Skip to main content

Realist Portrait Prints

REALIST STYLE

Realist art attempts to portray its subject matter without artifice. Similar to naturalism, authentic realist paintings and prints see an integration of true-to-life colors, meticulous detail and linear perspectives for accurate portrayals of the world. 

Work that involves illusionistic techniques of realism dates back to the classical world, such as the deceptive trompe l’oeil used since ancient Greece. Art like this became especially popular in the 17th century when Dutch artists like Evert Collier painted objects that appeared real enough to touch. Realism as an artistic movement, however, usually refers to 19th-century French realist artists such as Honoré Daumier exploring social and political issues in biting lithographic prints, while the likes of Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet painting people — particularly the working class — with all their imperfections, navigating everyday urban life. This was a response to the dominant academic art tradition that favored grand paintings of myth and history. 

By the turn of the 20th century, European artists, such as the Pre-Raphaelites, were experimenting with nearly photographic realism in their work, as seen in the attention to every botanical attribute of the flowers surrounding the drowned Ophelia painted by English artist John Everett Millais.

Although abstraction was the guiding style of 20th-century art, the realism trend in American modern art endured in Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth and other artists’ depictions of the complexities of the human experience. In the late 1960s, Photorealism emerged with artists like Chuck Close and Richard Estes giving their paintings the precision of a frame of film.

Contemporary artists such as Jordan Casteel, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Aliza Nisenbaum are now using the unvarnished realist approach for honest representations of people and their worlds. Alongside traditional mediums, technology such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and immersive installations are helping artists create new sensations of realism in art.

​​Find authentic realist paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.

to
24
28
32
51
15
6
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
2,216
2,110
874
376
329
228
176
162
153
146
106
23
15
13
31
7
4
4
4
6
13
92
26
1
3
1
5
51
17
1
6
112
19
1
112
57
56
53
50
44
21
14
11
9
5
5
5
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
80
21
21
9
9
15
12
122
14
Style: Realist
Homeless. 19th Century Etching
Homeless. 19th Century Etching

Charles-Jean-Louis CourtryHomeless. 19th Century Etching

$438

Homeless. 19th Century Etching

By Charles-Jean-Louis Courtry

Located in Brecon, Powys

A very poignant depiction. A H Marsh is one of the English artists who devoted themselves to the representation of pathetic subjects. The gravity of this painter's idea is always to ...

Category

Late 19th Century Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Etching

Selfportrait - Original lithograph - Mourlot 1982
Selfportrait - Original lithograph - Mourlot 1982

Bernard BuffetSelfportrait - Original lithograph - Mourlot 1982, 1982

$235

Selfportrait - Original lithograph - Mourlot 1982

By Bernard Buffet

Located in Paris, IDF

Bernard BUFFET Selfportrait , 1982 Original lithograph in colors (Mourlot workshop) Printed signature in the plate On paper 66 x 52 cm (c. 26 x 21 inch) REFRENCES : Catalogue raiso...

Category

1980s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

RIOT POLICE Hand Pulled Lithograph, Black and White Street Scene Law Enforcement
RIOT POLICE Hand Pulled Lithograph, Black and White Street Scene Law Enforcement

RIOT POLICE Hand Pulled Lithograph, Black and White Street Scene Law Enforcement, c.1973

$329Sale Price|30% Off

RIOT POLICE Hand Pulled Lithograph, Black and White Street Scene Law Enforcement

Located in Union City, NJ

RIOT POLICE - artist unknown Print Size - 23 x 30 inches, full bleed image, no margins, unframed, unsigned proof, excellent condition Year - c. 1973 RIOT POLICE is an original hand ...

Category

1970s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

CIGAR Champion Horse Portrait 1997 Signed Lithograph, Equestrian, Horse Racing
CIGAR Champion Horse Portrait 1997 Signed Lithograph, Equestrian, Horse Racing

Jenness CortezCIGAR Champion Horse Portrait 1997 Signed Lithograph, Equestrian, Horse Racing, 1997

$525

CIGAR Champion Horse Portrait 1997 Signed Lithograph, Equestrian, Horse Racing

By Jenness Cortez

Located in Union City, NJ

CIGAR - Champion Horse Portrait 1997 by the contemporary woman artist and distinguished realist painter Jenness Cortez, is an original hand drawn limited edition lithograph printed using hand lithography techniques on archival paper 100% acid free. CIGAR is a lifelike, realistic equine portrait depicting the superstar thoroughbred racehorse Cigar, who was two-time Horse of the Year winner, a member of the National Racing Hall of Fame, and arguably the greatest racehorse of the 1990s. CIGAR, a visually impressive handmade lithograph, displays an appealing neutral color palette in shades of warm copper brown, grays, and charcoal black on a light slate blue background. Print size - 29.5" x 25", unframed, excellent condition, pencil signed by Jenness Cortez Image Size - 26" x 21" Edition size - 250, plus proofs Year - 1997 Printer - JK Fine Art Editions Co., NJ High quality hand drawn lithograph, classic equine portrait, sporting art print pencil signed by Ms. Cortez on lower margin, First-rate hand crafted print, not a commercially mass photo reproduced poster or digital reproduction. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Jenness Cortez is a mid-career artist with astonishing talent. Born 1944 in Indiana, Jenness Cortez began her formal art studies at the age of sixteen under the guidance of noted Dutch painter, Antonius Raemaekers...

Category

1990s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Al Pacino The Godfather Lithograph Print, Signed, 20th Century
Al Pacino The Godfather Lithograph Print, Signed, 20th Century

Al Pacino The Godfather Lithograph Print, Signed, 20th Century

$160Sale Price|20% Off

Al Pacino The Godfather Lithograph Print, Signed, 20th Century

Located in Chesterfield, MI

Signed by the artist, this painting of Al Pacino from the film The Godfather is a great conversation piece for any "man cave". It is a lithograph signed by the artist. Framing optio...

Category

Late 20th Century Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

YOUNG WOMAN BRAIDED HAIR Signed Stone Lithograph Realist Female Portrait Drawing
YOUNG WOMAN BRAIDED HAIR Signed Stone Lithograph Realist Female Portrait Drawing

Raphael SoyerYOUNG WOMAN BRAIDED HAIR Signed Stone Lithograph Realist Female Portrait Drawing, 1976

$570Sale Price|25% Off

YOUNG WOMAN BRAIDED HAIR Signed Stone Lithograph Realist Female Portrait Drawing

By Raphael Soyer

Located in Union City, NJ

YOUNG WOMAN BRAIDED HAIR is an original, hand drawn stone lithograph (not digitally or photo reproduced) limited edition print by the artist Raphael Soyer - Russian/American Social Realism Painter, 1899-1987. Printed in NYC 1976 by master printer Joseph Kleineman from a hand drawn lithography stone using traditional hand lithography techniques on archival Arches printmaking paper 100% acid-free rag. YOUNG WOMAN BRAIDED HAIR portrays a sensitive, realist female portrait drawing depicting a moody girl with dark braided hair wearing a notch neck blouse; her facial expression appearing serious and contemplative as she looks slightly downward. Fine impression - has the feel of a graphite drawing. Print size - 18 x 14 inches, unframed, very good condition, hand signed in pencil by Raphael Soyer, from the master printers private collection. Year published - 1977 Edition size - 150, plus proofs Printer - J K Fine Art Editions Co. NY Raphael Soyer was a Russian-born painter. He was the twin to the artist Moses Soyer (1899-1974) and the older brother of the painter Isaac Soyer...

Category

1970s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

BRUSSEL-SMITH SELF PORTRAIT Hand Drawn Stone Lithograph 1978, Realist Drawing
BRUSSEL-SMITH SELF PORTRAIT Hand Drawn Stone Lithograph 1978, Realist Drawing

Bernard Brussel-SmithBRUSSEL-SMITH SELF PORTRAIT Hand Drawn Stone Lithograph 1978, Realist Drawing, 1978

$292Sale Price|35% Off

BRUSSEL-SMITH SELF PORTRAIT Hand Drawn Stone Lithograph 1978, Realist Drawing

By Bernard Brussel-Smith

Located in Union City, NJ

BRUSSEL-SMITH SELF PORTRAIT is an original hand drawn stone lithograph by the American artist Bernard Brussel-Smith, hand printed by Master printer Joseph Kleineman, JK Fine Art Edit...

Category

1970s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Keith Richards
Keith Richards

George UnderwoodKeith Richards, 2026

$1,400

Keith Richards

By George Underwood

Located in Southampton, NY

In continuing with representing fine artists that are connected to the music industry we are please to announce that we are the only gallery in the United States representing the wor...

Category

2010s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Archival Pigment

General Wilhelm von Blume - Visionary retrospective -
General Wilhelm von Blume - Visionary retrospective -

Bernhard PankokGeneral Wilhelm von Blume - Visionary retrospective -, 1915

$565

General Wilhelm von Blume - Visionary retrospective -

Located in Berlin, DE

Bernhard Pankok (1872 Münster - 1943 Baierbrunn), General Wilhelm von Blume, 1915, aquatint etching, 34 x 29.5 cm (sheet size), 26 x 22 cm (plate size), signed in the plate at upper left, in pencil at lower right and dated in pencil at lower left. - At lower left old collection stamp, at the right broad margin with a small spot, otherwise very good condition. About the artwork The 1915 aquatint etching of General Wilhelm von Blume is based on a 1912 oil painting in the LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur in Münster. A second oil portrait of the general by Pankok is in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. When Pankok painted the first oil portrait in 1912, the general had already been retired for 16 years. It is therefore a retrospective portrait. Accordingly, the orientation of his head is such that he is looking back in both the oil painting and the etching. Without fixing on anything in particular, he looks thoughtfully inwards and reflects on his life. Uniformed and highly endowed, it is his military activities in particular that he is reviewing attentively and, as his gaze reveals, quite critically. Pankok has literally written the sum of his experiences on Wilhelm von Blume's face: The physiognomy is a veritable landscape of folds, furrows, ridges and gullies, all the more striking against the flat background. It is clear that each of the medals was also won through suffering. However, by breaking the boundaries of the picture, his bust appears as an unshakable massif, which gives the general a stoic quality. The fact that the design of the portrait was important to Pankok can be seen from the different versions, the present sheet being the third and probably final revision, which Pankok dates precisely to 18 February 1915. Compared with the previous state, the light background now has a dark area against which the sitter's face stands out, the dark background in turn combining with the uniform to create a new tension in the picture. Pankok's taking up of the portrait of the high-ranking military veteran and its graphic reproduction can also be seen in relation to the First World War, which had broken out in the meantime. In the face of modern weapons of mass destruction, Wilhelm von Blume's warfare and military writings were relics of a bygone, more value-oriented era. About the artist After studying at the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1889 to 1891 under Heinrich Lauenstein, Adolf Schill, Hugo Crola, and Peter Janssen the Elder, Bernhard Pankok went to Munich in 1892, where he worked primarily as a graphic artist for the two major Jugendstil magazines "Pan" and "Jugend," which established his artistic success. Through this work he met Emil Orlik, with whom he had a lifelong friendship. In 1897, he exhibited his first furniture, and in 1898, together with Richard Riemerschmid, Bruno Paul and Hermann Obrist...

Category

1910s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Etching

Bowie The Man Who Feel To Earth FRAMED
Bowie The Man Who Feel To Earth FRAMED

George UnderwoodBowie The Man Who Feel To Earth FRAMED, 2026

$1,500

Bowie The Man Who Feel To Earth FRAMED

By George Underwood

Located in Southampton, NY

In continuing with representing fine artists that are connected to the music industry we are please to announce that we are the only gallery in the United States representing the wor...

Category

2010s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Archival Pigment

Self / - Inversion -
Self / - Inversion -

Kurt MühlenhauptSelf / - Inversion -

$329

Self / - Inversion -

Located in Berlin, DE

Kurt Mühlenhaupt (1921 Klein Ziescht - 2006 Berlin), Myself, c. 1975. Woodcut, 32 cm x 29 cm (image), 36.5 cm x 32.5 cm (sheet size), signed in pencil lower right and titled “Selbst....

Category

1970s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Paper

Thoughtful Woman - Etching from Louvre Museum
Thoughtful Woman - Etching from Louvre Museum

Louis ValtatThoughtful Woman - Etching from Louvre Museum

$353

Thoughtful Woman - Etching from Louvre Museum

By Louis Valtat

Located in Paris, IDF

Louis VALTAT Thoughtful Woman Etching Signed with the artist's monogram in the plate On vellum 38 x 28.5 cm (c. 14.97 x 11.23 inch) INFORMATION : Published by the Chalcographie du ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Etching

Balaclava - The target in sight -
Balaclava - The target in sight -

Heinrich HaberlBalaclava - The target in sight -, c. 1900

$246

Balaclava - The target in sight -

Located in Berlin, DE

Heinrich Haberl (1869 Passau to 1934 Munich), Sturmhaube, c. 1900. drypoint, 14 x 10 cm (platemark), 28 x 21 cm (sheet size), 39 x 29 cm (passe-partout), titled "Sturmhaube" in lead at lower left and inscribed "Kaltnadelradierung", signed and locally inscribed "Heinrich Haberl Mchn. [Munich]" at lower right, inscribed again in lead on verso and with old collection stamp. - slightly darkened, fixed and mounted - The target in sight - About the artwork The theatrical "role-portrait" is to be seen against the background of the Rembrandt cult, which reached its climax at the end of the 19th century. The soldier seems to have stepped straight out of Rembrandt's Night Watch (1642) to fix something outside the picture with an alert and ready gaze. The steeply rising brim of the morion frames the gaze and thus perspectivises it as the actual 'pictorial action'. The gaze represents both the vigilant defence and the visionary goal of the battle. Not only the subject, but also the style of the etching needle reflect Rembrandt's understanding of the times. Strong contrasts of light and dark are created in a virtuoso free stroke, without losing the effect of the reflections on the helmet and in the eyes. This shows a kinship with the early prints of Lovis Corinth, who also saw himself as an artist in the role of the knight. Against this background, Haberl's picture can also be seen as a representation of his artistic self-image. About the artist Heinrich Haberl first attended the art school in Nuremberg and from 1892 studied at the Munich Academy. There he was a master student of Johann Leonhard von Raab, Rudolf von Seitz, Franz von Defregger...

Category

Early 19th Century Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Etching

SOUVENIRS Original Stone Lithograph, Symbolist Portrait, 1970s Print
SOUVENIRS Original Stone Lithograph, Symbolist Portrait, 1970s Print

SOUVENIRS Original Stone Lithograph, Symbolist Portrait, 1970s Print, c.1970

$350Sale Price|41% Off

SOUVENIRS Original Stone Lithograph, Symbolist Portrait, 1970s Print

Located in Union City, NJ

SOUVENIRS is an original, hand drawn stone lithograph by the French artist Andrée Bordeaux Le Pecq(1910-1973) printed using hand lithography techniques on archival printmaking paper ...

Category

1970s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

The Book (AP Edition XX/XXV)
The Book (AP Edition XX/XXV)

Shelly FinkThe Book (AP Edition XX/XXV), 1968

$450

The Book (AP Edition XX/XXV)

By Shelly Fink

Located in New York, NY

Shelly (Sheldon) Fink (American, 1925-2002), "The Book" Artist Proof Ed. XX/XXV, Figurative/Portrait Lithograph signed on Paper, 15.88 x 10.88, Late 20th Century, 1968 Color: Wine Red Sheldon Fink was born in 1925 in Brooklyn, NY. He attended the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan, and won Tiffany Foundation grants in 1957 and 1963. Shelly's work has appeared at the Albany Art Institute, the Berkshire Art...

Category

1960s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Young Woman With Long Hair, Signed Lithograph, Girl Braiding Her Hair Blue Skirt
Young Woman With Long Hair, Signed Lithograph, Girl Braiding Her Hair Blue Skirt

Raphael SoyerYoung Woman With Long Hair, Signed Lithograph, Girl Braiding Her Hair Blue Skirt, 1979

$480

Young Woman With Long Hair, Signed Lithograph, Girl Braiding Her Hair Blue Skirt

By Raphael Soyer

Located in Union City, NJ

Young Woman With Long Hair is an original hand drawn (not digitally or photo reproduced) limited edition lithograph by the artist Raphael Soyer - Russian/American Social Realism Painter, 1899-1987. Printed at JK Fine Art Editions Co. using traditional hand lithography techniques on archival Arches printmaking paper 100% acid-free rag. Young Woman With Long Hair is a sensitive, realistically drawn portrait of a dark brown haired young woman wearing a white short sleeved blouse...

Category

1970s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Similitudes

Jean-Louis ForainSimilitudes, 1880

$225

Similitudes

By Jean-Louis Forain

Located in New York, NY

Jean- Louis Forain (1852-1931), Similitudes, etching and drypoint, not signed [signed in the plate upper right], 1880, from the total edition of 545, on wove paper, in generally good...

Category

1880s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Drypoint

James McBey

Gerald Leslie BrockhurstJames McBey, 1931

$2,300

James McBey

By Gerald Leslie Brockhurst

Located in New York, NY

Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (1890-1978), James McBey, etching, 1931, signed in pencil lower right [also signed in the plate, in reverse, lower right just under the borderline, and title...

Category

1930s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Etching

"Girl With Flowers, " Lithograph signed by an unknown artist (WJR)
"Girl With Flowers, " Lithograph signed by an unknown artist (WJR)

"Girl With Flowers, " Lithograph signed by an unknown artist (WJR), 1924

$1,300

"Girl With Flowers, " Lithograph signed by an unknown artist (WJR)

Located in Milwaukee, WI

"Girl With Flowers" is a lithograph printed in brown, signed and dated in stone upper left WJR. It depicts the head of a girl with short hair surrounded by floating flowers. 14.5" ...

Category

1920s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Buffalo Bill 1899 Original Battle of San Juan Hill 1 sheet of a 24 sheet poster
Buffalo Bill 1899 Original Battle of San Juan Hill 1 sheet of a 24 sheet poster

Buffalo Bill 1899 Original Battle of San Juan Hill 1 sheet of a 24 sheet poster, 1899

$3,500

Buffalo Bill 1899 Original Battle of San Juan Hill 1 sheet of a 24 sheet poster

Located in Southampton, NY

This rare original lithograph print is from 1899. It is one sheet of a huge 24 sheet poster that was created in 1899 to announce Buffalo Bills Wild West. The size of the complete 24 sheet poster would have been approx. 10 feet tall by 20 feet wide and would have been posted on barns and buildings in 1899 to promote Buffalo Bills Wild West before it would come to towns. This 1 sheet of the 24 sheet lithograph is in such good condition because it was found in the Lithographers draws of the print shop that created the poster. It is black and white because it was a proof that was used to create the final layout of the color poster. It indicates on the image that it is No. 2 Buffalo Bill San Juan Hill 1899, so it would have been the 2nd poster down on the left side of the large total image comprised of 24 separate sheets all unique to create the full image. You can see the two black printed lines on the left side indicate where the edge of the poster would have been. We have never seen a complete image of this rare 1899 poster. When we first acquired this rare proof over 20 years ago, we contacted the The Ringling Museum in Florida that houses a large Buffalo Bill poster...

Category

1890s Realist Portrait Prints

Materials

Paper, Ink, Lithograph

Realist portrait prints for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Realist portrait prints 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 portrait prints created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of pink, orange, yellow and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Raphael Soyer, Carole Feuerman, Ronald Brooks Kitaj, and (after) David Hockney. Frequently made by artists working with Lithograph, and Etching and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Realist portrait prints, so small editions measuring 3.75 inches across are also available. Prices for portrait prints 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 $125 and tops out at $14,500, while the average work sells for $809.

More Ways To Browse

Malaya Vintage Poster
Malaysian Painting
Man Ray Juliet
Marc Chapaud
Marc Hanson
Marc Maison
Marcel Arnaud
Marine Paintings New England
Maritime Antiques
Mark Clark Artist
Mark Knudsen
Mark Storm Painting
Marko Mavrovich
Martin Gale
Martin Sylvester
Mary Shaw
Mary Vincent
Maryland Oil Painting
View All Popular Portrait Prints Searches