Portrait Painting for Sale
Save your search and find it in your favorites
Save your search to find it quickly
Saved search
Your search is accessible from the favorites tab > My favorite searches
Unsaved search
A problem occurred
La femme au coucher du soleil
Eveline Weil
Painting - 46 x 38 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 0.8 inch
$951
One Dozen Dreams (Framed)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 38.1 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 15 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
In Every Dream Home a Heartache (Framed)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 38.1 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 15 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
A Better Life or Your Money Back (Framed)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 38.1 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 15 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
Don't Forget to Breathe Again (Framed)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 38.1 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 15 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
Correct Focus (Framed)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 76.2 x 55.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 30 x 22 x 0.1 inch
$2,000
Dreams and Telepathy (Framed)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 76.2 x 55.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 30 x 22 x 0.1 inch
$2,000
1000 Miligrams (Framed)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 66 x 45.7 x 0.3 cm Painting - 26 x 18 x 0.1 inch
$2,000
Close Before Striking I
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$980
Close Before Striking II
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$980
Close Before Striking III
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$980
Close Before Striking IV
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$980
Close Before Striking V
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$980
Close Before Striking VI
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$980
Close Before Striking VII
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$980
Close Before Striking VIII
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$980
Close Before Striking IX
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 50.8 x 40.6 x 0.3 cm Painting - 20 x 16 x 0.1 inch
$980
Untitled, Mix media
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 61 x 45.5 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 17.91 x 1 inch
$2,000
Untitled, mix media
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 61 x 45.5 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 17.91 x 1 inch
$2,000
Untitled, mix media
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 61 x 45.5 x 2.5 cm Painting - 24 x 17.91 x 1 inch
$2,000
Soñar Que Tiene Las Manos Muy Grandes (Framed)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 38.1 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 15 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
She Knew She Would Not Be The Same (Framed)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 38.1 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 15 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
He Always Fancied Himself as a Ladies Man (Framed)
Roberto Fonfria
Painting - 38.1 x 27.9 x 0.3 cm Painting - 15 x 11 x 0.1 inch
$1,500
Illusion of Freedom #4
Guy Ghazanchyan
Painting - 140 x 120 x 1 cm Painting - 55.1 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch
$3,915
Écorce, portrait I
Yoann Merienne
Painting - 200 x 150 x 3 cm Painting - 78.7 x 59.1 x 1.2 inch
$15,658
Lady with a hand fan
Anatoly Metlan
Painting - 60 x 40 x 2.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 15.7 x 1 inch
$4,800
Uncle Josh
Akinboye Akinola Peter
Painting - 95 x 85.9 x 2.5 cm Painting - 37.4 x 33.8 x 1 inch
$2,500
Petrified, Melancholy serie
Olha Vlasova
Painting - 40 x 30 x 1.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.6 inch
$559
Raconte moi toutes tes histoires, en ramassant du bois flotté
Jéko
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch
$2,908
St. George
José Ignacio Suarez Solis
Painting - 129.8 x 140 x 0.3 cm Painting - 51.1 x 55.1 x 0.1 inch
$3,640
Orí tamoyo tocando música de luz
José Ignacio Suarez Solis
Painting - 119.9 x 179.8 x 0.3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 70.8 x 0.1 inch
$4,320
Orí guerreiro tamoyo
José Ignacio Suarez Solis
Painting - 110 x 179.8 x 0.3 cm Painting - 43.3 x 70.8 x 0.1 inch
$3,960
Orí guerreiro daniel na cova dos leões
José Ignacio Suarez Solis
Painting - 119.9 x 179.8 x 0.3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 70.8 x 0.1 inch
$4,320
L'accordéoniste
Anouk Tisserand
Painting - 121 x 80.5 x 2 cm Painting - 47.6 x 31.7 x 0.8 inch
$1,342
Il a neigé sur ma vie - série silhouette humaine
Maryline Rigaut
Painting - 20 x 20 x 4 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch
$196
Une page qui se tourne - série silhouette humaine
Maryline Rigaut
Painting - 20 x 20 x 4 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch
$196
Le ciel est bleu partout - série silhouette humaine
Maryline Rigaut
Painting - 20 x 20 x 4 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch
$196
Il fait sombre quand on est seul - série silhouette humaine
Maryline Rigaut
Painting - 20 x 20 x 4 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch
$196
La nuit tombe sur la garrigue
Jéko
Painting - 100 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch
$2,908
Jeune fille aux papillons
Serge Kalinowski
Painting - 41 x 33 x 3 cm Painting - 16.1 x 13 x 1.2 inch
$816
Elegante à bicyclette
Martine Grégoire
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
$783
Inspiration Klimt
Carine Ricard
Painting - 100 x 50 x 1.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 19.7 x 0.6 inch
$1,555
Rêverie printanière
Serge Kalinowski
Painting - 41 x 33 x 5 cm Painting - 16.1 x 13 x 2 inch
$816 $735
Le guerrier
Robert Koumassadouno
Painting - 120 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch
$1,845
Jumelles II
Cécile Duchêne-Malissin
Painting - 120 x 160 x 4 cm Painting - 47.2 x 63 x 1.6 inch
$5,794
La jeune fille d'Honfleur
Ladamenrouge
Painting - 70 x 60 x 5 cm Painting - 27.6 x 23.6 x 2 inch
$1,901
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Portrait Painting for Sale
Portraiture is one of the most important subjects in painting. The discipline has changed significantly over time and has a fascinating history.
In antiquity, portraits were exclusively reserved for gods and the most influential people in society. Paintings and statues representing the bodies of the deceased were erected to decorate tombs in Egypt. They weren't realistic but rather had a very standardized way of representing each part of the body.
In contrast to the Egyptians, painters and sculptors in Greece, who had a more in depth knowledge of the human anatomy, were more concerned about realism. Many portrait paintings from this period were done on vases and depicted gods and mythological scenes.
In the Middle Ages, most portraits paintings were commissioned and featuring the most important people of the time; they were painted into religious scenes to emphasize their piety and faith, along with their social status. Once these works of art had been painted, they were often donated to churches and monasteries.
The Renaissance marked a renewal for the arts and portrait painting was no exception. At the beginning of this period, artists were unconcerned about lifelike, realistic work. Sitters or the subjects represented were identifiable through the use of symbolic objects and the inclusion of their name.
Giotto revolutionized portraiture by imitating sculpture. He began to paint shadows, the subjects' expressions, effects of depth and began to use foreshortening. His knowledge soon began to spread.
Brunelleschi then introduced the idea of perspective in architecture, a concept which Masaccio adapted to painting. Italy became the center of portrait painting and the most important Italian families (including the Médici family) commissioned artwork by the best painters. Competition between these painters led them to innovate and led them to produce some of the greatest artworks in history. The most famous is undoubtedly the Mona Lisa by Leonardo de Vinci.
In Northern Europe during the 16th century, Flemish art was restricted by iconoclasm during the Reformation, a period during the depiction of religious figures was banned. Artists turned to courtly art which was particularly popular during the following centuries. A century earlier, Flemish art had marked a turning point with Jan Van Eyck, the inventor of oil painting (the preferred painting technique of Renaissance painters) and master of detailed realism, who influenced an entire generation of Flemish painters.
Over the following centuries, portrait painting continued to be an art form for the elite of society, but painters grew increasingly concerned about depicting realistic figures and communicating the sitter's inner world and emotions. The 20th century saw a growing trend: subjects were not painted to look beautiful (sometimes to their great dismay).
At the end of the 19th century, Impressionist painters became less reliant on sculpted models and sculpture's influence. They left their studios and painted portraits outside, “en plein air." They captured the light as they saw it and painted groups of people together rather than in in several stages.
Modern and contemporary art of the 20th century saw anything go when it came to portraits. Artists like Gustav Klimt, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin and Lucien Freud turned traditional techniques and codified rules on their heads and developed their own unique styles.
Discover portraits by Philippe Pasqua, Robert Combas, Guangyu Dai and Erró on Artsper.
A portrait painting is a painted artwork that depicts a person. A portrait painting usually depicts the upper body of a sitter, for example from the shoulders up.
A portrait can be created in various different art styles and forms, including sculpture, painting and drawing.
A portrait can be considered a good work of art for a variety of reasons, including its handling of light, tone and color, its likeness to the person it represents, or its expression of emotion.