A Large, Dynamic Mid-Century Modern Landscape Painting w. Female Figures
By Rudolph Pen
Located in Chicago, IL
A large, dynamic Mid-Century Modern summer landscape painting with female bathers by notable Chicago artist, Rudolph Pen. A superb example of the artist's uniquely expressive figura...
Oil, Canvas
$1,741Sale Price|25% Off
Mother and Child Ibiza Beach Mediterranean art Oil Painting Ignacio Gil Spain
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Artist Ignacio Gil Sala (1913–2003) Title Motherhood on the Beach of Ibiza Date c.1990 Medium Oil on canvas Dimensions 38 × 46 cm (14.97 × 18.12 in) Signature Signed “I. Gil Sala” in the lower right corner. Framing Unframed Condition Good condition. Canvas firm and well stretched with stable paint surface. Description Luminous Mediterranean scene by Spanish painter Ignacio Gil Sala depicting a mother holding her daughter on the rocky shore of Ibiza. The composition combines figure painting and coastal landscape through a vibrant, expressive brushstroke typical of late 20th-century Spanish post-Impressionism. The intense blues of the sea contrast with the warm tones of the rocks and figures, creating a bright and atmospheric Mediterranean setting. Works depicting Ibiza and family scenes by the sea are especially appreciated by collectors of Spanish figurative painting and Mediterranean coastal art. Biography Ignacio Gil Sala (1913–2003) was a Spanish painter known for his Mediterranean landscapes and figurative scenes. Trained at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, he developed a post-Impressionist style characterized by vibrant color, dynamic brushwork and a strong sensitivity to Mediterranean light. Throughout his career he exhibited widely in Spain and abroad, dedicating much of his production to coastal landscapes, Mediterranean villages and scenes inspired by Ibiza. Ibiza Mediterranean painting Mother and child Spanish figurative painting Beach scene Mediterranean coast Spanish oil painting Post Impressionist Ibiza art...
Oil, Canvas
Still Life - Oil Paint - Late 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Still life is an artwork realized by an artist of the late 20th Century. Oil on panel, 62 x 42 cm with frame; sheet 50 x 28 cm. Hand signed bottom right. Good conditions
Oil, Panel
A Stylish, Vintage 1940s Woman's Fashion Study, Cover Design for Hattie Carnegie
Located in Chicago, IL
A stylish, vintage, 1940s woman's fashion study featuring an elegant graphic design for a portfolio cover featuring ladies resort clothes by Hattie Carnegie. Artwork size: 11 x 8...
Paper, Pencil, Color Pencil, Watercolor
$754
French Castle - Paint by Hippolyte Camille Delpy - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on wooden table realized by Hippolyte Camille Delpy in the late 19th Century. A very nice small painting by an importante french painter of the late 19th Century, deeply influen...
Oil
$1,217Sale Price|25% Off
Signed 20th Century French Oil Painting Figure Sleeping Park Bench Carousel Fair
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Park Bench by Laure Noetzin-Azam (French 1929-2024) pupil of André LHOTE signed oil on canvas, framed framed: 19 x 23 inches canvas: 18 x 22 inches Provenance: all the paintings ...
Oil
A Stylish, Vintage 1940s Woman's Fashion Design Study, Marshall Field & Co.
Located in Chicago, IL
A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's coat, hat and muff, inscribed "Marshall Field & Co". Likely an advertisement illustration study...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
$13,500
“Washington Square Park, 1938” NYC Social Realism Female American Artist Oil
By Dorothy Eisner
Located in Yardley, PA
An exceptional, large, early work by American artist Dorothy Eisner (1906-1984). This painting was recently exhibited at Gracie Mansion in 2019 as part of “She Persists” - a show de...
Canvas, Oil
Ghosts of Saturday Morning - Abstract Urban Inspired Snoopy Cartoon Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This original painting on canvas brings the immediacy of street art, neo-expressionism, and raw gestural abstraction into a striking contemporary composition. Based in Los Angeles, O...
Canvas, Acrylic
A Stylish Vintage 1940s Fashion Study, Design for Women's Red Evening Gown
Located in Chicago, IL
A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's red gown, evening wear. Artwork size: 11 x 8 1/2 inches. Archivally matted to 16 x 12 inches. P...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
$4,200
Young Swimmer (Modern, Academic Style Portrait Painting in Antique Gold Frame)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative oil on canvas painting of a young athletic male 24 x 20 inches, 29.5 x 23.5 inches vintage gold painted wood frame signed B. Sargeant in red in upper right hand corner T...
Oil, Canvas
A Large, Colorful 1960s Mid-Century Modern Florida Harbor Scene, "Sail Boats"
Located in Chicago, IL
A Large, Colorful, 1960s Mid-Century Modern Florida Harbor Scene Painting, "Sail Boats" by Famed Chicago Artist and Printmaker, Charles Turzak (Am. 1899 - 1986). Titled "Sail Boats"...
Canvas, Masonite, Acrylic
$863Sale Price|20% Off
Classic Tall Sailing Ship in Choppy Waters off Coastline, signed oil painting
By James Hardy
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
James Hardy (British contemporary, 21st century) signed oil painting on board, framed board: 8 x 10 inches provenance: private collection condition: overall very good, a few markings...
