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.
$3,600
BATIK II
By Kim Fonder
Located in Tulsa, OK
BATIK II by Kim Fonder is a Vintage Batik Textile on Burlap with Plexiglass measuring 60.00 X 36.00 in and is priced at $3,600.00. Kim Fonder loves texture and touch. Her paintings ...
Burlap, Plexiglass, Found Objects
Copper Etching III
By Ana Rosa de Ycaza
Located in Tulsa, OK
Ana Rosa de Ycaza’s’s Copper Etching III is a black and white engraving copper minimalist abstract mixed media with a french oak frame measuring 14 x 14 priced at $1000. Ana Rosa de Ycaza an artist born in 1915 was affiliated with Atelier 17 a studio that attracted the likes of Mark Rothko, Joan Míro, William de Kooning...
Copper
Bhutan Abstraction with Black - 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
Blue Seascape
By Gary Mankus
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by artist Gary Mankus exists in an edition of 40. Paper size is 37"h x 35"w with an image size of 27"h x 27"w. Gary Mankus was b...
Cotton, Digital, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Charlie's Walls
By Gary Mankus
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by artist Gary Mankus exists in an edition of 40. Paper size is 37"h x 35"w with an image size of 27"h x 27"w. Gary Mankus was b...
Cotton, Digital, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Quadrille III
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by renown artist Patsy Krebs exists in an edition of 30. Paper size is 37"h x 35"w with an image size of 26.5"h x 26.5"w. Patsy ...
Cotton, Pigment, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Paradigm Red
By Brad Ellis
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by artist Brad Ellis exists in an edition of 30. Paper size is 30"h x 24"w with an image size of 24"h x 19"w. Brad Ellis is a Da...
Cotton, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digital...
Goddess I
By Gary Mankus
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by artist Gary Mankus exists in an edition of 40. Paper size is 37"h x 35"w with an image size of 29"h x 29"w. Gary Mankus was b...
Cotton, Digital, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Odenwald PIP-1
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by world renown artist Ricardo Mazal exists in an edition of 40. Paper size is 30 inches h x 24 inches w with an image size of 17...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Violeta P-2
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by world renown artist Ricardo Mazal exists in an edition of 30. The paper size is 35 inches h x 37 inches w and an image size of...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Praga P-3
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by world renown artist Ricardo Mazal exists in an edition of 30. The paper size is 35 inches h x 39 inches w and an image size of...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Santiago Medina - Blue Serenity, Sculpture 2020
Located in Stamford, CT
Special suspended/hanging Italian stainless steel with turquoise tinting.
Stainless Steel
Santiago Medina - Red Fortitude, Sculpture 2018
Located in Stamford, CT
Italian stainless steel with red tinting. This sculpture will be shipped directly from the artist's studio.
Stainless Steel
Abstract in Brown Tones
Located in Milford, NH
A fine abstract in brown tones by American artist David Lund (b. 1925). David Lund’s illustrious painting career spans over 65 years. Born in New York, the...
Canvas, Oil
Santiago Medina - LEVITATION, Photography 2021
Located in Stamford, CT
Suspended Italian stainless steel This sculpture will be shipped directly from the artist's studio. All sculptures are made with the highest quality Italian stainless steel availab...
Stainless Steel
$2,400
Contemporary Abstract Painting, "Verdant Shield" (w/ green, turquoise, blue
Located in New York, NY
"Verdant Shield" is an apt titled for this green toned abstract painting by Debra Drexler. Blues and turquoise create vertical fields of color atop an atmospheric background of pinks and light blue to create an immersive dimensional depth. Debra Drexler maintains studios in both New York and Oahu, and her work is informed by her unique bi-coastal experience. In her luminous, large-scale abstract paintings, she brings the transcendent experience of the Hawaiian landscape to a New York audience. Through her New York based studio and curatorial practices, she is also deeply engaged in critical conversation surrounding new abstraction. She states “Abstraction takes us to a state of timelessness that is primal in its humanity, disconnecting us momentarily from the mediated “now” of our electronic devices, and connecting us to a “now” that gives us a glimpse of the infinite. While our insistent digital projections can take us away from both our animal and spiritual nature, abstract painting reminds us again of what it means to be human. The corporality of the paint mirrors the flesh of the body and transports us into the timeless.” Debra Drexler's paintings are informed both by participating in the contemporary resurgence of abstraction coming out of New York, and by living in the Post Colonial Pacific for close to three decades. In the 21st century, much of our experience is mediated through the screens of our devices. In contrast, the making and viewing of paintings remains a direct, engaging experience in Drexler's paintings. She aims to take us to a state of timelessness that is primal in its humanity, disconnecting us momentarily from the mediated “now” of our electronic devices, and connecting us to a “now” that gives us a glimpse of the infinite. As a colorist, Debra Drexler provokes unexpected color relationships and creates spatial contradictions that come from those interactions. Some of her color choices reference the post digital experience with its highly saturated synthetic color. The luminosity and saturation also mirror the unique quality of light and tropical color interactions in Hawai’i, where Drexler also lives. Her work is driven by an athletic painting...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,875Sale Price|25% Off
Water lilies , 180x120 cm, acrylic, canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
Water lilies , 180x120 cm, acrylic, canvas
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,600Sale Price|20% Off
"Blue Green Sunset and Snow in Florence" two sided painting Fenske color study
By Ben Fenske
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
A panel painting that is painted on both sides—one side an abstract sunset and the other side a snowy cityscape with Florence's famous Duomo in the background. Ben Fenske (b. 1978)...
Oil, Panel
Caillou Noir- augmented reality black/ white litograph animated by smart phone
By AM & CB
Located in New York, NY
item Description AM & CB Caillou Noir lithograph on Velin BFK Rives paper 25.6 x 19.7 inches edition of 20 + AP, 2017 unframed Caillou noir is part of a series of installations inha...
Lithograph
$40,000
Light Canvas III- abstract geometric sintra print animated by light projection
Located in New York, NY
Item Description Light Canvas III Sintra Print 31 X 79 inches high resolution video and video player 2.5 minutes loop edition 6 of 6 + AP This item needs a projector- not included in...
Metal
Glass Sculpture Intimate
By L.G.
Located in Paris, FR
Gorgeous of a kind Blown and fused Glass Sculpture in transparent white crystal, black, brown, transparent and dark forest green. Includes its black metal base ( about 32 cm X 10 cm ...
Blown Glass
Glass Sculpture Ecartelee Shared
By L.G.
Located in Paris, FR
Really gorgeous, One of a kind Blown and fused Glass. Black opaque, white opaque, black, grey and brown. Includes its black metal base ( about 32 cm X 10 cm X 18 cm ). Total weigh...
Blown Glass
Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, Lightning
Located in San Francisco, CA
Gary Goldberg Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, Lightning, 2018 Dry wool needle felting 48 x 32 in Edition of 3 One of Gary Goldberg’s photographs from his Finding the Universe in Oax...
Textile, Felt
'Pink Orange Summit", Large Scale Abstract Painting
Located in New York, NY
Hot pinks and tangerine orange intertwine in this gestural abstract painting by Debra Drexler. This painting is inspired by the intensity of light and colors in Hawaii, where the artist splits her time between there and New York City. Debra Drexler maintains studios in both New York and Oahu, and her work is informed by her unique bi-coastal experience. Her work translates the inner experience into outer form through a vigorous athletic painterly process. Drexler has had over 30 solo exhibits and over 100 group exhibitions at galleries and museums in New York, Hawai’i, Australia, Berlin and across the states. New York, NY. In 2017, her two-person exhibition was reviewed in Whitehot Magazine and Arte Fuse. Her most recent solo New York exhibits were at Van Der Plas Gallery in 2015 and 2017. She had a solo exhibition at The Majestic Theater curated by The Dorado Project in Jersey City in 2016. Other recent New York solo exhibits include: Pool Art Fair, Chelsea Hotel Blue...
Oil, Acrylic
Black Tondo
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Friedel Dzubas (1915-1994) was a Berlin-born, American abstract painter and a key artist associated with both the New York School and the Color Field movement. Dzubas studied art i...
Handmade Paper, Monoprint, Monotype
"Drip Splatter" large-scale abstract painting, black and white
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
"Drip Splatter" is a large oil and resin painting by contemporary American artist Darius Yektai. A splatter paint composition on resin, reminiscent of Jackson Pollock who lived and w...
Canvas, Resin, Oil
$4,500
Abstract, geometric shapes, bright colors on special paper for oil painting
Located in Vilnius, Vilniaus apskr.
The abstract oil painting on special paper for oil painting, mounted by artists on canvas, titled "Resonance". Framed. Lithuanian born, Chicago based artist. Shipping from Chicago. ...
Canvas, Oil, Handmade Paper, Archival Paper
Pressure Point
Located in Salt Lake City, UT
"Pressure Point" by Sarah Milne, mixed media, 8 1/2 X 5 inches (Frame size:16 1/4 X 13 1/2 in.), $325. I use old book pieces, ephemera, and subtle signs of life as my palette, and c...
Paper, Found Objects, Mixed Media, Washi Paper, Magazine Paper
$2,032
Singularity II-abstract modern geometric graphic 3d paintinting-contemvorary art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Singularity II" by Heny Steinberg is a captivating exploratio...
Acrylic, Board
$3,000
Peeks
By Andrea Myers
Located in Dallas, TX
Machine sewn fabric collage
Fabric, Textile
$5,000
"Indigo Pool" Contemporary Abstract Painting, indigo blue, turquoise, rose red
Located in New York, NY
48"x36" abstract composition in indigo blue, turquoise and rose on a white ground. The painting surface incorporates impasto brushwork and poured paint to give an active composition. This painting is signed on reverse by the artist, Debra Drexler. Debra Drexler maintains studios in both New York and Oahu, Hawaii, and her work is informed by her unique bi-coastal experience. In her luminous, large-scale abstract paintings, she brings the transcendent experience of the Hawaiian landscape to a New York audience. Through her New York based studio and curatorial practices, she is also deeply engaged in critical conversation surrounding new abstraction. She states “Abstraction takes us to a state of timelessness that is primal in its humanity, disconnecting us momentarily from the mediated “now” of our electronic devices, and connecting us to a “now” that gives us a glimpse of the infinite. While our insistent digital projections can take us away from both our animal and spiritual nature, abstract painting reminds us again of what it means to be human. The corporality of the paint mirrors the flesh of the body and transports us into the timeless.” Debra Drexler's paintings are informed both by participating in the contemporary resurgence of abstraction coming out of New York, and by living in the Post Colonial Pacific for close to three decades. In the 21st century, much of our experience is mediated through the screens of our devices. In contrast, the making and viewing of paintings remains a direct, engaging experience in Drexler's paintings. She aims to take us to a state of timelessness that is primal in its humanity, disconnecting us momentarily from the mediated “now” of our electronic devices, and connecting us to a “now” that gives us a glimpse of the infinite. As a colorist, Debra Drexler provokes unexpected color relationships and creates spatial contradictions that come from those interactions. Some of her color choices reference the post digital experience with its highly saturated synthetic color. The luminosity and saturation also mirror the unique quality of light and tropical color interactions in Hawai’i, where Drexler also lives. Her work is driven by an athletic painting...
Canvas, Acrylic
$6,300
Passage, 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, Pins
$2,972Sale Price|20% Off
Muse. Glass, 41x45x11 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Muse Glass, 41x45x11 cm
Glass
$2,168
Fiesta!, Original Abstract Expressionist Painting, Affordable Art, Original Art
By Janet Keith
Located in Deddington, GB
Janet Keith Fiesta! Original Abstract Expressionist Painting Acrylic paint on deep edged canvas – edges painted white.Can be hung unframed. Image Size: H101 cm x W 76 cm x D 4 cm Sol...
Canvas, Acrylic
Constantly and successively
By L.G.
Located in Paris, FR
One of a kind Blown and fused Glass in opaque black, blueish black, transparent white and sandblasted. Includes its black metal base ( about 32 cm X 10 cm X 18 cm ). Total weight ...
Blown Glass
Make A Wish, Vibrant Abstract Painting, Colourful Contemporary Artwork
Located in Deddington, GB
"The most fantastic magical things can happen, and it all starts with a wish" - Pinocchio. The message behind this painting is to remind us of our dreams and to fuel our enthusiasm s...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Way Through, Pink and Purple Acrylic Painting, Bright Abstract Artwork
Located in Deddington, GB
Shades of dark magenta and purple contrast with rich creams in this abstract composition. Paint has been built up in layers and then sanded back to reveal the history of the piece, and to create a surface full of depth and visual interest. The bold mark-making and shapes bring a lively contrast. The work is presented in a natural wood tray frame, not a wide border frame as in the in situ photos. Alison Gilbert is an Artists with Wychwood Art. Alison is a British contemporary abstract artist...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Circus Clown and Guitarist
Located in Milford, NH
A fine graphite drawing of a circus clown with guitarist by British / Canadian artist Jack Leonard Shadbolt (1909-1998). Shadbolt was born in Sho...
Paper, Graphite
Dualidad II, Contemporary Art, Abstract Art, 21st Century
Located in Mexico City, MX
Dualidad II Beads on Wood Panel More than 10,000 beads Ready to hang 25 x 20 cm 2023 About the artist Colectivo Aurora is the new project of a plastic artist and a designer whose ...
Wood, Mixed Media
Rainning inside
By L.G.
Located in Paris, FR
One of a kind Blown and fused Glass Sculpture in molted opaque black , brown/black and sandblasted. Includes its black metal base ( about 32 cm...
Blown Glass
Abstract Grey and Black Landscape Art on Handmade Paper, 21x30 cm
Located in Sofia, BG
Contemporary handmade paper artwork with plants, charcoal and ink – abstract landscape in grey and black. This artwork is part of a series of contemporary handmade paper works create...
Organic Material, Paper, Charcoal, Ink, Handmade Paper, Pigment
Dante's Gap
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Digital Print Mounted on Acrylic and Lead, Galvanized Pipe and Caps
Metal
City, Oil on Canvas, Abstract Geometric Pattern Painting
By Jon Probert
Located in Kingsclere, GB
City, Oil on Canvas Painting by Jon Probert B. 1966 Additional information: Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 123 x 92 cm 48 3/8 x 36 1/4 in Signed verso Having studied Fine Art an...
Canvas, Oil
$645
Julia Craig, Caliente, Abstract Painting, Original Contemporary Art, Art Online
By Julia Craig
Located in Deddington, GB
Julia Craig Caliente Acrylic on canvas 18cm x18cm Abstract Sold Unframed (Please note that in situ images are purely an indication of how a piece may look). Julia is an abstract art...
Canvas, Acrylic
Blue and Red Stripes with Diamonds
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original Navajo Weaving. Artist and year of manufacture unknown.
Textile
Blue and Red Light Blue Zigzag
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original Navajo Weaving. Artist and year of manufacture unknown.
Textile
Black and Red Stripes with Blue Flowers
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Original Navajo Weaving. Artist and year of manufacture unknown.
Textile
Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, Pink Wave
Located in San Francisco, CA
Gary Goldberg Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, Pink Wave, 2018 Dry wool needle felting 48 x 120 in Edition of 3 One of Gary Goldberg’s photographs from his Finding the Universe in Oa...
Textile, Felt
Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, Blue Horizon
Located in San Francisco, CA
Gary Goldberg Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, Blue Horizon, 2018 Dry wool needle felting 48 x 120 in Edition of 3 One of Gary Goldberg’s photographs from his Finding the Universe i...
Textile, Felt
Maggie LaPorte Banks, The Hummingbird, Affordable Abstract Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Maggie LaPorte Banks The Hummingbird Original Abstract Painting Acrylic, Collage, and Pigment on Canvas Canvas Size: H 63cm x W 63cm Please note that in situ images are purely an ind...
Canvas, Oil
Corn and Clouds 2 BY SARAH DU FEU, Bright Contemporary Landscape Print
By Sarah du Feu
Located in Deddington, GB
Sarah du Feu Corn and Clouds Original Monorprint Image size 40 x 50 cm Mounted size 55 x 63 cm Unframed Printed on acid free Somerset Velvet 280gsm paper Please note that insitu imag...
Paper, Monoprint
Katie Hallam, Cactus, Digital Art, Contemporary Affordable Art, Still Life Print
By Katie Hallam
Located in Deddington, GB
Katie Hallam Cactus Limited Edition Digital Photograph Edition of 75 Image Size: H 50cm x W 62cm x D 1cm Sold Unframed Ready to Hang Please note that in situ images are purely an ind...
Metal
$1,610
Red Borders, Christo Sharpe, Landscape art, Bright Art, Original Naive Painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Christo Sharpe Red Borders Original Landscape Painting Oil Paint on Canvas Canvas Size: H 45cm x W 60cm x D 2cm Framed Size: H 50cm x W 65cm x D 2cm Signed Sold Framed in a Grey Fram...
Canvas, Oil
Geometric Perspective Abstract
Located in Milford, NH
A fine large American School perspective abstract oil painting in shades of blue and yellow with geometric shapes, a central square focal point, and custom frame with triangular cuto...
Canvas, Oil
One tree Hill (Honor Oak Park), Alex Rennie, Oil on Linen, Original painting
By Alex Rennie
Located in Deddington, GB
Tower Bridge Nocturne Alex Rennie Oil on Linen 90 x 120 cm
Canvas, Linen, Oil
Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, And Then the Rain Came
Located in San Francisco, CA
Gary Goldberg Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, And Then the Rain Came, 2023 Dry wool needle felting 72 x 48 in Edition of 3 One of Gary Goldberg’s photographs from his Finding the Un...
Textile, Felt
Beach Walk
By Trevor Waugh
Located in Deddington, GB
Beach Walk Trevor Waugh Oil on canvas Unframed
Canvas
Its a Wheely Good View
Located in Deddington, GB
John Bentham. Its a Wheely Good View- a great original oil on canvas painting of a colourful seaside scene in a naive style that shows a nostalgic view of the B...
Canvas, Oil
$15,000
Blue Mirror
By Ray Smith
Located in Cuernavaca, Morelos
Painted mirror
Mirror
$39,600
Sapphire Coral by Jaroslav Prošek Bohemian Crystal Sculpture Multicolor, 2025
Located in Miami, FL
Sapphire Coral by Jaroslav Prošek Bohemian Crystal Sculpture Multicolor, 2025 Bohemian Crystal 67cm x 21cm A striking original sculpture by Czech master Jaroslav Prošek, crafted in...
Glass