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Realist Art

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
Pocket Gooseberry (Hairy) 2, Orig. Oil Painting, Still Life, Gooseberry, Frui
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Green Gooseberry (Hairy) 2 is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to b...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Warm ice. Erotic Photograph, 22.5x16 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Warm ice. Erotic Photograph, 22.5x16 cm Erotic woman photograph by Latvian photographer Juris Abramenko. Photo made at winter by the sea at sunny day
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Photographic Paper

Cup of coffee and tangerine
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Cup of coffee and tangerine” is a celebration of the beauty that can be found in the simplest of things. The style of the painting is inspired by the Holland masters of the 17th cen...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Beyond, Original Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
"Beyond" by Brian Sostrom (United States) is a handmade landscape painting that is framed and ready to hang.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Still Life with Flowers Fruit in a French Farmhouse Interior by French Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Still Life with Flowers & Fruit in a French Farmhouse Interior by 20th Century French Artist, Robert Chailloux (1913-2006). Art measures 18 x 21 inch...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

Animal scene Duck hunting with dogs 18th century Swedish Master by Philip Korn
Located in Stockholm, SE
Monogrammed lower left: Johan Philip Korn (1728 - 1796), was a Swedish painter. A beautiful landscape, with a backwater in which carefree ducks swim, hunters and their dogs in passion, in the background you can see a city with a bell tower. Old masters have been depicting animals in their paintings since the Renaissance. In those days, hunting scenes were popular - there is always a share of emotional participation in them. Here it is necessary to understand that in previous centuries people looked at hunting as a means of obtaining food, therefore naturalism dominates in the painting of the old masters. Old oil painting on wooden panel, in a non-original frame of the 19th century. Size app.: 49 x 64 cm (roughly 19.3 x 25.2 in) and nice golden gesso frame ca 65.5 x 81.5 cm (roughly 25.8 x 32.1 in). Very Good condition, age wear, cracks on a wooden board, minor losses, retouches, cleared and conserved. Please study good resolution images for overall cosmetic condition. In person actual painting may appear darker or brighter than in our pictures, strictly depending on sufficient light in your environment. Weight of app. 6.4 kg is going to measure some 10 kg volume weight packed for shipment. Johan Philip Korn first began his career as a decorative painter. He was a student of artist Johan Sevenbom (1721-1784). After further studies he changed to landscape painting in the Rococo style of French artist François Boucher (1703–1770) and often after Dutch copper engravings. In 1759, Korn became master of the Stockholm...
Category

18th Century Realist Art

Materials

Wood, Oil

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
452 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Cat Size: 12 x 16 inch, (3...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Looking Back; The Arroyo Seco, Pasadena, California
Located in Pasadena, CA
Provenance Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist. FRAMED: 28.125" x 32.125" x 1.25" UNFRAMED:20" x 24" Artist Statement "I am always looking for different ways to capture the beauty of the San Gabriel Mountains as they loom above Pasadena. I found this view while scouting and exploring the Arroyo Seco...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Panel

Smokies, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Acrylic painting on canvas panel :: Painting :: Realism :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: No :: Signed: Yes :: S...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Courchevel, French Alps, Estate Edition, Mid-Century Modern Photograph
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This early 1970s photograph, captured by society photographer Slim Aarons, features a ski resort in Courchevel in the French Alps, circa 1970. This is an estate stamped and hand num...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Renée Mauperin; Ten Etchings, Complete Set for novel by Goncourt Brothers
Located in Middletown, NY
Renée Mauperin; Ten Etchings, Complete Set for the Illustrations to the Novel by Edmond and Jules de Goncourt 1882 Paris: G. Charpentier et Cie, 1882-1884. The complete set of ten ...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching

Chinese Contemporary Art by Su Yu - This Dream will Continue
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on canvas, Diptych Su Yu is a Chinese artist born in 1987 who lives works in Beijing in China. He was an old student of prestigious art teachers as Shi Liang Chen Da...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Peony Study-original modern realism floral still life painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Peony Study" by Julie Whitehead is a stunning original still ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Acrylic

Winter s Chill, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A narrow, half-frozen stream winds through a snow-covered field, reflecting the soft light of a pale winter sky. Bare trees frame the scene and lead the gaze in...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

Feeling of spring. Paper, pastel 21x23 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Feeling of spring. Paper, pastel 21x23 cm Victor Karnauh (1950, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR – 2012, Dnepropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine) – a painte...
Category

1990s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Antique Victorian Countryside Oil Landscape Sunset on River Scene 1890s Signed
Located in Stockholm, SE
This charming British oil painting by David Charles Jenkins (1867-1916) captures a serene countryside landscape bathed in the gentle glow of sunset. The composition leads the eye alo...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Oil

Oil on Canvas “Cher” by Christina Major 58 x 81
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Words within painting: I can trust my friends. These people force me to examine myself, encourage me to grow. All of us invent ourselves. Some of us just have more imagina tion th...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"The Doorway of Baalbec": A David Roberts 19th Century Hand Colored Lithograph
Located in Alamo, CA
"The Doorway of Baalbec" is a 19th century full folio sized duotone lithograph, representing plate 81 in the Egypt and Nubia volumes of David Roberts’ large folio edition, published ...
Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cheval Libre (Free Horse)
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: After Pierre Jules Mene (French, 1810-1879) Title: Cheval Libre (Free Horse) Year: 1868 Medium: Cast bronze sculpture with dark brown patina Edition: Unknown Size: Inclu...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

The Popcorn
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting presents a sophisticated visual paradox: a woman dressed in the refined style of a 17th-century portrait — black dress, lace collar, white bonnet — is interrupted by un...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

"Figs" (2023) By Quang Ho, Original Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Quang Ho's (US based) "Figs" is an oil on panel depicting figs growing on a tree with lush green foliage. About the artist: Quang Ho was born on April 30, 1963, in Hue, Vietnam. He...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

The Emotional Pause
Located in Zofingen, AG
This meticulously crafted acrylic painting combines refined aesthetics with quiet emotional depth. The composition draws the viewer into a delicate narrative filled with subtle symbo...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Pocket Yellow Plum by Dani Humberstone, Small Scale Art, Realist, Still life
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Yellow Quince by Dani Humberstone [2022] original and hand signed by the artist Oil paint on canvas Image size: H:5 cm x W:5 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:5 cm x W:5 cm x D:3cm Frame Size: H:16 cm x W:16 cm x D:3.5cm Sold Framed Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look Please note that insitu images are purely an indication of how a piece may look. Pocket Yellow Quince is an original oil painting bay Dani Humberstone as part of her pocket fruit series.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cat Animal Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
466 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2025 Style: Classic Art Title: Cat Size: 12 x 16 inch, (30...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Shadows Lines, Nude Big Sur, California
Located in Carmel, CA
Hand printed by artist. Dry mounted on acid free board. Natural beauty! Can be printed larger to order. Edition 1/15
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Silver Gelatin

"Vineyard Haven Dinghy, " Framed Limited Edition Giclee Print, 30" x 40"
Located in Westport, CT
This realistic nautical limited edition print by Michel Brosseau captures a view of a small white dinghy boat tied to a dock. Two ores rest inside the small boat, which is surrounded...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Digital, Giclée

Michigan Avenue, Chicago.
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "Michigan Avenue, Chicago" 1930 is a colors etching by Austrian artist Luigi Kasimir 1881-1962. It is hand signed at the lower center in pencil by the artist. The plate ...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Art

Materials

Etching

19th century portrait military officer 5th Royal Lancashire Militia, East Lancs
Located in York, GB
A fine 19th century oil on canvas portrait stated to be Captain Paul John Henry Butler, 5th Royal Lancashire Militia, half length, wearing breast star. Hou...
Category

19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Oil

"Glimmer" (2024) Oil Painting by Karen Offutt, Nude Female Portrait
Located in Denver, CO
Karen Offutt's (US based) "Glimmer" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude female wearing a translucent robe, posing with her arms above her head. The painting is ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"On the Edge" - Oil on Canvas Contemporary Desert Landscape
Located in Denver, CO
Mark Harrison’s "On the Edge" is a masterfully painted oil on canvas work that captures the striking vastness and quiet solitude of the desert landscape. Created in 2024, this origin...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Tramonto" Olio su tela cm. 10 x 10 2025
Located in Torino, IT
Piccola opera con tramonto arancione, di Luisa Albert Firmato sul retro e certificato di autenticità
Category

Early 2000s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Winter Moonlight Nocturne Snow Scene Landscape Oil Painting by Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a beautiful winter nocturne landscape. The long foreground shadows accent the effect of ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Duality, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Beth Sistrunk's "Duality" is an oil on two translucent acrylic panels featuring a model with red petals. About the artist: Beth's interests in painting the figure, women’s fashion,...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Western Lands, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Sunset reveals the vast grandeur of the Grand Canyon. The rugged cliffs glow with deep amber and violet hues beneath a sky brushed with luminous pastel clouds. ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

A Surprising Center, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A squash and a chocolate-covered maraschino cherry rest on a green table. Split open, they reveal rich colors and textures in their cores. In this still life, a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor

Portofino
Located in Los Angeles, CA
1985, The most exclusive fishing village in Italy, Portofino, on Italy's Ligurian coast. 40 x 60 inches $3950 30 x 40 inches $3350 20 x 30 inches $3000 Complimentary dealer shipp...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Lambda

Mountain Lake Oil Painting by 19th Century British Artist Active Circa 1873–1902
Located in Preston, GB
Mountain Lake Oil Painting by 19th Century British Artist David Hicks, Active Circa 1873–1902. Presented in a high quality moulding with a cream coloured insert. Excellent Condition...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Americano with Milk
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this artwork, captured using acrylic paints, I highlighted the vintage allure and vividness of an American roadside scene. Vibrant contrasts and symbolic elements such as the oran...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

British Chalk Pencil Sketch of A Fisherman Preparing His Fly Fishing Rod
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
John Rabone Harvey ( 1966 - 1922) graphic and chalk deep green artist paper , unframed artist paper : 7 x 5.5 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: very good condition Ha...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Chalk, Graphite

Some do not (A) R.B. Kitaj erotic nude drawing of nude blonde with man on bed
Located in New York, NY
An erotic dalliance between a nude blonde woman lying down, and nude man, on a bed with white sheets. Subtle shades of peach, tan, yellow, and grey and black shadow behind the couple...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

In a hotel room. Venice
Located in Oslo, NO
The idea for this work arose on the author's birthday, when he specially came to Venice to celebrate it there. In the painting we see the interior of a hotel room with evening Venice...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

«The Scarlet Embrace of Dusk» – Hyperrealism Sunset Seascape Oil Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Created in March 2022, during the first weeks of the war in Ukraine, Light of Hope carries a deep emotional resonance. This hyperrealistic seascape unites the fiery energy of a sunse...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Beach Ocean Impressionistic Seascape Oil Painting Dunes by Michael Budden
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
Summer Dunes Oil/panel signed LL 8 x 10 unframed, 13.38 x 15.38 framed Summer Dunes is an oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

Berries in a golden bowl
Located in Zofingen, AG
The scene is set with a quiet reverence—a simple golden bowl, brimming with the last treasures of the season. These are not just fruits; they are memories of sunlight, gathered and p...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Beautiful Light, A Good Sailing Day Oil painting by Michael Budden Seascape Boat
Located in Chesterfield, NJ
A Good Sailing Day oil/panel 13.5 x 23.75 framed An oil painting on canvas by award winning contemporary artist Michael Budden that showcases a unique composition of life on the bac...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Art

Materials

Oil

HEARTLAND Hand Drawn Lithograph, Winter Landscape Stone Farmhouse Bucks County
Located in Union City, NJ
HEARTLAND is an original hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by Peter Sculthorpe (b.1948 Ontario, Canada) printed using hand lithography techniques on archival Arches paper, 100% ...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Winter Evening Ducks Flying over Water - English Countryside Vintage British Art
Located in Preston, GB
Winter Evening Ducks Flying over Water - English Countryside - Vintage British Art by 20th Century Artist, Walter Robin Jennings (1927-2005). W R Jennings...
Category

1970s Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Antique American School Museum Quality Fruit Still Life Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school realist fruit still life oil painting. Oil on board. Unsigned. Framed. Image size, 16L x 16H.
Category

1850s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Mustard Field at Lake Perris
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist Signed "Alexey Steele" on lower right UNFRAMED: 26" x 32" FRAMED: 34.5" x 40.5" x 2.375" Artist Statement “Every year I am fascinated by the bloom that California spring...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

Cavalier King Charles at Rest- Otto Eerelman (Dutch, 1839-1926)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Cavalier King Charles at Rest Otto Eerelman (Dutch, 1839-1926) Watercolor on paper 10 1/2 x 8 (18 x 15 1/2 frame) inches Signed lower right. Gallery label on the reverse "Frans Heerk...
Category

Early 1900s Realist Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Belvès - 21st Century Hyper Realistic oil painting of a City
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Roos van der Meijden Belvès 80 x 80 cm ( framed 86 x 86 cm, frame is included in price ) Acrylic on panel Dutch artist Roos van der Meijden is famous because of her cityscapes. In h...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Panel, Wood Panel

1817 Oval Portrait of Gentleman Oil on Canvas Original Empire Gilt Bronze Frame
Located in Stockholm, SE
This accomplished portrait captures a distinguished young gentleman at the twilight of the Napoleonic era. His penetrating gaze and confident bearing betray not only his aristocratic...
Category

1810s Realist Art

Materials

Bronze, Gold Leaf

Peacock Watercolor on Paper Handmade Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
360 Artist: Artyom Abrahamyan, Work: Original Painting, Handmade artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Watercolor on Paper Year: 2024 Style: Classic Art Title: Peacock Size: 12 x 16 inch, ...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Antique Bronze Portrait Draft Horse by Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901)
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Bronze Portrait of a Draft Horse Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901) Circa 1840s Cast bronze mounted on a rectangular plinth atop a marble s...
Category

1870s Realist Art

Materials

Bronze

"Kaleidoscope #2" by Lindsey Kustusch, Contemporary Still-Life, Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Lindsey Kustusch's "Kaleidoscope #2" is a compelling handmade original oil on wood panel artwork, measuring 20 x 16 inches. This 2025 piece is a primary market item, arriving for Kus...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Filipino Women and Children in a Pastoral Scene Drawing
Located in Houston, TX
Pastoral pencil on paper sketch by a celebrated Filipino artist, Jose V. Blanco. The drawing depicts Filipino women and children sorting out mangoes...
Category

1980s Realist Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil

"Vineyard Haven Dinghy, " Framed Limited Edition Giclee Print, 45" x 60"
Located in Westport, CT
This realistic nautical limited edition print by Michel Brosseau captures a view of a small white dinghy boat tied to a dock. Two ores rest inside the small boat, which is surrounded...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Digital, Giclée

Just Keep the Connection
Located in Zofingen, AG
This artwork elegantly blends classic and contemporary elements, depicting a young woman in a stylish black outfit holding a phone to her ear. She stands against an endless blue sky...
Category

2010s Realist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Highland Stream with Sheep
Located in Hillsborough, NC
William Beattie-Brown (1831-1909) RSA, (Royal Scottish Academy) painted 'Highland Stream with Sheep ' in crisp detailed oil paint on canvas. Beattie-Brown excels in water rapids and ...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Great Sphinx Pyramids, Giza, Egypt: A 19th C. Lithograph by David Roberts
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "The Great Sphinx, Pyramids of Gizeh" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, publ...
Category

1840s Realist Art

Materials

Lithograph

Realist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist art 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 art 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, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Slim Aarons, Michael Budden, Daniel Pollera, and Su Yu. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint 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 art, so small editions measuring 0.1 inches across are also available.

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