Skip to main content

Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

MODERN STYLE

The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.

Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.

The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.

Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.

Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.

17
to
33
190
115
80
92
174
135
4
177
69
38
24
5
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
4,669
1,626
243
117
90
88
40
21
16
15
15
11
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
3
280
29
2
6
20
14
28
37
46
22
1
9
8
8
6
6
175
150
132
88
45
Style: Modern
Composition I
Located in Kansas City, MO
"Composition I", 1984 (India) ink Signed and dated by hand Edition: Unique Size: 15.2 × 21.5 on 18.7 × 25.2 inches COA provided *Black Frame made from Composite Wood WITHOUT plex inc...
Category

1980s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

India Ink

Connecticut Summer Fragments
By Lee Hall
Located in New York, NY
Lee Hall (1934-), Connecticut Summer Fragments, a portfolio of watercolor, 29 in all, each about 5 ¼ x 7 ¼ inches, on hand made paper attached to a backing, i...
Category

1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Skyscrapers.
Located in Storrs, CT
Skyscrapers. c. 1950. Pastel. 29 3/4 x 19 7/8 (framed 37 x 27). Provenance: The New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut. Signed, lower right. Housed in a stunn...
Category

1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel

Spring: Iris and Tradescantia
By Pang Tseng-Ying
Located in Storrs, CT
Spring: Iris and Tradescantia. c. 1973. Watercolor on Japanese mulberry paper. 17 7/8 x 12 1/2. Signed 'Ying' and sealed. Housed in a green 20 x 16-inch green French mat and a 25 1/2...
Category

1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Glen Orchy.
Located in Storrs, CT
Glen Orchy. c. 1925. Watercolor, pencil and conte crayon on paper. 9 1/4 x 13 (sheet 10 3/8 x 13 1/4). Ex-collection L.G. Duke,purchased at Sotheby's, London '10.12.70'. Mat line; ot...
Category

20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Pencil

Landscape (Crawford Notch, New Hampshire)
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original watercolor painting by Westley "Wes" Olmsted. This work is currently featured in the exhibition Man of Extremes at Benjaman Gallery in Buffalo, NY. Westley G. Olmsted (1934-2011) was a painter and sculptor. He was born in Buffalo, New York, and was a distant relative Frederick Law Olmsted...
Category

1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Horse and Tree
Located in Buffalo, NY
You are viewing a modernist American watercolor painting by Robert Noel Blair Robert Noel Blair (American, 1912-2003) was an American artist, painter, sculptor, printmaker and te...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Archival Ink, Paper, Watercolor

Valley
Located in Buffalo, NY
Ellen Steinfeld is a sculptor, a painter and has worked in several different media. She graduated with a degree in painting and design from Carnegie Mellon University and earned a graduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She has received numerous large-scale public and private commissions including an 18’ steel sculpture for the atrium of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and a commission to design 16 large stained glass windows for Christ Church in Detroit. Works in various media have been selected and incorporated into public spaces including schools, hotels, hospitals, museums, airports, stadiums and corporate collections. Her work was selected to represent New York State for the Absolut...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Handmade Paper, Watercolor

Whirl
Located in Buffalo, NY
Ellen Steinfeld is a sculptor, a painter and has worked in several different media. She graduated with a degree in painting and design from Carnegie Mellon University and earned a graduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She has received numerous large-scale public and private commissions including an 18’ steel sculpture for the atrium of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and a commission to design 16 large stained glass windows for Christ Church in Detroit. Works in various media have been selected and incorporated into public spaces including schools, hotels, hospitals, museums, airports, stadiums and corporate collections. Her work was selected to represent New York State for the Absolut...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Handmade Paper, Watercolor

"Light Black Blur #2" Charcoal Cross-Hatch Drawing Canvas 1978 Monumental Piece
Located in Arp, TX
Jack Scott "Light Black Blur #2" 1978 Charcoal on unprimed canvas sprayed with custom fixative 177.25x83.25" unstretched Signed on reverse Installation: This piece is intended to be stretched and stapled to the wall without a frame. Excellent Condition - Minor wear consistent with age and history. This canvas is a testament to the artist's meticulous craftsmanship and creative vision. The intricate charcoal cross-hatch arches create a captivating play of light and shadow, each mark bearing the artist's hand. To enhance and preserve this piece, the artist has applied multiple layers of their custom-made a fixative. This carefully curated process not only protects the delicate charcoal work but also adds depth and texture to the piece. The result is a mesmerizing work of art that begs viewers to explore its intricate details and reveals new dimensions with each look. About the work: Working on large unstretched canvases, Jack Scott draws charcoal arcs in a freehand style. Through placement and density the arcs create patterns of light and dark, vibrating with a luminescence unanticipated by the rawness of the materials. In previous works the arcs coalesced into amorphous forms—romantic sensations suggesting clouds, smoke or fog. With his recent works Scott introduces a concrete graphic form, large bisecting arcs that are giant magnifications of the minutely rendered arcs. Environmental romanticism yields to a bolder sensibility, as these shapes bear relationship to configurations favored by Minimalists and hard-edge abstractionists. However, Scott’s web of soft, undulating arcs subverts the large-scale coolness of the primary form. In this sense the artist’s works remind one of Rothko, whose monumental forms were also conceived through a diffused or soft-edge development. The method of building up freehand forms is remarkable considering the massive scale favored by the artist. From this standpoint his drawing seems imbued with a medieval intensity, displaying a feeling for concentration and handcraft that is often absent from contemporary art. —Hal Fischer
Category

1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal

"View of Village" Early Modern Gestural Abstract Landscape Drawing of Houses
Located in Houston, TX
Early modern landscape drawing by German artist Hermann Max Pechstein. The work features a gestural depiction of a winding path leading into a small village. Signed with a monogram i...
Category

1910s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Color Pencil

Early Modern Colorful Red, Blue, Yellow, & Green Geometric Abstract Line Drawing
Located in Houston, TX
Abstract geometric drawing by early Houston. TX artist Robert Preusser. The work features bursts of lines and colors that create movement throughout the composition. Signed and date...
Category

1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Casein

Modern Surreal Abstract Pastoral Farm Landscape Drawing of Two Women and Animals
Located in Houston, TX
Black and white abstract figurative ink drawing by Floyd Newsum. The work features a surreal pastoral farm scene in which two female figures and various animals appear to float in and amongst the landscape. Signed and dated in front lower right corner. Currently hung in a thin black frame with a brown matting. Dimensions Without Frame: H: 30 in x W: 44 in Artist Biography: Floyd Newsum, a painter and printmaker with a career spanning four decades, is a Houstonian by way of Memphis. Currently a University of Houston Art Instructor, he spent his childhood years in Tennessee and received his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts in Memphis before moving to Philadelphia where he earned a Master's Degree in Fine Art. Newsum's latest work demonstrates the influence of West African art...
Category

1980s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Framed Mid-Century Modern Abstract Watercolor Painting, Blue, Black, Grey, White
Located in Denver, CO
Original American Modernist watercolor on paper mounted on cardboard by William Bertrum Sharp (1924-1984). An abstract composition of blue, grey, yellow, pink, and orange. Presented ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Cardboard, Archival Paper

Woodstock
Located in New York, NY
Signed (in white gouache, at lower left): Winold Reiss; (with estate stamp, at lower right): Winold / Reiss
Category

20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, India Ink

Fourteen Ideas for Sculpture - 20th Century, Watercolour on paper by Henry Moore
Located in London, GB
Pencil, wax crayon, watercolour wash, pen and ink, crayon on cream medium weight wove Signed with pen and ink lower left 'Moore/39'
Category

1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Crayon, Ink, Watercolor, Pencil

"Untitled Abstraction" Pen and Ink Drawing Black and White Greyscale Geometric
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz (1878 -1965) Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the ...
Category

1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Pen

"Untitled Abstraction" Pen and Ink Drawing Black and White Greyscale Geometric
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz (1878 -1965) Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the ...
Category

1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Pen

"Untitled Abstraction" Pen and Ink Drawing Black and White Greyscale Geometric
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz (1878 -1965) Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the ...
Category

1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Pen

"Untitled Abstraction" Pen and Ink Drawing Black and White Greyscale Geometric
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz (1878 -1965) Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the ...
Category

1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Pen

"Untitled Abstraction" Pen and Ink Drawing Black and White Greyscale Geometric
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz (1878 -1965) Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the ...
Category

1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Pen

"Untitled Abstraction" Pen and Ink Drawing Black and White Greyscale Geometric
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz (1878 -1965) Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the ...
Category

1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Pen

Ruthven Todd Poem
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Joan Miro, Spanish (1893 - 1983) Title: Ruthven Todd Poem Year: 1966 (1970) Medium: Ink and Crayon on Guarro laid paper, signed l.r. Size: 14.5 x 10 in. (36.83 x 25.4 cm) Fra...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Wax Crayon, Ink

Modern abstract drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Modern abstract drawings and watercolors 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 abstract drawings and watercolors created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of orange, blue, purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Sylvia Spicuzza, Moses Bagel Bahelfer, Abraham Walkowitz, and Benoît Gilsoul. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Watercolor and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Modern abstract drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 3.55 inches across are also available. Prices for abstract drawings and watercolors 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 $1 and tops out at $260,743, while the average work sells for $950.

Recently Viewed

View All