Skip to main content

Academic Art

1,317 Results
ACADEMIC STYLE

During the Renaissance, the first European fine art academies were established in Italy and would guide the style and standards of visual culture in the following centuries. Academic art became dominant across the continent in the 17th century, with artists coming together to offer instruction in this style of painting and sculpture. 

The academic art period represented a significant change from the previous era when painters, sculptors and other artists were part of guilds and seen more as artisans than purveyors of culture. While patronage from the elite and the church remained pivotal, young artists were able to support themselves for the first time through academic exhibitions and an independent marketplace. The leading academies included the French Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture founded in Paris in 1648 (which became the Académie des Beaux-Arts after the French Revolution) and the London Royal Academy of Arts formed in 1768 under the inaugural leadership of painter Joshua Reynolds. 

Academy students sketched drawings based on prints, sculptures and, finally, live models. Movements including neoclassicism and romanticism were particularly popular in these art schools and institutions where the influence of Raphael and Nicolas Poussin was prominent. Beaux Arts architecture and furniture design drew on these movements, too, and, as they also originated at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the disciplines share common ground with academic painting and sculpture.

Although academic art was a major shift for artistic status when it began, by the middle of the 19th century it was viewed as stodgy and resistant to new ideas, with the subject matter of artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-Léon Gérôme generally limited to allegorical or mythological themes. Impressionism, realism and the other movements that engaged with contemporary issues that followed were direct reactions to the academic tradition, although it continued to inform the avant-garde as artists like Gustav Klimt and Pablo Picasso started their practices as academic realists.  

Find a collection of academic paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs. 

to
398
503
317
238
142
212
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
48
518
538
307
44
50
52
48
25
22
20
25
13
28
32
119,567
64,262
57,694
29,685
14,517
9,886
6,947
6,540
4,288
3,243
2,521
2,233
2,010
585
905
443
301
270
196
163
147
143
141
104
101
78
71
70
57
55
52
47
46
44
741
653

Use search to find more

62
36
30
15
14

Use search to find more

Style: Academic
Theodore Blake Wirgman (1848-1925)  Portrait of Ernest Albert Waterlow, drawing
Theodore Blake Wirgman (1848-1925)  Portrait of Ernest Albert Waterlow, drawing

Theodore Blake Wirgman (1848-1925) Portrait of Ernest Albert Waterlow, drawing

By Theodore Blake Wirgman

Located in Paris, FR

Theodore Blake Wirgman (1848-1925) Portrait of Sir Ernest Albert Waterlow RA, (1850-1919) pen and black ink on paper, inscribed with the name of the sitter on the verso of the sheet, now not visible under the framing 15 x 12 cm In a modern frame 34.5 x 30 cm Theodore Blake Wirgman (29 April 1848 – 16 January 1925) was an English painter and etcher who moved to London, studied at the Royal Academy schools, became a painter of history and genre subjects, and worked as a portrait artist for The Graphic. A number of these portraits are held at the National Portrait Gallery. Theodore Blake Wirgman was born in Belgium and died in London. He worked from a studio at 24 Dawson Place, Notting Hill, London, and joined The Arts Club in 1892. Wirgman was part of a group of avant-garde young artists who emulated Edward Burne-Jones and Simeon Solomon...

Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Ink

Chinese Monastery, Impressionism, Original Painting, One of a Kind
Chinese Monastery, Impressionism, Original Painting, One of a Kind

Chinese Monastery, Impressionism, Original Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Year: 2019 Style: Impressionism Title: Chinese Monastery Size: 16" x 20...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Original set illustration from "Gone With The Wind" Tyrus Wong, Hollywood, Film
"Original set illustration from "Gone With The Wind" Tyrus Wong, Hollywood, Film

"Original set illustration from "Gone With The Wind" Tyrus Wong, Hollywood, Film

Located in New York, NY

Tyrus Wong Original set illustration from "Gone With The Wind", 1939 Signed lower right Oil on panel 6 x 8 3/4 inches Tyrus Wong’s life embodies a remarkable journey of perseverance, talent, and artistic achievement. Born in China, he immigrated to the United States at the age of nine after being separated from his mother, whom he would never see again. Reunited with his father in Sacramento, Wong later relocated to Los Angeles, where the two lived in modest circumstances within a boarding house in Chinatown. His father nurtured his artistic abilities by encouraging him to practice Chinese calligraphy and helping him secure small painting jobs in the neighborhood. Recognizing his exceptional talent, one of Wong’s teachers recommended him for a summer scholarship at the Otis Art Institute. He became the youngest recipient of the award and later earned a full scholarship, offsetting tuition costs through work performed on campus. After completing his studies in 1930, Wong supported himself through a variety of artistic jobs, including creating advertisements and working at the popular Dragon’s Den restaurant in Chinatown. During the Great Depression, he found employment through the Federal Art Project, producing paintings for government-sponsored programs. His career took a pivotal turn when he joined Walt Disney Studios. There, his atmospheric pastel studies for Bambi impressed Walt Disney and helped shape the film’s distinctive visual style. Wong’s contributions to the film’s backgrounds were instrumental to its success, earning him posthumous recognition as a Disney Legend in 2001. Following labor disputes at Disney, he left the studio before Bambi was released and continued his career at Warner Bros. and Republic Studios, creating concept art for films including Rebel Without a Cause, Around the World in 80 Days, Sands of Iwo Jima, and The Wild Bunch. He retired from the film industry in 1968. Alongside his Hollywood career, Wong remained deeply involved in Southern California’s art community. He exhibited regularly in galleries and museums and participated in artist-run initiatives such as Eleven Associated, a cooperative gallery active during the early 1950s. Best known for his watercolor paintings and ceramics, Wong developed a unique artistic language that blended traditional Chinese brush techniques with modern American aesthetics. Influenced by his teacher Stanton Macdonald-Wright, he combined expressive calligraphic brushwork with depictions of nature and movement. His artistic versatility extended beyond fine art into commercial design, where he created popular Christmas card imagery and dinnerware patterns for Winfield Pottery...

Category

1930s Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Three Gould Hand-colored Lithographs from Birds of Australia and New Zealand
Three Gould Hand-colored Lithographs from Birds of Australia and New Zealand

Three Gould Hand-colored Lithographs from Birds of Australia and New Zealand

By John Gould

Located in Alamo, CA

Three hand-colored lithographs from John Gould's seven volume book "The Birds of Australia", which included New Zealand, depicting: pairs of "Eudyptes Chrysocome" (New Zealand Rock-hopper Crested Penguins), "Diomedea O Thalassarche Cauta" (Australian Shy Albatross) and "Sula Fusca" (Brown Gannets). These beautiful sea bird prints are presented in identical very attractive brown wood frames, embellished with gold highlights in the corners and gold inner trim, along with light cream-colored French mats, each with a medium cream-colored band and a gold highlight line. There is scattered spotting. There is a small tear in the lower right corner of the penguin lithograph...

Category

1840s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Serene Village"
"Serene Village"

"Serene Village"

By Samuel R. Chaffee

Located in Southampton, NY

Circa 1900 Signed lower right Sight size 12 x 18 in Overall size matted with period gold leaf frame 22 x 27.5 in

Category

Early 1900s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Woman with Cameo, Academic Oil Painting, Mid-19th Century, Framed
Woman with Cameo, Academic Oil Painting, Mid-19th Century, Framed

Woman with Cameo, Academic Oil Painting, Mid-19th Century, Framed

Located in Genève, GE

Work on canvas Original frame This portrait of a woman with a cameo is a beautiful example of 19th-century classical painting, showcasing the refinement and elegance of its time. The...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Departure of the infantrymen for the war of 14, signed
Departure of the infantrymen for the war of 14, signed

Departure of the infantrymen for the war of 14, signed

Located in Genève, GE

Work on canvas signed lower right Dimension with frame 70 x 80 x 6 cm This striking work captures a group of French soldiers marching determinedly along a dusty road, with the distan...

Category

1910s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Hercules Italian Stone Sculpture of Classical Torso  with Base
Hercules Italian Stone Sculpture of Classical Torso  with Base

Hercules Italian Stone Sculpture of Classical Torso with Base

Located in Rome, IT

This reproduction of a classical Hellenistic sculpture of Hercules . A timeless piece for interior and a garden decoration. We can raise with a base on request .

Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Limestone

Fall Landscape, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Fall Landscape, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind

Fall Landscape, Impressionism, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2018 Style: Impressionism Subject: Fall Landscape Size: 24" x 30" x 0...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lively Conversation at a Balustrade, 19th Century Oil on Canvas
Lively Conversation at a Balustrade, 19th Century Oil on Canvas

Lively Conversation at a Balustrade, 19th Century Oil on Canvas

Located in Genève, GE

Work on canvas Dimensions with frame : 83 x 101.5 x 3.5 cm This 19th-century painting depicts a genre scene, typical of the academic and romantic art of the period. It shows three fi...

Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Silence, Contemporary Art, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Silence, Contemporary Art, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind

Silence, Contemporary Art, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind

Located in Granada Hills, CA

Artist: Ara H. Hakobyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Canvas Year: 2012 Style: Expressionism Title: Silence Size: 22" x 28" x 0.8'' inch...

Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Academic Study of Two Feet from Antique Plaster Models. Cm 50 x 32
Academic Study of Two Feet from Antique Plaster Models. Cm 50 x 32

Academic Study of Two Feet from Antique Plaster Models. Cm 50 x 32

Located in Firenze, IT

Academic Study of Two Feet from Antique Plaster Models, c. 1850 Pencil on paper, 50 × 32 cm Mid-19th-century academic exercise representing two studies of feet taken from plaster ca...

Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Carbon Pencil

Flowering Feverfew Plants: A 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving
Flowering Feverfew Plants: A 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving

Flowering Feverfew Plants: A 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving

By Basilius Besler 1

Located in Alamo, CA

This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving entitled "Matricaria Flore Simplici, Matricaria Flore Pleno, depicting flowering Feverfew and Double-flowered Feverfew plants, from Basilius Besler's landmark work, Hortus Eystettensis (Garden at Eichstatt), first published in 1613 in Eichstatt, Germany near Nuremberg and later in 1640 and 1713. The feverfew plant is also known as featherfew, featherfoil, or bachelor’s buttons...

Category

1640s Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving of Flowering Tulip & Wild Garlic Plants
Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving of Flowering Tulip & Wild Garlic Plants

Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving of Flowering Tulip & Wild Garlic Plants

By Basilius Besler 1

Located in Alamo, CA

This is a hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Tulipa viridiscoloris, Fritillaria iuncifolns, Allium Vrsinum" depicting flowering tulip, fritillary and wild garlic plants fro...

Category

Early 18th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Marines in Pair - Dutch Painting 19th Century
Marines in Pair - Dutch Painting 19th Century

Marines in Pair - Dutch Painting 19th Century

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

VAN WYK Henri (1833-NC) Marines in pair Oil on wood panel signed low left Old frame re-gilded with gold leaves Dim wood : 23 X 41 cm Dim frame : 40 X 58 cm Certificate of authenticit...

Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

“Dead Gull”
“Dead Gull”

John Duncan“Dead Gull”, 1902

$1,200Sale Price|50% Off

“Dead Gull”

By John Duncan

Located in Southampton, NY

In original gold leaf pierced frame Signed and dated lower right 1902 Sight size 7.5 x 9.5 in

Category

Early 1900s Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Alfred Copestick, Coastal Scene: New York, Oil on Canvas, 1857
Alfred Copestick, Coastal Scene: New York, Oil on Canvas, 1857

Alfred Copestick, Coastal Scene: New York, Oil on Canvas, 1857

Located in Queens, NY

Alfred Copestick (1837–1859) Coastal Scene: New York, 1857 Oil on canvas, in the original giltwood frame 14 ¼ x 20 ⅛ in. (canvas) Signed lower right: A. Copestick NY 1857 Painted at just twenty years of age, Coastal Scene: New York demonstrates Alfred Copestick’s remarkable promise as a marine painter in antebellum America. The scene brims with energy: a single sailboat heels sharply into the wind, its rigging taut against the storm, while foamy waves break against a rugged shoreline. Above, clouds mass and dissolve, illuminated by shafts of storm-lit light. Copestick’s treatment is both romantic and naturalistic, conveying the sublime tension between man, sea, and sky. His confident brushwork captures atmosphere with an immediacy and sensitivity rarely found in so young an artist. The work survives in its original giltwood frame, richly carved in a mid-nineteenth-century American style, which not only underscores its historical authenticity but also heightens the tonal drama of the painting. Alfred Copestick came of age during a fertile moment in American painting, when marine art and landscape were central to cultural identity. Though little is known of his formal training, his works suggest familiarity with and admiration for leading marine painters such as James E. Buttersworth, famed for his racing yachts; Francis Augustus Silva, who later developed a luminist style of coastal painting; and earlier masters like Thomas Birch, whose shipwrecks and storm scenes set a precedent for drama at sea. Copestick also absorbed broader currents in American landscape painting. The Hudson River School, led by Thomas Cole, Asher B...

Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Royal Mail Steam Packet Thames"
"Royal Mail Steam Packet Thames"

"Royal Mail Steam Packet Thames"

Located in Southampton, NY

Circa 1880 Unsigned Thames was commissioned in 1842 Overall size with frame 8 x 11 in.

Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Sneezewort, Poppy, Strawflower: 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving
Sneezewort, Poppy, Strawflower: 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving

Sneezewort, Poppy, Strawflower: 17th C. Besler Hand-colored Botanical Engraving

By Basilius Besler 1

Located in Alamo, CA

This is a hand-colored copper plate engraving entitled "Ptarmica Vulgaris (Sneezewort), Papaver Spinosum (Mexican Poppy), Chrysocame Peregrina (Seaside Strawflower)", depicting flowering Sneezewort, Mexican Poppy and Seaside Strawberry plants respectively from Basilius Besler's landmark work, Hortus Eystettensis (Garden at Eichstatt), first published in 1613 in Eichstatt, Germany near Nuremberg and later in 1640 and 1713. This beautiful colorful engraving is printed on thin laid chain-linked paper. The left margin is thinner than the others and the left edge is somewhat irregular where the engraving was previously bound in the original publication. The print is otherwise in excellent condition with striking hand-coloring. The sheet measures 20" high and 16.38" wide. Basilius Besler (1561–1629) was an apothecary and botanist. He was curator of the Willibaldsburg Castle garden of Johann Konrad von Gemmingen, prince bishop...

Category

1640s Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Academic art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Academic 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 purple, blue, orange, pink and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Karen Darbinyan, Owen Jones, Paul Jones b.1921, and Mark Beard. 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 Academic art, so small editions measuring 1.5 inches across are also available. Prices for art 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 $11 and tops out at $700,000, while the average work sells for $1,444.