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.
The Visit: Abstract Mixed Media Painting on Canvas, 2010+, Unframed
Located in BARCELONA, ES
In The Visit, Fanni Kopacsi reimagines the 16th-century painting The Visitation by Jakob and/or Hans Strüb through a raw and deeply tactile contemporary lens. Created using recycled ...
Spray Paint, Acrylic, Canvas, Fabric, Textile
Rhopilema (Abstract Encaustic, Fabric and Collage Painting on Linen)
Located in Hudson, NY
"Rhopilema" made by Hudson Valley artist, Alaina Enslen, in 2025 Encaustic, dyed fabrics, and paper mounted on panel 20 x 16 x 2 inches unframed, sides reveal raw panel and wrapped f...
Fabric, Linen, Encaustic, Monotype
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Shim 3 Mixed Media Artwork, Abstract Geometric, 30x22 inches, 2012
By Lloyd Martin
Located in Lake Worth, FL
Artist: Lloyd Martin Title: Shim 3 Size: 30 x 22 inches Medium: Mixed media, acrylic, pastel, graphite, collage on paper Year: 2012 Price: 3,500 American...
Acrylic, Graphite, Archival Paper
Untitled 7. From Ritmos abstractos (Abstract Rhythms) Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
"Ritmos Abstratos" invites us to explore the visual universe of the artist Juan Carlos Amador, who, through his unique perspective, translates the pulsations of space and the invisi...
Linen, Acrylic
Las Mascaras X. 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...
Linen, Acrylic
Down South. Contemporary Quilt
By Bethan Ash
Located in Brecon, Powys
Bethan Ash is a professional quilt maker and teacher with a background in Fashion design. She has exhibited widely and her work has been bought by museums in the UK and USA, includin...
Cotton, Fabric
Untitled 22 and 23, Diptych from Mexican Ryōan-ji
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Ryōan-ji is the Japanese Zen temple in Kyoto, a monastery that gave rise to the idea of the purely abstract Zen garden that inspired this series Francisco Larios’ works are done by...
Gold Leaf
"Cascading Waters " Abstract Painting
Located in Westport, CT
This contemporary abstract painting by Julia Contacessi features light, washy layers of blue tones through the middle of the canvas, with lighter, textured layers on either side, Ove...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$7,600
Spur and Noiseless Diptych. Acrylic and scratch on fine art metallic paper
Located in Miami Beach, FL
This artwork was created by the artistic duo Hunter & Gatti (2010–2023). These works are part of the archive managed and exhibited by Cristian Hunter. The artist's technique consists...
Acrylic, Archival Paper
$7,500
Dan Basen - Untitled, Matches and mixed media assemblage; Signed, Double Framed
By Dan Basen
Located in New York, NY
"The true measure of Dan Basen’s practice lies in his fluency across multiple mediums, not generally combined in the work of one artist. He was a remarkably fecund and inventive scul...
Mixed Media, Board
$1,960Sale Price|30% Off
Archipelago - Original Abstract Geometric Neutral Grey and White Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mexican artist Heny Steinberg’s abstract artworks invite us to travel from the map to the localized event. She is suggesting that the spatial memory guidelines residing in the relat...
Acrylic, Canvas, Mixed Media
Where I Was and Where I Don’t Want to Be
By Brian Jerome
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Listings with rich descriptions are 40% more likely to sell and this was made 3 months leading up to my divorce.
Oil, Acrylic
Spinning 16-7 - Original Colorful Oil Painting Stripes and Pattern with Texture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Petra Rös-Nickel’s original paintings merge playful forms, bright colors and architectural compositions in oil and mixed media on canvas. Her contemporary artworks contain rich textu...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Hold to the Light, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
In this abstract painting, artist Yamilet Sempe conveys a state of inner transition, where form becomes uncertain and stability dissolves. At this threshold, li...
Mixed Media
$7,891Sale Price|20% Off
Italy Mixed Media Abstract Paper Flower Assemblage Under Lenticular Lens
Located in Brescia, IT
This astonishing artwork is a paper flowers assemblage, put in a wood box framed and then mounted under a lenticular lense. Title Mirror 2012. The particularity of Maurizio Donzelli ...
Mixed Media
Rough Waters - Abstract Organic Shape Earthy Pastel Colored Original Artwork
By Rue Bootay
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rue Bootay’s "Rough Waters" is a 30 x 30-inch mixed-media painting that blends Cubist abstraction with figurative storytelling. The artwork features an earthy palette of muted beige,...
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$19,000
"SYMBIOSIS IN EXOTICA" Abstract Painting 96" x 96" inch by Cameron Michel
Located in Culver City, CA
"SYMBIOSIS IN EXOTICA" Abstract Painting 96" x 96" inch by Cameron Michel Michel has been an apprentice to established artists Matthew Barney (NY), Sterling Ruby (LA), and The Haas ...
Resin, Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
The Cat in the Garden, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Inspired by a cat who climbs her fences, artist Linda Shaffer creates an intricate mixed-media artwork. The feline wanders through her garden, often finding a s...
Mixed Media
The Cat on the Fence, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This mixed media artwork is inspired by a cat that climbs fences, frolics in the garden, and dozes in the warm sunlight on artist Linda Shaffer's patio furnitur...
Mixed Media
Las Mascaras IX. 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...
Acrylic, Linen
Velvet Underground Red and Yellow Diptych
Located in Miami Beach, FL
As a reflection on the value we give to objects, this series exposes examples of objects that we use daily and for different reasons ended up gaining very high prices. By redrawing t...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Ink
Breath of Twilight, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This abstract piece draws inspiration from a richly colored urban sunset in early spring, exploring the shifting interplay between light and darkness that defin...
Mixed Media
$8,750
"Metro" - Large Colorful Contemporary Textured Impasto Mixed Media Abstract
Located in Carmel, CA
Kristy Chettle (American, born 1968) "Metro" 2023 Oil Paint, Mixed Media, Mesh, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the back of the artwork. "Metro" captures the pulse of urban...
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars, Mixed Media, Mesh
Paradise is Now
Located in Fairfield, CT
Abstract mixed media on paper, mounted.
Paper, Mixed Media
Thomas Anderson Abstract Expressionist painting on paper, unique, signed, Framed
Located in New York, NY
Thomas Anderson Abstract Expressionist painting on paper, ca. 1987 Mixed media watercolor, gouache and marker on paper Signed in black marker lower right front Unique Frame included ...
Paper, Watercolor, Gouache, Permanent Marker
Mary Bauermeister - Studio Leftover Fetich, 3D mixed media sculpture Fluxus, S/N
Located in New York, NY
Mary Baumeister Studio Leftover Fetich, 1953, 1967 Unique Mixed Media 3-D Assemblage Ink Signed, dated, titled, annotated "Edition Original" and numbered 52/75. Shadow box frame Incl...
Wood, Found Objects, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$1,282Sale Price|42% Off
The Fleagatory Mixed Media Painting, Surrealist, Signed, 1961, Framed
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Title: The Fleagatory (El Pulgatorio) Author: Antoni Pitxot Soler (Figueres, 1934 – Barcelona, 2015) Date: 1961 Medium: Mixed media on cardboard Dimensions: 48 x 68 cm (18.9 x 26.8 i...
Mixed Media
“Verdant” Contemporary Sculptural Wall Art in Green, Blue & Violet
Located in Hollister, CA
"Verdant" is a dimensional wall-mounted work by Los Angeles artist Delbar Azari that uses light-responsive materials to create an evolving experience of color and depth. Flowing band...
Plexiglass, Polyester, Wood
Las Mascaras VI. 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
Las Mascaras IV. 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
Deep Ocean
Located in Zofingen, AG
Deep Ocean, 2023 Oil, mixed media on paper (oil, milk paint) 45.5 × 60 cm (56 × 71 cm mounted) In Deep Ocean, Yuliia Holovatiuk-Ungureanu delves into the emotional and spiritual dep...
Mixed Media, Oil, Archival Paper
Currents : mixed media collage on paper
Located in New York, NY
Abstract collage by Iona Fromboluti. Fromboluti’s mixed media collages are a beautiful abstract compositions, comprised out of flowing shapes that overlap and interact with each oth...
Paper, Mixed Media
Bubbles 1
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Criswell's standing sculpture emerged from a study of spatial organization by arranging basic, repetitive shapes into a harmonious balance, while exploring the concept of simultaneou...
Metal
$12,000
Mixa and Punto de Partida, 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, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$320
Pastel Geometric 5 - Impasto Style Colorful Textural Thick Paint Abstract Art
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...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Paper
"Bodacious" Large Scale Black Blue White with Ochre Accents Abstract 72" x 72"
Located in New York, NY
"Bodacious" 2023, 72" x 72" square. An oversized, large-scale, bold and dramatic abstract painting consisting of acrylic, house paint, pencils, and oil pastels on canvas by Argentine...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Color Pencil, House Paint
$1,100
Abstract Modernist Colorful Mixed Media Art Screen-print Handmade Shaped Paper
By Sandy Kinnee
Located in Surfside, FL
Title: Guide 32 color screenprint on 100% rag handmade, shaped deckle edged paper. with applied glitter. hand signed in pencil, stamped and numbered from edition of 33. Sandy Kinnee...
Paint, Ink, Handmade Paper
Memorie antiche
Located in Atlanta, GA
"My passion for the vestiges of aged surfaces that inspires my painting has been influenced by my travels in Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Russia, and Sweden." --...
Mixed Media, Oil, Wood Panel
$1,100
Drift
Located in Atlanta, GA
Janet Hamilton (b. 1970) is a contemporary abstract painter in Nashville, TN. Her work is deeply inspired by color and the relationships that develop from its interactions. She crea...
Canvas, Paper, Oil
$635
Eternal Bloom - Original Vibrant Red Pink 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
Hesperides 003, Abstract Painting. From The Khloris Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The central concept of Larios painting series KHLORIS is based on the idea of the garden as a metaphorical space. Larios seeks to find a certain romantic beauty in the details of n...
Canvas, Lacquer, Pastel, Automotive Paint, Acrylic
Abstract Expressionist Print by famed sculptor (signed/n lt edition of only 58)
Located in New York, NY
Mark di Suvero Untitled Abstract Expressionist Print, ca. 2010 Digital photo lithograph Boldly signed and numbered in graphite pencil from the limited edition of only 58. 13 x 17 in...
Lithograph, Digital Pigment, Pencil
$2,627Sale Price|29% Off
Twist of Fate - Original Abstract Wood Tabletop Sculpture Original Garnero
By Joe Garnero
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Joe Garnero’s medium of choice for his winding abstract wood sculptures is reclaimed Redwood roots, which he finds along the northern California coast. The distinct curving shapes of...
Wood
"#2" Mixed Media Abstract Collage, Pastel & Gouache on Paper, 1958
Located in Arp, TX
James Spencer Russell "#2" 1958 Pastel, gouache and sand collage on paper Signed in pencil lower right 24x18" James Spencer Russell (1915-2000) was born in Monticello, Indiana, but ...
Sandstone
Nolan / ceramic wall sculpture
Located in Burlingame, CA
Glowing warmth like candle light in this organic, clean, minimal and meditative sculptural wall relief that is ceramic on painted wood panel. 30 x 30 x 3 inches. A beautiful and tact...
Ceramic
$1,450
Green-Toned Mixed Media on Canvas, Concrete and Sand, 2025 -'Untitled 1811241'
Located in Bruxelles, BE
This unique piece was made by Roan Van Oort in 2024. With a strong focus on simplicity and timelessness, he consciously chooses natural materials, characterized by a certain fragilit...
Concrete, Sandstone
$400
"#3" Mixed Media Abstract Collage, Paper and Gouache, Mid-20th Century
Located in Arp, TX
James Spencer Russell "#3" 1958 Collage with paper, sand, and gouache Signed in pencil lower right 24x18" James Spencer Russell (1915-2000) was born in Monticello, Indiana, but spen...
Paper, Pastel, Gouache
Subway Sonnet #107 - Large Mixed Media Abstract Expressionism Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The surfaces Susan Washington works with are derived from her memories of the graffitied subway car, public telephone booths, and rolling steel cages that secure neighborhood stores ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint
$1,775
Fils I Colors DCXCI - Colorful Abstract Contemporary Textile Art on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Barcelona native artist Raul de la Torre's vibrant abstract mixed media artworks pay homage to textiles. De La Torre allows the materials to take over during the process and collabor...
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Helios
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Criswell's standing sculpture emerged from a study of spatial organization by arranging basic, repetitive shapes into a harmonious balance, while exploring the concept of simultaneou...
Wood, Paint, Mixed Media
$2,800
PR 06
By Andre Costa
Located in New York, NY
Andre Costa, PR 06, Abstract Acrylic on Vinyl, 19.75 x 19.75, 2014 Colors: Green, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Orange, Red, White, Black, Gray Andre Costa is Brazilian visual artist and au...
Acrylic
Memories XII
Located in Atlanta, GA
Janet Hamilton (b. 1970) is a contemporary abstract painter in Nashville, TN. Her work is deeply inspired by color and the relationships that develop from its interactions. She crea...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Seguire il cuore, I
Located in Atlanta, GA
"My passion for the vestiges of aged surfaces that inspires my painting has been influenced by my travels in Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Russia, and Sweden." --...
Mixed Media, Oil, Wood Panel
Exodus : contemporary collage
Located in New York, NY
Jacqueline Dee Parker’s collages are interdisciplinary in approach and concept. Her materials include antique literature and music books and other e...
Canvas, Paper, Acrylic, Graphite
Quiet Arrangement, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A multi-media abstract with subtle blocks of organic and geometric elements by artist Terri Bell. "Each element is unique and contributes to the whole," says ...
Mixed Media
Peachy Dream #1 - White Framed Textural Abstract Gold Copper Silver Artwork
By Zabel
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guided by her passion for life and her spirit, French Canadian painter Zabel creates vibrant artworks filled with romance and immersive textures. With a belief that art is all about feeling, she creates magic and captures the moment by infusing her art with strong emotive qualities. Zabel communicates each scene with precision. Her work evokes the Impressionists, but depicts modern love and adventure. Couples stand at bar top tables...
Gold Leaf
"Contrast" Acrylic Painting on Wood and Cardbourd (18 x 28)
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Acrylic on Cardboard on Wood Panel. Orange Mustard blue Born in Tallahasee Fl, William started his artistic career as a color consultant for his family's Design and Painting compa...
Acrylic, Cardboard
Iridescent Journey
Located in West Hollywood, CA
A dense cluster of butterflies emerges from a curtain of dripped pigment, their wings built up in raised relief and traced in silver against a field of deep greens and inky blues. Ve...
Gold Leaf
Sonoran Dawn, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
While camping in the Sonoran Desert, artist Crystal DiPietro beholds the sight of the mesas lighting up at dawn. Soft purple shadows cast over the foothills a...
Mixed Media
Large Contemporary Abstract Impasto Painting Deep Blue, Grey Black by De Aurora
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic