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, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Gouache, Archival Paper
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Laid Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Giclée
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Intaglio
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Linocut, Mixed Media, Handmade Paper
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Paint
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Crayon, Graphite
Artist Comments
A blue sphere with a red center hovers in the middle of the scene. It symbolizes a presence that communicates without words, the voice of awakening. A meditat...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plaster, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Wax, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Canvas, Digital
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic Polymer, Found Objects, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Silver
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil, Wood Panel
Artist Comments
"This piece depicts the beautiful colors and varied textures I found while wandering around in a desert wash," says artist Crystal DiPietro. Capturing a porti...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Polyurethane
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic Polymer, Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
Artist Comments
This portrait embraces abstraction through gestural mark-making techniques, expressive brushstrokes, and an intuitive depiction of the human form. The lines a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Monotype, Paper
Artist Comments
"This painting was inspired by flowers in the context of relationships," says artist Linda Shaffer. "Flowers are often the first gesture in a caring relations...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Other Medium
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plexiglass, Paper, Acrylic, Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wool, Yarn
Artist Comments
Splatters and geometric shapes bring variety to squares with different shades of blue. In creating the piece, artist Linda Shaffer takes inspiration from her ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Pastel, Acrylic
Artist Comments
This painting depicts a figure in a dynamic position. Artist Gail Ragains uses gestural marks, brushwork, and an intuitive approach to push the piece into abs...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Steel
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Cardboard
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Intaglio
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Monotype, House Paint, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Graphite, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Paint
Artist Comments
A continuation of artist Terri Bell's Geometria Grid series, this piece incorporates geometric shapes into organic arrangements. The painting's complex color ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Ink, Intaglio
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Intaglio, Ink
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Spray Paint, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Panel