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.
Original Vintage Collage by Wayne Timm #5
By Wayne Timm
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Paper and Adhesive collage by Wayne Timm. Image and mat opening measures 11 3/4 x 12 3/4 in. In the 1960's, Wayne Timm rubbed elbows with the likes of Warhol, Lichtenstein, Rauchen...
Paper, Adhesive, Magazine Paper
Abstract Composition
Located in Boca Raton, FL
John Levee (April 10, 1924 – January 18, 2017) was an American abstract expressionist painter who had worked in Paris since 1949. His father was M. C. Levee. John Harrison Levee rece...
Ink, Oil
Gestural Abstraction, Miniature Abstract Expressionist Korean Modernist Painting
By Don Ahn
Located in Surfside, FL
*Card pictured after painting not included. Dongkuk Ahn (1937-2013), better known as Don Ahn, was a South Korean artist and t'ai chi master who resided in New York City. Don Ahn (Ahn Dong Kuk) was born in Seoul, Korea. He studied at Seoul University (BFA), graduate student at Miami University, Oxford Ohio 1962...
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
$960Sale Price|20% Off
My Mother's Tears Inundation (grey 3D textile burlap fold monochrome design)
By Chloe Hedden
Located in Quebec, Quebec
My Mother's Tears Inundation is a deeply emotive work from Chloe Hedden’s Fold Series, composed of hand-dyed linen in soft, stormy tones. A pale, silvery veil of fabric envelops the ...
Textile, Linen, Canvas, Burlap, Acrylic
Paul Manes - Zim Zum, Painting 1999
By Paul Manes
Located in Greenwich, CT
Paul Manes was born May 4, 1948, in Austin, Texas. He began his professional career in New York City in the early 1980s. His art has been widely exhibited in America and Europe and h...
Canvas, Paint, Oil
Breathe 2, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Hand-printed papers, monoprints, and materials gathered from daily life blend in this mixed-media abstract. Bold black shapes and lines contrast with the warmth...
Mixed Media
$400Sale Price|20% Off
Indigo 1 (dark indigo blue thick textile linen fold monochrome design)
By Chloe Hedden
Located in Quebec, Quebec
In Indigo 1, Chloe Hedden invites us into a meditative field of texture, movement, and hue. Part of her Fold series, this work uses hand-dyed linen in deep, inky indigo tones that ri...
Textile, Canvas, Linen
$24,000
Wave Landscape - dynamic, modernist abstract landscape, acrylic tondo on canvas
By Otto Rogers
Located in Bloomfield, ON
The dynamic beauty of the natural world inspired Canadian artist Otto Rogers. This striking painting’s waves of colour in earthy tones of blue, gold, brown, black and white is enhanc...
Acrylic, Canvas
$22,000
Acid-Wave
By Omar Rayo
Located in New York, NY
3-Dimensional, Acrylic and Wood on Canvas. Signed, titled, inscribed "New York" and dated in ink on reverse (reference photo).
Canvas, Wood, Acrylic
Hypnotic Siren
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Resin coated and mounted to layers of plywood, these digital/mixed media ‘picture objects’ represent interpretations of contemporary visual culture charmed by minimalism, modernism, ...
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
Rick Lewis, False Bar, Painting 2021
By Rick Lewis
Located in Greenwich, CT
False Bar Oil, bitumen, graphite, sand, dry pigment on paper laid on canvas 38" x 50" I am a visual artist whose work investigates small and large -scale abstraction primarily in t...
Paper, Ink, Oil, Graphite, Pigment, Canvas, Laid Paper
$15,000
"Untitled B" Terry Adkins, Dark, Moody, Blue and Orange, Gestural, Mixed Media
By Terry Adkins
Located in New York, NY
Terry Adkins Untitled B, 1989 Signed, titled and dated on reverse Mixed media on paper 39 x 27 1/4 inches Provenance The artist Gifted to Jackie Battle, New York c. 1990 Acquired fr...
Mixed Media, Paper
$366Sale Price|56% Off
Stormy Weather II (Abstract, Geometric, Minimal, Nature, ~57% OFF)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Aster da Fonseca Stormy Weather II Acrylic on Wood 2019 6.25 x 7.3125 inches Signed on verso, lower right COA provided #abstract #geometric # minimal #acrylic # nature #painting #wo...
