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Academic Art

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. 

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Style: Academic
Iris -- Staten Island and Sable Night
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Paul Jones. (1921-1997) Flora Superba. London, 1971. Edition of 406. Flora Magnifica. London, 1976. Edition of 506. Lithographs. The portraits of flowers by Paul Jones ...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Chaud Froid de Poulet a la Celee
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Jules Gouffe (1807-1877) Le Livre de Cusine Librairie Hachette et Cie Paris, 1867 Chromolithographs At the age of 16, Jules Gouffe found his calling as a student of the famous...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Attlets de Racines
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Jules Gouffe (1807-1877) Le Livre de Cusine Librairie Hachette et Cie Paris, 1867 Chromolithographs At the age of 16, Jules Gouffe found his calling as a student of ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Casserole de Puree de Giber
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Jules Gouffe (1807-1877) Le Livre de Cusine Librairie Hachette et Cie Paris, 1867 Chromolithographs At the age of 16, Jules Gouffe found his calling as a student of the famous...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Dept. De La Seine (Paris)
Located in Florham Park, NJ
VICTOR LEVASSEUR (1800-1870) Atlas national Illustre des 86 Departements et des Possessions de La France. Paris, 1847. Lemercier. Laguillermie et Rainaud, Schmitt, A Piat, et al...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

A Pupil of La Haute Ecole
Located in Florham Park, NJ
The Book of the Horse Samuel Sidney London, 1873 Cassell Petter & Galpin Chromolithography 10.75” x 8.25” Man’s fascination with the horse has spanned many centuries. Admir...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Thye Countess Montijo
Located in Florham Park, NJ
The Book of the Horse Samuel Sidney London, 1873 Cassell Petter & Galpin Chromolithography 10.75” x 8.25” Man’s fascination with the horse has spanned many centuries. Admir...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Dalmation
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Diana Thorne’s Dogs: An Album of Drawings. Diana Thorne. Julian Messner, Inc. New York, 1944. 24 Drawings in Lithography. “In drawing them,” she writes, “I have tried to ma...
Category

1940s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Sunflower (Healianthus Annus)
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Paul Jones. (1921-1997) Flora Superba. London, 1971. Edition of 406. Flora Magnifica. London, 1976. Edition of 506. Lithographs. The portraits of flowers by Paul Jones ...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cattelya Maxima
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Iconographie des Orchidees Jean Linden (1817-1898) Brussels, 1885-1894 Chromolithographs “Orchid Fever” was not just a 19th century phenomenon. To this day the orchid has rem...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Hors d'Oeuvre
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Jules Gouffe (1807-1877) Le Livre de Cusine Librairie Hachette et Cie Paris, 1867 Chromolithographs At the age of 16, Jules Gouffe found his calling as a student of the famous...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Black-Faced Heath Breed
Located in Florham Park, NJ
David Low (1786-1859) The Breeds of the Domestic Animals of the British Isles William Nicholson, RSA, Illustrator Brown, Green, & Longman’s, Publisher London, 1842 Lithographs with Original Hand-Color Page Size, 12.5 x 17 “Professor Low...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Fuschia (Peruvian Fuschia or Berrybush)
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Paul Jones. (1921-1997) Flora Superba. London, 1971. Edition of 406. Flora Magnifica. London, 1976. Edition of 506. Lithographs. The portraits of flowers by Paul Jones ...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Auriculas (Bears Ears)
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Paul Jones. (1921-1997) Flora Superba. London, 1971. Edition of 406. Flora Magnifica. London, 1976. Edition of 506. Lithographs. The portraits of flowers by Paul Jones ...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Clemantis Nelly Moser
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Paul Jones. (1921-1997) Flora Superba. London, 1971. Edition of 406. Flora Magnifica. London, 1976. Edition of 506. Lithographs. The portraits of flowers by Paul Jones ...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Alamanda. (Golden Trumpet)
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Paul Jones. (1921-1997) Flora Superba. London, 1971. Edition of 406. Flora Magnifica. London, 1976. Edition of 506. Lithographs. The portraits of flowers by Paul Jones ...
Category

1950s Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ondontoglossum Phalaenopsis
Located in Florham Park, NJ
L'Illistration Horticole Jean Linden (1817-1898) Belgium, 1887 Chromolithographs “Orchid Fever” was not just a 19th century phenomenon. To this day the orchid has remained on...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Lithograph

XLII. Ram's Head Urn
Located in Florham Park, NJ
...Etruscan, Greek and Roman Antiquities.... Hamilton, Sir William. 1730 – 1803. Collection of Etruscan Greek and Roman Antiquities from the Cabinet of the Hon. W. Hamilton. 4 vols. Naples, 1766-7. D’Hancarvills, sculpt. Aquatint Engravings in Black and Terra Cotta Inks. Finishing in Original Hand-Color. In 1764, Sir William Hamilton arrived in Naples to take up his new appointment as British Envoy Extraordinary to the Bourbon Court of King Ferdinand IV. At the time of his arrival, Italy was still a largely untapped field of archaeological discovery and there was ample opportunity for the private individual to amass a collection or 'cabinet' of classical antiquities at relatively little expense. The sites of the buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, although now under Royal control, were still being only haphazardly excavated and were openly vandalized. Hamilton himself complained of the fact, but also seems to have taken advantage of it. Hamilton's first collection was in fact acquired by the British Museum in 1772 where it formed the foundation of the now great collection of Greek and Roman antiquities. This was the first major collection of Greek vases (or, as they were then known, Etruscan) to reach England's shores. "To Hamilton belongs the merit of being the first to appreciate with warmth the severe beauty of their shapes, colouring and drawing, the mingled simplicity and feeling of the designs figured upon them; and it was he who recognized the value of these unpretentious vessels for forming and ennobling modern art-taste". (Adolph Michaelis, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain, Cambridge 1882, p. 110) Hamilton found a worthy ally in Josiah Wedgwood who was setting up a new factory appropriately called "Etruria". Opened in June of 1769, Wedgwood was to use Hamilton's models again and again in his pottery with many designs taken directly from the engravings. Etruscan antiquities...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Sukotyro Sus (Warthog)
Located in Florham Park, NJ
JOHN WILKES (1750-1810) Encyclopedia Londinensis London, 1801-1828 Copper Plate Engraving Original Hand-Color 9” x11” Unframed At its best, the zoological art of the early n...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Simia (Monkies)
Located in Florham Park, NJ
JOHN WILKES (1750-1810) Encyclopedia Londoninensis London, 1801-1828 Copper Plate Engraving Original Hand-Color 9” x11” Unframed At its best, the zoological art of the early...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Engraving

Cateleya Maximum Lindl. var. Hruryanna (Orchid)
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Iconographie des Orchidees Jean Linden (1817-1898) Brussels, 1885-1894 Chromolithographs “Orchid Fever” was not just a 19th century phenomenon. To this day the orchid has rem...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Tape, Plexiglass, Rag Paper, Silk

Oracoli....
By Jacopo Guarana
Located in Florham Park, NJ
JACOPO GUARANA. (1720 – 1808). “Oracoli auguri, aruspici, sibille, indovini della religione pagna.” Venice, 1792. Engraving with modern hand-coloring. 12” x 14.5” unframed. ...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Academic Art

Materials

Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Tape, Laid Paper, Plexiglass, Watercolor

"Enfans Antiques au Capitol." (Putti with Wigs/Masks)
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Giovanni Volpato (1738-1803) Raffaelle Morghen (1758-1833) Principi del Disegno Roma, 1786 Engravings Woven Paper 16.25” x 21.75 Unframed” The principles of design have bee...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Academic Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Tape, Handmade Paper, Ink, Plexiglass

"Enfans antiques au Capitol." (Putti with Swans)
Located in Florham Park, NJ
Giovanni Volpato (1738-1803) Raffaelle Morghen (1758-1833) Principi del Disegno Roma, 1786 Engravings Woven Paper 16.25” x 21.75 Unframed” The principles of design have bee...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Academic Art

Materials

Ink, Plexiglass, Archival Paper, Archival Tape, Handmade Paper

T-III. Vaso Antico
Located in Florham Park, NJ
CARLOS ANTONINI Manuale di Vari Ornamenti Rome, 1781-1790 Engraving. 100 Illustrations. Late eighteenth century Europe was a world in revolution. People in France were losing their heads to Louis XVI and England had a mad king...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Academic Art

Materials

Laid Paper, Handmade Paper

Portrait Painting Oil on Canvas by Joseph Badger
Located in Rome, IT
Joseph Badger (c. 1707–1765) was a portrait artist in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 18th century. This amazing painting depicting a young boy with a bird. oil on canvas cm 93 x73...
Category

18th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

"A Surprising Visit" 19th Century Antique European Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Jacksonville, FL
A Surprising Visit" by Eduardo León Garrido (Spanish, 1856-1949) invites viewers into a sumptuous journey through 19th-century European luxury. Eduardo León Garrido, a distinguished Spanish artist born in 1856 and leaving an artistic legacy until 1949, displayed a remarkable ability to capture the essence of his time through his brushstrokes. This antique masterpiece, rendered in oil on panel and measuring 22 1/2 x 29 3/4 inches, unveils a world of opulence within a Royal European...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"A Pompeiian Love Song" 19th Century Realism Antique Oil on Canvas
Located in Jacksonville, FL
Provenance: Sold: Jackson's Auctioneers & Appraisers, Cedar Falls, Iowa, December 8, 2009, Lot 4 A Pompeiian Love Song" by Antonio Rivas (Spanish, 1845-1911) transports viewers back ...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Of Theodore Roosevelt By Joseph A. Imhof
Located in New Orleans, LA
Joseph Adam Imhof 1871-1955 American Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt Signed "J.A.Imhof 17" (lower right) Oil on canvas President Theodore Roosevelt is r...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Chess Game By Georges Croegaert
Located in New Orleans, LA
Georges Croegaert 1848-1923 Belgian The Chess Game Signed "Georges Croegaert Paris" (lower right) Oil on panel This oil on panel by Belgian artist Georges Croegaert is a rich and...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Beehives, Original oil Painting, One of a Kind
Located in Granada Hills, CA
Artist: Karen Darbinyan Work: Original Oil Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Oil on Linen, Year: 2023 Style: Impressionism Title: Beehives Size: 12" x 17" x 0.8'' inc...
Category

2010s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Painted Cast-Metal Tiger circa 1900
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Painted Cast-Metal Tiger Continental School, circa 1900 8.75 x 19.5 inches Ex. Collection Interior Designer Joseph Cicio Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Joseph Cicio followe...
Category

Early 20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Metal

Etoile du Soir
Located in Florham Park, NJ
House of Bernard Founded 1905. Paris, France. Watercolor over pencil. Some with gold or silver leaf highlights Coats, 1923. Evening dresses, 1926. French fashion has influenc...
Category

1920s Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor

Nudo maschile nella posa di un satiro dormiente. XIX secolo
Located in Firenze, IT
Disegno del nudo maschile. Dal 19 ° secolo Disegno su carta leggermente colorata. In buone condizioni. Il disegno rappresenta un uomo sdraiato, che si abbandona al sonno. In una posa...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Carbon Pencil

The Little Ballerina
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Alphonse PELLET (1853-1926) The Little Ballerina Oil on wood panel signed low right Old frame regilded with leaves Size panel : 30 X 43 cm - Size frame : 40 X 55 cm Alphonse PELLET...
Category

1880s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Lady in paris Street 1900
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
LEBAS Léonie (19th-20th) "Lady in Paris Street 1900" Oil on wood panel signed low right Old Frame regilded with gold leaves Dim panel : 16 X 22 cm Dim frame : 50 X 41 cm LEBAS Léoni...
Category

1890s Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Preparatory anatomical study for the figure of a man with hands on his face.
Located in Firenze, IT
Preparatory anatomical study for the figure of a man with hands on his face. Drawing of a medium-sized male nude. From the 19th century Drawing on slightly greyish colored paper. In ...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Carbon Pencil, Gesso

French school Drawing 18th Portrait Ténor SAINT AUBIN three chalks Paris Opéra
Located in PARIS, FR
French school of the 18th century Three pencils (pencil, red chalk, white chalk) 27 x 18 cm (45 x 34 cm with frame) Inscription at bottom “Saint-Aubin de l’Académie de musique” Dated...
Category

1780s Academic Art

Materials

Carbon Pencil

Portrait of woman
Located in PARIS, FR
French School of the 18th century Woman portrait Pastel on paper mounted on canvas Pastel: 46.5 x 63 cm (18.3 x 24.8 inches) Frame: 57 x 71 cm (22.4 x 28 inches) Very good condition ...
Category

1770s Academic Art

Materials

Pastel

VOLTO DI DONNA - Stampa riproduzione Emilio Greco, anni 70
Located in Napoli, IT
Stampa riprodizione del disegno " Volto di Ragazza" realizzato dal disegnatore Emilio Greco.Firmato in basso a destra. Scultore italiano (Catania 1913 - Roma 1995). Trasferitosi a Ro...
Category

1970s Academic Art

Materials

Color

Small Oil Painting From 1902 Called Birch Trees by the Stream
Located in Stockholm, SE
This enchanting painting called Birch Trees by the Stream by Alfred Thörne captures the serene beauty of a small forest scene, measuring just 27 x 17 cm. The artwork is a testament t...
Category

Early 1900s Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study for “The Artist’s Studio” 1820, Horace Vernet (French 1789-1820)
Located in BALMAIN, NSW
Horace Vernet (French 1789-1863), Study for “The Artist’s Studio” 1820. This is a charming detailed pen and ink study for “Vernet’s The Artist’s Studio” which was painted in 1820. I...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Ink, Paper

Study of a Hound Dog. Circa 1782. Louis Auguste Brun (Swiss 1758-1815)
Located in BALMAIN, NSW
Louis Auguste Brun (Swiss 1758-1815), Study of a Hound Dog. Circa 1782. A skilled draughtsman and an outstanding painter of portraits, animals and landscapes, the Swiss artist Louis-...
Category

18th Century Academic Art

Materials

Chalk, Laid Paper

British mid century watercolour and pen drawing of children at a zoo with monkey
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Mona Alizon Edmonds (British, 1911 – 1983) Unfinished monkey business, 1944 Pen and watercolour 11.3/8 x 11.3/8 in. (28.7 x 28.7 cm.)
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Pen, Watercolor

British mid century pen drawing 'Bird's eye view' by Mona Alizon Edwards
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Mona Alizon Edmonds (British, circa 1944) Birds Eye View Pen on paper 9.7/8 x 10 in. (25.3 x 25.5 cm.)
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Pen

English School 19th Century, Julia Matthews in ‘The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein’
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
A highly decorative and whimsical study of ‘The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein’ starring Julia Matthews as the title role, first shown in 1867. La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein is an ...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Pen, Ink

“Off the Italian Coast”
Located in Southampton, NY
Very finely executed original micro mosaic painting by the Florentine artist Telesforo Franchino. Condition is excellent. Circa 1960. Signed verso. Gold leaf gallery frame with ...
Category

1960s Academic Art

Materials

Mosaic

British mid century watercolour and pen drawing of black and tan terrier dogs
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Mona Alizon Edmonds (British, circa 1944) The black and tans day Inscribed with title, signed and dated ‘May 1944 M. Alizon Edmonds.’ (lower edge) Pencil, watercolour and body colour...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Pencil

Polo Player Bookends in Bronze
Located in Brookville, NY
Polo Bookends in bronze for the sporty library. These were purchased from the collection of a polo player on Long Island who had a beautiful library of sporting books. He also owne...
Category

1960s Academic Art

Materials

Bronze

British mid century watercolour and pen drawing of black and tan terrier dogs
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Mona Alizon Edmonds (British, circa 1944) Black and tan terriers Watercolour on paper Signed, inscribed and dated ‘Black and tan terriers (minature) Dogs and Bitch. AM Edmonds. 19...
Category

20th Century Academic Art

Materials

Watercolor, Pencil

Oedipus and Antigone, study of heads
Located in PARIS, FR
Neoclassical school circa 1800-10 Oedipus and Antigone, study of heads Painting, oil on spun wood panel Unsigned Painting: 33 x 42 cm (13 x 16.5 inches) Beautiful original frame: 44....
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

Bozzetto Accademico della Testa di un Cherubino.
Located in Firenze, IT
Bozzetto Accademico della Testa di un Cherubino. Disegno a carboncino e gessetto bianco su carta leggermente colorata di grigio. Seconda metà dell'Ottocento In buone condizioni. Prov...
Category

19th Century Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Chalk, Pencil

Ancient Rome
Located in London, GB
Painting:oilon canvas Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork Painting Size: 20x20x2cm Olga Volha Piashko background is in fine and graphic arts, working in a wide range of styles and mediu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Ancient Rome
Located in London, GB
Painting: watercolor on paper Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork Olga Volha Piashko background is in fine and graphic arts, working in a wide range of styles and mediums. Her painting...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Horse Sketch 1" study of an Alfred Munnings painting, brown and earth tones
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Horse Sketch 1" is Amy Florence's study of an Alfred Munnings painting, one of her favorite artists. Artist Bio Amy Florence is a London born artist working out of her studio in F...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel, Wood Panel, Board

Woman smoking pencil drawing
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Frame size 74x61 cm.
Category

1950s Academic Art

Materials

Pencil

Cleopatra Queen of Egypt 17' century Painting Oil on Canvas
Located in Rome, IT
Amazing painting of Cleopatra oil on canvas with a gilt wood frame. Attributed to Giuseppe Diamantini (Fossombrone 1621-Venice 1705) The dramatic subject of the painting depicts th...
Category

Late 17th Century Academic Art

Materials

Oil

"Horse Sketch 2" study of an Alfred Munnings painting, brown and earth tones
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Horse Sketch 2" is Amy Florence's study of an Alfred Munnings painting, an artist she takes inspiration from. Artist Bio Amy Florence is a London born artist working out of her st...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Art

Materials

Oil, Panel, Wood Panel, Board

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.

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