Portrait Art For Sale

Discover our selection of portraiture for sale and available to rent online. Shop portraiture today and explore realistic portraiture, abstract portraiture and minimalist portraiture. Browse the collection of portrait art by international contemporary artists to see how one of the oldest artforms is interpreted within a modern environment.

Self-portraits

A self-portrait refers to an image created by an individual of themselves. Many artists use self-portraits to create abstract or symbolic depictions of themselves. Female artists such as Frida Kahlo and Jenny Saville have been prominent producers of self-portraits, using them as a way to reclaim ownership of the female body and its sexuality from traditional patriarchal ideas. Van Gogh used self-portraits to develop his painting techniques and skills, claiming that, if he could manage to create the colour of his own head, then he would able to paint anyone else.

Philip Tyler uses self-portraits to explore the public and private versions of himself. Big Head Strikes Again depicts Philip’s portrayal of himself from below, using patches of colour and defined brushwork to create a sense of immediacy.

Historical Portraiture

Historical portraiture refers to artworks that have been commissioned by individuals wanting to present a particular identity and consolidate their power, wealth and status through an artistic representation. Throughout history, monarchs and leaders have commissioned artists such as Francisco Goya and Hans Holbein to capture their place in history. This form of historical portraiture has continued for centuries, with modern artists such as Andy Warhol producing a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (1985). Through his distinct silkscreen print style, Warhol considered ideas of portraiture, consumerism and social hierarchy by presenting Her Majesty as a powerful iconic figure through his use of bold colours and repetition. In recent decades, historical portraiture has evolved from representing historical figures to representing the social history of ordinary people. Contemporary British artist Georgia Peskett paints singular figures in urban landscapes, such as Stop (2018). We love how Georgia has used line and colour to capture such a fleeting moment of modern life.

Celebrity Portraiture

Celebrity portraiture can be seen as an extension of historical portraiture. With the development of the media industry, celebrity figures, such as actors, models, musicians and sports players, increased with popularity. Photographers such as Cecil Beaton and David Bailey were among the first to engage with using portraiture photography to capture celebrity figures. In recent years, contemporary artists have used celebrity portraiture to further experiment with portraiture styles by incorporating photography, painting and drawing into their work. Martin Thompson is a British photographer who creates multi-media portraits of public figures such as Boy George, Frank Turner and Rita Ora. Thompson’s technique of overlaying photography with different drawings and paintwork allows him to add many layers of depth to his artwork.

Religious Portraiture

Portraiture of religious figures is viewed as one of the oldest forms of portraiture, dating back to the Ancient Greek sculptures of deities. During the Renaissance, figures such as Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary were presented in fresco murals, sculptures and paintings. Whist many religious portraits are not of a single figure, an artist’s ability to create personable forms such as Jesus Christ in Leonardo da Vinci’s mural painting The Last Supper (c. 1490) enables such work to be classified as portraiture. It is worth noting that portraiture in religious paintings is used to aid the religious narrative or meaning of the piece by creating visual human forms of religious figures.

Nude Portraiture

Nude portraiture has been a key form of portraiture since the creation of nude sculptures in Ancient Greece. The Nude refers to the representation of a person in the naked form and has been a subject to experiment and developed by artists across history. During the Renaissance, artists such as Titian focused on painting nude portraiture to capture the personal form, sensuality and erotica of Greek goddesses. In recent decades, artists, such as Lucien Freud, have represented nude portraiture in strikingly realistic paintings to transgress against idealisations of the body.

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    SAILOR MOON by MC Garbage

    SAILOR MOON

    Paintings - 100x100 cm
    Homme amphore by Marie-Astrid Grivet

    Homme amphore

    Paintings - 92x65 cm
    I'd Like to Thank.... by Brad Faine

    I'd Like to Thank....

    Prints - 108x86 cm
    Miss quinacridone by Charlie Bobo

    Miss quinacridone

    Paintings - 54x81 cm
    Mermaid in Ibiza I by Viet Ha Tran

    Mermaid in Ibiza I

    Photography - 105x158 cm
    Le masque blanc by Nathalie Lemaitre

    Le masque blanc

    Paintings - 40x40 cm
    Couple by Daredjane

    Couple

    Sculpture - 75x24 cm
    Seraphina by Michael James Talbot

    Seraphina

    Sculpture - 92x33 cm

    The dreamer

    Paintings - 66x100 cm

    Hommage à Canova

    Sculpture - 16x11 cm

    Sid in Bathtub

    Drawings - 101x206 cm

    AÌ‚me calme

    Paintings - 152x185 cm

    untitled (Hadiya)

    Paintings - 41x31 cmRent for $140 /mo

    Chispa

    Sculpture - 69x47 cm

    Die Freundinnen

    Prints - 59x56 cm

    Joe, President

    Prints - 50x50 cm

    In my arms

    Sculpture - 29x10 cm

    A Pawn in Your Game

    Paintings - 150x115 cmRent for $360 /mo

    Formica

    Photography - 90x60 cm

    Blondie

    Paintings - 100x100 cm

    Figura 5

    Paintings - 24x18 cm

    Internal Conformity 1

    Paintings - 70x100 cm

    Exhaled

    Paintings - 76x76 cmRent for $130 /mo

    "Wiener Walzer"

    Sculpture - 19x7 cm

    MODELLA IN POSA

    Paintings - 40x30 cm

    Pris

    Paintings - 100x100 cmRent for $295 /mo

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