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Figural Drawings

Figural drawing includes any composition created with traditional drawing media featuring recognizable figures. This type of art corresponds to the oldest mode of artistic expression, hearkening back to the depiction of humans, flora, and fauna rendered on the walls of caves.

Figural drawing may best be understood as the antithesis of abstract drawing. While abstract drawing seeks to represent interior, cosmic, or ethereal realities through forms that often bear no resemblance to anything tangible, figural drawing features recognizable images.

Notable figural drawings from famous artists are often highly competitive at auction. As an art form, figural drawing continues to flourish today with artists such as Mark Tansey and Elizabeth Peyton reinventing this timeless tradition within the context of contemporary art.


Quick Facts

  • The caves of Lascaux are one of the earliest examples of figural drawing. These drawings etched on caves in the Dordogne region include more than 900 images of humans, cattle, and other animal life from this period
  • A figural drawing relates to any work that centers around the human body whether clothed or nude
  • The tradition of drawing the human body appears as a predominant aspect of virtually every culture’s artistic legacy. Many of the most famous works of art, such as "Venus of Orbino" by Titian, depict the nude female body

Recommended Items at Auction

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FRANÇOIS MILLET (1851 - 1917) Une Glaneuse assise.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
FRANÇOIS MILLET (1851 - 1917) Une Glaneuse assise.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $1,500- $2,500
$1,1000 Bids
JEAN-LÉON GÉRÔME (1824 - 1904) Study for "Promenade de la Cour dans les jardins de Versailles".
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
JEAN-LÉON GÉRÔME (1824 - 1904) Study for "Promenade de la Cour dans les jardins de Versailles".
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $1,500- $2,500
$1,1000 Bids
EDWARD HOPPER (1882 - 1967) Sheet of Studies with Men in Hats and a Saloon Keeper.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
EDWARD HOPPER (1882 - 1967) Sheet of Studies with Men in Hats and a Saloon Keeper.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $4,000- $6,000
$3,0000 Bids
EDWARD HOPPER (1882 - 1967) Standing Man in Khakis, Sketching.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
EDWARD HOPPER (1882 - 1967) Standing Man in Khakis, Sketching.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $3,000- $5,000
$2,2000 Bids
EDWARD HOPPER (1882 - 1967) A Russian Lancer.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
EDWARD HOPPER (1882 - 1967) A Russian Lancer.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $3,000- $5,000
$2,2000 Bids
ROBERT HENRI (1865 - 1929) Woman with Grimace.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
ROBERT HENRI (1865 - 1929) Woman with Grimace.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $1,000- $1,500
$7500 Bids
PEGGY BACON (1895 - 1987) Girl Lacing her Shoe.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
PEGGY BACON (1895 - 1987) Girl Lacing her Shoe.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $1,000- $1,500
$7500 Bids
ROCKWELL KENT (1882 - 1971) Newfoundland: Study for House of Dread.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
ROCKWELL KENT (1882 - 1971) Newfoundland: Study for House of Dread.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $1,500- $2,500
$1,1000 Bids
MARGARET LOWENGRUND (1902 - 1957) Father and Daughter.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
MARGARET LOWENGRUND (1902 - 1957) Father and Daughter.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $1,500- $2,500
$1,1000 Bids
REGINALD MARSH (1898 - 1954) W.C. Fields and Carol Dempster in "Sally of the Sawdust."
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
REGINALD MARSH (1898 - 1954) W.C. Fields and Carol Dempster in "Sally of the Sawdust."
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $5,000- $8,000
$3,6000 Bids
DIEGO RIVERA (1886 - 1957) Estudio de un hombre.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
DIEGO RIVERA (1886 - 1957) Estudio de un hombre.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $3,000- $5,000
$2,2000 Bids
WIFREDO LAM (1902 - 1982) Sans titre (Portrait).
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
WIFREDO LAM (1902 - 1982) Sans titre (Portrait).
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $12,000- $18,000
$9,0000 Bids
JULES PASCIN (1885 - 1930) Scene de Plage.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
JULES PASCIN (1885 - 1930) Scene de Plage.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $3,000- $5,000
$2,2000 Bids
GEORGE GROSZ (1893 - 1959) Streikende Arbeiter und Schutzmann.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
GEORGE GROSZ (1893 - 1959) Streikende Arbeiter und Schutzmann.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $6,000- $8,000
$4,4000 Bids
FRANCISCO ZÚÑIGA (1912 - 1998) Mujer sentada.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
FRANCISCO ZÚÑIGA (1912 - 1998) Mujer sentada.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $2,500- $3,500
$1,8000 Bids
WILL BARNET (1911 - 2012) Jeannette and Eva (Two Sisters).
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
WILL BARNET (1911 - 2012) Jeannette and Eva (Two Sisters).
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $1,000- $1,500
$7500 Bids
WILL BARNET (1911 - 2012) Study for "Youth."
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
WILL BARNET (1911 - 2012) Study for "Youth."
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $2,000- $3,000
$1,5000 Bids
WILL BARNET (1911 - 2012) Study for "Summer (The Swing)."
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
WILL BARNET (1911 - 2012) Study for "Summer (The Swing)."
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $4,000- $6,000
$3,0000 Bids
Jerome Myers, Pencil (Untitled)
Apr 02, 1:00 PM EDT
Jerome Myers, Pencil (Untitled)
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $200- $300
$500 Bids

Sellers Who Sell Figural Drawings


Swann Auction Galleries

Swann Auction Galleries

Asté Maison de ventes

Asté Maison de ventes

Eldred's

Eldred's