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.
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Tapestry
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Paint, Mixed Media, Monotype
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Thread, Plastic, Pins
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Canvas, Pigment
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Giclée, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Pencil
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Etching
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Gouache, Mixed Media, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Fabric, Canvas, Encaustic
Artist Comments
Cords twist and stretch across the composition, anchored by a smooth orb at the center. Earthy browns and soft oranges blend into a weathered, timeworn surface....
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Fiery orange and warm light burst against a cool blue background. Dark, branching lines stretch like twisted trees while a soft orb of light hovers on the left....
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plexiglass, Plaster, Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Spray Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plywood, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A dark structure cuts across a misty, pale background, while a warm, glowing light emanates from within. A luminous orb floats in the lower right corner. The ar...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Etching, Paper, Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
1990s Abstract Mixed Media
Silk, Screen
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Plaster, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Panel
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Gesso, Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Charcoal, Gouache, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Thread, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Newsprint, Screen
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Plaster, Ink