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 The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics.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 chair — crafted 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
Ernest Briggs Abstract Expressionist Oil on Paper
By Ernest Briggs
Located in Sharon, CT
Small oil by this important 'second generation' Abstract Expressionist painter. Entire sheet is 11.5" x 16", matted area is 9.5" x 14.5".
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Lennart Pilotti (1912-1981), Swedish artist. Oil on board. Abstract composition.
Located in København, Copenhagen
Lennart Pilotti (1912-1981), Swedish artist.
Oil on board. Abstract composition.
Signed.
1960/70s.
Perfect condition.
Dimensions: 31.5 cm x 23.0 cm.
Total: 45.8 cm x 36.8 cm.
Category
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Other
Jesús
Chucho
Reyes Ferreira, Theater Curtain, Anilines on China Paper
Located in Mexico City, MX
Jesús Reyes Ferreira is a fundamental character for Mexican art. Prolific artist reluctant to conventional forms and media, Chucho Reyes developed...
Category
20th Century Mexican Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Contemporary Abstract Multicolored Painting by Felix Bachmann, Yellow Frame
Located in Berlin, DE
Felix Bachmann's contemporary abstract multicolored painting, set in a striking yellow frame, is a vibrant celebration of color and form. The artwork showcases bold, expressive brush...
Category
2010s Modern Paintings
Materials
Pine, Plywood, Paint
$772 Sale Price
20% Off
Artist Unknown, Abstract Composition, Acrylic on Canvas.
Located in Munster, NRW
Beautiful abstract composition in white grey and black acrylic. Canvas on wood panel, in a black aluminum frame Artist unknown.
Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Wood
Helge Christiansen, Danish painter. Abstract composition. Watercolour on paper.
Located in København, Copenhagen
Artist: Helge Christiansen (born 1913), Danish painter
Abstract composition
Technique: Watercolour on paper
Date: Ca. 1960s
Image size: H. 19 cm, W. 13 cm
Frame: H. 28 cm, W. 22 cm, ...
Category
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Constantine Kluge (French, 1912-2003) "La Marne à Gournay" Painting
Located in Bradenton, FL
Large and impressive Constantin Kluge (French, 1912-2003) Oil on Canvas Painting in Ornate Carved Giltwood Frame. Painting is titled "La Marne a Gournay". This expansive river landsc...
Category
20th Century French Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Framed Mexican Watercolor on Paper Attributed to Rufino Tamayo
Located in Atlanta, GA
A framed watercolor and gouache on paper depicting sliced watermelon on a color block background, signed Tamayo and dated 1945 as shown. The work was in keeping with the style of Rufino Tamayo and it retains a paper label from Salon de la Plastica Mexicana, listing the detail info. SPM was formed in 1949 to promote contemporary Mexican artists...
Category
1940s Mexican Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Painting by Greta Young, in Santa Fe Museum, New Mexico, Black
White Painting
By Greta Young
Located in New York, NY
Master painting by Greta Young, Santa Fe, NM.
Oil stick on paper. Black on white.
Greta young has her work hanging at the museum in Santa Fe, NM.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Ingvar Engdahl, listed Swedish artist. Mixed media / board. Abstract composition
Located in København, Copenhagen
Ingvar Engdahl (1928-1992), listed Swedish artist.
Mixed media on board. Abstract figurative compositions.
Approximately from the 1960s.
In good condition. Needs cleaning. Some mino...
Category
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Other
Large Striking Chartreuse Abstract Painting
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Large abstract original painting on canvas signed by artist Trixie Pitts titled “Happy Place”. The color palette is mostly chartreuse. The canvas has been professionally stretched...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Svend Aage Tauscher, Oil on Canvas, Modernist Urban Scenery
Located in København, Copenhagen
Svend Aage Tauscher (1911-1984), Danish artist. Oil on canvas.
Modernist urban scenery with figures. Dated 1965.
The canvas measures: 40 x 30 cm...
Category
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Paul Slapion
American, 20th Century
Mixed-Media Abstract Painting, circa 1985
Located in San Francisco, CA
Paul Slapion (American, 20th century) mixed-media abstract painting
Title: In Each of Us...All of Us #9,
circa 1985
A fine mixed-media painting created with many layers of glass, ink and oils.
Visually stunning optical art.
Dimensions: 16 inches x 20 inches.
Frame dimensions: 20.25 inches x 16.25 inches.
Very good vintage condition. Lightly distressed frame.
Signed verso with the original "OK Harris Gallery, NY" label.
The OK Harris Gallery was an art gallery located at 383 West Broadway...
Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Paintings
Materials
Glass, Paint
Maj Hemberg, Swedish artist. Oil on board. Abstract composition.
Located in København, Copenhagen
Maj Hemberg, Swedish artist.
Oil on board. Abstract composition. Painted with thick brushstrokes.
”Bombning av Dresden” - ("Bombing of Dresden").
1945-1952.
Signed on the back.
In ex...
Category
1940s Swedish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Other
Peter Martensen Oil Painting on Wood "Man with Dog in the Light of Street Lamp"
Located in Kastrup, DK
Peter Martensen b. 1953.
Oil color on wood (Dimensions without frame: 22 x 24).
"Man with dog In the light of street lamp" draft painting.
Category
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Paintings
Materials
Wood
Contemporary Abstract Multicolored Painting by Felix Bachmann, 19th. Frame
Located in Berlin, DE
Felix Bachmann's contemporary abstract multicolored painting, presented in a 19th-century frame, is a compelling fusion of modern artistry and historical elegance. The painting feat...
Category
2010s German Modern Paintings
Materials
Beech, Plywood, Paint
$849 Sale Price
20% Off
Jens Birkemose. Watercolor on paper. Composition with animal motif.
Located in København, Copenhagen
Jens Birkemose, Denmark.
Watercolor on paper with animal motif, 1975.
A vibrant and dreamlike composition where figurative suggestions and abstract forms merge.
Visual size: H. 12....
Category
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Jens Birkemose, Danish artist. Oil on paper. Composition with bird motif, 1975
Located in København, Copenhagen
Jens Birkemose, Denmark.
Oil on paper. Composition with bird motif.
A vibrant and dreamlike composition where figurative suggestions and abstract forms merge. The work balances bet...
Category
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Carl Johanson, Swedish artist. Oil/canvas. Abstract composition
Located in København, Copenhagen
Carl Johanson (1906-1993), Swedish graphic artist and painter.
Oil on canvas. Abstract composition with a colorful palette.
Signed and dated 1965.
In perfect condition.
Represented i...
Category
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Unknown artist. Mixed media on paper. Abstract composition. 1955
Located in København, Copenhagen
Unknown artist, Abstract composition, 1955.
Mixed media on paper.
An expressive abstract piece from 1955, featuring strong contrasts of black and yellow. The dynamic composition con...
Category
1950s Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Modernist Painting on Canvas
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Striking modernist painting on canvas with a hot palette that conveys a strong reference to the sun's energy. Signed in the upper left C. Rosenberg and titled on the back "Hot Sun".
Category
20th Century American Modern Paintings
Pär Nordlander. Abstract cityscape by the sea. Mixed media on paper.
Located in København, Copenhagen
Pär Nordlander (1920–2001). Abstract cityscape by the sea.
Mixed media on paper.
Visual size: H. 21 cm, W. 30.5 cm
Frame: H. 27 cm, W. 36.5 cm
Signature: Signed upper left “P. Nordl...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Painting Scenery from Greenland by Eva Weis Bentzon
Located in Kastrup, DK
The painting depicts the Greenland ice sheet with several icebergs.
One of Eva's last big project was to paint motifs from the arctic.
This painting is from her estate and there...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Modernist Geometric Painting, 1971
Located in Denton, TX
Oil on canvas painting of geometric shapes signed Brink.
Category
20th Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Paint
William Scharff Modernist Painting, "Nude Woman"
Located in Kastrup, DK
William Scharff, painting. "Nude Woman". Modernist painting, Danish art.
Signed.
Measurements without frame/with frame (cm): H 63/75, W 52/63.
Category
20th Century Danish Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Isaac Maimon Painting of Two Fashionable Women at Cafe
Located in Hopewell, NJ
A beautiful bold Isaac Maimon original acrylic on canvas of two fashionable ladies with cross legs seated at a cafe with umbrellas.
Maimon's recognizable Parisian ladies, cafe scen...
Category
1990s Israeli Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
$2,800 Sale Price
26% Off
Francisco Toledo Watercolor on Paper Bird Painting
By Francisco Toledo
Located in Mexico City, MX
An early rare watercolor on paper depicting a bird by Mexican artist Francisco Toledo. The paper work is signed 59 on the lower right. The work is framed.
Painting's dimensions: 42....
Category
1950s Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Original Modern Abstract Painting by Shannon Weir
Located in Houston, TX
Original contemporary black and white painting acrylic on panel in antique gold frame. Signed on the bottom right.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Wood, Masonite, Paint
Copy of a Chagall Painting Depicting a Couple Flying
Located in Queens, NY
Copy of a painting by Marc Chagall titled "Over the Town" (c 1918) showing couple in air above their village.
Category
20th Century American Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
"Great Wall" by Ren Hui
By Ren Hui
Located in Chicago, IL
This exquisite painting "Great Wall" was made by internationally renowned Chinese artisan Ren Hui. He expertly picks out the fine details of China's greatest landmark in his signatur...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
$1,880
Peder Brøndum Sørensen. Oil on canvas. "Houses by the Sea." Modernist motif.
Located in København, Copenhagen
Peder Brøndum Sørensen (1931-2003), Danish painter.
Oil on canvas.
"Houses by the Sea." Modernist motif.
1972.
In perfect condition.
Signed PBS.
Dimensions: 41.0 cm x 31.0 cm.
Total ...
Category
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Jack Roth Large Scale Painting
By Jack Roth
Located in Queens, NY
UNTITLED, 1976, acrylic on canvas by JACK ROTH, (American 1927-2004)
Category
20th Century American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
S. Hamlet, Swedish artist. Oil on board. Abstract composition, 1971
Located in København, Copenhagen
S. Hamlet, Swedish artist.
Oil on board.
Abstract composition with a colourful palette and textured brushstrokes.
Signed and dated '71.
Perfect ...
Category
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Other
Vernon Tong Jamaican Artist Painting "Bathing Nude" Oil on Canvas 1968
Located in Münster, DE
Vernon Tong (*1933 Jamaica)
“Bathing Nude”
Created in 1968
Oil on canvas, signed lower left, framed
Dimensions:
76 x 101 cm
Category
1960s Jamaican Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Ole Bjørn Krüger, Danish Artist, Oil on Japanese Paper, Composition
Located in København, Copenhagen
Ole Bjørn Krüger (1922-2007), Danish artist. Oil on Japanese paper placed on board. Modernist composition. 1960s / 70s.
The paper measures: 78 x 62 cm.
The board measures: 84 x 68 ...
Category
1960s Danish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper
Acrylic on Canvas by Ugo La Pietra, Italy
Located in Milan, Italy
Acrylic on canvas designed by Ugo La Pietra in 2005, Italy.
Biography
Ugo La Pietra born in Bussi sul Tirino, Pescara in 1938, Ugo la Pietra lives and works in Milan, where in 1964 ...
Category
Early 2000s Italian Modern Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"You So Sweet" 2023 Large Black, Multicolor Abstract Painting By Lowell Boyers
Located in New York, NY
"You So Sweet" (2023) by Lowell Boyers is a luminous, high-energy composition-an explosion of color that feels both intimate and cosmic. Against an inky black ground, bursts of hot ...
Category
2010s American Modern Paintings
Materials
Resin, Acrylic
Abstract Painting of Dripping Paint in a Black Frame
By Richard Rumi
Located in Queens, NY
Acrylic on canvas abstract dripping paint action painting in red, black, and white by Richard Rumi, "Assurance".
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Crimson Garden 02" by Patrick Burns
Located in Chicago, IL
"Concrete Gardens" is a body of work that translates Patrick Burns' deep love of the land and complicated past into richly textured, mixed-media paintings with reverberating, monochr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Paintings
Materials
Concrete, Other
Modern Abstract Painting
Located in Queens, NY
Copy of Modern Abstract Expressionist painting showing black image on off white ground (Similar piece: NWL2663)
Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
$11,250
Monumental Graphic Abstract Painting on Canvas, Signed
Located in Miami, FL
Monumental Graphic Abstract Painting on Canvas, Signed
Offered for sale is a monumental abstract acrylic painting on canvas which is illegibly signed by the artist. This large pa...
Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Wood
Paul Slapion, Mixed-Media Abstract Painting, circa 1985
Located in San Francisco, CA
Paul Slapion (American, 20th century) mixed-media abstract painting
Title: In Each of Us...All of Us #4
circa 1985
A fine mixed media painting created with many layers of glass, ink and oils.
Visually stunning optical art.
Dimensions 16 inches x 20 inches.
Frame dimensions 20.25 inches x 16.25 inches.
Very good vintage condition. Lightly distressed frame.
Signed verso with the original "OK Harris Gallery...
Category
Late 20th Century American Modern Paintings
Materials
Glass, Paint
Original Enamel on Masonite Abstract Painting by Rick Orr
By Rick Orr
Located in Palm Springs, CA
An original abstract painting by Listed American artist Rick Orr.
This's from "Edge of Town" series.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Paintings
Materials
Enamel
Stanton MacDonald-Wright Still Life
By Stanton MacDonald-Wright
Located in Savannah, GA
Stanton MacDonald-Wright
(American, 1890-1973)
Still Life
canvas: 16 by 20 inches
frame: 19 ¾ by 23 ¾ inches
Category
Early 20th Century American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Abstract Painting On Canvas
Located in Denton, TX
Abstract painting on canvas. Yellow, blue, green tones. If you look hard enough, you can spot an umbrella and a duck!
Category
20th Century North American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Wood
"Pathstone" Architectural Abstract Mixed-Media Painting by Louis Shields, 2018
Located in Middleburg, VA
A contemplative work from Louis Shields' Element Series (2018), "Pathstone" is an abstracted architectural composition layered in a cool, dreamlike palette of pale gray, weathered wh...
Category
2010s American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Paint
Triptych of Geometric Abstract Paintings in Wooden Frames
By Richard Rumi
Located in Queens, NY
Triptych in acrylic of abstract geometric squares in cream and black in brushed metallic wooden frames, by Richard Rumi, "Asylum".
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
NYC Cityscape Painting By Albert ca
1993 Decor
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A striking cityscape at night. Hand painted by Artmaster studios, ca' 1993.
Category
1990s American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Vintage Tropical Landscape Painting with Houses by Melville F. Stark
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Inspired oil painting on board painted on a sunny day in the tropics with palm trees and houses, executed in an impressionist style capturing the light. Signed M. Stark and presented...
Category
20th Century American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Contemporary artwork Showcase By John Murray
Located in Paddington, NSW
John Murray is a South African painter living and working in Cape Town South Africa. Finding significance in the contrasting states between the tangible and the imperceptible, playfu...
Category
2010s South African Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Richard Vilhelm Petersen, Danish artist. Oil on canvas. Abstract composition.
Located in København, Copenhagen
Richard Vilhelm Petersen (born 1914), Danish artist.
Oil on canvas.
Abstract composition.
Title: ”Vraggods” (wreckage).
Approximately from the 1970s.
Signed: Rich. P.
Perfect condit...
Category
1970s Danish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Still Life With Flowers By Frederick Arthur Jessup (1920-2007) Oil On Canvas
Located in LE CANNET, FR
Still life by Frederick Arthur Jessup entitled " Garden gourds ". Framed and signed work.
Born in Victoria in 1920, Frederick Arthur JESSUP educated at East Sydney Tecnichal College ...
Category
1960s Australian Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Framed Surrealistic Painting by Pedro Friedeberg
Located in Atlanta, GA
Artists: Pedro Friedeberg (Mexican, b. 1936)
Title: "Nietzche's Last Picnic"
Year: 1969
Medium: oil, pen and ink on board
Size: 15 x 20"
Marked: signed and dated "MCMLXIX" mid-...
Category
1960s Mexican Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Summation by William Havlicek
Located in Denton, TX
Beautiful soft paint palate of lines and columns on canvas by William Havlicek.
Dr. William J. Havlicek has over 40 years of experience in fine art/studio production and exhibition,...
Category
20th Century North American Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Machja Ruperto, Gouache on Cardboard, Abstract Composition, Late 20th C.
Located in København, Copenhagen
Machja Ruperto. Gouache on cardboard.
Abstract composition. Late 20th century.
Cardboard measures: 89 x 67 cm.
The frame measures: 3 cm.
In excellent condition.
Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Paintings
Materials
Other
MARIUS WOULFART (1905-1991) Study of Naked Woman
Located in Handewitt, DE
MARIUS WOULFART (1905-1991) Study of naked Woman. Oilpainting on wood plate. High quality frame. 1950s/60s or earlier. Original frame. Signed.
Painting: 50.5 cm x 65 cm / inkl. frame...
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Modern Paintings
Materials
Wood
Black and White Painting
Located in Queens, NY
Contemporary (watercolor gouache) of an abstract Black and White design on paper (signed by ED ELLER)
Category
20th Century Unknown Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
$3,200
Sven Bertil Thorell, Sweden artist. Oil on canvas. Abstract composition 1960s
Located in København, Copenhagen
Sven Bertil Thorell, Sweden artist.
Oil on canvas.
Abstract composition
1960s
Signed SBT.
In excellent condition.
Measures: 38,0 cm. x 32,0 cm.
Total dimensions: 40 cm. x 34 cm.
Category
1960s Swedish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Agustin Cardenas painting
By Agustín Cárdenas
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Technique mixte par Agustin Cardenas, signée datée, 77
Provenance : galerie le point cardinal, Paris
Category
1970s French Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper
Erik Hallgren, Swedish artist. Oil on canvas. Abstract landscape, 1975
Located in København, Copenhagen
Erik Hallgren (1910-2000), Swedish artist.
Oil on canvas. Abstract landscape with thick, textured brushstrokes.
Signed "EH" and also signed and d...
Category
1970s Swedish Vintage Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
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.