Oil
Dreamy Vintage Watercolor of Two Figures by Artist Gertrude Klares Bedell
Located in Chicago, IL
A dreamy watercolor of two figures in repose Gertrude Klares Bedell. Artwork size: 18" x 13 1/2". Framed size: 26 1/2" x 22". Biography from Askart: An Austrian countess born i...
Paper, Watercolor
1957 Modern Geometric Abstract Portrait Oil Painting -Figure in Constructed Room
By Bertil Berntsson
Located in Bristol, GB
FIGURE IN CONSTRUSTED ROOM Size: 41.5 x 56.5 cm (including frame) Oil on canvas A very striking mid-century modern composition that presents a pared-back interior scene distilled in...
Canvas, Oil
A Charming Vintage 1930s Forest Landscape, Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada
Located in Chicago, IL
A charming, vintage 1930s Modern forest landscape scene painted in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada by notable Chicago artist, Harold Haydon. Many of Haydon's early landscape paintin...
Oil, Board
Pointilliste View of Istanbul - Painting by Stan Reszka - 1951
By Stan Reszka
Located in Roma, IT
Pointilliste View of Istanbul is a modern artwork realized by Stan Reszka in 1951 Oil on Canvas. Hand signed Stan Reszka. Titled, signed, dated on the reverse. Includes frame. S...
Paper, Oil
Madonna. By Alexander Kishchenko. 1992. Oil on canvas. 107/81 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Alexander Mikhailovich Kishchenko (1933–1997) was an outstanding Belarusian monumentalist artist whose work significantly influenced the development of visual arts in Belarus during ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,120Sale Price|25% Off
Large Mid 20th Century French Modernist Figurative Oil Painting Bathers
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Bathers by Jacques Courtade (French 1923-1994) studio stamped verso oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 26 x 32 inches Provenance: private collection, Paris Condition: very good cond...
Oil
$434Sale Price|20% Off
1950's Modernist/ Cubist Painting - Three Mischievous Figures In The Forest
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French Figures by Bernard Labbe (French mid 20th century) original gouache on paper mounted on card size: 16 x 12 inches condition: very good and ready t...
Gouache
$2,037
Vintage 1970's Harbour Scene with Moored Boats & Figures by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage 1970's Harbour Scene with Moored Boats & Figures by British Artist, William Stockman (1935-2021) Art measures 31 x 15 inches Frame measures 36 x 20 inches Professionally cleaned and re-framed in a high quality contemporary black moulding with a white insert 20th Century Vintage Original...
Board, Oil
$211Sale Price|20% Off
21th Century French Modernist Gouache Painting Colorful Figure Sitting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
by Paul-Louis Bolot (French 1918-2003) signed inverso original gouache painting on thick paper/ card unframed condition: very good and sound; the edges have a few curls and scuffs/ e...
Gouache
$1,841Sale Price|20% Off
Fishing Boat in New York Harbor 1948 Original Signed Oil Painting Modernist
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
New York Harbor by John Chapman LEWIS (American, 1920-1994) signed & dated 1948 oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 14 x 22.5 inches Provenance: Private colle...
Oil, Canvas
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
"Two Rabbits" Colorful Mid Century Modern Painting
Located in Soquel, CA
"Two Rabbits" Colorful Mid Century Modern Painting Lively piece by Californian artist Ella Wharton Alluisi (b. 1912 d. 1996.) Two rabbits sit on top of a pile of leaves. The rabbits...
Oil, Board, Canvas
Blue Vessel of Dreams - Oil Paint by Juan Rodrigo Piedrahita Escobar - 2026
By Juan Rodrigo Piedrahita Escobar
Located in Roma, IT
Blue Vessel of Dreams is a poetic and contemplative work that invites the viewer into a symbolic journey between memory, imagination, and inner peace. A deep blue boat emerges as the...
Oil
Large Tel Aviv Orchestra Israeli Bezalel School Modernist Painting Moshe Matus
By Moshe Matus (Matusovsky)
Located in Surfside, FL
Moshe (Matusovski) Matus (Polish Israeli , 1908-1958), Depicting an orchestral concert. Hand signed lower right. Dimensions: (Frame) H 31" x W 37", (Sight) H 21" x W 28" Moshe ...
Paper, Gouache
Still Life with Mythological Motifs - Oil Painting - Late 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Still Life with Mythological Motivs is an original artowork realized by European Master in the Late 19th Century. Mixed colored oil on Canvas Includes a coeval wooden frame.
Oil
$560Sale Price|25% Off
Two Oil Paintings of A Figure In Greenery and A Country House Mounted In Frame
By Irina Hale
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Greenery and Country House singed initials by Irina Hale (British 1932-2022) oil paintings on artist paper mounted in a frame Glass covering overall framed: 16.5 x 12.5 inches Top pa...
Oil
Young Woman with Birdcage, Oil on Board by Rosendo González Carbonell
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
ROSENDO GONZÁLEZ CARBONELL (Barcelona, Spain, 1910–1984). "Young Woman with Birdcage, Oil on Board by Rosendo González Carbonell." Oil on board (Tablex). Signed lower right. Artwork:...
