Academic Abstract Paintings

ACADEMIC STYLE

During the Renaissance, the first European fine art academies were established in Italy and would guide the style and standards of visual culture in the following centuries. Academic art became dominant across the continent in the 17th century, with artists coming together to offer instruction in this style of painting and sculpture.

The academic art period represented a significant change from the previous era when painters, sculptors and other artists were part of guilds and seen more as artisans than purveyors of culture. While patronage from the elite and the church remained pivotal, young artists were able to support themselves for the first time through academic exhibitions and an independent marketplace. The leading academies included the French Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture founded in Paris in 1648 (which became the Académie des Beaux-Arts after the French Revolution) and the London Royal Academy of Arts formed in 1768 under the inaugural leadership of painter Joshua Reynolds.

Academy students sketched drawings based on prints, sculptures and, finally, live models. Movements including neoclassicism and romanticism were particularly popular in these art schools and institutions where the influence of Raphael and Nicolas Poussin was prominent. Beaux Arts architecture and furniture design drew on these movements, too, and, as they also originated at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the disciplines share common ground with academic painting and sculpture.

Although academic art was a major shift for artistic status when it began, by the middle of the 19th century it was viewed as stodgy and resistant to new ideas, with the subject matter of artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-Léon Gérôme generally limited to allegorical or mythological themes. Impressionism, realism and the other movements that engaged with contemporary issues that followed were direct reactions to the academic tradition, although it continued to inform the avant-garde as artists like Gustav Klimt and Pablo Picasso started their practices as academic realists.

Find a collection of academic paintings, sculptures, prints and more art on 1stDibs.

Style: Academic

Pascal PlazanetFrench Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 11, 1998

$1,500

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 11

Located in Paris, IDF

Rapidography & acrylic on paper + white frame Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in his artworks on paper or onto canvas. The rapidograph is a special pen with a capillary tubular tip in which flows a black pigment, an ancient drawing tool...

Category

1990s Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Pascal PlazanetFrench Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Paris depuis l’Hotel de Ville, 2000

$2,000

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Paris depuis l’Hotel de Ville

Located in Paris, IDF

Rapidography & acrylic onto canvas Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in hi...

Category

Early 2000s Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Pascal PlazanetFrench Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 6, 1998

$1,500

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Provencale No. 6

Located in Paris, IDF

Category

1990s Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Pascal PlazanetFrench Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Chateau de Foix, 1999

$1,500

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Chateau de Foix

Located in Paris, IDF

Rapidography & ink on paper + white frame Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in his artworks on paper or onto canvas. The rapidograph is a special pen with a capillary tubular tip in which flows a black pigment, an ancient drawing tool...

Category

1990s Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Pascal PlazanetFrench Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Barfleur, 2006

$2,000

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Barfleur

Located in Paris, IDF

Rapidography & Indian ink on canvas Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he consta...

Category

Early 2000s Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, India Ink

John William BaillyRosetta, 2014

Price Upon Request

Rosetta

By John William Bailly

Located in New York, NY

Oil on canvas Signed This painting is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “Tohu-bohu” is a series of paintings by French-American painter John Bailly that explores the o...

Category

Early 2000s Academic Abstract Paintings

Canvas, Oil

Ellen RolliPottery Vessel with Sunflower by Ellen Rolli, Contemporary Still Life, 2025

$700

H 12 in W 9 in D 2 in

Pottery Vessel with Sunflower by Ellen Rolli, Contemporary Still Life

By Ellen Rolli

Located in Atlanta, GA

'Pottery Vessel with Sunflower' by Ellen Rolli is a charming still life composition rendered in mixed media on paper. Measuring 12 x 9 in, this piece showcases the artist's distincti...

Category

2010s Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

Darius YektaiBlack Table Red Legs, 2022

$8,250

H 28 in W 22 in D 2 in

Black Table Red Legs

By Darius Yektai

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

A painting from the popular "black table" series by Darius Yektai.

Category

2010s Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Epoxy Resin, Oil, Canvas

Linda SteinSigned Feminist LGBTQ+ Colorful Acrylic on Board Painting - Inner Route 123, 1979

$5,500

H 22 in W 30 in D 0.5 in

Signed Feminist LGBTQ+ Colorful Acrylic on Board Painting - Inner Route 123

Located in New York, NY

Linda Stein, Inner Route 123 - Signed Feminist LGBTQ+ Colorful Acrylic on Board Painting Inner Route 123 is from Linda Stein's Missives series--a body of work born from her earlier...

Category

1970s Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Ink, Acrylic, Board, Laid Paper

Gary JohnPeel Here Pop - Modern Abstract Andy Warhol Inspired Pop Artwork by Gary John, 2023

$1,025

H 28 in W 22 in

Peel Here Pop - Modern Abstract Andy Warhol Inspired Pop Artwork by Gary John

By Gary John

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles street artist Gary John exploded onto the international art scene first during Art Basel Miami in 2013. John’s playfully bold work quickly gained attention and he was nam...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Foam Board

$5,650

H 7.5 in W 9 in

"Festival I" (FRAMED) Lithograph 7.5" x 9" in (1965) by Zaccaria Zeini

Located in Culver City, CA

"Festival I" (FRAMED) Lithograph 7.5" x 9" in (1965) by Zaccaria Zeini Medium: ink on paper Signed and dated Zaccaria El Zeini (1932 - 1993) was raised in the popular district of ...

Category

20th Century Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Previously Available Items

Pascal PlazanetFrench Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Le Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, 2014

Sold

H 9.45 in W 13.78 in D 0.79 in

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Le Sacré Coeur de Montmartre

Located in Paris, IDF

Rapidography & acrylic onto canvas Pascal Plazanet is a French artist born in 1963 who lives and works in Paris, France. For more 30 years, he constantly uses rapidograph pens in his artworks on paper or onto canvas. The rapidograph is a special pen with a capillary tubular tip in which flows a black pigment, an ancient drawing...

Category

2010s Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Pascal PlazanetFrench Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Paris depuis l’Hotel de Ville, 2000

Sold

H 8.67 in W 11.82 in D 0.79 in

French Contemporary Art by Pascal Plazanet - Paris depuis l’Hotel de Ville

Located in Paris, IDF

Category

Early 2000s Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Lee WellsExperiment in Pure Painting #7, 2013

Sold

H 33 in W 26 in

Experiment in Pure Painting #7

By Lee Wells

Located in New York, NY

Lee Wells (born 1971), offers a complex intermix of images, which engage issues of war, sexuality, freedom and liberation. Deeply rooted in the history of painting and dialogue of th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic Polymer

Gloria SáezCampos de Castilla, 2013

Sold

H 19.75 in W 24 in

Campos de Castilla

By Gloria Sáez

Located in New York, NY

Oil on canvas. White Floater Frame

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Academic Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Academic abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Academic abstract paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add abstract paintings created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of pink, purple and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including and John William Bailly. Frequently made by artists working with Canvas, and Fabric and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Academic abstract paintings, so small editions measuring 5.91 inches across are also available. Prices for abstract paintings made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $434 and tops out at $990, while the average work sells for $434.