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Genre Prints

Genre scenes and prints of such scenes are representations of specific topics from everyday life. Examples of genres are street scenes, social gatherings, or representations of domesticity and interior life, and are typically sentimental and meant to convey a narrative.

Genre prints were popular during the Dutch and Flemish Baroque periods. Artists would create a scene, such as townspeople recreating on a winter day, and include an overarching message embedded within different areas of the painting.

The term "genre prints" can also refer to the hierarchy of genres, which was generally accepted and academically enforced, especially in France, between the high Renaissance and the mid-19th century. Historical, religious, and mythological narratives were considered to be of primary importance, followed by portraits, genre scenes of everyday life, landscapes, animal prints, and still life.


Quick Facts

  • The work of Norman Rockwell is often considered modern genre painting and prints
  • Genre scenes are often romanticized or imagined by the artist as a way to suggest a moral lesson of how people ought to live their lives, rather than a realistic rendering of how life is actually lived
  • Japanese ukiyo-e prints are widely considered to have influenced the genre paintings and prints of European and American Impressionists

Recommended Items at Auction

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Thomas Kinkade "Holiday Gathering" Signed & Numbered Lithograph
Jun 14, 10:00 AM MST
Thomas Kinkade "Holiday Gathering" Signed & Numbered Lithograph
by EJ'S Auction & Appraisal
Est: $0- $0
$608 Bids
Leroy Neiman - "21 Club Bar"
Jun 28, 10:00 AM EDT
Leroy Neiman - "21 Club Bar"
by Bruce Teleky Inc.
Est: $70- $80
$1107 Bids
Stevan Dohanos "Model T Traffic" Signed & Numbered Print
Jun 14, 10:00 AM MST
Stevan Dohanos "Model T Traffic" Signed & Numbered Print
by EJ'S Auction & Appraisal
Est: $0- $0
$356 Bids
Francisco Goya (1746-1828) Spanish (two)
Jun 24, 11:00 AM PDT
Francisco Goya (1746-1828) Spanish (two)
by Clark's Fine Art & Auctioneers Inc.
Est: $100- $300
$1205 Bids
Eduard Wiiralt (Estonian 1898-1954), "The Birth of Wood Engraving", 1936, woodcut
Jun 18, 12:00 PM EDT
Eduard Wiiralt (Estonian 1898-1954), "The Birth of Wood Engraving", 1936, woodcut
by South Bay Auctions Inc
Est: $200- $400
$2004 Bids
After Federico Barocci "La Madonna" Engraving
Jun 14, 10:00 AM MST
After Federico Barocci "La Madonna" Engraving
by EJ'S Auction & Appraisal
Est: $0- $0
$304 Bids
Mary Cassatt - 'Looking Into The Hand Mirror'
Jun 19, 10:00 AM EDT
Mary Cassatt - 'Looking Into The Hand Mirror'
by New England Auctions
Est: $800- $1,500
$1503 Bids
Gene Kloss, The Visitor's Tale, 1971
Jun 18, 9:30 AM MDT
Gene Kloss, The Visitor's Tale, 1971
by Santa Fe Art Auction
Est: $20- $999
$803 Bids
Rockwell Kent (1882-1971), "Hail and Farewell," 1930
Jun 17, 12:00 PM PDT
Rockwell Kent (1882-1971), "Hail and Farewell," 1930
by John Moran Auctioneers
Est: $2,000- $3,000
$1,4003 Bids
After Edouard D. " Prodigal Son" Engraving Print
Jun 14, 10:00 AM MST
After Edouard D. " Prodigal Son" Engraving Print
by EJ'S Auction & Appraisal
Est: $0- $0
$203 Bids
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(TROMSØE) – PAUL GAIMARD: Hand-coloured lithograph, framed. Paris, 1842-56.
Jun 14, 11:00 AM CEST
(TROMSØE) – PAUL GAIMARD: Hand-coloured lithograph, framed. Paris, 1842-56.
by SD | Auctions
Est: 2,000 kr- 4,000 kr
1,400 kr3 Bids
Reginald Russom, Australia (1887-1952), The Drover, Etching
Jun 16, 6:00 PM AEST
Reginald Russom, Australia (1887-1952), The Drover, Etching
by Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers
Est: AUD40- AUD60
AUD303 Bids
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REMBRANDT ETCHINGS LOT OF TWO
Jun 21, 1:00 PM EDT
REMBRANDT ETCHINGS LOT OF TWO
by Manor Auctions
Est: $400- $800
$3253 Bids
Edward Percy Moran, USA (1862-1935), The Afternoon Stroll, Colour lithograph
Jun 16, 6:00 PM AEST
Edward Percy Moran, USA (1862-1935), The Afternoon Stroll, Colour lithograph
by Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers
Est: AUD40- AUD60
AUD252 Bids
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Chang and Eng - Siamese Twins
Jun 21, 11:00 AM EDT
Chang and Eng - Siamese Twins
by Freedom Auction Company
Est: $100- $200
$502 Bids
Norman Rockwell (American, 1894 - 1978) "She’s My Baby" Stone Lithograph
Jun 17, 11:00 AM EDT
Norman Rockwell (American, 1894 - 1978) "She’s My Baby" Stone Lithograph
by Akiba Galleries
Est: $100- $1,000
$502 Bids
PIERRE AUGUSTE RENOIR (FRANCE, 1841-1919)
Jun 27, 11:00 AM EDT
PIERRE AUGUSTE RENOIR (FRANCE, 1841-1919)
by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
Est: $300- $400
$502 Bids
ZUBER SCENIC AMERICA BLOCK PRINTED WALLPAPER MURAL IN NINE LENGTHS
Jun 21, 9:00 AM CDT
ZUBER SCENIC AMERICA BLOCK PRINTED WALLPAPER MURAL IN NINE LENGTHS
by Austin Auction Gallery
Est: $3,000- $5,000
$1,6002 Bids

Sellers Who Sell Genre Prints


Robinhood Auctions

Robinhood Auctions

KCM Galleries

KCM Galleries

Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen

Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen