Skip to main content

Abstract Art

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
8,275
11,672
9,884
12,180
9,897
18,751
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
16
51
15,061
47,264
9
22
52
102
220
914
2,182
3,932
2,432
1,802
2
113,751
62,397
57,391
26,808
14,653
9,366
6,505
5,550
4,307
3,058
2,409
2,359
2,229
612
27,102
19,909
11,630
3,173
2,793
1,781
914
799
655
628
612
522
514
411
388
353
339
316
291
289
284
257
199
39,304
22,547
22,433
17,702
16,211
705
585
560
361
317
10,667
10,850
35,956
20,635
Style: Abstract
Untitled Abstract Expressionist action painting
Untitled Abstract Expressionist action painting

Untitled Abstract Expressionist action painting

By James Brooks

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Beautiful abstract expressionist painting Influenced by James Brooks and the New York School of Abstract Expressionism. Oil on cotton canvas, ca. 1980. Measuring 46 x 66 inches of ...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

"Many For The Empath" (abstract, flora, fauna, roses, oil painting, green, pink)
"Many For The Empath" (abstract, flora, fauna, roses, oil painting, green, pink)

"Many For The Empath" (abstract, flora, fauna, roses, oil painting, green, pink)

By Nicholas Evans

Located in Paris, IDF

MANY FOR THE EMPATH 2026 Paris, France This complex and layered floral painting of an abundant, overflowing bouquet presents an energetic and mesmerizing subject. This original mixe...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil Crayon, Dye, Cotton Canvas, Ink, Oil, Acrylic

Vintage Abstract Impressionist French Countryside Oil Painting by Jacques Birr
Vintage Abstract Impressionist French Countryside Oil Painting by Jacques Birr

Vintage Abstract Impressionist French Countryside Oil Painting by Jacques Birr

Located in AIGNAN, FR

Vintage mid-century abstract impressionist oil painting on board signed at the bottom, Jacques Birr 91. With expressive cloud swirls created by a large brush, the artist has given u...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Where Silence Rests
Where Silence Rests

Where Silence Rests

Located in Zofingen, AG

Oil on linen Belgian canvas. This minimalist seascape explores stillness as a spatial and perceptual experience. The horizon dissolves into a unified field where water and atmospher...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Open Configuration – Contemporary Abstract Oil on Linen
Open Configuration – Contemporary Abstract Oil on Linen

Open Configuration – Contemporary Abstract Oil on Linen

Located in Zofingen, AG

Open Configuration This work explores structure as an evolving process rather than a fixed form. Geometric suggestions and color fields come together in an open configuration, where...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Strates de lecture - Modern Abstract painting, Geometric, Original Oil on Canvas
Strates de lecture - Modern Abstract painting, Geometric, Original Oil on Canvas

Strates de lecture - Modern Abstract painting, Geometric, Original Oil on Canvas

By SOPHIE DUMONT

Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR

Sophie Dumont — Strates de lecture Oil on canvas – 23.62 x 23.62 in (60 x 60 cm) Framed: 26.37 x 26.37 in (67 x 67 cm) – Choice of black or natural wood floater frame Year: 2026 – Si...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

TBG Origins: You Bring Me Joy - Large Meditative Abstract Painting on Canvas
TBG Origins: You Bring Me Joy - Large Meditative Abstract Painting on Canvas

TBG Origins: You Bring Me Joy - Large Meditative Abstract Painting on Canvas

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Abstract minimalist artist Jason DeMeo presents a collection of artworks designed to engage viewers in a meditative experience, drawing them closer to the enduring ideals of truth, b...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Fallen Angel - Dramatic abstract angel painting
Fallen Angel - Dramatic abstract angel painting

Fallen Angel - Dramatic abstract angel painting

By Jennifer L. Baker

Located in Silverthorne, CO

There is so much I could write about this one. A painting dedicated to the soul of me before cancer, who believed in a benevolent universe, who saw signs and followed them, who someh...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

“Rest”
“Rest”

“Rest”

Located in Zofingen, AG

The painting “Rest” from the series “From Simple to…” creates a sense of calm, recovery, and inner completeness. The minimalist image of the animal and the pastel, natural color pale...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Coral Reef, Abstract Mixed Media Painting, Acrylic & Sand, 24x18in, 2025
Coral Reef, Abstract Mixed Media Painting, Acrylic & Sand, 24x18in, 2025

Coral Reef, Abstract Mixed Media Painting, Acrylic & Sand, 24x18in, 2025

By a.muse

Located in New york, NY

In the 24 x 18in abstract painting Coral Reef, 2025 a. muse uses acrylic, oil pastel, gouache, sand, and diamond dust to render colorful biomorphic forms from the sea. Warm, cool, an...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Rag Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Gouache

Solace (Companionship) -21st Century Contemporary Abstract Expression, Love, Dog
Solace (Companionship) -21st Century Contemporary Abstract Expression, Love, Dog

Solace (Companionship) -21st Century Contemporary Abstract Expression, Love, Dog

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

There’s a silence that speaks when words can’t; the kind of silence that feels like a hand resting gently on your heart. Solace was born from that quiet. I painted this after a long...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic

Silver Linings No. 5 - sculpture, ceramic
Silver Linings No. 5 - sculpture, ceramic

Silver Linings No. 5 - sculpture, ceramic

By Loren Kaplan

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This contemporary ceramic black bowl is by Loren Kaplan. A gifted ceramicist, Loren Kaplan’s strikingly elegant work is highly regarded by international collectors. Kaplan’s porcela...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Ceramic, Mixed Media

Cafe Bougainvillea, Oil Painting
Cafe Bougainvillea, Oil Painting

Cafe Bougainvillea, Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A sunlit cafe courtyard framed by bougainvillea in full bloom comes alive with color and movement. Expressive brushwork and thick impasto in the foliage create ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Resurfacing Mix Media on Canvas, Abstract, 48x48, 2025
Resurfacing Mix Media on Canvas, Abstract, 48x48, 2025

Resurfacing Mix Media on Canvas, Abstract, 48x48, 2025

By Murray Duncan

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Resurfacing, 2025 by Murray Duncan Mixed media on canvas 48 × 48 inches Resurfacing is a quietly assertive abstract work that explores repetition, erosion, and the persistence of...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Glaze, Acrylic, Pencil

Secrets of the Garden
Secrets of the Garden

Secrets of the Garden

Located in Zofingen, AG

Secrets of the Garden is a contemporary figurative painting capturing a quiet summer moment of rest and intimacy. Two female figures stand together in a garden, suggesting friendship...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

The Marigold Dress 1 - Abstract Flowy Minimalist Figurative Painting on Paper
The Marigold Dress 1 - Abstract Flowy Minimalist Figurative Painting on Paper

The Marigold Dress 1 - Abstract Flowy Minimalist Figurative Painting on Paper

By Bettina Mauel

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Bettina Mauel expresses dynamism and sensuality in her paintings: “I paint what I experience,” she articulates. “This includes landscapes, flowers, and people in motion, capturing th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Linen, Ink, Mixed Media, Graphite

Red fish
Red fish

Red fish

Located in Zofingen, AG

The red fish is a symbol of confidence, stable good fortune, and abundance. It represents moving in one’s own rhythm, trusting intuition, and inner stability. The red color emphasize...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Early Morning
Early Morning

Early Morning

Located in Zofingen, AG

This work is part of the Inner Landscapes series, in which the landscape becomes part of a memory, a lived state, or emotions that cannot be expressed in words and can only be felt. ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mediterranean Garden (Under the Mandarin Trees)
Mediterranean Garden (Under the Mandarin Trees)

Mediterranean Garden (Under the Mandarin Trees)

Located in Zofingen, AG

This work emerges at the intersection of a personal journey through Italy and the universal image of the garden as a space of harmony and inner order. The Mediterranean garden here i...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Abstract art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract art 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 art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Sumit Mehndiratta, Giorgio Lo Fermo, Francisco Nicolás, and Dadodu . Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Synthetic Resin 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 art, so small editions measuring 0.02 inches across are also available.