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.
$3,400
Fruity Ramen Alchemy: ARRIVAL - Meditative Abstract Blue Tone 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...
Gold Leaf
$1,920Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Rag Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Gouache
Pura Vida - Modern Abstract Earthy Tone Textural Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Drawing inspiration from an immersive and impressionistic interpretation of nature, Canadian artist Vé Boisvert paints textural original artworks that capture the fleeting effects of...
Canvas, Acrylic
$10,100
Das Grosse Blau - Large Abstract Expressionism Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The paintings of Bruce Rubenstein seamlessly marry sophistication with affordability. His expressive abstract landscape artwork 'Das Grosse Blau' features whimsical details and vibra...
Enamel
$555
Moody - Color Drenched Impasto Inspired Textural Thick Paint Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Acrylic
Self Heal - Original Framed Floral Artwork on Antique Botanical Book Page
By Lee Herring
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lee Herring focuses his contemporary paintings on vibrant, textured, and abstract landscapes that convey fleeting moments. Herring's energetic artworks are inspired by everyday momen...
Paper, Mixed Media
Soft Summer - Large Contemporary Abstract Textured Cool Tone Landscape Art
By Lee Herring
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lee Herring is a contemporary painter specializing in vibrant, textured, and abstract landscapes that convey fleeting moments. Herring's energetic artworks are inspired by everyday m...
Canvas, Varnish, Mixed Media, Acrylic
"At the Stroke of Midnight", Abstract, Blue, Red, Gold, Mixed Media Painting
By Peter Knapp
Located in Franklin, MA
Peter Knapp’s “At the Stroke of Midnight” is a 24 x 32 x 1 inch abstract mixed media painting on cradled panel in blue, aqua, red, and gold acrylic, ink, and pencil. First of the “Sp...
Archival Ink, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Color Pencil
$415
Memory - Muted Color Impasto Inspired Textural Thick Paint Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Acrylic
Jit Be Barking - Large Abstract Organic Unique Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rue Bootay, a New York-born artist now rooted in the vibrant artistic landscape of Los Angeles, navigates the avant-garde realm of nonrepresentational surrealism with a style uniquel...
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$6,200
A Romantic Dance - Large Abstract Illuminous Textural Floral Acrylic Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Drawing inspiration from an immersive and impressionistic interpretation of nature, Canadian artist Vé Boisvert paints textural original artworks that capture the fleeting effects of...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,450
Freedom in Nature - Large Abstract Green Tone Textural Floral Acrylic Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Drawing inspiration from an immersive and impressionistic interpretation of nature, Canadian artist Vé Boisvert paints textural original artworks that capture the fleeting effects of...
Canvas, Acrylic
8.19. #6 - Color Drenched Expressive Abstract Mixed Media Painting on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Las Mascaras III. From Las Mascaras (The masks) Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
This series draws inspiration from Hatillo’s Fiesta de los Santos Inocentes, translating the festival’s vibrant movement and collective energy into a refined abstract vocabulary. Thr...
Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Louise Bourgeois - Horseshoe (with accompanying horseshoe), for Judith Solodkin
Located in New York, NY
Engraving by Louise Bourgeois, 2002, hand signed, numbered and inscribed to her longtime printer Judith Solodkin of Solo Impressions, accompanied by an actual horseshoe gifted by the...
Metal
Resurfacing Mix Media on Canvas, Abstract, 48x48, 2025
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...
Glaze, Acrylic, Pencil
$775
Black And White - Impasto Inspired Textural Thick Acrylic Paint Abstract Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Metropolitan Moves - Unleashed", Abstract, Blue, Mixed Media Painting
By Peter Knapp
Located in Franklin, MA
Peter Knapp’s “Metropolitan Moves - Unleashed” is a 24 x 36 x 1 inch mixed media abstract painting on panel in blue, aqua, purple, and gold acrylic, ink, and color pencil. This celeb...
Archival Ink, Acrylic, Panel, Color Pencil
12 Dreams - Large Abstract Expressionism Colorful Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The paintings of Bruce Rubenstein seamlessly marry sophistication with affordability. His expressive abstract landscape artwork 'Flourishing Fields' features whimsical details and vi...
Enamel
$4,500
"Calm's Chaos - Storm Eye", Abstract, Blue, Brown, Orange, Mixed Media Painting
By Peter Knapp
Located in Franklin, MA
Peter Knapp’s “Calm’s Chaos – Storm Eye” is a 24 x 36 x 1 inch abstract mixed media painting on cradled panel in blue, indigo, and ochre acrylic, ink, and pencil. This colorful abstr...
Archival Ink, Acrylic, Color Pencil, Panel
"The Denizens of Delight - Fun with Matisse", Abstract, Mixed Media Painting
By Peter Knapp
Located in Franklin, MA
Peter Knapp’s “The Denizens of Delight – Fun with Matisse” is a 27.375 x 38.25 x 1 inch mixed media abstract painting on panel in blue, purple, orange, and green acrylic, ink, and co...
Archival Ink, Acrylic, Panel, Color Pencil
$2,310
Awakening Dreams - Abstract Luminous Earth Tone Textural Floral Acrylic Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Drawing inspiration from an immersive and impressionistic interpretation of nature, Canadian artist Vé Boisvert paints textural original artworks that capture the fleeting effects of...
Canvas, Acrylic
AWH 338 - Abstract Minimalist Textured Layered Colorfield Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bernhard Zimmer produces deeply layered, subtly textured abstract paintings that contain diametrically opposed elements—order and chaos, abstraction and representation, boldness and ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Painting with linen, beeswax and natural pigments, yellow turmeric and brown
Located in Carballo, ES
The painting measures 77 x 39 cm and is an old linen sack filled with polyurethane foam. The pigments include beeswax, oxide vinegar, yellow turmeric, and natural graphite. The work...
Canvas, Wax, Graphite, Pigment
Venus - Ethereal Abstract Textural Floral Painting in Blush, Coral and Gold
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Drawing inspiration from an immersive and impressionistic interpretation of nature, Canadian artist Vé Boisvert paints textural original artworks that capture the fleeting effects of...
Canvas, Acrylic
$635
Glowing Sunset II - Original Vibrant Warm Tone Textured Abstract Artwork Framed
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The delicate and poetic artworks of painter Frederic Paul reference his Asian roots in expressive and elaborate compositions. Inspired by the bold colors, spices, flora, and landscap...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Rice Paper
State of Blue
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Encaustic on panel. blue teal aqua white yellow orange navy Red green chartreuse It's simple; I create art because it makes me happy. I try not to overthink the process of what I...
Encaustic
$4,500
"Metropolitan Moves - Hustle and Bustle", Abstract, Blue, Mixed Media Painting
By Peter Knapp
Located in Franklin, MA
Peter Knapp’s “Metropolitan Moves - Hustle and Bustle” is a 24 x 36 x 1 inch mixed media painting on cradled panel in blue, grey, gold, and crimson acrylic, ink, and color pencil. Th...
Archival Ink, Acrylic, Panel, Color Pencil
Diptych: Registros XVII and Registros XVIII. From The Series Registros
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Impressions of past lives, perceptions of future lives. The Records series carries that mystery. Simple and profound since its deed does not happen on the surface. Although it manif...
Canvas, Lacquer, India Ink, Acrylic, Pigment
$4,500
City Feet - Abstract Energetic Expressionist Spontaneous Contemporary Painting
By Jonas Fisch
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swedish artist Jonas Fisch’s imagery is vibrantly buzzing with colorful commentary on society - past and present - morphed into figures, words, and shapes. His heavily layered canvas...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$17,500
'Profil de Jacqueline' Ceramic Convex Madoura Pottery Wall Plaque A. Ramie 383
Located in Portland, OR
Important, original, Pablo Picasso (1882-1973) ceramic plaque "Profil de Jacqueline", Madoura pottery 1956. The artwork was executed in 1956; this work is from the edition of 500, co...
Earthenware, Ceramic
Original Painting on Canvas Titled: "PDP 1147” 48 x 60
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Painting on Panel signed verso Cecil Touchon Born 1956 Austin, Texas is a contemporary American collage artist, painter, published poet and theorist living in Pagosa Springs, Colora...
Acrylic
Cintra and Frenetic Diptych. Mixed media Abstract painting on Canvas
By Alec Franco
Located in Miami Beach, FL
" The work resists framing in concepts, it overflows the contours and borders of the rational. It is through the presence of color, combined with an abstraction at times with express...
Canvas, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Fountain of Life // Interior Water Abstract / blue ocean / sea, waves.
Located in Zofingen, AG
Water is a symbol of the fundamental principle of everything, it is the element from which everything on the Earth was born. Using the ThetaHealing technique The painting is fi...
Acrylic
$3,700
Cairn Collection: LOVING KINDNESS - 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...
Gold Leaf
Untitled #525 by Murray Duncan – Original Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Untitled #525 by Murray Duncan Mixed media on paper Size: 32" x 40” Unframed, signed A bold mixed-media work with dynamic lines and textures. This captivating piece by Murray Dunc...
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
Internal Mythologies
Located in Dallas, TX
encaustic on paper
Paper, Encaustic
Cheap Date - Abstract Large Organic Shape Pastel Original Artwork on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rue Bootay, a New York-born artist now rooted in the vibrant artistic landscape of Los Angeles, navigates the avant-garde realm of nonrepresentational surrealism with a style uniquel...
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Helter Skelter - Large Contemporary Cubist Terracotta Orange Oil Painting Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles artist Harrison Gilman graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. In 2018 his artworks were exhibited at the We Rise Art Fair in Los Angeles alongside Shepard Fairey ...
Canvas, Oil
$11,500
Golden Moments - Large Original Abstract Expressionism Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The paintings of Bruce Rubenstein seamlessly marry sophistication with affordability. His original art merges the creative attitudes of the two distinct art hot spots of New York and...
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Untitled #527 by Murray Duncan – Original Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Untitled #527 by Murray Duncan – Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper Size: 32" x 40" Unframed, signed on the back A striking exploration of form and movement, Untitled #527 by Murray ...
Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Pencil
$1,760Sale Price|20% Off
Zig Zag 16-3-1 - Original Colorful Oil Painting Patterned Stripes with Texture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
In Petra Rös-Nickel’s oil paintings playful, free forms along with compositional constructions develop into textures, referencing popular European design of the fifties and sixties, ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
untitled 607
By Ky Anderson
Located in Dallas, TX
Acrylic & oil on paper
Paper, Acrylic, Oil
$1,600Sale Price|50% Off
Dusk, 2024 by Murray Duncan Mixed Media Abstract Geometric on board
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Dusk, 2024 by Murray Duncan Mix media on board Size - 48" w x 60" h x 1.5" d Signed Murray Duncan, born in 1966, is a self-taught creative visionary celebrated for his large-scale,...
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
$6,700
Mountain High - Large Abstract Expressionism Colorful Mixed Media Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The paintings of Bruce Rubenstein seamlessly marry sophistication with affordability. His expressive abstract landscape artwork 'Flourishing Fields' features whimsical details and vi...
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
The Painted Lady - Large Impasto Thick Paint Colorful Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint a...
Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Forces of Nature 21 - Textural Abstract Thick Paint Layered Artwork on Canvas
By Len Klikunas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Len Klikunas paints minimalist artworks to modify experienced reality through visual perception. The Blocks series is a mix of art and architecture, hovering between painting and scu...
Gesso, Canvas, Mixed Media
Noteworthy - Original Contemporary Expressive Geometric Abstract Metal Sculpture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Inspired by dance and weightlessness, Granville Beals' industrial metal sculptures are primarily about relationships. Concerned with form and abstraction, he does not merely manipula...
Metal, Steel
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...
Gold Leaf
Geometric Line Study C - 7 by Murray Duncan Mix Media on paper
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Geometric Line Studies C- 7 is an original mixed-media work on paper by Toronto artist Murray Duncan, part of his ongoing exploration of gestural geometry, spatial rhythm, and atmosp...
Paint, Paper, Ink, Pencil
Lily of the Valley - Original Framed Floral Art on Antique Botanical Book Page
By Lee Herring
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lee Herring focuses his contemporary paintings on vibrant, textured, and abstract landscapes that convey fleeting moments. Herring's energetic artworks are inspired by everyday momen...
Paper, Mixed Media
$6,400
Green Cathedral III - Large Contemporary Abstract Green Tone Geometric Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Harrison Gilman's large original artworks begin with a layer of fast-paced gestural abstraction followed by organic shapes and geometric structures. Some of his paintings remain in t...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$2,400
Straight Into the Middle - Lively Impasto Thick Paint Colorful Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint a...
Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$20,000
"Rhapsody in Red" Large-Scale Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Abstract 72"x60"
Located in New York, NY
"Rhapsody in Red", 2025, 72" H x 60" W. Large-scale abstract painting in hues of a warm, desaturated crimson consisting of acrylic, pencils, and oil pastels on canvas by Argentine-bo...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
$4,450Sale Price|50% Off
Light Thoughts, 2024 Mixed Media on Artist Board, Abstract Geometric Art
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Light Thoughts, 2024 Mix Media on artist board Size - 72" height x 84" width x 1.75" depth Signed Murray Duncan is a self-taught creative visionary. Know for his large-scale, expres...
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
Pure Joy
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Encaustic on panel. It's simple; I create art because it makes me happy. I try not to overthink the process of what I’m painting and let my intuition be my guide. I love laying do...
Encaustic
Seabreeze Soul - Abstract Color Drenched Contemporary Mixed Media Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The original artworks by Canadian artist Julie Naima feature visually appealing abstract compositions with organic shapes that evoke a sense of tranquility and serenity. The harmonio...
Canvas, Acrylic, Crayon, Mixed Media, Watercolor
$9,000Sale Price|62% Off
Three Totems - Large Oversized Abstract Modern Textural Grey Steel Sculptures
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Inspired by dance and weightlessness, Granville Beals' industrial metal sculptures are primarily about relationships. His original artworks capture the essence of Abstract Expression...
Metal, Steel
$680
Untitled #509, Mixed Media on Paper by Murray Duncan - Abstract Geometric Modern
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Untitled #509 by Murray Duncan, 2024 Mix media on paper Unframed Size: 32" x 40" Murray Duncan Studio: Murray Duncan, born in 1966, is a self-taught creative visionary celebrated f...
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
Sincroplastia. Mixed media Abstract painting on Canvas
By Alec Franco
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The paintings resists framing in concepts, it overflows the contours and borders of rationality. It is through the presence of color, combined with an abstraction at times with expre...
Canvas, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic