Skip to main content

Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

ABSTRACT STYLE

Beginning in the early 20th century, abstract art became a leading style of modernism. Rather than portray the world in a way that represented reality, as had been the dominating style of Western art in the previous centuries, abstract paintings, prints and sculptures are marked by a shift to geometric forms, gestural shapes and experimentation with color to express ideas, subject matter and scenes.

Although abstract art flourished in the early 1900s, propelled by movements like Fauvism and Cubism, it was rooted in the 19th century. In the 1840s, J.M.W. Turner emphasized light and motion for atmospheric paintings in which concrete details were blurred, and Paul Cézanne challenged traditional expectations of perspective in the 1890s.

Some of the earliest abstract artists — Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint — expanded on these breakthroughs while using vivid colors and forms to channel spiritual concepts. Painter Piet Mondrian, a Dutch pioneer of the art movement, explored geometric abstraction partly owing to his belief in Theosophy, which is grounded in a search for higher spiritual truths and embraces philosophers of the Renaissance period and medieval mystics. Black Square, a daringly simple 1913 work by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, was a watershed statement on creating art that was free “from the dead weight of the real world,” as he later wrote.

Surrealism in the 1920s, led by artists such as Salvador Dalí, Meret Oppenheim and others, saw painters creating abstract pieces in order to connect to the subconscious. When Abstract Expressionism emerged in New York during the mid-20th century, it similarly centered on the process of creation, in which Helen Frankenthaler’s expressive “soak-stain” technique, Jackson Pollock’s drips of paint, and Mark Rothko’s planes of color were a radical new type of abstraction.

Conceptual art, Pop art, Hard-Edge painting and many other movements offered fresh approaches to abstraction that continued into the 21st century, with major contemporary artists now exploring it, including Anish Kapoor, Mark Bradford, El Anatsui and Julie Mehretu.

Find original abstract paintings, sculptures, prints and other art on 1stDibs.

to
437
1,577
742
921
440
435
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
1,054
3,061
3
7
23
31
69
190
154
171
110
1,491
355
221
115
80
79
32
18
16
14
13
5
1
2,145
1,542
393
11
9
7
4
4
4
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2,743
2,488
1,420
1,022
954
94
89
63
56
53
947
612
2,464
1,375
Style: Abstract
Wave - abstract painting, made in ultramarine blue, grey color
Located in Fort Lee, NJ
Interior design paintings. The work was done with alcohol ink in ultramarine blue and grey color on Yupo paper. The work is 11 by 14 inches in size, framed (gold or black) with a sty...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Unknown - abstract painting, made in blue, grey, brown color
Located in Fort Lee, NJ
Interior design paintings. The work was done with alcohol ink in blue, grey, brown color on Yupo paper. The work is 11 by 14 inches in size, framed (gold or black) with a styrene fac...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Roberto Burle Marx, Stamp. Drawing From The Series Terms And Conditions
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The project is based in the contrast of the two images, the air waybill and the postage stamp, from different times but similar in their function. The artist seeks to enlighten the c...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, India Ink

New Looking Methods: Cobalt Blue & Gold Abstract Expressionist Painting, Framed
Located in Hudson, NY
Gestural abstract painting on paper with gold metallic powders and cobalt blue, pastel green, and rust colored enamel paint "New Looking Methods", made in 2022 by Hudson Valley paint...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Enamel

Box I (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Acrylic on 300 lb. Arches watercolor paper - Unframed. Hallard works with the themes of space and geometry, manipulating images and arrangements of objects in order to challenge the...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Argentinian Tango, Mixed Media Abstract Expressionist
Located in Soquel, CA
Argentinian Tango, Mixed Media Abstract Expressionist An abstract portrait in cool pastels accented in vibrant yellow and pink and lined in ink, by California-based artist, Ricardo de Silva (American). Paper size: 17.75"H x 12"W From a collection of Ricardo de Silva's work and memorabilia. DeSilva was born in Brazil and grew up in Los Angeles. He was a gallery owner, first in Santa Barbara in the 1960's and 70's, then in San Jose in the 1980's. He was dedicated to promoting the work of talented upcoming artists, including Kogyo and Hasui Kiyochika, Robert Frame, Jim Stuckenberg, Alice Robertson Carr, Deborah Eve Alastra...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Gouache, Ink, Watercolor

French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Expressionist Composition by Jacques COULAIS (1955-2011) gouache painting on paper/ card unframed: 14.75 x 11 inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we ha...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil

Shape 16 (2019) - Abstract shape, work on paper, minimalist, orange yellow
Located in Jersey City, NJ
Shape 16 (2019) by Ryan Park of Shapes Only Abstract geometric art, acrylic on 300gsm archival paper. Abstract shape innovated by the artist. Bright oran...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

So Slight a Film ex-Lehman Brothers Art Collection unique signed painting Framed
Located in New York, NY
Emily Mason So Slight a Film (from the Lehman Brothers art collection), 1978 Oil on paper Abstract Expressionist painting Signed and dated 'Emily Mason '78' bottom right in pencil Fr...
Category

1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil, Graphite

Botanical Experiment #3
Located in San Francisco, CA
Paula Valenzuela Botanical Experiment #3, 2025 Watercolor and alcohol inks on paper 12 x 9 inches This one-of-a-kind work on paper comes unframed and ships in a tube. External, visi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

Untitled Floral Still Life
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful floral still life by American artist Jane Piper (1916-1991) . Pastel, oil crayon and pencil on tracing paper. Image measuring 13 x 15.5 inches in ...
Category

1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Parchment Paper, Crayon, Pastel, Pencil

The Pale Pursuit - abstraction art, made in gray, black and white colors
Located in Fort Lee, NJ
Interior design paintings. The diptych is made with india ink in black, grey color on Yupo paper. Each work is 11 by 14 inches in size, framed (black) with sizes 16 by 20 in. Mila A...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Field Study #749
Located in Houston, TX
Terrell James Field Study #749, 2020 Oil on vellum 20 x 16 in (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil, Vellum

Iris-abstract painting, made in violet, black, beige, pale pink, rose color
Located in Fort Lee, NJ
Interior design paintings. The work was done with acrylic in violet, black, beige, pale pink, rose color on Yupo paper. The work is 20 by 26 inches in size, framed in fine-quality so...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, India Ink, Acrylic

Botanical Experiment #4
Located in San Francisco, CA
Paula Valenzuela Botanical Experiment #4, 2025 Watercolor and alcohol inks on paper 12 x 9 inches This one-of-a-kind work on paper comes unframed and ships in a tube. External, visi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

Mystery - abstract painting, made in grey, blue color
Located in Fort Lee, NJ
Interior design paintings. The work was done with alcoholic ink in grey, blue color on Yupo paper. The work is 11 by 14 inches in size, framed (gold or black) with a styrene face on ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Fig. 7 BASE MORADO. From The Dibujar el Tiempo Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The project is a series of ink drawings on different surfaces, depicting the solstices and equinoxes of the year through the overlapping of shadows at various times of the day. These...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Rhodes: modern Italian watercolor of abstract Greek landscape & architecture
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
This is a minimalist watercolor painting depicting abstracted architectural features (windows & doorway) in red and blue with the landscape and ocean of Rhodes, Greece visible. The watercolor itself measures 9.5"x6.5" and is floated in a double-mat 16.5" x 13" narrow, contemporary wood (maple) frame. Signed, titled, and dated on the back of the watercolor paper. Diego Esposito...
Category

1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

No title 2 and 3, Diptych. Abstract Watercolor
Located in Miami Beach, FL
In this series, water and pigments dance in a liquid choreography, intertwining and painting their own destinies. Each brushstroke traces ephemeral paths that are born, intersect and...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Italian Abstract Work on Paper Color Field Non-Objective European Mid-Century
Located in New York, NY
Italian Modern Abstract Work on Paper Color Field Non-Objective European Mid-Century - "Gonage" Dorazio completed "Gonage" in 1949 when just after the artist had been awarded a stipend by the French government and admission to the Academy Beaux Arts. There he met George Braque who became great friends but also an influence on Dorazio, of which "Gonage" is a living testament. "Gonage" actual size of the drawing measures 12 x 9 1/2 inches. It is signed on the lower right. The work is affixed to a 19 x 15 inch board which includes the artist's signature and date. There is a torn table on the lower left entitling the piece "Gonage". Provenance follows this piece as a gift in 1950 to the artist-colleague Luigi Lucioni, who then gifted it in 1955 to his friend, the uncle of the current owner who has owned the work since 1988. Bio Born in Italy, Piero Dorazio studied architecture in Rome. At the same time his first abstract works were executed. In 1947 he received a scholarship from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Paris, where he contacted Modern artists, who lived in Paris. He founded the galleries "Age d'Or" in Florence and Rome to represent avant-garde arts in Italy. During a one year stay in the USA he got acquainted with leading artists of Abstract Expressionism such as Marc Rothko...
Category

1940s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Board

Effloresce (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Effloresce (Abstract painting) Oil on paper - Unframed Framed on request Spielman uses oil paint on canvas, paper and panel in various sizes; she works on up to forty paintings at ...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Oil

Fig. 8. From The Dibujar el Tiempo Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The project is a series of ink drawings on different surfaces, depicting the solstices and equinoxes of the year through the overlapping of shadows at various times of the day. ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Owl Flower Potted Plant - Original Radiant Abstract Botanical Painting on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Krisanne Souter weaves together elements of nature and ancient feminine archetypes, such as the Mother and the Mystic. Botanical themes, playful elements, and unexpected surprises ar...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil

French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Expressionist Composition by Jacques COULAIS (1955-2011) gouache painting on paper/ card unframed: 11 x 7.5 inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we have...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil

Abstract Composition Drawing, Chinese Poem 1929
Located in Stockholm, SE
An interesting and highly decorative chalk drawing by Edvard Andersson, 1929. Drawn on a quite large scale. Signed and dated EA, 1929. A tergo written "Kinesisk dikt" (Chinese Poem) ...
Category

1920s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Chalk

Color is Life — Mid-Century Abstract Expressionism
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Ernest A. Dieringer, Untitled (Color is Life), watercolor, 1959. Initialed 'ED' and dated ' '59' in red pencil at the top and bottom sheet edges—the artist's indication that the work can be viewed from either side. Signed 'Dieringer' in pencil in the bottom support board margin. A fine abstract expressionist work, watercolor on white wove paper, with fresh, bright colors; the image extends to the sheet edges, spot glued to the original cream wove backing board, in very good condition. Archivally matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 9 x 10 15/16 inches; backing board size 13 1/2 x 16 3/4 inches. Provenance: ex. Collection Alexander Raydon. The collector/dealer's well-known 'Raydon Gallery' was established in 1962 on 82nd Street and Madison Avenue, New York City. ABOUT THE ARTIST Ernest Dieringer studied at the Art Institute of Chicago on a National Scholastic Scholarship, beginning his career with the Chicago-based Wells Street Gallery in 1957. He showed his work with other abstract artists, including Robert Natkin and John Chamberlain. The gallery was considered a vanguard space in Chicago for exhibiting emerging abstract artists from the surrounding area. Artists associated with the gallery eventually became known as the Wells Street Group. Due to the success of the gallery, Dieringer and other group members were invited by the Manhattan-based contemporary art dealer...
Category

1950s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Untitled Modernist (Abstract Expressionist Figurative Painting)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful Abstract expressionist figure signed Kline. Charcoal on paper measuring 10 x 13 inches. Sheet is glued down to foam board backing. Total measurement 13 x 16 inches.
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Sculpture', C. 1995 by David Ruth
Located in Oakland, CA
This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...
Category

1990s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Dorothy Dehner, Mid Century Modern signed abstract sculptural drawing, Framed
Located in New York, NY
Dorothy Dehner Untitled Mid Century Modern abstract sculptural drawing, 1955 Marker and graphite on paper Signed and dated by Dorothy Dehner in black felt tip pen on the front Frame ...
Category

1950s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mixed Media, Permanent Marker, Graphite

French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Expressionist Composition by Jacques COULAIS (1955-2011) gouache painting on paper/ card unframed: 12.75 x 10 inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we ha...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil

Contemporary abstract acrylic painting on paper "Power"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This artwork makes part of my small collection of abstract paintings created in various soft neutral earth tones. Main colors of this collection are grey, brown, suede, black, white....
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Preliminary drawing for the sculpture Diadem
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Preliminary drawing for the sculpture Diadem Black Crayon on paper, 1957 Signed and dated lower left The preliminary drawing for the 1957 sculpture of the same name in the collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art...
Category

1950s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Crayon

Morgan O'Hara, Movement of the Hands Seiji Shimoda, Drawing, March 2004
Located in Darien, CT
Live Transmission Morgan O'Hara's conceptually based performative drawing researches the vital movement of living beings, the human experience of time and space. It is culturally co...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Original 1970'S French Abstract Composition with Thick Organic Lines
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Claude Lagouche (French 1943-2020) Claude Lagouche was born January 2, 1943 in Naves, died January 16, 2020. He quickly gained recognition for his talent and his work, exh...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

"This Place is a Dream (Entanglement)" - botanical - cyanotype - flowers - moody
Located in Atlanta, GA
This piece is an abstract botanical work on paper featuring hues of dark blue and tan. It is framed in a simple white box frame behind UV Plexiglas. The unframed work measures 60 by ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Butterfly and Heart
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Butterfly and Heart Drawing in black felt pen over color screenprint 'spot' composition Signed in full (bottom edge) and dedicated (top edge) Dedicated by the artist Annotated in fe...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

"Red splendor"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
Dear art lover, I have worked on a new series of small oil paintings. This is the one of them. This series is dedicated to the scenes of everyday life. This painting is called "Re...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil

Untitled
Located in London, GB
'Untitled' abstract composition, mixed media on soft board, Japanese ink, oil, pencil and gouache by Erez Yardeni (2018). Beautifully balanced, stunningly...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Oil, Gouache, Board, Pencil

French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Expressionist Composition by Jacques COULAIS (1955-2011) gouache painting on paper/ card unframed: 8.5 x 5.75inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we hav...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil

"This Place is a Dream (Heartbeat)" - botanical - cyanotype - flowers - red
Located in Atlanta, GA
This piece is an abstract botanical work on paper featuring hues of red, blue and tan. It is framed in a simple white box frame behind UV Plexiglas. The unframed work measures 60 by ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

"This Place is a Dream (Haystack)" - botanical - cyanotype - flowers - grasses
Located in Atlanta, GA
This piece is an abstract botanical work on paper featuring hues of yellow and light green. It is framed in a simple white box frame behind UV Plexiglas. The unframed work measures 4...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Lily in Charcoal No.2 - abstract expressionism photography edition of 10
Located in London, GB
'Lily in Charcoal No.2' 2023 From raw energy to sublime. 'Lily in Charcoal No.2' is an expression piece combining an abstract charcoal drawing with a live lily emerging from a gash....
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Photographic Film, Charcoal, Archival Ink, Archival Paper

Contemporary Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Panel', C. 1994 by David Ruth
Located in Oakland, CA
This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...
Category

1990s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Pillar of Zen #124, unique signed gouache painting Andre Zarre Gallery, 1959
Located in New York, NY
Charmion von Wiegand Pillar of Zen #124, 1959 Gouache on paper painting Hand signed, titled and dated on the front Unique Provenance: Andre Zarre Gallery, with label verso (Estate of renowned gallerist Andre Zarre, ne Andre Sowulewski) Measurements: Framed 26.5 inches vertical by 25.5 horizontal by 2 inches Artwork: 21 inches vertical by 22 inches horizontal Mid century modern, geometric, spiritual abstraction, mystical The Estate of the celebrated artist Charmion Von Wiegand has been represented exclusively by Michael Rosenfeld Gallery since 1998. From March 3 to August 13, 2023, Charmion Von Wiegand was the subject of an acclaimed retrospective at the Kunstmuseum Basel, and she has received major attention in the price, including a June, 2023 ArtNews feature entitled, "Who Was Charmion von Wiegand and Why Is She Important?". Her work was also featured in a solo presentation by Rosenfeld Gallery at the New York Art Show held at the Park Avenue Armory, which also received critical acclaim. Artists Biography - courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery: Known for her vibrant, geometric paintings that originate a deeply personal language of spiritual enlightenment expressed through a constructivist mode of abstraction, Charmion von Wiegand (1896–1983) was born in Chicago but spent much of her childhood traveling. The daughter of a journalist for Hearst, von Wiegand eventually settled in New York in 1915 to attend Barnard College and Columbia University, where she took classes at the School of Journalism while nurturing a growing interest in art history. In 1925, von Wiegand realized that she wanted to be an artist and set up a studio in Greenwich Village, teaching herself how to paint while pursuing a career as a journalist. In 1929, she secured a position in Moscow as a foreign correspondent for Hearst, the only woman at the desk at the time. In 1932, von Wiegand returned to New York and married Russian émigré Joseph Freeman, who co-founded and edited the leftist journal New Masses. Von Wiegand began writing art criticism for New Masses as well as for other publications, including New Theatre, ARTnews, and Arts Magazine. When the Abstract American Artists (AAA) held their inaugural exhibition, von Wiegand reviewed it. An early champion of abstract art, von Wiegand became close friends with AAA founder Carl Holty. In 1941, Holty introduced von Wiegand to Piet Mondrian, who would have a profound impact on her art. Fascinated by Mondrian’s artistic philosophy, von Wiegand played a key role in the introduction of his work to American audiences, translating many of the Dutch artist’s writings into English and assisting in the composition of his influential article “Toward the True Vision of Reality” (1941). Through her friendship with Mondrian, von Wiegand re-kindled her interest in Theosophy (a religion established in the late 19th century that combines aspects of Hinduism, Buddhism, occultism, and esotericism) and embarked on an extended study of neoplasticism. In her artwork, she incorporated Mondrian’s iconic grid but rejected the constraints of pure neoplasticism and embraced a wide range of influences including surrealism and German expressionism. In 1942, von Wiegand became a member of the AAA, exhibiting regularly with the group and eventually serving as its president from 1951 to 1953. In the late 1940s, sculptor and fellow AAA member Ibram Lassaw gave her a translation of The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life, which inspired von Wiegand to immerse herself in a study of Buddhist art. She began incorporating Buddhist motifs such as stupas and mandalas into her paintings, and her spiritual practice steadily intensified throughout the 1950s. In 1953, her husband gifted her a copy of the Taoist I Ching Book of Changes, a guide for divining meaning from randomly derived numbers arranged in a hexagram—a form the artist readily incorporated into her painting. Von Wiegand’s study of Theosophy also intensified over these years, bolstered by her increased access to the religion’s primary sources composed by the religion’s founders and their successors at the New York Theosophical Society’s library. Von Wiegand’s search for the sacred and transcendent ultimately led her to Tibetan Buddhism and, in 1967, von Wiegand met Khyongla Rato Rinpoche, a Gelugpa monk who had recently arrived in New York, who would mentor her spiritual study in the tradition of Mahayana Buddhism until her death. Her travels in the 1960s and 1970s took her to Tibet and India, where she had an audience with the Dalai Lama, who was living in exile in Dharamsala. Many works from these decades incorporate symbols and schematics drawn from Theosophical prismatic color charts, Chinese astrology and tantric yoga. In 1978, she was the subject of a PBS documentary titled The Circle of Charmion von Wiegand, which was scored by Philip Glass. In 1980, von Wiegand was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters and in 1982, the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach (FL) organized her first retrospective exhibition. She died the following year in New York, bequeathing her estate to Khyongla Rato and the Tibet Center of New York. In 1998, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery became the sole representative of her estate and has presented her work in four solo and multiple group exhibitions. Recent notable exhibitions that have included her work are The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia (Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, 2009) and Constructive Spirit: Abstract Art in South and North America (Newark Museum, NJ, 2010). In March 2023, the Kunstmuseum Basel (Switzerland) opened the first comprehensive museum retrospective of von Wiegand’s work in Europe. Von Wiegand’s work is represented in numerous museum collections including the Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy (Andover, MA); Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo, NY); Arithmeum, University of Bonn (Germany); Birmingham Museum of Art (Alabama); Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin; Brooklyn Museum (NY); Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh, PA); The Cleveland Museum of Art (OH); Indianapolis Museum of Art (IN); Fondazione Marguerite Arp (Locarno, Switzerland); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Massachusetts); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY); The Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY); Newark Museum of Art (New Jersey); Seattle Art Museum (WA); Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, DC); Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN); Weatherspoon Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Wellin Museum of Art at Hamilton College (Clinton, NY); Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY); and Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, CT). More about gallerist Andre Zarre A tribute in the New Criterion: Dispatch August 11, 2020 Andre Zarre, 1942–2020 by Dana Gordon On the late New York gallery pioneer. Art should never be aggressively explained; art should be felt. —Andre Zarre, 1977 Often, in the starlit New York cultural mecca, a longtime important figure fades away through the penumbra and dies without notice. Such was the fate of Andre Zarre, the contemporary art dealer, who passed away a few weeks ago. Andy, as he wanted friends to call him, opened his eponymous gallery in 1974 just off Madison Avenue on Sixty-ninth Street. He soon moved it to the omphalos of the art world in that era, 41 East Fifty-seventh Street, the Fuller Building. Over the years he moved to SoHo and then to Chelsea, as fashion and real estate prices pushed the art souk hither and thither. To understand his importance, all you need do is take a look at a list of artists who had solo shows at the Andre Zarre Gallery. This includes such names, from an early generation, as Sonia Delaunay, Nassos Daphnis, Sari Dienes, and Perle Fine. Among a subsequent generation are Pat Lipsky, Jay Milder, Thornton Willis, and Kes Zapkus.1 And this list does not include the many knowns and unknowns who were in his lively group shows. Zarre had a real “eye” and was a champion of abstract art from the moment he founded his gallery—even among the gathering storms of conceptual and political art, which he eschewed. He showed a good deal of figurative art as well. His galleries were always spacious and unpretentious, oriented simply to show the art. In the words of Dee Shapiro, who showed with the Zarre gallery many times, “He had a photographic memory and knew a lot about art and was always interested in the artist’s life.” Reliable biographical information on Zarre is scarce, but he said of his background that he was born in Poland in 1942 and that his parents were a diplomat and a socialite. He left home for the United States at the age of fifteen. During his decades as an art dealer in New York, Zarre did not appear to accumulate wealth, though he acquired a collection and lived on Park Avenue. “He was not personally aggressive in that way. People had to come to him,” Dee Shapiro said. He was honest in his financial dealings with artists, which not all art dealers are. For a long time while running the gallery he had a second job as a supervisor in an airline office and he kept little to no additional staff in the gallery. He supported a brother who remained in Poland. Among artists, Zarre was known to be quite ornery. After my show at his gallery in 1997, I refused to enter it for seventeen years. Then I ran into him in Chelsea and he offered me another show, an opportunity I gladly accepted, but he remained just as disagreeable. He showed the work of many women, probably more than any other gallery, save those devoted to showing only women. Collectors, curators, and writers found him mostly friendly. As Peter Reginato put it, Zarre was a “strange guy but I liked him. I think he was a dealer who was more interested in the art than in making money, but somehow he lasted forty-plus years.” Zarre is not known to have kept extensive or extant records of his gallery’s long history, though these may emerge in time. Scouring the Internet, one may compile a partial list of more than eighty artists who had solo shows at the Andre Zarre Gallery:Nancy Azara, Ellen Banks, Mary Barnes, Tony Bechara, Juan Bernal, Stephanie Bernheim, Randy Bloom, Elena Borstein, Michael Boyd, Fritz Bultman, Ed Buonagurio, Yoan Capote, Sonia Delaunay, Nassos Daphnis, Cathy Diamond, Sari Dienes, Joseph Dolinsky, Beata Drozd, Ronnie Elliot, William Fares, Perle Fine, Lynne Frehm, Ben Georgia, Mikel Glass, Dana Gordon, Juanita Guccione, Fred Gutzeit, Don Hazlitt, Amy Hill, Clinton Hill, Monroe Hodder, Budd Hopkins, Arlan Huang, Richard Hunt, Rhia Hurt, Buffie Johnson, Alexander Kaletski, Robert Kaupelis...
Category

1950s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Dunes in the morning. Contemporary Gouache Painting, Abstraction
Located in Warsaw, PL
JACEK SOWICKI (1948-2022) He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow and graduated from the Academy Of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1973. In 1984-89 he run the graphics atelier at th...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Paper

Drawing n°22 by Julien Dinou - Pastel A4 size
Located in Geneva, CH
Abstract drawing on paper without frame
Category

1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil Pastel

Untitled
Located in Columbia, MO
Untitled This piece includes an artist hand-signed note attached to the back of the framed work.
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Colors - Figurative Abstract
Located in Soquel, CA
Colorful abstract work by Bay Area artist Kelvin Curry (American, 20th Century). Signed "Kelvin Curry" lower left. Unframed. Image size, 15"H x 11.25"W. Born in Oakland, California Kelvin Curry's creative destiny was clear early in life. Initially using black and white graphite as his medium and later expanding into mixed media to bring about multi-dimension; as well as a sense of rhythm and grace in the abstract female figure. Kelvin Curry studied fine arts at San Jose State University and has been making and exhibiting art all his life. Curry has a keen understanding of the arts, particularly the black arts movement in and around the Bay Area. Kelvin has exhibited his work in hundred of juried festivals, exhibits, and galleries throughout the country. Visitors from countries such as South Africa, Japan, Australia, France, the United Kingdom, and China have chosen his work to adorn their homes in their native lands. Collectors include Randy Crawford, Nancy Wilson...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel

Behold, Halsey Chait, Large Abstract India Ink Drawing on Paper, Circle
Located in New York, NY
"Behold" by Halsey Chait India Ink on 250 Lenox 100 Cotton Rag Paper Halsey Chait's drawings develop according to the rules and mathematics that govern the growth processes of life ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, India Ink, Rag Paper

Avec moi-même - Planche 8
Located in New York, US
Plate 8 from the 10-subject album "Avec moi-même" ("With Myself") On Arches wove paper. A beautiful plate, a small edition of 75, a demanding technique: etching and aquatint, and an...
Category

1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

"Motherhood" Watercolor painting 14.5" x 11" inch (1991) by Shaker El Maadawy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Motherhood" Watercolor painting 14.5" x 11" inch (1991) by Shaker El Maadawy signed & dated Shaker El Maadawy graduated from the Faculty of Fine A...
Category

20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Preliminary drawing for the sculpture Catacombs
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Preliminary drawing for the sculpture Catacombs Black crayon on paper, 1971 Signed and dated lower right (see photos) Provenance: Estate of the artist Michael and Alan Lipton (sons) ...
Category

1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil Crayon

7.10.24 #2 - Jewel Tone Emerald Watercolor Minimalist Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Delicate strokes and natural hues shape Shiri Phillips' watercolor, ink, and colored pencil artworks, showcasing her exploration of minimalism and organic forms. Departing from her u...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Color Pencil

"Abstract Composition VII" Watercolor painting 14" x 10" in by Shaker El Maadawy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Abstract Composition VII" Watercolor painting 14" x 10" in by Shaker El Maadawy signed & dated Shaker El Maadawy graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in painting in 1967 in his...
Category

20th Century Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Composition - Drawing by Martin Bradley - 1977
Located in Roma, IT
Watercolor on paper realized by Martin Bradley in 1977. Hand signed and dated lower right. Framed under glass, with a white wooden frame cm. 153x58. Very good condition.
Category

1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Fig. 9 BASE NARANJA. From The Dibujar el Tiempo Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The project is a series of ink drawings on different surfaces, depicting the solstices and equinoxes of the year through the overlapping of shadows at various times of the day. These...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, India Ink

Uccelliera - Artwork by Leo Guida - 1988
Located in Roma, IT
Uccelliera is an original Contemporary artwork realized in 1988 by the italian Contemporary artist Leo Guida (1992 - 2017). Original drawing in beautiful colored tempera on ivor...
Category

1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Tempera, Cardboard

French Abstract Contemporary Art by Daniel Cayo - Untitled No.18
Located in Paris, IDF
Mixed media on paper, framed 10 x 15 cm - 18 x 24 cm with white mat passe-partout Unique copy Signed on the front
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media

Pink Abstract, Abstract Expressionist Gouache Painting by Arnaldo Coen
Located in Long Island City, NY
Arnaldo Coen, Mexican (1940 -) - Pink Abstract, Year: circa 1968, Medium: Gouache On Paper, Size: 14 x 8.5 in. (35.56 x 21.59 cm), Description: ex-collection Sergio Aragones.
Category

1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache

Ron Gorchov Mid Century Modern Abstract Expressionist painting on paper Signed
Located in New York, NY
Ron Gorchov Untitled early 1960s Abstract Expressionist work, 1962 Ink and watercolor painting on paper Signed and dated in black ink lower left recto Frame included: elegantly floa...
Category

1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Abstract abstract drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract 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 blue, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Martin Reyna , Mila Akopova, Jaanika Peerna, and Sumit Mehndiratta. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Abstract abstract drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 0.5 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 $400,000, while the average work sells for $1,502.

Recently Viewed

View All