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Conceptual Figurative Paintings

CONCEPTUAL STYLE

In 1967, artist Sol LeWitt wrote that in “Conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work.” He was giving a name to an art movement that had emerged in the 1960s in which artists were less focused on their medium being something traditionally “artistic” and instead engaged in using any object, movement, form, action or place to express an idea.

LeWitt’s work was featured alongside an assemblage of notes, drawings and outlines by other artists in “Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to Be Viewed as Art,” a groundbreaking show at New York City’s School of Visual Arts curated by Mel Bochner, another leading exponent of Conceptualism. Building on radical 20th-century statements, like Fountain (1917) by French artist Marcel Duchamp, Conceptual artists around Europe and North and South America were not interested in the commercial art scene and rather directly challenged its systems and values.

Stretching into the 1970s, this movement has also been called Post-Object art and Dematerialized art. Conceptual art reflected a larger era of social and political upheaval. Pieces associated with the style range from Roelof Louw’s Soul City (Pyramid of Oranges) (1967) — a work of installation art that sees fresh oranges stacked into a pyramid from which visitors are allowed to take one orange away — to On Kawara’s “Today” series, which saw the Japanese artist carefully painting a date in white acrylic on canvases consisting of a single color from 1966 to his death in 2014. Artists such as Ed Ruscha, who created the Twentysix Gasoline Stations book — a collection of photos of gas stations that is widely said to be the first modern artists’ book — made photography a major platform for Conceptual art, as did Bruce Nauman, who burned one of Ruscha's books and then photographed it for his own.

Conceptual art’s legacy of questioning artistic authorship, ownership and how to work with complex ideas of space and time had a significant influence on the decades of culture that followed, and it continues to inform art today.

The collection of Conceptual photography, paintings and sculptures on 1stDibs includes artworks by John Baldessari, Jenny Holzer, Lawrence Weiner, Joseph Kosuth and others.

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Style: Conceptual
Memories VI
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Liana Vassalou, Greek (1948 - ) Title: Memories VI Year: 1979 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed Size: 56 in. x 48 in. (142.24 cm x 121.92 cm) Frame Size: 56.5 x 48.5 inches
Category

1970s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

It Happened II
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Liana Vassalou, Greek (1948 - ) Title: It Happened II Year: 1979 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed Size: 56 in. x 48 in. (142.24 cm x 121.92 cm) Frame S...
Category

1970s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Conceptual Text Based Painting "Lousy Director"
Located in New York, NY
38"x28" signed by the artist, David Kramer. (oil, acrylic, enamel, pencil on gessoed paper) In this conceptual work on paper, the imagery of a film director is overwritten with the ...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Pencil

NY Symphony
Located in New York, NY
Homage to Times Square. Oil on canvas. Feels like you are in the heart of NYC. Took over 300 hours to paint. Not framed. Sides painted black. Signed on the back. About Th...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lemnia II
Located in CAMPO REAL, ES
Lemnia II is a piece that evokes the ancient majesty of the sculpture of Athena Lemnia, an iconic work created by Phidias in the 5th century B.C. that once stood on the Acropolis of ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Wood Panel

Lemnia II
Lemnia II
$2,575 Sale Price
30% Off
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

Early 2000s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Lithograph

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
the painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1980s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil

Moloch. 1989. Paper, etching, 53.5x38 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Moloch. 1989. Paper, etching, 53.5x38 cm
Category

1980s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Etching

Precarious
Located in New York, NY
Conceptual piece. Commentary on life. Humorous but impactful. Acrylic on canvas. About the artist: Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Stephen Hall moved to New York in 1978 and began...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Cat, Bird and Woman Lithograph #1 by Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo (Corneille)
Located in Pasadena, CA
This lithograph, numbered 49/200, dated 99, and signed on the right bottom is presented in its original silvered frame with an intact label on the reverse. It showcases Corneille's u...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Up on Blocks Commission
Located in New York, NY
Nostalgic painting of vintage toy car that has been worked on by a novice mechanic. Oil on canvas with black frame one inch on front, two inches deep. This piece sold but commissio...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pieces
Located in New York, NY
Oil painting. The implied narrative adds to the piece. A glimpse into a child's world, one we all have experienced. Tone is engaging, fun with universal appeal. About the art...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

Early 2000s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Cool Ducks
Located in New York, NY
2 cool ducks floating. Fun. About the Artist: Jim Molloy is a studio and plein air painter. "I like to try to find and capture the beauty and simplicity of the world around u...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Search for Intelligent Life on Earth
Located in New York, NY
Conceptual piece. Commentary on life. Humorous. Featuring astronaut and a bottle of Tide detergent. Acrylic on canvas. About the artist: Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Stephen H...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Conceptual Text Based Painting "Paved with Gold" (tax the poor, feed the rich)
Located in New York, NY
38"x28" signed by the artist, David Kramer. (oil, acrylic, enamel, pencil on gessoed paper) In this conceptual work on paper, the title: "Paved with Gold" counters the text which ov...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Pencil

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1980s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Pose
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1970s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
the painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

Early 2000s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil Crayon, Wax Crayon, Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1990s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1990s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
the painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

Early 2000s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Ink

Car and Truck Crashing with Random Cosmic Laser Beam
Located in New York, NY
Acrylic on Canvas. Energy. Vibrant colors. Impactful portrayal of a crash with science fiction infusion. About the Artist: "Growing up in England during the 80s, the influence and love of American sub cultures through TV, and being surrounded by large non-spaces of US air bases around East Anglia, gave me a slightly odd and romantic view of America. I finished the Masters Degree bronze-casting course at the Royal College of Art in 1999 and have pursued my passion for Art ever since. I have built up a body of work that follows the theme of a journey into abstraction, inspired by Robert Smithson, Donald Judd, Fiona Banner, Cornelia Parker...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

The Last Narcissus
Located in New York, NY
Conceptual. Acrylic on canvas. About the Artist: Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Stephen Hall moved to New York in 1978 and began exhibiting his work in the East Village in the earl...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1970s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Engraving

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1990s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Etching

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1960s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1980s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1980s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

We Now Have All The Data
Located in New York, NY
Conceptual piece. Commentary on life. Humorous but impactful. Acrylic on canvas. About the artist: Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Stephen Hall moved to New York in 1978 and began...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Looming Loss
Located in New York, NY
Conceptual and powerful commentary on the oil industry harming our waters and creatures of the sea. Featuring a whale and a bird and can of oil. Acrylic on canvas. About the artis...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Oddity
Located in New York, NY
Figurative piece with a fun, simple narrative. The beauty of the piece lies in its simplicity. On 3/4 canvas.
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic

Commuter
Located in New York, NY
Oil painting. The implied narrative adds to the piece. A glimpse into a child's world, one we all have experienced. Tone is engaging, fun with universal appeal. About the art...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

The Walking Spaceman
Located in New York, NY
Homage to the Toys of the past. Oil on canvas. Vibrant colors. Evokes great memories. About The Artist: D’Avino cultivated his life-long interest in Art at the State Univers...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

DYRE TRAINSPOTTING
Located in New York, NY
Spray enamels, oils, acrylics, authentic spray paint cans, mounted resin molded brick with wood frame created by the artist. A confluence of inspirations from the artist's graffiti artistry. About the Artist Born in Belgium and artistically inclined at an early age, V.P. was executing well-defined pencil sketched portraits of anyone who would sit for him by age 4. The family’s emigration to the United States in 1967 landed the 8 year old in the Fordham section of the Bronx at the height of the psychedelic era and POP ART movement.  The Fordham Road shopping district offered the young budding artist a fount of inspiration in the form of vibrant Rock & Roll, “black-light” posters in the windows of “head-shops” and the elaborately colored wardrobes of the hippies crowding the boulevard. The pivotal shift in V.P.’s artistic expression was fueled in 1968 by the sight of a Peter Max designed billboard.  Armed with magic markers and acrylic paints, V.P. recreated the vibrant designs from Max’s billboard, the music posters in store windows and the paisley patterns of the shirts the “flower children” favored, as well as the names and slogans painted on the walls of the neighborhood.  The early seventies brought with it a wondrous sight passing overhead on the sides of the elevated trains. NYC Subway Graffiti had arrived.  Looking up and seeing the esoteric names intricately rendered in multi colored swirls and strategically placed on the sides of the trains completely enthralled V.P.’s creative and adventurous spirit. Compelled to be a part of this fascinating movement he watched and rode the subways, deciphering the names and studying the “styles” on the steel rolling art gallery. Using his artistic influences and skills with markers, V.P. created his first moniker “SONIC-ACE” and obsessively drew it in colorful flowing letters to develop his own style.   At age 13 he set out to traverse the city, facing dangers and overcoming obstacles to enter an unknown and secretive world in order to join those who inspired him.  By 1974, he would change his moniker to “VICTOR-161” and paint hundreds of train cars and soon be admitted into the world famous graffiti clique “WILD STYLE” - an honor bestowed due to peer recognized artistic and stylistic abilities.  (WILDSTYLE was created/coined by the iconic TRACY-168)  V.P. was a well known and respected “writer” who “pieced” with revered writers of the day, under the aforementioned monikers including aka’s T-BOLT-123, SULFA-ONE, FANTA-ONE, BOND & ACES.  V.P. retired from painting NYC subway trains in 1977 with occasional excursions in 1986,1987,1988,1999 & 1992.  He continuously expanded his artistic pallet, studying Art History & Graphic Design in college while seeking knowledge from masters in chosen fields of art.  His works have shown in independent galleries nationally and are sought after by international collectors, with numerous private commissions. He has been featured in several best selling books and magazines focusing on graffiti art as well as his status of having been a part of the 1970’s “Golden Era” of NYC Subway Graffiti. V.P. works with a variety of mediums including aerosol paints, oils, water color & acrylic paints, often combining mediums as well as blending POP, graffiti and abstract styles of painting onto wood, canvas and metal.  His professional artistic background includes commercial art and design, logo design, silk screening, printmaking, large commissioned public murals, sign painting, pin striping and airbrushing cars, sculpting, metal fabrication, woodcarving and tattooing. Exhibitions:  Fashion Moda (BXNY) Group Show 1980/Fun Gallery (NYC) group show 1981, Beef Gallery, (LA) Group Show 1981, Gallery International (NYC) Group Show 1985, Susan Greco Gallery (NY) Group Show 1990, Shady Side...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Anguish Resignation 84
Located in BARCELONA, ES
The choice of pink for the stones is deliberate, emphasizing that this is not a naturalistic depiction. Ortega begins his paintings on a magenta base—a color that does not exist natu...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

Casa Blanca (USA)
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Multidisciplinary artist. Twenty years of artistic experience in the Fine Arts. Eight years of practice as a University professor of Fine Arts. Broad knowledge of design software: Ad...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"The Thoughts in My Head #41 Standing Next to You" conceptual text painting
Located in New York, NY
This Conceptual Text based painting features the words "When you look here imagine me standing next to you" in white over a royal blue background ...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Eva al desnudo
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1970s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Niño a caballo
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

1980s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Humanoids
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category

Early 2000s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Monet Cane
Located in Toronto, Ontario
General Idea was formed in 1967 in Toronto and over the next nearly 30 years, the trio made a remarkable contribution to post-modern art. With their subversive approach and intere...
Category

1980s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Translucent
Located in New York, NY
Mysterious woman. Oil on canvas. Fab wallpaper background. About the artist: “There's a dry ironic twist to Paul’s paintings that give the work — while realistic — a postmodern feeling of reflection, observation and cultural critique. Somewhere between the Cohen Brothers...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Witching Hour
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas. Dramatic. Female centric. Nighttime. Mysterious. About the artist: “There's a dry ironic twist to Paul’s paintings that give the work — while realistic — a postmodern feeling of reflection, observation and cultural critique. Somewhere between the Cohen Brothers...
Category

2010s Conceptual Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Conceptual figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Conceptual figurative paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add figurative paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Mattia Novello, Jim Molloy, Stephen Hall, and Liana Vassalou. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Canvas and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Conceptual figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 6.75 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $333 and tops out at $85,000, while the average work sells for $5,136.