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.
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Adhesive, Magazine Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Handmade Paper
Artist Comments
Inspired by abstracted nature, this artwork combines rain-like marks with organic shapes to form a structured composition. Layered papers and subtle neutral w...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Pencil
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache, Tissue Paper
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
House Paint, Magazine Paper, Newsprint
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Ink, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Permanent Marker, Color Pencil
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Chalk, Offset, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Graphite, Lithograph
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mirror, Film
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Relaxing waves smoothly drift along artist Nava Lundy's tranquil seascape. The direct view renders the composition in an abstract style. Thick impasto paint mimics the energy and movement of the ocean. Nava incorporates sand to create an extra dimension to this seascape.
About the Artist
Nava’s romantic and heavily textured impressionist...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Newsprint, Screen
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Pigment
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Adhesive, Magazine Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal, Wire
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Steel, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Bronze, Copper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Glue
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Enamel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plaster, Wax, Acrylic, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Plaster, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Brit says her inspiration for this piece was the William Faulkner quote, "You cannot swim for new horizons until you have the cour...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Inspired by abstracted nature, this artwork combines rain-like marks with organic shapes to form a structured composition. Layered papers and subtle neutral w...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
House Paint, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Oil Pastel, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Pastel, Ink, Watercolor, Pen
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Pencil, Color Pencil, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal, Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas, Thread
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Copper, Enamel
Artist Comments
Part of artist Patrick O'Boyle's Ethereal Abstraction series. A play of electric pink and cool blues stands out with dynamic paint application. Various patter...
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
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Chalk, Pastel, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Steel, Wire
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Plaster, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Tempera
Artist Comments
This piece is a continuation of artist Terri Bell's Geometria Grid series. It incorporates simple geometric shapes in organic and interesting arrangements. "T...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Ceramic, Wood
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Pen
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Intaglio
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, House Paint, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Wax, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel