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Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

POP ART STYLE

Perhaps one of the most influential contemporary art movements, Pop art emerged in the 1950s. In stark contrast to traditional artistic practice, its practitioners drew on imagery from popular culture — comic books, advertising, product packaging and other commercial media — to create original Pop art paintings, prints and sculptures that celebrated ordinary life in the most literal way.

ORIGINS OF POP ART

CHARACTERISTICS OF POP ART 

  • Bold imagery
  • Bright, vivid colors
  • Straightforward concepts
  • Engagement with popular culture 
  • Incorporation of everyday objects from advertisements, cartoons, comic books and other popular mass media

POP ARTISTS TO KNOW

ORIGINAL POP ART ON 1STDIBS

The Pop art movement started in the United Kingdom as a reaction, both positive and critical, to the period’s consumerism. Its goal was to put popular culture on the same level as so-called high culture.

Richard Hamilton’s 1956 collage Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing? is widely believed to have kickstarted this unconventional new style.

Pop art works are distinguished by their bold imagery, bright colors and seemingly commonplace subject matter. Practitioners sought to challenge the status quo, breaking with the perceived elitism of the previously dominant Abstract Expressionism and making statements about current events. Other key characteristics of Pop art include appropriation of imagery and techniques from popular and commercial culture; use of different media and formats; repetition in imagery and iconography; incorporation of mundane objects from advertisements, cartoons and other popular media; hard edges; and ironic and witty treatment of subject matter.

Although British artists launched the movement, they were soon overshadowed by their American counterparts. Pop art is perhaps most closely identified with American Pop artist Andy Warhol, whose clever appropriation of motifs and images helped to transform the artistic style into a lifestyle. Most of the best-known American artists associated with Pop art started in commercial art (Warhol made whimsical drawings as a hobby during his early years as a commercial illustrator), a background that helped them in merging high and popular culture.

Roy Lichtenstein was another prominent Pop artist that was active in the United States. Much like Warhol, Lichtenstein drew his subjects from print media, particularly comic strips, producing paintings and sculptures characterized by primary colors, bold outlines and halftone dots, elements appropriated from commercial printing. Recontextualizing a lowbrow image by importing it into a fine-art context was a trademark of his style. Neo-Pop artists like Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami further blurred the line between art and popular culture.

Pop art rose to prominence largely through the work of a handful of men creating works that were unemotional and distanced — in other words, stereotypically masculine. However, there were many important female Pop artists, such as Rosalyn Drexler, whose significant contributions to the movement are recognized today. Best known for her work as a playwright and novelist, Drexler also created paintings and collages embodying Pop art themes and stylistic features.

Read more about the history of Pop art and the style’s famous artists, and browse the collection of original Pop art paintings, prints, photography and other works for sale on 1stDibs.

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Style: Pop Art
"Love Stacked" Robert Indiana, Drawing, Pop Art, Preparatory Drawing
Located in New York, NY
Robert Indiana Love Stacked , 2014 Signed lower left, dated lower right Artist's marker on ruled paper 10 x 8 inches Provenance Gifted by the artist, Vinalhaven, Maine Private colle...
Category

2010s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Permanent Marker

Unique drawing on Tony Shafrazi poster, signed & inscribed to Warhol's boyfriend
Located in New York, NY
Kenny Scharf Original drawing on Tony Shafrazi poster, signed and inscribed to Andy Warhol's last boyfriend Jon Gould, 1984 Permanent marker drawing on Kenny Scharf Tony Shafrazi Gallery exhibition poster (hand signed and inscribed by Kenny Scharf) Boldly signed and inscribed to Andy Warhol's last boyfriend Jon Gould Frame included: Framed in a museum quality wood frame with UV plexiglass. Measurements: Frame: 35 x 28.5 x 1.5 inches Print 28.25 x 22 inches Own a piece of Pop Art history! This is a unique drawing hand signed and inscribed by Kenny Scharf, done on a vintage collectible 1984 poster from the legendary Tony Shafrazi Gallery. If you saw "The Andy Warhol Diaries" on Netflix, you'd know about Warhol's relationship with Jon Gould - Andy's last boyfriend; tragically, Warhol would become Gould's last boyfriend as well, when, soon after, Gould would die of AIDS at the young age of 33 Kenny Scharf created an original drawing, done in marker, and inscribed it to Jon Gould (featured prominently in Andy Warhol's Diaries and the eponymous Netflix series) - and it had not been seen since the 1980s. Jon Gould was a New England educated former Vice President of Corporate Communications at Paramount Pictures - a Boston Brahmin whose real claim to fame was as Andy Warhol's last boyfriend. This work was acquired from the widely publicized sale of the collection of Jon Gould - -a treasure trove of valuable gifts and art works by Warhol and others like Kenny Scharf, Basquiat and Keith Haring to Gould - that had not been seen in nearly four decades. This is one of the works from that impressive sale. Below are links to two of the many articles about the collection of Jon Gould in the New York Times, Artnet News and the New York Post respectively. About Kenny Scharf: Kenny Scharf (b. 1958, United States) is a renowned artist affiliated with the 1980’s East Village Art movement in New York. Scharf developed a distinct and uniquely personal artistic style in paintings as well as sculpture, alongside his mentor Andy Warhol, and contemporaries like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring with whom he pioneered contemporary street art. References to popular culture reoccur throughout his works, such as appropriated cartoon characters from the Flintstones and Jetsons, as well as imagined anthropomorphic creatures. Through ecstatic compositions and a dazzling color palette, Scharf presents an immersive viewing experience that is both intimate and fresh. Scharf’s multifaceted practice—spanning painting, sculpture, installation work, murals, performance and fashion—reflects his dedication to the creation of dynamic forms of art that deconstruct existing artistic hierarchies, echoing the philosophy of Pop artists. Yet Scharf’s artistic significance expands beyond the art historical terrain of Pop Art; the artist instead coined the term “Pop Surrealist” to describe his one-of-a-kind practice. His inclusion in the 1985 Whitney Biennial marked the start of his international phenomenon, a reputation that continues to thrive today. Courtesy of Almine Rech MORE ABOUT JON GOULD: Warhol wrote extensively on Jon Gould in his diaries. In July, 2022, when the Netflix series "The Andy Warhols Diaries" came out, the New York Post (among many other publications) ran a major feature article on Warhol's relationship with Gould and on this very sale: It reads, "When Harriet Woodsom Gould died in 2016 in her nineties, she left behind a trove of family heirlooms dating back to the 1700s in her Amesbury, Mass., home. Yet in her attic, she had a secret veritable shrine to pop art. There, she had stashed her late son Jon Gould’s belongings for decades since his death in 1986 from AIDS. He had vases painted by Jean-Michel Basquiat, works by Keith Haring and dozens and dozens of gifts — photos, valentines, sketches, letters and more — from pop god Andy Warhol. “My mother kept everything,” Jon’s twin brother, Jay Gould, told The Post. Jay knew his brother “had some type of relationship” with Warhol in the 1980s, though Jon always remained discreet about it. “We were very close, identical twins, but we never talked a lot about his sexuality,” Jay, now 68, explained. “It was a different time.” Yet, he was still stunned to read the poetry and love notes Jon wrote to the older artist. “I didn’t realize the relationship was as deep as it was.” Actually, no one really knew. Gould was Warhol’s last romance, a young Paramount executive with floppy hair and preppy good looks who died tragically at 33. And though Warhol frequently mentioned him in his famed diaries, published posthumously in 1989, the artist’s dashed-off musings gave the impression that Jon was more of a crush than a genuine partner...Gould didn’t so much enter into Warhol’s life as Warhol willed him into it. It was April 1981, and Warhol, then 52, was still reeling from his breakup with Jed Johnson... Jed left that December, and that spring Warhol confessed to feeling lonely: “I’ve got these desperate feelings that nothing means anything. And then I decide that I should try to fall in love, and that’s what I’m doing now with Jon Gould.” Gould was a 26-year-old Paramount exec: a New England WASP with a lithe, strong physique and charismatic personality, who looked straight. Warhol reasoned: “Jon is a good person to be in love with because he has his own career, and I can develop movie ideas with him, you know? And maybe he can even convince Paramount to advertise in Interview, too. Right? So my crush on him will be good for business.” Warhol began courting Gould with a vengeance, sending extravagant bouquets of roses to his office at Paramount. He even offered their mutual friend, the photographer Christopher Makos, a fancy watch if he could get Gould to be his boyfriend. “I guess he never got loved,” Makos says in the series. “Because I didn’t get my watch.” (Jay Gould also tells the camera that his brother had admitted that he was in a relationship but that he said they didn’t have sex.) At first, Gould resisted Warhol’s attention, but eventually the two began spending a lot of time together, though Gould would frequently pull away if things got too intense, and he often would tell Warhol not to write about him in his diary. “I think my brother was concerned about his career at that time,” Jay Gould said. But the younger man attended parties and art events with him, invited the artist skiing with his family in Aspen and even for a time moved into his place on 66th Street. “I love going out with Jon because it’s like being on a real date,” Warhol wrote early in their relationship. “He’s tall and strong and I feel like he can take care of me.” Yet it turned out that Warhol would have to take care of Gould. On Feb. 4, 1984, Jon was admitted to New York Hospital with pneumonia — though it was understood that he had AIDS. Warhol stayed with him in the hospital every night for the 30 days he was there, despite his fear of hospitals since getting shot and his fear of getting AIDS. (Warhol couldn’t bring himself to talk about Gould’s illness in the diary, but his editor notes that when Gould was released March 7, Warhol instructed his housekeepers to wash Jon’s clothes and dishes “separate from mine.”). Around 1985, Warhol began working on his massive series of 100 works based on Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper...
Category

1980s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Permanent Marker, Lithograph, Offset

Banana /// Contemporary Abstract Pop Art Drawing Fruit Food The Rolling Stones
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Kazuhide Yamazaki (Japanese-American, 1951-2023) Title: "Banana" *Titled, signed, and dated by Yamazaki in pencil lower right Year: 1981 Medium: Original Graphite Pencil and ...
Category

1980s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil Pastel, Pastel, Pencil, Graphite

For Kevin: signed Toucan Drawing in hardback monograph: An Art Rich and Strange
Located in New York, NY
Hunt Slonem For Kevin: signed Toucan Drawing in hardback monograph: An Art Rich and Strange Signed drawing done in ink on the title page of artist's book Ink drawing of a Toucan held...
Category

Early 2000s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Offset, Board, Ink, Paper

Original Fashion Design Illustration Watercolor Painting Laura Ashley Designer
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Original Fashion Design Illustration by Roz Jennings, British watercolor and ink on card, unframed size: 11.75 x 8.25 inches condition: very good A beautifully colorful and characte...
Category

Late 20th Century Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Original Fashion Design Illustration Watercolor Painting Laura Ashley Designer
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Original Fashion Design Illustration by Roz Jennings, British watercolor and ink on card, unframed size: 11.75 x 8.25 inches condition: very good A beautifully colorful and characte...
Category

Late 20th Century Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Original Fashion Design Illustration Watercolor Painting Laura Ashley Designer
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Original Fashion Design Illustration by Roz Jennings, British watercolor and ink on card, unframed size: 11.75 x 8.25 inches condition: very good A beautifully colorful and characte...
Category

Late 20th Century Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Original Fashion Design Illustration Watercolor Painting Laura Ashley Designer
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Original Fashion Design Illustration by Roz Jennings, British watercolor and ink on card, unframed size: 11.75 x 8.25 inches condition: very good A beautifully colorful and characte...
Category

Late 20th Century Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Original Fashion Design Illustration Watercolor Painting Laura Ashley Designer
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Original Fashion Design Illustration by Roz Jennings, British watercolor and ink on card, unframed size: 11.75 x 8.25 inches condition: very good A beautifully colorful and characte...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Original Fashion Design Illustration Watercolor Painting Laura Ashley Designer
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Original Fashion Design Illustration by Roz Jennings, British watercolor and ink on card, unframed size: 11.75 x 8.25 inches condition: very good A beautifully colorful and characte...
Category

Late 20th Century Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Original Fashion Design Illustration Watercolor Painting Laura Ashley Designer
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Original Fashion Design Illustration by Roz Jennings, British watercolor and ink on card, unframed size: 11.75 x 8.25 inches condition: very good A beautifully colorful and characte...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Original Signed Drawing in book, Two Flowers with heart, inscribed in Japanese
Located in New York, NY
Makes a brilliant gift! Takashi Murakami Untitled signed original drawing of Two Flowers with heart, 2021 Original marker drawing done on title page and bound in hardback monograph w...
Category

2010s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Mixed Media, Permanent Marker, Lithograph, Offset

Wall to Wall Signed twice with inscription & drawing 1 of 2 Trial Proofs, Framed
Located in New York, NY
Signed, Dated, Numbered, Titled and Uniquely Inscribed front and back in pencil, with two original artist's drawings "WALL TO WALL" FROM WALL: TWO STONE SUITE IV, WITH TWO ORIGINAL I...
Category

1990s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Lithograph, Pencil

Sacrifice Of The Rose
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Sacrifice Of The Rose 2015 Mixed Media on archival paper. Keith Carrington’s experiences have led him to express his talents through the fluid & exacting mediums of watercolor and in...
Category

2010s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Baldur Helgason drawing 2018 (Baldur Helgason dog)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Baldur Helgason drawing 2018: Baldur Helgason Jorgen the Dog Day: A robust, lively Helgason hand-drawing defined by the artist’s signature style. Med...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Wax Crayon

Crown Chakra #7
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Crown Chakra #7 Mixed Media Keith Carrington’s experiences have led him to express his talents through the fluid & exacting mediums of watercolor and ink...
Category

2010s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Throat Chakra #5 Blue Heart
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Throat Chakra #5 Blue Heart Mixed Media archival paper. Keith Carrington’s experiences have led him to express his talents through the fluid & exacting m...
Category

2010s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Heart Chakra #4
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Heart Chakra #4 Mixed Media archival paper. Keith Carrington’s experiences have led him to express his talents through the fluid & exacting mediums of watercolor and ink. He has hon...
Category

2010s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Sacral Chakra #2
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Sacral Chakra #2 Mixed Media archival paper. Keith Carrington’s experiences have led him to express his talents through the fluid & exacting mediums of watercolor and ink. He has ho...
Category

2010s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Venice Watercolor
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Billy Al Bengston American (b. 1934) Venice Watercolor, 1975 Watercolor on paper 10 x 40 1/4 in. Initialed, inscribed and dated lower center: "B.A.B. / Venice 1975" Provenance: Bill...
Category

1970s Pop Art Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Paper

Pop Art abstract drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Pop Art 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, green, pink and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including and Keith Carrington. Frequently made by artists working with Acrylic Paint, and Archival Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Pop Art abstract drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 5.5 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 $126 and tops out at $105,000, while the average work sells for $1,650.

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