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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.

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Style: Abstract
JEAN MICHEL ATLAN - ABSTRACT - ORIGINAL DRAWING
Located in Tel Aviv - Jaffa, IL
Original felt pens on paper Unique piece Hand signed and dated in 1957 Rare piece from the Master
Category

1950s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Felt Pen

Small maelstrom (Ref 855) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Small maelstrom (Ref 855) (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar - Unframed. The Maelstrom Series include the most iconic and known of Peerna's works. Starting from the cent...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Edge Space (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Edge Space (Abstract Painting) Acrylic on paper. Unframed. As a multidisciplinary artist, Snow uses different mediums and supports. Each work results from preliminary studies drawn...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Covers 13 Red 2 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Covers 13 Red 2 (Abstract Painting) Gouache on handmade Khadi paper. Unframed. Joanne Freeman's works on paper are made with gouache on handmade Indian Khadi paper. She uses tape ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Handmade Paper

Color Trac #5 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Color Trac #5 (Abstract painting) Acrylic on paper - Unframed. Baribeau constructs his paintings layer upon layer, building color, form and texture into viscous, impasto compositio...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Covers 24-Green A (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Covers 24-Green A (Abstract Painting) Gouache on handmade Khadi paper. Unframed. Joanne Freeman's works on paper are made with gouache on handmade Indian Khadi paper. She uses tap...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Handmade Paper

Survey 4 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Acrylic on Fabriano paper - Unframed. This work is part of an ongoing series started in 2012 and titled Survey. McGlynn is interested in how a minimally-determined presentation of ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Screech of ice series 43 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Screech of ice series 43 (Abstract drawing) Colored pencil and graphite on plastic paper. Unframed. Screech of Ice is a new series of drawings made by holding a bunch of pencils in...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Plastic, Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite

Untitled 1 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 1 (Abstract painting) Acrylic and oil on paper - Unframed Claude Tétot is a French abstract artist whose work expresses harmony in disharmony b...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic

Storm series (ref. 845) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Storm series (ref. 845) (Abstract drawing) Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, t...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil, Pigment

Rest (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Rest (Abstract drawing) Watercolour on Arches paper - Unframed Uchiyama works with watercolor on Arches paper. She often develops as many as eight compositions at one time, moving...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Covers 13 Red Orange (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Covers 13 Red Orange (Abstract painting) Gouache on handmade paper. Unframed. Joanne Freeman's works on paper are made with gouache on handmade Indian Khadi paper. She uses tape t...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Handmade Paper

Color Trac #27 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Color Trac #27 (Abstract painting) Acrylic on paper - Unframed. Baribeau constructs his paintings layer upon layer, building color, form and texture into viscous, impasto compositi...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Dolphin Dance 24 (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
Dolphin Dance 24 (Abstract Drawing) Gouache on rag tracing vellum - Unframed. This work on paper is part of a series of collaged paintings titled “Jazz: Herbieʼs ʻDolphin Danceʼ #1...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Vellum

Le Bois
Located in London, GB
Ink on paper - Unframed. This artwork is a polyptych made of 9 elements. Each element's dimensions are 50 x 65 cm/19.6 x 25.5 inches. Martín Reyna is an Argentinian-born abstract p...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

M252 (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
M252 (Abstract Drawing) Digital creation, printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag de 308 gr - Unframed. Fluctuating between illustration and expressionism, connecting the geometric and bi...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Digital

"Spacial Balance Series, " Original Watercolor & Pencil Works by David Barnett
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Spacial Balance" is a series of four works by David Barnett in watercolor and pencil, all signed "David Barnett '68." Each is a different experiment in line, color, and balance. Sp...
Category

1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Graphite

Survey 2 (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
Survey 2 (Abstract Drawing) Acrylic on Fabriano paper - Unframed. This work is part of an ongoing series started in 2012 and titled Survey. McGlynn is interested in how a minimall...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Advance (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Advance (Abstract drawing) Charcoal on paper - Unframed. Margaret Neill works for a time on a group of pieces in a series, using classic almost primal materials such as graphite, c...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Ambassade 47 (Abstract Expressionism painting)
Located in London, GB
Ambassade 47 (Abstract Expressionism painting) Watercolor on hot press paper - Unframed This work is part of the watercolour series titled Ambassade which was named after a visit a...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Warren 14 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Warren 14 (Abstract painting) Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper. Unframed. Peter Soriano works on relatively large sheets of Japanese paper with a tendency to work from...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil

L.I.C. (Orange) (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
L.I.C. (Orange) (Abstract Drawing) Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper. Unframed. Peter Soriano works on relatively large sheets of Japanese paper with a tendency to work...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil

4.29 15 (Abstract Expressionism painting)
Located in London, GB
4.29 15 (Abstract Expressionism painting) Gouache on archival paper - Unframed. Jill Moser is an American abstract artist whose work explores the intersection of “painting, writing...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Archival Paper

P3.15 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
P3.15 (Abstract Painting) Gouache and collage on Japanese paper. Unframed. This gouache paint with collage on Japanese paper is a result of working with the accidental arrangements...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Untitled ( ID 1277) (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled ( ID 1277) (Abstract Painting) Oil on paper - Unframed In her abstract drawings, collages and paintings, Fieroza Doorsen brings to life the tensions and harmonies that eme...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Oil

Cut 39 (Abstract work on paper)
Located in London, GB
Cut 39 (Abstract work on paper) Ink, laquer, cutting, collage on paper - Unframed This work is part of one of 4 on-going series of large works on paper...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Pulse (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pulse (Abstract drawing) Watercolour on Arches paper - Unframed Uchiyama works with watercolor on Arches paper. She often develops as many as eight compositions at one time, movin...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Survey 1 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Survey 1 (Abstract painting) Acrylic on Fabriano paper - Unframed. This work is part of an ongoing series started in 2012 and titled Survey. McGlynn is interested in how a minimal...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Yaddo A (Abstract Expressionism painting)
Located in London, GB
Yaddo A (Abstract Expressionism painting) Watercolour on 100% rag hot press paper. Unframed. Melissa Meyer is an American abstract painter and printmaker. Her energetic, colorful c...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Survey 5 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Survey 5 (Abstract drawing) Acrylic on Fabriano paper - Unframed. This work is part of an ongoing series started in 2012 and titled Survey. McGlynn is interested in how a minimall...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

M353 (Abstract Print)
Located in London, GB
M353 (Abstract Print) Digital creation, printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag de 308 gr - Unframed. Fluctuating between illustration and expressionism, connecting the geometric and biom...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Digital

Untitled (Ref 19016) (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled (Ref 19016) (Abstract Painting) Ink on paper - Unframed. Martín Reyna is an Argentinian-born abstract painter living in Paris, France. His gestural abstract paintings deli...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Covers 13-Black B (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Covers 13-Black B (Abstract painting) Gouache on handmade Khadi paper. Unframed. Joanne Freeman's works on paper are made with gouache on handmade Indian Khadi paper. She uses ta...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Handmade Paper

Partially Ordered Set (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Partially Ordered Set (Abstract Painting) Acrylic on paper - Unframed As a multidisciplinary artist, Snow uses different mediums and supports. Each work results from preliminary st...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Storm Series (Ref 844) (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
Pigment pencil on Mylar. Unframed. So many different storms, so hard to capture. Beginning in the wake of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, this artwork was made by tightly clasping a s...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mylar, Pencil

Gravitational wave (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Gravitational wave (Abstract painting) Acrylic on paper. Unframed. As a multidisciplinary artist, Snow uses different mediums and supports. Each work results from preliminary studi...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Ambassade 44 (Abstract Expressionism painting)
Located in London, GB
Ambassade 44 (Abstract Expressionism painting) Watercolour on hot press paper - Unframed This work is part of the watercolour series titled Ambassade which was named after a visit ...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

OC 19
Located in London, GB
Acrylic on paper - Unframed. Using the geometric vocabulary found in architectural schemata, Bolt tries to create a dynamic tension between foreground and background, center and edg...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

0118.6 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
0118.6 (Abstract Painting) Pigmented wax and ink on Shikoku paper - Unframed Working on paper has always been an important part of Tracey Adams daily practice. For almost thirty ye...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Wax

P1.15 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
P1.15 (Abstract Painting) Gouache and collage on Japanese paper. Unframed. This gouache paint with collage on Japanese paper is a result of working with the accidental arrangements...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Moiré Indigo (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Moiré Indigo (Abstract painting) Acrylic on paper and Netting - Framed. Image's dimensions: 32 x 29 cm/12.5 x 11.4". The Moiré project is an exercise in optical and formal aesthet...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

"River and Pond Kite, " Mixed Media Kite
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites crafted from split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera—including fragments ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Muslin, Wood, Ink, Watercolor, Rice Paper

Moldovan Contemporary Art by Doïna Vieru - Untitled
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic, ink, glue & charcoal on paper
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Glue, Charcoal, Acrylic

Ink #5 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Ink #5 (Abstract painting) Ink, watercolor on Arches watercolor paper - Unframed. Image size: 12.25” x 8.25 - 31 x 21 cm. She layers paint in gestural, horizontal swaths from left...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

Covers 13-Blue Black (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Covers 13-Blue Black (Abstract painting) Gouache on handmade Khadi paper. Unframed. Joanne Freeman's works on paper are made with gouache on handmade Indian Khadi paper. She use...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Untitled (ID 1276) (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled (ID 1276) (Abstract Painting) Oil and pastel on paper - Unframed In her abstract drawings, collages and paintings, Fieroza Doorsen brings to life the tensions and harmonie...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Oil

19.6.17 (Abstract drawing)
Located in London, GB
19.6.17 (Abstract drawing) Pen and inkjet on paper - Unframed. Richard Caldicott drawings have a minimal esthetic, an architectural character, created with only one or two lines. P...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Pen

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

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Untitled 7 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 7 (Abstract painting) Acrylic and oil on paper - Unframed Claude Tétot is a French abstract artist whose work expresses harmony in disharmony by exploring the enigmatic u...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic

HK1906YP (Abstract work on paper)
Located in London, GB
Ink, enamel, collage on paper - Unframed. This work is part of one of 4 on-going series of large works on paper. The name of this series, "Yappanoise", is inspired by one of the numerous "monster-words" and neologisms invented by James Joyce in his last and famous novel "Finnegans Wake...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Enamel

A20 - Make it sexy (Abstract Drawing)
Located in London, GB
A20 - Make it sexy (Abstract Drawing) Acrylic on paper - Unframed. The artist created this series shortly afterward arriving in NY. His interest was to see what responses the paint...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Untitled 1-12 2017 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 1-12 2017 (Abstract painting) Acrylic on paper - Unframed. This work, sold as a portfolio, is made of 12 works on paper, each artwork's dimensions are 70 x 50 cm - 27.5 x ...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Bury (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Bury (Abstract Painting) Oil on paper - Unframed Spielman uses oil paint on canvas, paper and panel in various sizes; she works on up to forty paintings at a time, moving between t...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Oil

Cut-Up Paper 2002 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Acrylic on paper - Unframed. Pedersen works with acrylic paint. When painting a composition, she tends toward a limited color palette, often reducing the composition to minimal, ha...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Colby 10 (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Colby 10 (Abstract painting) Spray paint, pencil, ink, watercolor on paper - Unframed Peter Soriano is an abstract artist who divides his time between New York City and Penobscot, Maine. Although he began his career as a sculptor, his work is now two-dimensional. He is known for his bold spray-painted wall murals...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Spray Paint, Watercolor, Pencil

Covers 13 - orange (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Covers 13 - orange (Abstract Painting) Gouache on handmade Khadi paper. Unframed. Joanne Freeman's works on paper are made with gouache on handmade Indian Khadi paper. She uses ta...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Handmade Paper

Untitled
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Ink on paper.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink

Dashing into the day 3 (Abstract work on paper)
Located in London, GB
Dashing into the day 3 (Abstract work on paper) Acrylics, ink and oil on paper - Unframed. This artwork is exclusive to IdeelArt. Knaut builds her compositions slowly over time, a...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Oil, Acrylic

Partially Ordered Set
Located in London, GB
Acrylic on paper - Unframed As a multidisciplinary artist, Snow uses different mediums and supports. Each work results from preliminary studies drawn with pen or pencil and which so...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Untitled (ID 1295) (Abstract painting)
Located in London, GB
Untitled (ID 1295) (Abstract painting) Oil on paper - Unframed In her abstract drawings, collages and paintings, Fieroza Doorsen brings to life the tensions and harmonies that emer...
Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Oil

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.

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