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
Paper, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Wood, Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Lacquer, Pastel, Automotive Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Animal Skin, Organic Material, Found Objects, Wood
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Canvas
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Monoprint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Thread, Plastic, Acrylic, Pins
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Wax, Oil, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Glitter, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Wax, Oil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Wax, Oil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Wax, Oil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Wax, Oil, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Wax, Oil, Graphite
Artist Comments
A silver square floats on a dark background, with splatters of paint lending energy to the piece. The interplay of light and texture creates a striking contrast...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Charcoal
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Plywood, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Alabaster
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Spray Paint, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Lithograph
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Pastel, Mixed Media, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Panel
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Canvas, Latex
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Enamel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Brass
Artist Comments
Artist Linda Shaffer used an assortment of papers and images collected from everyday life to create this abstract piece. Text, geometric patterns, butterfly m...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Mixed Media, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Thread, Mixed Media, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Glue, Mixed Media