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.
Enchanted - Joy-bringers in Pink, Acrylic Abstract Painting, 61x91 cm
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Enchanted - Joy-bringers in Pink - Floral Meadow Flowers Soft Abstract Invest Nature Joy Stillness In this vibrant acrylic painting, I've poured my passion for the abstrac...
Acrylic, Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Stretcher Bars
$712Sale Price|20% Off
Fable Original Oil Painting on Canvas, Contemporary Art 30x49 "
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
Fable — Original Oil Painting Fable is an original contemporary oil painting that combines figurative and abstract elements to create a dreamlike scene featuring human and animal fo...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
"umbrella girl series" Gold Edition No.19 , Abstract, 21st Century, Acrylic
By Roger König
Located in Dessau-Rosslau, Sachsen Anhalt
A solitary female figure beneath an umbrella emerges from a deeply textured dark blue surface. Rich golden accents define the figure and umbrella, creating a striking contrast with t...
Clay, Acrylic
Intervals n1, n3 and n2 Triptych. From The Intervals series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The series explores the expansion of color as both a physical and emotional phenomenon. Water, as an indeterminate agent, displaces and transforms pigment on the surface, generating ...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Intervals 3 and n2 Diptych. From The Intervals series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The series explores the expansion of color as both a physical and emotional phenomenon. Water, as an indeterminate agent, displaces and transforms pigment on the surface, generating ...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Coastal Equilibrium: Abstract Expressionist Oil and Acrylic Painting
Located in London, London
All the custom charges are included in the final price agreed. Turquoise, beige, red, lines, blue, fluid, movement. Abstract expressionist painting, large-scale contemporary art...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Attraction, Contemporary Geometric Abstract Oil Painting, 2026
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Attraction (2026) is a large-scale oil painting by French contemporary artist Sophie Dumont, part of her ongoing exploration of geometric abstraction and interior architecture. Buil...
Oil
Soft Surrender: Original Impressionism Floral Painting, Iris, Daisies, Light
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Soft Surrender Flowers Landscape Unique Original Painting Peace Kindness Abundance This is a one-of-a-kind artwork by the established contemporary artist, Karnish. "Soft Su...
Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
HandPainted Limited Edition-Framed-Strawberry Moon Field-Awarded British Artist
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This Limited Edition is hand-painted and framed, ready to hang and highly collectibles for its unique and premium quality. It is made on a premium metal/aluminium panel. All its gold...
Metal, Gold Leaf
$8,200
Deconstructing Dystopia - Large Neutral Tone Original Abstract Expressive Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The original paintings of Bruce Rubenstein seamlessly marry sophistication with accessibility. His expressive abstract artwork "Deconstructing Dystopia" brings together fragmented fi...
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$5,393Sale Price|24% Off
Red Bloom Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Modern Abstract Floral Art
Located in London, London
Floral vintage tapestry abstract decor Red flowers still-life. Artist: Katarina Joys Title: Red bloom Technique: acrylic on canvas Painted in London, UK, in 2025 Dimensions: 95x85...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$440
HandPainted Artist's Proof-Strawberry Moon Field-Awarded British Artist-GoldLeaf
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This latest hand-painted Artist Proof ( the final Proof, No 2 of Two) is made on a premium metal/aluminium panel. All its gold-leaf parts are hand-painted and gilded by the artist he...
Metal, Gold Leaf
Soft Resonance Large-Scale Contemporary Abstraction
By Oksana Reva
Located in Zofingen, AG
Soft Resonance speaks not through bold statements, but through quiet whispers. Translucent layers of color, rich textures, and delicate traces of movement create a contemplative atmo...
Oil, Canvas
Évidence – Contemporary Geometric Abstract Oil Painting by Sophie Dumont
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Built upon a carefully structured geometric framework, the composition explores the relationship between proportion, balance and intuition. Curves, arcs, vertical divisions and recta...
