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.
$4,285Sale Price|20% Off
City Rain II - original abstract impressionism painting - contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. City Rain II by José Martinez immerses the viewer in the vibr...
Canvas, Oil
Modern Twentieth Century Signed Miro Lithograph Le Lezard aux Plumes D'Or
By Joan Miró
Located in ludlow, GB
Modern Twentieth Century Signed Miro Lithograph Le Lezard aux Plumes D'Or - Signed on the Plate and authenticated by the Mourlot family. This Lithograph by Miro was originally for G...
Lithograph
Waits River Church, Vermont, Oil Painting
By Doug Cosbie
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Waits River is a small village on Highway 25 southeast of Stowe, Vermont. "The church, buildings and barns presented an iconic view of New England...
Oil
Bhutan Abstraction with Green - 1
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by world renown artist Ricardo Mazal exists in an edition of 30. Paper size is 35 inches h x 30 inches w with an image size of 26 inches h x 27 inches w. Born in Mexico City in 1950, Ricardo Mazal moved to Barcelona Spain in 1986, and since 1990 has lived and worked in New York City, as well as Santa Fe New Mexico. Mazal’s work explores the process of visual perception as it takes form in the human consciousness. His paintings depict the passage of time, not by illustrating events but by leaving their residue to dissipate in space like a still photograph of a speeding object blurred to abstraction. In the last decade he has been honored with ten individual museum exhibitions, including a retrospective at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (MARCO) in Monterrey. He has also shown at the Museo Nacional de Anthropologia, Mexico City and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. KORA follows the direction begun by La Tumba de La Reina Roja (The tomb of the Red Queen...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$3,273Sale Price|38% Off
Yellow Cabs in NYC III-original abstract impressionism painting-contemporary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. Yellow Cabs in NYC III by José Martinez captures the vibrant en...
Canvas, Oil
Pop of Color For Your Wall - Impasto Thick Paint Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Acrylic
62x68” Glacier - Oil Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a beautiful oil painting by Alexis Portilla. Color, lines and shapes that resemble pictographs and vessels convey symbolism. Influenced by the emotion of artistic expression...
Oil
Wave - Impasto Colorful Thick Paint Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Glitter, Acrylic
avp_1534 - Expressive Blue and Green Abstract Contemporary Painting on Paper
By Alex Voinea
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The colorful abstract artworks of Romanian artist Alex Voinea are inspired by experiments with paint poured over vibrating surfaces, such as speakers at full volume. Alex Voinea coll...
Paper, Acrylic
$1,650Sale Price|25% Off
Two heads, 70x100cm, acrylic on canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
Two heads, 70x100 cm
Canvas, Acrylic
Brutalist Ceramic Abstract Expressionist Lamp Base or Vase Form
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Raymond Gallucci (1923-2005) Lamp Base, ca. 1970. Glazed ceramic. 15 " h, 7 3/8" w, 6" d. Opening for lamp post measures 11/16 inch. While the piece would make a lovely lamp, we...
Ceramic
Monet's Pond at Giverny, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Reflections on the water in Monet's pond at Giverny. Onelio spent some time there taking in the splendor of the setting. "Each view of the place was a paintin...
Oil
$10,000
Falling Fire - Muted Color Atmospheric Abstract Alluring Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mark Acetelli’s oil and mixed media paintings awaken the viewer’s sense of exploration and adventure; they demand a new discovery. His artworks exhibit a chemistry of complexity and ...
Canvas, Oil
Indoor Lamp - Nature Warm Z1 small - Modern Outdoor Ornament
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Stylish column warm light for indoor use. The luminaire is filled with glass chunks and is illuminated from below with a 5 watt Led spotlight. The column is made of rusted sheet ste...
Steel
$3,763
Star Chaser- Original Still life hyper realism oil paintings-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Oil
$1,125
Those Curves - Impasto Thick Paint Layered Texture Colorful Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Acrylic, Glitter, Mixed Media
$118Sale Price|20% Off
Gerhard Richter - "Abstract Picture" - unique art print on heavy paper
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Art print on heavy paper. After the original from 1977. A beautiful artwork that looks good in every room and especially in the living room or bedroom. Can be framed accordingly. ...
Paper, Offset
Cosmic Trigger - Large Contemporary Organic Shape Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Harrison Gilman's large original artworks begin with a layer of fast-paced gestural abstraction followed by organic shapes and geometric structures. Some of his paintings remain in t...
Canvas, Oil
$1,154Sale Price|25% Off
ABSTRACT GARDEN
By Daria Kusto
Located in CÓRDOBA, ES
Original art by Daria Kusto. Acrylic , acrylic spray on canvas Shipped rolled in a tube, From Spain.
Canvas, Acrylic
"Eb & Flo, " Mixed Media Collage
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Fabric, Silk, Wood
Black Field
Located in New York, NY
Color screenprint on white wove paper, 1972. Signed by the artist dated in pencil lower left. Numbered 67/150 in pencil lower right. Printed by Kelpra Studio, London, with the ink ...
Screen, Color
$400
Mixed Media Abstract Collage, Sand, Paper, Gouache, Signed, 19.25x13.5
Located in Arp, TX
James Spencer Russell "#4" 1958 Collage with paper, sand, gouache Signed in pencil 19.25x13.5" James Spencer Russell (1915-2000) was born in Monticello, Indiana, but spent much of h...
Sandstone
$1,800
Joan Kahn Indigo Denim Blue Color Abstract Expressionist Modernist Oil Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
Oil paint on heavy paper. (this might possibly be acrylic paint) This does not appear to be signed. Joan Kahn (USA 1953-) grew up in New York City; Princeton, New Jersey; and Vermont; in an environment that patronized the arts. At home her father, a professor, and mother, a state economist and homemaker, collected nineteenth and twentieth century drawings and prints, Middle eastern rugs, and ceramics, pewter, and old tools. Her grandfather, Max Westfield, was an academically trained portrait painter and her great uncle was a well-known gallery owner and art dealer in pre-World War II Germany. One of the influential experiences of Joan’s youth was visiting her grandfather in his studio in Tennessee where the family had first immigrated. Growing up near New York, and spending a year in Paris during high school, provided formative visits to museums and galleries. Joan was academically talented in grade and high school, but after her father’s death during her first years at university she found herself concentrating on studio and history of art. It was a subject above others absorbed and concentrated her focus. Influential in Joan’s development and later work are the historic movements of the Bauhaus and Modernist design and architecture, geometric art and design of diverse cultures, Color Field Painting. Many artists have had a impact on her work, such as Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Sonia Delaunay, Mark Rothko, Ad Reinhardt, Antoni Tapies, David Smith, John McLaughlin, Tony Smith, Louise Nevelson, Robert Mangold, Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, Valerie Jaudon, Jasper Johns, James Turrell, Robert Irwin, Vija Celmins, Caio Fonseca, Peter Halley, Ed Moses, Juan Usle, and Nancy Haynes...
Oil
Costal Impressions - The Lone Cypress, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
In his signature style, artist John Jaster paints this famous tree in Pebble Beach, California. Overlooking Carmel Bay, The Lone Cypress...
Acrylic
White Noise - Colorful Energetic Abstract Expressive Textural Drip Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles artist Marc Raphael's abstract expressionism paintings are influenced by New York's abstract expressionist movement. After encountering Jackson Pollock’s work for the fir...
Canvas, Latex, Acrylic
$6,200
Faded Rose - Muted Color Atmospheric Abstract Alluring Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mark Acetelli’s oil and mixed media paintings awaken the viewer’s sense of exploration and adventure; they demand a new discovery. His artworks exhibit a chemistry of complexity and ...
Canvas, Oil
Femme Arabe Tapestry, Abstract Geometric Wool, Late 20th Century
Located in New York, NY
In 1963, Calder settled into a new workshop, overlooking the valley of the Lower Chevrière to Saché in Indre-et-Loire (France). It wasn’t long before tapestry became a new way for Al...
Tapestry, Wool
Nick Thomm - AFTER DARK (PINK)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'After Dark' (Pink) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) Limited Edition of 125 Hand Signed and Numbered #84 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW....
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$2,625
Deus Ex Machina - Colorful Contemporary Painting with Abstract Geometric Forms
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Harrison Gilman's large original artworks begin with a layer of fast-paced gestural abstraction followed by organic shapes and geometric structures. Some of his paintings remain in t...
Canvas, Acrylic
Red with Blue Fabric Collage, Abstract Style, 1970s, Unsigned, 38x28
Located in Arp, TX
Sylvia Rutkoff (1919-2011) "Red with Blue" 1970s Fabric collage on stretch bar 38"x28" unframed Unsigned Collection acquired from family estate Sylvia Weinreb Rutkoff (1919-2011) Bo...
Fabric, Stretcher Bars
'O.D. 1' by Brian Bosworth, Ceramic, Underglazes, Lava Glaze
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This 5.5" x 8.5" ceramic wall sculpture was created by Brian Bosworth. This is a contemporary piece that demonstrates sophisticated glazing techniques and compositional balance. The ...
Ceramic, Underglaze
$142Sale Price|25% Off
Reflections Through The Looking Glass No. 7 - Colorful Geometric Abstract Circle
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood
$2,500
avp_1519 - Original Abstract Deep Magenta Tone Contemporary Painting on Paper
By Alex Voinea
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The colorful abstract artworks of Romanian artist Alex Voinea are inspired by experiments with paint poured over vibrating surfaces, such as speakers at full volume. Alex Voinea coll...
Paper, Acrylic
Book: Works on Paper 1949-1984 (Hand signed & inscribed by Helen Frankenthaler)
Located in New York, NY
Helen Frankenthaler (after) Frankenthaler, Works on Paper 1949-1984 (Hand signed and inscribed to Dick Polich, Founder of Tallix Foundry), 1986 Softcover monograph (book), hand signe...
Offset
$1,532Sale Price|20% Off
A Perfect Moment-original figurative landscape acrylic painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. Therese James captures a timeless, tender scene in her paintin...
Canvas, Acrylic
Morning Contemplation, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
"In this painting, I wanted to further my explorations of interiors in dramatic lighting and the look of folds on unmade beds," explains artist Onelio Marrero...
Oil
Nick Thomm - LUMINANCE - SET (Standard)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'LUMINANCE' (SET) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) per print. Blue Limited Edition of 425. Orange Limited Edition of 409. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Pape...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Stalling and Waiting, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
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...
Oil
Sonoran Hillside, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Drawing inspiration from her hiking trips, artist Crystal DiPietro paints scenes she personally witnesses. She depicts a hillside view of Saguaro cacti overlooking the canyon. "They stand like sentinels along the landscape," describes Crystal. She paints the mountains turning...
Oil
$975
The Shape of Memory: Textured Abstract Mixed Media Organic Wall Art Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
The Shape of Memory embodies Lisa Pressman’s long investigation into how memory lives within the body, surface, and time. This sculptural mixed media work is both painting and object...
Thread, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Panel, Cardboard
Apple Green - Impasto Thick Paint Green Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Acrylic
$40,000
"Abstract With Pink and Teal" large-scale oil painting, pastel colors, amorphous
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
A large scale oil painting - totally abstract, non representational. Largely pink, and blue, with pops of assorted colors peaking up from beneath. Thickly painted globs of paint are ...
Linen, Oil
$1,500Sale Price|25% Off
Personal contacts, 70x90cm, acrylic on canvas
By Tatiana Nega
Located in Yerevan, AM
Personal contacts, 70x90cm
Canvas, Acrylic
$6,900
Flux, 2024, vibrant, jewel-like, diaphanous strips of fabric collages
Located in New York, NY
Linda Kamille Schmidt plays with emotional connections and memory in her smaller, framed works. In their encasements, each collage appears as a portal; a...
Fabric, Thread
Glaciers - Large Original Ice Blue and Green Abstract Contemporary Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Clara Berta’s acrylic and mixed-media paintings blend texture and color to create harmony, mystery, and depth on the painted surface. Her paintings transform spaces into Zen environm...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Solar Imp
Located in New York, NY
Screenprint in colors on wove paper. Signed by the artist in pencil and also numbered 96/126 in pencil. Published by Lincoln Center List Poster and Print Program, New York. Second ...
Screen, Color
$3,000Sale Price|25% Off
oxygen , 250x170 cm, acrylic, canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
oxygen, 250x170 cm
Canvas, Acrylic
Twentieth Century Untitled Abstract Limited Edition Stone Lithograph Joan Miro
By Joan Miró
Located in ludlow, GB
Twentieth Century Untitled Abstract Limited Edition Stone Lithograph by Joan Miro. Originally in a catalogue and consequently there is slight evidence of a fold in the centre. We h...
Lithograph
$2,550Sale Price|25% Off
Synthesism: Solitude 4 - Bold Graffiti Textural Original Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Abstract minimalist artist Jason DeMeo presents a collection of artworks designed to engage viewers in a meditative experience, drawing them closer to the enduring ideals of truth, b...
Gold Leaf
Huge Scandinavian Abstract Wool Tapestry Art Rug Asger Jorn Cobra Artist Denmark
By Asger Jorn
Located in Surfside, FL
Asger Jorn (1914-1973) Ege Axminster, Denmark. Danish Tapestry Rug Art-Line Etiquette de l'éditeur Ege Axminster (Danemark) titrée au revers. Les Emigrants 132 x 98 inches, Pure ...
Wool
Yellow fields, Eleanor Woolley, Bright Art, Naive Art, Abstract Fields
Located in Deddington, GB
Yellow fields is an original painting by Eleanor Woolley. A beautiful view from May hill with the bright yellow fields of oil seed rape contrasting wildly with the ploughed patches ...
Canvas, Oil
$825Sale Price|25% Off
Noon by the sea , 60x50 cm, oil on canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
Noon by the sea , 60x50 cm, oil on canvas
Canvas, Oil
Nick Thomm - AFTER DARK (GREEN)
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm 'After Dark' (Green) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) Limited Edition of 125 Hand Signed and Numbered #104 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NE...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Organic Way - Original Minimalist Blush and Blue Modern Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Clara Berta’s acrylic and mixed-media paintings blend texture and color to create harmony, mystery, and depth on the painted surface. Her paintings transform spaces into Zen environm...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Twilight in New York, Flatiron Building, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
"One of the most beautiful and iconic buildings in New York," states artist Suren Nersisyan. Thick textured strokes in a dusk-dipped palette make for a harmon...
Oil
$5,131
The Last Warmth - original abstract impressionism landscape oil - contemporary
Located in London, Chelsea
We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...
Canvas, Linen, Oil
$400Sale Price|30% Off
Reflections No. 3 - White Textured Geometric Colorful Circles Abstract Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through t...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,625Sale Price|25% Off
Dialog , 100x140 cm, acrylic on canvas
By Tatiana Nega
Located in Yerevan, AM
Dialog, 2023, 100x140 cm
Acrylic
Dogwood Canopy 2
Located in Westport, CT
Jeri Eisenberg creates nature inspired works in single panels, diptychs and triptychs. Her soft colored photographic pieces are created using non-traditional and alternative photo-ba...
Photographic Film, Encaustic, Handmade Paper
Composition by ANDRÉ LANSKOY - Abstract painting, colourful art
Located in London, GB
Composition by ANDRÉ LANSKOY (1902-1976) Oil on canvas 81 x 54 cm (31 ⅞ x 21 ¼ inches) Signed lower right, LANSKOY This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued and signed by the artist, and by a certificate of authenticity dated 15th April 2015 from the Comité Lanskoy, confirming its inclusion in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné currently being prepared by the Comité Lanskoy. Artist biography: André Lanskoy was born Andrei Michailovich Lanskoy in Moscow in 1902, the son of Count Lanskoy. The family moved to St. Petersburg in 1909 and in 1918 he moved to Kiev, where he made his first paintings. During the Russian Civil War Lanskoy fought in the Tsarist White Army but after an injury moved to Constantinople and in 1921 arrived in Paris where he stayed for the rest of his life. Recalling his arrival in the French capital, Lanskoy said: "Literally in the first night...
Oil