Realist Photography
REALIST STYLE
Realist art attempts to portray its subject matter without artifice. Similar to naturalism, authentic realist paintings and prints see an integration of true-to-life colors, meticulous detail and linear perspectives for accurate portrayals of the world.
Work that involves illusionistic techniques of realism dates back to the classical world, such as the deceptive trompe l’oeil used since ancient Greece. Art like this became especially popular in the 17th century when Dutch artists like Evert Collier painted objects that appeared real enough to touch. Realism as an artistic movement, however, usually refers to 19th-century French realist artists such as Honoré Daumier exploring social and political issues in biting lithographic prints, while the likes of Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet painting people — particularly the working class — with all their imperfections, navigating everyday urban life. This was a response to the dominant academic art tradition that favored grand paintings of myth and history.
By the turn of the 20th century, European artists, such as the Pre-Raphaelites, were experimenting with nearly photographic realism in their work, as seen in the attention to every botanical attribute of the flowers surrounding the drowned Ophelia painted by English artist John Everett Millais.
Although abstraction was the guiding style of 20th-century art, the realism trend in American modern art endured in Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth and other artists’ depictions of the complexities of the human experience. In the late 1960s, Photorealism emerged with artists like Chuck Close and Richard Estes giving their paintings the precision of a frame of film.
Contemporary artists such as Jordan Casteel, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Aliza Nisenbaum are now using the unvarnished realist approach for honest representations of people and their worlds. Alongside traditional mediums, technology such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and immersive installations are helping artists create new sensations of realism in art.
Find authentic realist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.
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Style: Realist
Acapulco Holiday
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Deckchairs lined up beside a swimming pool in Acapulco, February 1966.
Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide.
Undercurrent Projects is proud to offer this vibrant...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
C Print
By The Pool In Acapulco
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A tanned man surrounded by young women in bikinis by the pool at Warren Avis's villa in Acapulco, Mexico, January 1978.
Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide.
Un...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Esther Williams Poolside, Estate Edition, 1950s Florida
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
American actress and former swimming champion, Esther Williams, in a Florida swimming pool, 1955
40 x 40 inches
$3950
30 x 30 inches
$3350
20 x 20 inches
$3000
Complimentary deal...
Category
1950s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Poolside Backgammon, Estate Edition, 1970s Acapulco, Villa Nirvana Las Brisas
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests playing a game of poolside backgammon at the Villa Nirvana, owned by Oscar Obregon, in Las Brisas, Acapulco, Mexico, 1972.
Poolside Backgammon
Villa Nirvana, Las Brisas, Acap...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Poolside Backgammon, Estate Edition, 1970s Acapulco, Villa Nirvana Las Brisas
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests playing a game of poolside backgammon at the Villa Nirvana, owned by Oscar Obregon, in Las Brisas, Acapulco, Mexico, 1972.
Poolside Backgammon
Villa Nirvana, Las Brisas, Acap...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Hotel Las Brisas, Estate Edition, late 1960s Acapulco
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Slim Aarons
Las Brisas
Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Apartments and pools at the La Concha Beach Club in Las Brisas resort in Acapulco, Mexico, January 1968. Bathers gather on the decks of three turquoise pools, set against green trees and vibrant pink and red flowers. Cheery red and white fringed...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Hotel Las Brisas, Estate Edition, late 1960s Acapulco
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Slim Aarons
Las Brisas
Slim Aarons Estate Edition
Apartments and pools at the La Concha Beach Club in Las Brisas resort in Acapulco, Mexico, January 1968. Bathers gather on the decks of three turquoise pools, set against green trees and vibrant pink and red flowers. Cheery red and white fringed...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Monte Carlo Swimwear, Estate Edition: Classic midcentury French Riviera style
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A woman in a black cutaway swimsuit and turquoise scarf under a red, fringed umbrella in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in August 1970.
In this classic Slim Aarons scene of 1970's vintage seaside glamour, a red umbrella with white fringe adds movement at the top right corner, and the subject's arms direct the viewer's eye across the picture in a zig-zag fashion. In the background, yellow and green umbrellas shade...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Monte Carlo Swimwear, Estate Edition: Classic midcentury French Riviera style
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A woman in a black cutaway swimsuit and turquoise scarf under a red, fringed umbrella in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in August 1970.
In this classic Slim Aarons scene of 1970's vintage seaside glamour, a red umbrella with white fringe adds movement at the top right corner, and the subject's arms direct the viewer's eye across the picture in a zig-zag fashion. In the background, yellow and green umbrellas shade...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Palermo Pool, Estate Edition (with notes from Taormina)
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Palermo Pool, is a genuine Slim Aarons Estate Edition photograph. This iconic image vividly captures a shimmering swimming pool and sun-kissed stone and gardens, beside boats navigating the sparkling turquoise waters of Palermo. Adding to the image's depth and allure are the geological formations subtly visible beneath the sea's surface. This midcentury masterpiece offers a unique glimpse into Aarons' ability to blend nature and lifestyle in his photography.
Former description from the Slim Aarons archive: Slim Aarons' Hotel Taormina, an Estate Edition photograph, is a vintage depiction of a swimming pool in Taormina, Sicily, 1975.
Over the course of a career lasting half a century, Slim Aarons (1916-2006) portrayed high society, aristocracy, authors, artists, business icons, the celebrated and their milieu. In doing so, he captured a golden age of wealth, privilege, beauty and leisure, a history of glamour that occurred alongside—but quite separate from—the cultural and political backdrop of the second half of the Twentieth Century.
Saint-Tropez, France is a glamorous vacation destination west of Nice and east of Marseille in the Var...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Port Life, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A man stops to watch a young woman tie her sandals on the pavement in Portofino marina, August 1977.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and s...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Port Life, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A man stops to watch a young woman tie her sandals on the pavement in Portofino marina, August 1977.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and s...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Beach In Positano, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aerial view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at Positano, Italy, 1979.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by ...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Beach At Positano, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aerial view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at Positano, Italy, 1979. The view looks north along the coastline.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Auth...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Donna Fabrizia Lanza Di Mazzarino, Sicily, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1980s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Donna Fabrizia Lanza di Mazzarino at the Villa Tasca, Sicily, Italy.
This is an estate sta...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Donna Fabrizia Lanza Di Mazzarino, Sicily, Estate Edition, Portrait Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1980s portrait photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features Donna Fabrizia Lanza di Mazzarino at the Villa Tasca, Sicily, Italy.
This is an estate sta...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Harbour Area, Portofino, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
General view of the harbour area, crowded with small and large boats, in Portofino, Italy, 1977.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stampe...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Dining In Sicily, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Count Giuseppe d'Almerita dining with guests in Sicily, Italy, in October 1984.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aa...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sailboats on the waters of the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, Italy, in September 1978.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Hotel Punta Tragara, Italy, Estate Edition Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1970s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features the Hotel Punta Tragara on Capri, Italy.
This is an estate stamped and...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Nino Cerruti, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
September 1968: Nino Cerruti, fashion designer and perfumer with a model in Capri.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Porto Ercole Harbour, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Boats in the harbour of Porto Ercole (Port'Ercole), Tuscany, September 1966.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Nino Cerruti, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
September 1968: Nino Cerruti, fashion designer and perfumer with a model in Capri.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Porto Ercole Harbour, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Boats in the harbour of Porto Ercole (Port'Ercole), Tuscany, September 1966.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Casa Montefino, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests by the pool at Klaus Pudel's villa, the Casa Montefino, overlooking Portofino harbour, Portofino, Italy, August 1977.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Casa Montefino, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests by the pool at Klaus Pudel's villa, the Casa Montefino, overlooking Portofino harbour, Portofino, Italy, August 1977.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Porto Ercole, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A balcony overlooking the harbour of Porto Ercole (Port'Ercole), Tuscany, August 1969.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the S...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Britt Ekland, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1969, Swedish actress Britt Ekland in Porto Ercole, Italy.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the ...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Britt Ekland, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1969, Swedish actress Britt Ekland in Porto Ercole, Italy.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the ...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Portofino Harbour, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The harbour in the Ligurian town of Portofino, August 1977.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate
Collecto...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Home Waters, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
June 1983: Dress designer Gianni Versace (1946 - 1997) and Lalla Spagnol on a motor launch in front of his 17th century villa on Lake Como.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate ...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Home Waters, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
June 1983: Dress designer Gianni Versace (1946 - 1997) and Lalla Spagnol on a motor launch in front of his 17th century villa on Lake Como.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate ...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Ardizzone
s House, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Overlooking Ardizzone's House, on the water's edge in Portofino, Italy, July 1985.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Ardizzone
s House, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Overlooking Ardizzone's House, on the water's edge in Portofino, Italy, July 1985.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Home Waters, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
June 1983: Dress designer Gianni Versace (1946 - 1997) and Lalla Spagnol on a motor launch in front of his 17th century villa on Lake Como.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate ...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Ardizzone
s House, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Overlooking Ardizzone's House, on the water's edge in Portofino, Italy, July 1985.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Beach Backgammon, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Backgammon on the beach at the Hotel Excelsior on the Venice Lido, Italy, 1957.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aar...
Category
1950s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Beach Backgammon, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Backgammon on the beach at the Hotel Excelsior on the Venice Lido, Italy, 1957.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aar...
Category
1950s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda, Photographic Paper
A Roman Prince, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
circa 1982: Prince Raimondo Orsini d'Aragona stands in the ancient Roman forum wearing an elegant suit by tailor Savini-Brioni.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authentic...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
A Roman Prince, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
circa 1982: Prince Raimondo Orsini d'Aragona stands in the ancient Roman forum wearing an elegant suit by tailor Savini-Brioni.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authentic...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Hotel Il San Pietro, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests at the Hotel Il San Pietro in Positano, Italy, August 1979.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stampe...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Hotel Il San Pietro, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guests at the Hotel Il San Pietro in Positano, Italy, August 1979.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stampe...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Positano, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A little boy carries a basket of groceries home in Positano, 1958.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate
C...
Category
1950s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Positano, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A little boy carries a basket of groceries home in Positano, 1958.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate
C...
Category
1950s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Conca dei Marini, Amalfi Coast, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1980s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a busy bay in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi coast in Ita...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Conca dei Marini, Amalfi Coast, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1980s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a busy bay in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi coast in Ita...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Conca dei Marini, Amalfi Coast, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This mid-1980s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a busy bay in Conca dei Marini, on the Amalfi coast in Ita...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Crespi And Mastroianni, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian countess Consuelo Crespi (left, 1928-2010) and Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni (right, 1924 - 1996) in conversation with a third woman in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy, ...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Crespi And Mastroianni, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian countess Consuelo Crespi (left, 1928-2010) and Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni (right, 1924 - 1996) in conversation with a third woman in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy, ...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Positano Beach, Italy, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1970s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features an elevated view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at La Scogliera bea...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Bettina Graziani, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bettina Graziani relaxes in a hammock on the Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, 1964.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Number...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Bettina Graziani, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bettina Graziani relaxes in a hammock on the Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, 1964.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Number...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Crespi And Mastroianni, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian countess Consuelo Crespi (left, 1928-2010) and Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni (right, 1924 - 1996) in conversation with a third woman in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy, ...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Bettina Graziani, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bettina Graziani relaxes in a hammock on the Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, 1964.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Number...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Piazza Umberto, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aerial view of a parasols shading customers at cafes and restaurants in the Piazza Umberto, on the island of Capri, Italy, in August 1980.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate o...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Piazza Umberto, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aerial view of a parasols shading customers at cafes and restaurants in the Piazza Umberto, on the island of Capri, Italy, in August 1980.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate o...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Piazza Umberto, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Aerial view of a parasols shading customers at cafes and restaurants in the Piazza Umberto, on the island of Capri, Italy, in August 1980.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate o...
Category
1980s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Positano Beach, Italy, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1970s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features an elevated view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at La Scogliera bea...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Positano Beach, Italy, Estate Edition, Landscape Photograph
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This late 1970s landscape photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features an elevated view looking down on sunbathers and parasols on the beach at La Scogliera bea...
Category
1970s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Porto Ercole, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The waterfront at Porto Ercole, Italy, August 1967.
Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included
Numbered and stamped by the Slim Aarons Estate
Collector will r...
Category
1960s Realist Photography
Materials
Lambda
Realist photography for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Realist photography 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 photography created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, red, pink and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Slim Aarons, Pico Garcez, Kind of Cyan, and Massimo Listri. Frequently made by artists working with Digital Print, and Lambda Print and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Realist photography, so small editions measuring 3.94 inches across are also available. Prices for photography 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 $105 and tops out at $75,000, while the average work sells for $3,000.