Oil
The Doubt" Oil Painting on Canvas, Abstract Landscape, Signed, 30x36
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
An oil painting on canvas depicting a magical Andean being—an *Apu*—integrated into an abstract landscape composed of planes of color. The work is organized into distinct areas that ...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$2,188
Incidence – Contemporary Geometric Abstract Oil Painting by Sophie Dumont, 2026
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Incidence – Oil on canvas, 50 × 50 cm / 19.7 × 19.7 in, 2026 frame: natural wood floating frame or black collector's choice In Incidence, Sophie Dumont constructs a pictorial space ...
Oil
Measured Silence I, by Murray Duncan Mixed Media on Paper
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Measured Silence I by Murray Duncan Mixed Media on Paper Size: 32" × 40" Unframed, signed. Measured Silence I is a one-of-a-kind mixed-media work that explores the quiet relationsh...
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Pencil
$759Sale Price|20% Off
Original Set of 2-Le Bleu: Rosaria-British Awarded Artist-Impasto, Gold Leaf
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This Set of 2 Oil impasto and Goldleaf on oil Papers, included 2 paintings: Night Roses-Rosarian Series Rosarian, 2026 (After Van Gogh) This pair is a part of Le Bleu Series by Award...
Gold Leaf
$7,820
The Big Lebowski - Colorful Abstract Expressive Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The paintings of Bruce Rubenstein seamlessly marry sophistication with affordability. His expressive abstract landscape artwork 'The Big Lebowski' features whimsical details and vibr...
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Green Freshness. Abstraction
Located in Zofingen, AG
This abstract artwork is created with alcohol inks on synthetic paper. A rich palette of fresh green tones flows across the surface, ranging from delicate translucent shades to deep,...
Ink, Synthetic Paper
Le bleu des terres, Contemporary Abstract Landscape, Oil painting
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Le Bleu des Terres is an original oil painting by French contemporary artist Sophie Dumont. Inspired by the landscapes of the Normandy coastline, this abstract composition evokes th...
Oil
$3,500
Cosmic Soup - Large Scale Abstract Colorful Expressionist Textural Drip Painting
By Marc Raphael
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, Acrylic
Recueillement, Large Geometric Abstract Oil Painting, 2026
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Recueillement is a large contemporary geometric abstract oil painting by French artist Sophie Dumont, exploring architecture, silence and human presence. The composition is structur...
Oil
I Can Not Live With You, That Would Be Life By Jeanne Gentry Keck
Located in Lake Worth, FL
Paintings exploring themes of freedom, confinement, and the paradoxical search for structure within liberation. Time and my changing perspective of it are compelling to me. This inte...
Acrylic, Cotton
$2,950
I Want That Kind of Forever That Burns Bright - Bouquet Still Life Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Inspired by paintings created by old masters and the immersive nature she experienced in the Black Forest, German artist Katharina Husslein paints in a representational hyperrealisti...
Canvas, Oil
Green-lilac abstraction.
Located in Zofingen, AG
This abstract composition explores the expressive nature of alcohol ink, where flowing pigments create organic forms that emerge without predetermined boundaries. Layers of deep char...
Ink
$2,600
Under - Original Impasto Thick Paint Beige Red Pink Textural 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
$1,325
Wild Skies 3 - Original Abstract Gold Leaf and Acrylic Painting on Wood Panel
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Adele Webster’s contemporary landscape paintings explore atmosphere, light, and the emotional presence of open space. Working with layered acrylic washes on wood panel, Webster creat...
Gold Leaf
$7,191Sale Price|24% Off
Eternal Abstract Expressionist Painting, XXL Oil & Acrylic on Canvas
Located in London, London
full size 211x159cm stretched size 200xx150cmx10cm All custom charges are included in the final price agreed. unframed, shipped rolled XXL, Extra-large painting, large painting, ab...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$473
"Summer Flora" Contemporary abstract expressionist floral acrylic painting
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Summer Flora" is a lively floral painting by French artist Natalya Mougenot. In this piece, she captures the feeling of a summer bouquet in full bloom, using color and movement to ...
Paper, Acrylic
$1,500
"Dream of Monet Lilly Pads" Colorful Impressionistic Oil Painting on Wood Framed
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
This painting depicts an impressionistic scene of Monet's home Lily Pond in Giverny, a poetic piece with beautiful details. The work reminds us of Claude Monet, with impressions capt...
Oil, Wood Panel
$481
Original-Strawberry Moon Night-Awarded British Artist-goldleaf with oil on paper
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This oil and gold leaf on Georgian oil paper board is a part of Summer Bloom Series, an extension of the Sunlit in primary colour project. Captured Shizu's garden in the night in th...
Gold Leaf
Simple Life (Gestural Abstract, Still Life, Warm, Soft, Summer, Vibrant)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Katherine Bello Simple Life (Gestural Abstract, Still Life, Warm, Soft, Summer, Vibrant) Oil and Oil Stick on Canvas 2021 Size: 20 x 20 x 1.5 inches (50.8 × 50.8 × 3.8 cm) Signed, da...
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Oil
$429Sale Price|20% Off
Original-Peony Summer-Impasto-British Awarded Artist-Oil, Goldleaf-plein air
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This Oil impasto and Goldleaf on Paper, named Peony Summer, is a part of Summer Bloom Series by Award winning British artist Shizico Yi. She created the painting in her garden paint...
Gold Leaf
Eternity Abstract Expressionist Painting, XXL Oil & Acrylic on Canvas
Located in London, London
full size 212x118cm full size canvas stretched size204x110x10cm All custom charges are included in the final price agreed. unframed, shipped rolled XXL, Extra-large painting, larg...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$260
Original Abstract Painting Serg Graff "The Primordial World" Surreal Fantasy Art
By Serg Graff
Located in Palm Coast, FL
"The Primordial World" is an original acrylic painting by contemporary American-based artist Serg Graff, whose imaginative visual language transforms abstract forms into extraordinar...
Acrylic
Large Abstract Expressionist Mid Century Modern Oil Painting on Canvas in Frame
Located in AIGNAN, FR
Large original abstract oil painting on canvas signed in the lower left and framed. A very attractive modern vintage abstract that cascades strong colour and form. Here, the artist...
Oil
$2,267Sale Price|20% Off
Original Set of 9 Garden Story-Le Bleu-British Awarded Artist-Gold leaf on Oil
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This rare offer, Set of 9 latest collection of Garden Story in gold leaf and oil on oil paper board are a part of Le Bleu Series by award winning British artist Shizico Yi. She crea...
Gold Leaf
Subtle balance
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work continues an exploration of silence as an inner space — a state where perception slows down and the boundaries between forms become soft and unstable. It is built on a bala...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Original-Peony Summer-Green-Awarded Woman Artist-Oil, Gesso on paper-Impasto
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This Oil on Paper, named Peony Summer in Green is a part of Summer Bloom Series by Award winning British artist Shizico Yi. She created the painting in her garden painted plein air ...
Gesso, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$836Sale Price|20% Off
Original Set of 3-Primary Colour series-Awarded artist-gold leaf with oil
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Shizico Yi's "Primary Series" is a series where she explores the relationship between colours and emotion, particularly the colour yellow ( using gold leaf as the chosen material for...
Gold Leaf
Large French Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting Bright Orange and Pastel Colour
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Large French Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting Bright Orange and Pastel Colours Composition by Marie Deloume (French, born 1942) signed verso French abstract expressionist oil pain...
Oil, Canvas
Matrice, Contemporary Abstract Landscape, Oil painting
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Matrice is a contemporary geometric abstract oil painting by French artist Sophie Dumont, exploring creation, balance and the emergence of organic form. The composition is structure...
Oil
Kinko Abstract Expressionist Painting, Oil & Acrylic, 21st Century
Located in London, London
Chocolate Brown, Burgundy, and Earthy All custom charges are included in the final price agreed. large scale painting colourful flowers still-life. Artist: Katarina Joys 98x198c...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$3,200
Daylight Savings - Original Impasto Acrylic Colorful Textural 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
21 (Gestural Abstract, Warm, Heart, Pink, Green)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Katherine Bello 21 Oil on Canvas 2021 Size: 40 x 30 x 1.5 inches (101.6 cm × 76.20 × 3.81 cm) Signed, dated and titled by hand COA provided *On Stretcher Frame, Gallery-wrapped - re...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
$5,050
The Wellspring III - Large Scale Contemporary Colorful Abstract Oil 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
Structure 203 - oil on canvas
By Kymm Swank
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Kymm Swank is a self-taught artist who works primarily in oils, acrylics and resins. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, she received degrees in theater, psychology and communicat...
Canvas, Oil
$8,500
Coast Lines, 2026, Original Mixed Media Abstract Painting by Murray Duncan
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Coast Lines, 2026 Original Mixed Media on Canvas by Murray Duncan Coast Lines is an original large-scale graphite, acrylic, and mixed media on canvas painting by Canadian artist Mu...
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Graphite
AWH 353 - Abstract Minimalist Textured Layered Colorfield Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bernhard Zimmer produces deeply layered, subtly textured abstract paintings that contain opposed elements—order and chaos, abstraction and representation, boldness and subtlety—in ex...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
$2,188
Au dela des champs, Contemporary Abstract Landscape Painting by Sophie Dumont
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Born in Paris in 1964, French contemporary painter Sophie Dumont creates richly layered oil paintings that explore abstraction through structure, rhythm, and memory. Her works are he...
Oil
Path of Memories
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work explores memory as a path shaped not only by events, but also by people, encounters, and inner transformation. It speaks about how, when we look back, we begin to see a com...
Canvas, Acrylic
Gold Abstract Paintings, Gold Modern Art, Abstract Art-Grace 4024
Located in Delaware , OH
Gold Abstract Paintings, Gold Modern Art, Abstract Art-Grace All of Addison's text in her paintings are her journal. She uses it as an artist expressions and does not read them afte...
Gold
$850
Mysterious Sea, Abstract Seascape Painting in Orange, School of Fish Patterns
Located in Barcelona, ES
“Mysterious Sea ” is a contemporary abstract painting inspired by the fluid motion of ocean currents. Layers of teal, green, and orange tones intertwine with flowing yellow lines, ev...
Paper, Acrylic, Monotype
Hand Painted #1 Edition-Jardin d'Automne-British Awarded Artist-on Aluminium
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This is a hand painted Limited Edition by the artist Shizico Yi with her own hand-mixed original paint on premium Aluminium board. Only Ten of this edition were made, highly collecta...
Metal
$14,785
"umbrella girl series" Blue- Gold Edition No.14, Painting, 21st Century, Acrylic
By Roger König
Located in Dessau-Rosslau, Sachsen Anhalt
Set against a rich midnight blue background, luminous gold leaf creates a refined dialogue between elegance, depth and timeless luxury Gold Edition - with real gold leaf, 23,75 cara...
Clay, Acrylic
$1,500
Abstract Shapes of School of Fish, Seascape Diptych in Vivid Tones, Organic 2026
Located in Barcelona, ES
Details: Title: Chromatic Shoal 9 & 10 Medium: Acrylic Paint on Watercolor Paper Size: 80x120 cm total ( 31.5x47.3 inches), each panel measures 80x60cm (31.5x24 inches) Year: 202...
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Monoprint
Hand-Painted large Canvas Limited Edition#6/10–Sunshine Factory-Awarded Artist
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This stunning large hand-painted Limited canvas edition is created in oil by Shizico Yi and is 95% hand painted directly onto canvas. Signed on the front and signed and numbered on ...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$1,123
White Nights. Abstract expressionist, grey, Japandi, Wabi-Sabi, Shabby Chic
Located in Oslo, NO
The viewer sees a work in which the abstract language of painting acquires poetic power. The work is made using the mixed media technique: the translucency of the epoxy resin, superi...
Canvas, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
$2,100
Universe is With You - Large Scale Abstract Textural Acrylic Painting on Canvas
By Vè Boisvert
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Drawing inspiration from an immersive and impressionistic interpretation of nature, Canadian artist Vé Boisvert paints textural original artworks that capture the fleeting effects of...
Canvas, Acrylic