Abstract Mixed Media
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.
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Wood, Tape, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Photographic Paper, Giclée, Silver Gelatin, Archival Paper, Inkjet
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Bronze, Copper
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Charcoal, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Rice Paper, Pigment
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Oil, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Pencil, Graphite, Monotype, Screen
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Concrete, Sandstone
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Paper, Pigment, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Resin, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Found Objects, Ink, Gouache, Pencil
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Cord, Acrylic, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plaster, Wax, Acrylic, Pigment
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
India Ink, Watercolor
Artist Comments
This geometric abstract conveys artist Terri Bell's feelings about witnessing nature's daily progression of tender new growth. It is a bright and harmonious a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Steel
Artist Comments
A compelling western scene of the Muddy Mountains lays out in the beautiful geography of the Mojave. Artist Crystal DiPietro paints an impressionist rendering...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment
Artist Comments
Artist Linda Shaffer used an assortment of papers and original images collected from everyday life to create this multi-layered mixed-media abstract painting....
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Acrylic, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Plastic, LED Light
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Stencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Paint
20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Crayon, Ink, Acrylic, Tissue Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Encaustic, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Lacquer, India Ink, Watercolor, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Muslin, Silk, Nylon
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Panel, Latex
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mirror, Film
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Intaglio
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
A female figure burst with earthy tones and vibrancy. The combination of collage papers, acrylic glazes, and oil pastels infuses the piece with a playful abst...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media