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
Oil, Panel, Latex
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Lacquer, Acrylic, Canvas, Pastel, Automotive Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Wood Panel, Mica
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Resin, Panel, Digital Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas
Artist Comments
Artist Yamilet Sempe reflects that a flower doesn’t compete with the one beside it—it simply blooms. Through this piece, she celebrates the power of embraci...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Archival Paper, Pigment, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Paper, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Metal
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic, Acrylic, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Ink, Gouache, Rag Paper, Monotype
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
An abstract minimalist composition is divided into two distinct patterned sections. Detailed lines and irregular circles define the upper area, while small, t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Charcoal, Varnish, Pastel, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Marble
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Encaustic, Acrylic, Pencil
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic, Gouache, Archival Paper, Graphite
1970s Abstract Mixed Media
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Mixed Media
Ceramic, Plaster, Mosaic, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Cotton, Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Resin, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Silver Gelatin, Archival ...
1960s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Burlap, Cotton Canvas
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Plastic, LED Light
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Artist Comments
Relaxing waves smoothly drift along artist Nava Lundy's tranquil seascape. The direct view renders the composition in an abstract style. Thick impasto paint mimics the energy and movement of the ocean. Nava incorporates sand to create an extra dimension to this seascape.
About the Artist
Nava’s romantic and heavily textured impressionist...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Organic Material, Adhesive, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, T...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
1980s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Cord, Acrylic, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Plaster, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Textile, Cotton
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Pastel, Acrylic, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Pencil, Graphite, Monotype, Screen
2010s Abstract Mixed Media
Canvas, Plaster
Artist Comments
Beyond the Sea is an abstract focusing on Janet's favorite new color ;cobalt teal.; The color reminds her of the beauty of the sea and gives a calm and peace...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Plywood, Oil, Acrylic