Wood, Acrylic
Adjusted Light (Violet)
By Andy Harwood
Located in West Hollywood, CA
"Adjusted Light (Violet)" is a testament to Andy Harwood's mastery of elegant shades of colors and composition that delicately interplays the subtle hues ...
Acrylic Polymer
$4,000Sale Price|20% Off
At Sea Between Fossils and Satellites 16 (texture, organic, biophilic, teal)
Located in Quebec, Quebec
At Sea Between Fossils and Satellites 16 (vertical) is a richly textured mixed-media painting by Melisa Taylor Metzger, part of her decade-long series At Sea Between Fossils and Sate...
Acrylic Polymer, Found Objects, Oil, Acrylic
$400Sale Price|50% Off
untitled
By Peter Marks
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Unsigned Provenance: Estate of the artist Collage of fragments of commercial printing Sheet: 14 x 17" Peter Marks (1935 -2010) Peter Marks was born ...
Mixed Media
"Pojagi Construction I" Jin-Sook So, Contemporary Korean mixed media artwork
By Jin-Sook So
Located in Wilton, CT
This abstract geometric mixed media piece was done by fiber artist, Jin-Sook So (b. 1950, Korea). So grew up in Seoul, Korea where she received a master's degree in textile art, afte...
Metal, Silver, Steel, Gold Leaf
Searching, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A multi-layered mixed-media abstract features hand-printed papers, monoprints, exotic papers, travel and original photographs, and papers collected from bits of...
Mixed Media
Climbing, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Linda Shaffer drew inspiration from the joy of traveling, climbing, and discovering new hiking trails to create this mixed-media abstract artwork. The co...
Mixed Media
"Our Way of Living 1" Abstract Marble Mosaic
Located in Chicago, IL
Monochromatic, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. ...
Marble
Red, Colorful Abstract Wall Sculpture by William Taggart
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: William Taggart, American (1936 - 2007) Title: Red Year: 1980 Medium: Mixed Media: Acrylic on Canvas and Stypol Polymer, Signed Verso Overall Size: 33 x 36 in. (83.82 x 91....
Canvas, Foam, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$15,400
Untitled (Work on Paper) - vibrant, modernist abstract, mixed media on paper
By Otto Rogers
Located in Bloomfield, ON
The vibrant colours—burnt orange, turquoise, black-a touch of green and the dynamic form of this inspired composition is quintessentially Otto Rogers. The modernist artist was masterful in his use of acrylic paints and his work reflected the natural beauty that surrounded his country studio. Saskatchewan born Rogers (1935-2019) was recognized by the NY art critic, Clement Greenberg as a ‘big attack’ painter early in his career and stated that his artwork showed a ‘fullness of inspiration.’ A devout follower of the Baha’i faith, Rogers did not view art as simply a ‘decorative thing.’ “Nature is God...
Paper, Mixed Media
$819Sale Price|20% Off
1980's French Abstract Original Artwork Collage Painting Portrait Womens Face
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait French School, circa 1980's signed lower left corner painting on canvas with cutout paper collage applied to canvas, unframed canvas: 18 x 15 inches the painting is in overa...
Oil, Magazine Paper
Urban Nostalgy, Mixed Media on Canvas
By Laura Spring
Located in Yardley, PA
Thank you for looking at my artwork. This one of a kind painting is done in acrylic and mixed media, with collage elements, gold accents . I try my best to represent the true colors ...
Mixed Media
"Summer Rain", Acrylic paint and Fabric framed, 50x34
By Christophe
Located in Southampton, NY
Listed is another impressive painting from 2018 by French abstract expressionist Christophe. We are pleased to announce that we are the only galle...
Fabric, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
Untitled (Abstraction with musical notes)
By Louisa Chase
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Untitled (Musical notes abstraction) Mixed media on paper, 1991 Signed lower right center Condition: Very good Archival framing with conservation glass Provenance: ...
Mixed Media
Rick Lewis - Manana Blanca II, Painting 2023
By Rick Lewis
Located in Greenwich, CT
Manana Blanca II Oil, bitumen, graphite, marble powder, burlap on canvas 73" X 70" I am a visual artist whose work investigates small and large -scale abstraction primarily in the m...
Marble
Mirror Mirror
By Ryan Coleman
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This laser cut acrylic series of Scribble Sculptures is inspired by the gestures and quick mark making found in abstract expressionist painting and drawing, and the whimsical, bold color and shape found in classic cartoon. Ryan Coleman...
Plexiglass
Bloom 4 by Isabel Ritter - Contemporary Wall Flower sculpture
Located in DE
Hand carved sculpture by artist Isabel Ritter. Ready to hang on the wall, this beautiful flower is full of vibrant colors. About the Gallery: Folly & Muse was established in 2015 in...
Acrylic, Fiberboard
$6,500
Sors
By Rosa Brun
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Joseph Kosuth, father of conceptual art, once famously said: “Works of art that try to tell us something about the world are bound to fail (…)The absence of reality in art is exactly...
Wood, Mixed Media
"Sea Fair" abstract sedimentary landscape oil painting greys and blues
Located in Edgartown, MA
In Sea Fair 14, Chase Langford transforms the experience of the sea into a complex, almost geological field of movement, color, and accumulated form. Rather than depicting an ocean h...
Mixed Media, Oil
Saint Minecraft III (Block Building, Pixel Art, Gaming Creativity)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Golfam Jozdani Saint Minecraft III 2024 Mixed Media on Cardboard; Acrylic, Pencil, Colored Pencil Size: 9.44 x 14.17 inches (24 x 36 cm) Signed and date...
Acrylic, Cardboard, Pencil, Color Pencil
Saint Minecraft IV (Block Building, Pixel Art, Gaming Creativity)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Golfam Jozdani Saint Minecraft IV 2024 Mixed Media on Cardboard; Acrylic, Pencil, Colored Pencil Size: 9.44 x 14.17 inches (24 x 36 cm) Signed and dated...
Acrylic, Cardboard, Pencil, Color Pencil
Debris Field
By Andrea Myers
Located in Dallas, TX
Torn Layered Papers Collage
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Chroma Cloud
By Andrea Myers
Located in Dallas, TX
Torn Layered Papers Collage
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$1,065
Golden Rocket Morning, (20th century, British abstract painting, orange tones)
By Terry Durham
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Terry Durham (British, 1936 – 2013) Golden Rocket Morning Acrylic and Mixed media Signed and dated ‘DURHAM.72.’ (lower left) 18 x 23.3/4 in. (45.8 x 60.3 cm.) The orange composition shows a rocket but there are heavy resemblances to a fish. Other foliate motifs, squares, circles and references to the moon and clouds...
Mixed Media, Acrylic
$7,200Sale Price|20% Off
At Sea Between Fossils and Satellites II2, Mixed-Media Painting, 2010
Located in Quebec, Quebec
"At Sea Between Fossils and Satellites II2" is a textured mixed-media painting that explores the connection between the ancient and the celestial. Created with acrylic, latex, copper...
Bronze, Copper
Moonlet - Patchwork Fabric Abstract Painting
By Andrea Myers
Located in Boston, MA
Moonlet 67 x 67 x 2, 20.0 lbs Mixed Media Hand signed by the artist Artist's Commentary: "Inspired by eclipses, the night sky and planets, this neutral textile collage is comprised...
Textile
Prismatic
By Andrea Myers
Located in Dallas, TX
Torn Layered Papers Collage
Paper, Acrylic, Mixed Media
untitled, 1976 - mixed media on canvas, 93x53 cm., framed
Located in Nice, FR
Very interesting work by Bruno Mendonça, Ecole de Nice, made by paper and juta tissue. framed. signed and dated
Mixed Media
"Minutiae II, " a Fiber Collage Mixed Media signed by Jeanne Smith
By Jeanne Smith
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Minutiae II" is a fiber collage mixed media fiber collage by Jeanne Smith. The artist begins by dyeing background fabric, in this instance tie-dyeing, which creates an irregular pat...
Textile, Mixed Media
Whispers of Spring III
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roxane is an Atlanta-based, multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from the Midwest, she was influenced by the Native American spiritual sensibilities and respect for the Earth she en...
Mixed Media
Moon on the Water I
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roxane is an Atlanta-based, multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from the Midwest, she was influenced by the Native American spiritual sensibilities and respect for the Earth she en...
Paper, Mixed Media
$3,100
Renewal I
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roxane is an Atlanta-based, multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from the Midwest, she was influenced by the Native American spiritual sensibilities and respect for the Earth she en...
Canvas, Plastic, Mixed Media
Can We Come out and Play, #14
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roxane is an Atlanta-based, multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from the Midwest, she was influenced by the Native American spiritual sensibilities and respect for the Earth she en...
Paper, Mixed Media
Can We Come out and Play, #11
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roxane is an Atlanta-based, multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from the Midwest, she was influenced by the Native American spiritual sensibilities and respect for the Earth she en...
Paper, Mixed Media
Summer Nights #5
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roxane is an Atlanta-based, multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from the Midwest, she was influenced by the Native American spiritual sensibilities and respect for the Earth she en...
Paper, Mixed Media
Summer Nights #6
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roxane is an Atlanta-based, multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from the Midwest, she was influenced by the Native American spiritual sensibilities and respect for the Earth she en...
Paper, Mixed Media
Moon on the Water II
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roxane is an Atlanta-based, multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from the Midwest, she was influenced by the Native American spiritual sensibilities and respect for the Earth she en...
Mixed Media, Paper
Blue Sky I
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roxane is an Atlanta-based, multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from the Midwest, she was influenced by the Native American spiritual sensibilities and respect for the Earth she en...
Mixed Media
Whispers of Spring IV
Located in Atlanta, GA
Roxane is an Atlanta-based, multi-disciplinary artist. Originally from the Midwest, she was influenced by the Native American spiritual sensibilities and respect for the Earth she en...
Mixed Media
$3,746Sale Price|20% Off
Brouhaha Mixed Media Painting, Abstract, Acrylic and Copper Leaf, 80x80cm, 2025
Located in Saint Pol de Léon, Bretagne
Emmanuelle Vroelant started this painting after watching a news report on the National Assembly, struck by a cacophony in which egos jostled together, each claiming their own truth. ...
Marble, Copper
"Acquiesce", Abstract Collage, Red, Black, Monotypes, Mixed Media
Located in Franklin, MA
Monica DeSalvo’s “Acquiesce" is a 14 x 12 inch abstract collage over an acrylic monotype on pearlescent textured paper with shades of red, silver, blue and purple. Many of the black ...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil, Monotype
The Old Forte
Located in Deddington, GB
The Old Forte by Harriet Hoult [2020] original Original painting Image size: H:129 cm x W:150 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:129 cm x W:150 cm x D:3cm Frame Size: H:129 cm x W...
Paper, Mixed Media
Gestural Abstraction, Miniature Abstract Expressionist Korean Modernist Painting
By Don Ahn
Located in Surfside, FL
*Card pictured after painting not included. Dongkuk Ahn (1937-2013), better known as Don Ahn, was a South Korean artist and t'ai chi master who resided in New York City. Don Ahn (A...
Paper, Ink, Acrylic
Continuum Scale
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Resin coated and mounted to layers of plywood, these digital/mixed media ‘picture objects’ represent interpretations of contemporary visual culture charmed by minimalism, modernism, ...
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
$460Sale Price|20% Off
Trophy 15 (encaustic on panel, pattern, grid, pastel, forms, bright, texture)
Located in New York, NY
Mixed Media Encausticand Pastel Powder Rundorff Smith deals with central shapes that she develops by referencing urns, shrines, burial mounds and places of veneration. As a current ...
Pastel, Mixed Media, Encaustic
Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media on Canvas, Signed, 21st Century
Located in Cotignac, FR
Contemporary Abstract mixed media on canvas signed top left F Bantigny. Presented in custom made white painted wooden tray frame. This is one of t...
Canvas, Tape, Acrylic
John Van Alstine - Stormwarning IV, Sculpture 2014
Located in Greenwich, CT
Medium: Slate, Pigmented and Sealed Steel Stone and metal, usually granite or slate and found object steel are central in my sculpture. The interaction of these materials is a major...
Slate, Steel, Cut Steel
Phthalo Diffusion
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Resin coated and mounted to layers of plywood, these digital/mixed media ‘picture objects’ represent interpretations of contemporary visual culture charmed by minimalism, modernism, ...
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment