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.
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Oil Crayon, Glaze
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pen
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Postcard, Pen, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Copper, Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Porcelain, Textile, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Cardboard
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Polyester, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Gouache, Mesh
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glass, Plastic, Wood, Paper, Oil, Found Objects, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Epoxy Resin, Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Epoxy Resin, Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Monotype, House Paint, Archival Paper
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Pastel, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Paper
Artist Comments
Vibrant splashes of blue, orange, and yellow collide with red and black in this modern abstract painting. The composition reflects artist Yamilet Semple's belie...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wax Crayon, Sumi Ink, Archival Paper, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Polyester, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Gouache
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Monotype
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil, Magazine Paper, Paper
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Resin, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal, Silver, Steel, Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Wood Panel
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Wood Panel
1940s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Crayon, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Giclée
Artist Comments
An orb emerges from a burst of reds, oranges, and pinks. Veins of darker lines anchor at the base, while a warm light washes at the top. This artwork reflects a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media