Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.
Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Graphite
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil, Paper
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal
Late 19th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Plywood, Charcoal, Oil, Spray Paint
Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
1920s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal, Pencil
Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
1920s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pen
1950s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pen
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Paper
1960s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
Late 19th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal
Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
1940s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
India Ink, Paper, Pen
1960s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache, ABS
1960s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
1990s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
1990s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
1930s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
1920s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Graphite
1950s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Casein, Board, Pen
1960s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal, Pastel, Watercolor, Gouache
20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Charcoal
1960s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
1950s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Felt Pen
1950s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
1970s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal, Pencil
1960s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
1950s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ballpoint Pen
1990s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pen
20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal
1950s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
1940s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Late 19th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Pencil
Late 19th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
1980s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink
1990s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink