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.
1950s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Concrete, Sandstone
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
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
Artist Comments
Soft turquoise and vibrant reds create a striking contrast while shimmering gold leaf symbolizes the returning sunlight and the promise of renewal. The layers o...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Chalk, Oil Crayon, Oil, Acrylic, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Glitter
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Laid Paper
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Charcoal, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
A reclining figure takes shape through colorful collage papers. Layers of paint, text, and images flow in a random, free-form expression. Despite the energetic ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Artist Comments
Pale, neutral tones blend with darker, earthy hues, creating a subtle tone-on-tone effect. A loosely defined grid anchors circles of varying sizes, allowing the...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Plywood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
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, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Masonite, Screen, Graphite
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil, Tempera
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Plywood, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plaster, Wax, Acrylic, Panel, Pigment
Late 20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Newsprint, Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal, Steel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Ceramic, Glaze, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal, Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Wood, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Silk
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Soft turquoise and vibrant reds create a striking contrast while shimmering gold leaf symbolizes the returning sunlight and the promise of renewal. The layers o...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Canvas, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Adhesive, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Plastic, Permanent Marker
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic