Neo-Expressionist Art
A resurgence of interest in Expressionism, Pop art, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and other movements gained steam among artists of the 1970s and ’80s, in part as a reaction to the austerity of the prevailing minimalism and Conceptual art of the era. A decadent, bold and brash art style called Neo-Expressionism saw painters returning to figural representation, creating highly textured works that were imbued with intensely personal narratives.
Neo-Expressionist paintings are sensuous in nature and highly subjective in meaning. Expressive brushwork, highly pigmented colors and layered forms and materials lent sculptural attributes to the work and were used to depict symbolic narratives from history, mythology and the artist’s personal experience.
Prominent figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat led the Neo-Expressionist movement in the United States with paintings and prints that were raw, emotional and often violent in nature. In Germany, Die Neuen Wilden (the “New Fauves”) was the name given to a group of postwar artists that included the likes of sculptor Georg Baselitz and Gerhard Richter, a painter and photographer who explored the possibilities of both abstraction and realism, sometimes in a single piece. The work of the New Fauves — labeled as such for its return to Fauvism’s textured brushwork and use of vibrant colors — shares commonalities with Neo-Expressionism, and Baselitz was a pioneer of the movement in Europe. In addition, Willem de Kooning’s pulsating action paintings and Julian Schnabel’s experimentation with the materiality of paintings also took shape during this period.
“I was trying to make paintings different from the paintings that I saw a lot of at the time, which were mostly minimal, and they were highbrow and alienating, and I wanted to make very direct paintings that most people would feel the emotion behind when they saw them,” said Basquiat.
Neo-Expressionism generated some polarizing opinions, with some celebrating the revival of personal subjectivity in art while others criticizing the movement for being too commercially driven and nostalgic. But most experts agree that Neo-Expressionism was a huge commercial success and culturally impactful, paving the way for the postmodern work of artists like Richter and Sigmar Polke.
Find original Neo-Expressionist paintings, prints, mixed-media works and other art on 1stDibs.
1980s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Permanent Marker
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Wood Panel, Mixed Media
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Resin, Oil, Panel
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Stretcher Bars
Early 2000s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Permanent Marker
1980s Neo-Expressionist Art
Paper, Oil
Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Masonite
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Neo-Expressionist Art
Screen, Canvas
Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Wood, Paint, Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Wire
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Permanent Marker
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Panel
1950s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Plywood, Oil Pastel
1980s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil
1940s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Wood Panel
Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Art
Masonite, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Art
Masonite, Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Board
Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Wood
Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Wood Panel, Glass, Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Panel
1980s Neo-Expressionist Art
Linocut
1980s Neo-Expressionist Art
Woodcut
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Organic Material, Wood, Varnish
Late 20th Century Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Wood
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Oil, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Neo-Expressionist Art
Canvas, Oil