Board
A Fabulous 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Seated Woman, "Southern Belle"
Located in Chicago, IL
A Fabulous 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Seated Woman, "Southern Belle" by Noted Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A colorful Southern painting depicting a ...
Masonite, Oil
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
"Sea Cliff" Mid Century Modern Coastal Cliff Seascape in Acrylic on Masonite
Located in Soquel, CA
"Sea Cliff" Mid Century Modern Coastal Cliff Seascape in Acrylic on Masonite Expansive seascape by notable California artist Farren Jensen (American, 19...
Masonite, Acrylic
$429Sale Price|20% Off
French Modernist Signed Oil Painting Nude Figure Dressing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, signed and dated verso Title: Nude getting dressed Medium: oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 10.5 x 8.75 inche...
Oil
$504Sale Price|25% Off
Expressive Nude Female with Black Hair & Blue Ground Modern French Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Expressive Nude Female with Black Hair and Blue Ground Modern French Oil Painting by Jacqueline Boisselot (French, late 20th century) oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 10.75 x 9 inches...
Oil
$1,100
A Compelling 1940s American Scene, Social Realism Oil Painting, "Tenement Ruins"
Located in Chicago, IL
A Brooding, Compelling 1940s American Scene, Social Realist Oil Painting, "Tenement Ruins" by Notable Canadian / American artist Emil Weddige (1907-2001). Oil on canvas, dating from...
Canvas, Oil
Reading Girl, Framed Painting by Irving Amen
By Irving Amen
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Irving Amen, American (1918 - 2011) Title: Reading Girl Year: circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 24 x 20 in. (60.96 x 50.8 cm)
Oil
Get Change Here - American Modernism Scene WPA Mid-Century Realism NYC Cityscape
Located in New York, NY
Get Change Here - American Modernism Scene WPA Mid-Century Realism NYC Cityscape Max Arthur Cohn (1903-1988) "Get Change Here" 20 x 25 inches Oil on canvas, c. 1930s Signed lower le...
Canvas, Oil
$11,354
The Touch - Large Format Oil Painting, Modern Figurative Beach Landscape
Located in Hallein, AT
Artodyssey "Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with co...
Canvas, Oil
René Mels (1909-1977) Portrait of a young man, oil on canvas signed
Located in Paris, FR
René Mels (1909-1977) Portrait of a young man, signed lower right oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm Framed : 77.5 x 64.5 This impressive portrait is obviously tou...
Oil
"Tighties" 1950's Gouache Male Nude Mid Century Painting
By Jerry Opper
Located in Arp, TX
From the estate of Jerry Opper & Ruth Friedman Opper Tighties c. 1950's Gouache on Paper 15" x 18" blue lacquered frame 18.5"x1.75"x21.5" Unsigned From the estate of Ruth Friedmann Opper & Jerry Opper. Ruth was the daughter of Bauhaus artist, Gustav Friedmann...
Paper, Gouache
Autumn Wind, Large American Modernist Oil Painting Woman with Flowers
By Doris Turner
Located in Surfside, FL
Nice American Modernist Oil Painting. with old label verso. not dated but estimating it to the 70s. Not sure which Doris turner this is. reminiscent to many of the French artists sho...
Canvas, Oil
$3,000Sale Price|61% Off
Frederick Shane Artists Sketching California 1940s Modernist Gouache
By Frederick Shane
Located in Denver, CO
A striking 1940s modernist gouache painting by Frederick Shane titled Artists Sketching (California), depicting three artists working outdoors against a sweeping mountainous landscap...
Gouache
Pranzo, Oil Painting by Lucio Ranucci
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Lucio Ranucci, Italian (1925 - ) Title: Pranzo Year: 1971 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed and dated Size: 30 in. x 32 in. (76.2 cm x 81.28 cm) Frame Size: 40 x 41 inches
Oil
Cain and Abel - Oil Paintings - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
"Cain and Abel" is an original oil paintings on ivory-colorated cardboard by Anonymous Artist of early 20th Century. In excellent conditions: As goo...
Oil
$1,575Sale Price|20% Off
Large Modernist French Landscape with Figures Sunbathing by the River Signed Oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
On the River Huguette Ginet-Lasnier (French 1927-2020) signed and inscribed verso in a wooden frame oil painting on canvas framed: 29 x 37 inches All the paintings we have for sale b...
Canvas, Oil
Flower III Awakening
Located in Zofingen, AG
Flower III Awakening (part of the “State of Bloom” series) “Awakening” captures a moment of inner shift — when a sensation is not yet fully formed, but already present. This is no...
Canvas, Acrylic
La Noche del Cometa
By Roberto Marquez
Located in Miami Beach, FL
In Márquez's work, we observe a new openness to nature and landscape. Although a study of his paintings from the early 1980s to the present would reveal a predilection for undefined ...
Canvas, Oil
$738Sale Price|25% Off
Nude Male Posed On Yellow Chair French Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Nude Portrait by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century 25.5 x 19.75 inches oil on artist paper, unframed condition: very good and ready to enjoy provenance: from a private ...
Oil