Abstract More Art
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Silk
Artist Comments
Artist Judy Mackey created this expressive semi-abstract garden view while thinking about the new flowers springing up from the ground and the daylight-saving...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
1980s Abstract More Art
Paper, Offset, Lithograph, Mixed Media, Ink
Artist Comments
The title of this painting expresses artist Onelio Marrero's observations of people sitting alone in restaurants and cafes. In this case, a woman waits agains...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Pastel, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"A young woman appears in an abstracted flowery dress on a very luminous background," explains artist Diana Elena Chelaru. "Tones of greens, yellow, and blue ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Silk
2010s Abstract More Art
Textile, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Oil
1990s Abstract More Art
Glass, Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Wood
Artist Comments
"This girl was posing for me on a trip to visit a ranch in Pagosa Springs, Colorado," shares artist Heather Foster. "She looked, to me, as if she was wearing black knee socks...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Sally Adams shares a dreamlike view of a trail going through an autumnal forest. She draws inspiration from a reference phot...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Glitter
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract More Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
2010s Abstract More Art
Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Metal, Brass, Steel
20th Century Abstract More Art
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract More Art
Ink, Rag Paper, Monotype
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
In this impressionist seascape, artist Nancy Jadatz presents a meandering creek flowing into a bay. From the shoreline, the scene ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
20th Century Abstract More Art
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Crystal DiPietro reflects a magnificent view of Southwestern Arizona. On an evening hike, Crystal came across prickly pear ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
Artist Comments
"This painting of an outdoor cafe in Paris is so full of life, you can almost hear the people engaged in conversation," says Faye Vander Veer. "From the waiter in the foreground to the waiter standing in the doorway, you can feel the energy." Through her loose brushwork and sense of perspective, Faye draws you into the painting so you too can experience a sunny April in Paris...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Suren Nersisyan depicts the romantic cityscape of Paris. "I love the bridges of this city connecting the banks of the Seine river," shares Suren. He ca...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil
1970s Abstract More Art
Tapestry
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Steel
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract More Art
Ink, Rag Paper, Monotype
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract More Art
Canvas, Acrylic