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
Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Lithograph, Tissue Paper
Artist Comments
White petals bloom from a dark background, with red and blue strokes providing contrast. The mark-making adds an expressive energy to the scene. Artist Dafni Milan...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Found Objects
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Thread, Gouache, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Etching, Aquatint, Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Wax, Cardboard
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Copper, Enamel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Marble
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Latex
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plywood, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Archival Paper
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas, Spray Paint
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Found Objects
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Acrylic, India Ink, Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gesso, Canvas, Acrylic, Engraving
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Tempera
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Sandstone
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
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Cardboard, Pencil, Color Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Ink
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wax, Wood
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
Artist Comments
Artist Gail Ragains captures a model mid-pose, depicting her figure with a blend of collage papers, acrylic glazes, and oil pastels. The vibrant color combina...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Rag Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Marble
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Monotype, Digital
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Varnish, Giclée
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Canvas
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Drypoint, Mezzotint, Linocut, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric
Artist Comments
Artist Jodi Dann began a collage series after a delightful discovery in her backyard—a nest made of horse tail hair. The varied abstract elements, textures,...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media