Abstract Abstract Paintings
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.
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Raw Linen, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Archival Paper
Artist Comments
I love combining a strong tree line with a colorful foreground in my work," says artist Ronda Waiksnis. In this painting, Ronda portrays the abundant blessing...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Linen, Oil, Panel
1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Linen, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1980s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1990s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1970s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Board, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Paint, Cotton, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Illustration Board
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Ink, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1970s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil, Laid Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
This abstract painting captures a serene view where muted greens, browns, and grays blend to create a contemplative mood. Expressive, textured brushstrokes su...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Permanent Marker
1980s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Adhesive, Gouache, Tissue Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Metal, Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars