The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.
The Window 348 - Modern Shiny Resin Minimalist Brown & Yellow Dual Tone Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Hidden Portraits III
Located in London, GB
'Hidden Portraits III', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,005
Double Vision 75 - Modern Shiny Resin Minimalist Yellow White Dual Tone Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Floating Frames - contemporary, abstract, three dimensional, wall art
By Lucy Maki
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary abstract acrylic painting consists of green geometric shapes. An intuitive artist, Lucy Maki’s unique artwork is often both a painting and a sculptural piece. With...
Wood, Oil
Double Vision 76 - Modern Shiny Resin Minimalist Red Orange Dual Tone Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Vase and Fruit In Abstract Light Interior Modernist 20th Century Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Interior Abstract signed initials by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century size: 18 x 15.5 inches oil on artist paper, mounted in card frame condition: very good and ready t...
Oil
The Window 352 - Contemporary Shiny Resin Minimalist Brown Dual Tone Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
The Window 354 - Modern Shiny Resin Minimalist Purple & Yellow Two Tone Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Tall Sunspot 48 - Modern Resin Minimalist Green & Beige Tone Abstract Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Light Pastel Colour Abstract 20th Century Watercolour Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Pastel Abstract signed by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century size: 14.75 x 20 inches watercolour on artist paper, mounted in card frame condition: very good and ready to...
Watercolor
The Window 338 - Modern Resin Minimalist Blue Two Tone Color Field Abstract Art
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
The Window 342 - Modern Resin Minimalist Blue Two Tone Color Field Abstract Art
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
The Vanguard Series Nr. XIX: A Collection of Postwar European Abstractions
Located in London, GB
"The Vanguard Series Nr. XIX: A Collection of Postwar European Abstractions", oil on board, by unknown artist (circa 1950s–70s). A compelling body of work emerging from the forgotten...
Oil, Board
Tall Sunspot 51 - Modern Resin Minimalist Cool Tone Striped Abstract Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
The Window 333 - Modern Resin Minimalist Red Two Tone Color Field Abstract Art
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Cubist Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 24 by 20 inches overall. and 14 by 18 painting alone. Handso...
Oil
A Bigger Time Zone - Abstract Contemporary Colorful Geometric Resin Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist MCM Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Handsomely framed in minimal molding. Excellent condition, rea...
Oil
Black Ink Abstract Modernist 20th Century French Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Ink Abstract by Jacqueline Boisselot, French late 20th century size: 19.75 x 26 inches ink painting on thin paper, unframed condition: very good and ready to enjoy provenance: from...
Ink
$385
A Captivating 1950s Mid-Century Modern Abstract Geometric Textile Design
By Andre Delfau
Located in Chicago, IL
A stylish, captivating 1950s Mid-Century Modern abstract geometric textile design by notable French set, costume and fashion designer, Andre Delfau. Artwork size: 11 1/2 x 13 3/4 i...
Paper, Ink, Graphite
Vintage American Modernist Signed Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 13 by 25 inches overall. Handsomely framed in...
Oil, Board
Vintage American Modernist Giltwood Framed Fauvist Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist landscape oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 9 by 7 inches overall. Handsomely framed in a giltw...
Oil
$1,155Sale Price|30% Off
'Feminine Forms: Harmony in Curves', German School (circa 1980s)
Located in London, GB
'Feminine Forms: Harmony in Curves', oil on board, German School (circa 1980s). Two nude figures portrayed in the abstract posture differently. Both are curvaceous and Rubenesque. Re...
Oil, Board
Heartfelt Love Letter - Modern Resin Minimalist Abstract Playful Word Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$1,489Sale Price|40% Off
Portrait of a Young Woman
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of a Young Woman', oil on board, by Peter Robert Keil (1983). A wide-eyed woman gazes out to the viewer with an inquisitive gaze. The artist's use of exuberant colours beli...
Oil, Board
$880Sale Price|20% Off
Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series III
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series III", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an inte...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Bloom I - Floral Flower Abstract Mixed Media Oversized Artwork
By Sally K
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Gazing at Lebanese American artist Sally K.'s floral artworks is consuming and empowering. Inspired by the endless variety of beautiful flowers, she creates pop-realistic paintings t...
Canvas, Acrylic, Oil Pastel
$3,960Sale Price|20% Off
Huge French Modernist Oil Kissing Couple Abstract Figures, signed painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, signed and dated Title: Kissing Couple, beautfiful Modernist work with green, beige, brown, yellow, golden colors. Med...
Oil, Canvas
$1,005
Double Vision 74 - Modern Shiny Resin Minimalist Blue & White Dual Tone Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
The Window 317 - Modern Resin Beige Minimalist Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$880Sale Price|20% Off
20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Artists Paint Colours
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Elisabeth Hahn (German 1924-2021), Elisabeth Hahn was born in Dortmund, Germany, where she began her artistic studies. In 1953, she moved to Paris. She continued her studie...
Oil
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Framed Mid Century Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 20 by 16 inches image alone. Handsomely framed in w...
Oil, Canvas
Vintage American Impressionist Framed New England Farm Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Oil on canvas, 18 x 22 inches overall, 16 x 20 inches image size. Vintage American impressionist landscape painting. Oil on canvas. Framed.
Canvas, Oil
$973Sale Price|20% Off
1970's French Abstract Expressionist Signed & Dated Large Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French Expressionist circa 1970's signed and dated oil on canvas canvas: 25.5 x 32 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound condition, age related...
Oil
"Metropolitan Abstraction" Signed Mid Century Cubist Architectural Abstraction
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American abstract cubist street scene oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Signed. Measuring: 31 by 42 inches overall, and 25 by 36 painting alone. In excellent original con...
Oil, Board
Vintage Signed American Modernist New England Framed Coastal Landscape Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Signed. Measuring: 19 by 23 inches overall, and 17 by 21 painting alone.. In excellent original condition. H...
Oil, Board
'Bird Abstraction' — Mid-Century Modernism
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Stephen Harty, Untitled (Bird Abstraction), gouache, 1953. Signed and dated lower left. A fine, meticulously rendered, mid-century, modernist gouache painting, with fresh colors on 1...
Gouache
Tall Sunspot 47 - Modern Resin Minimalist Earthy Dual Tone Abstract Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Man with a Glass of Wine - Painting by Adriano De Laurentis - mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Man with a Glass of Wine - is a modern artwork realized by the painter Adriano De Laurentis. Mixed colored oil painting on canvas. Includes frame. Hand signed on the lower margin.
Oil, Canvas
Anza-Borrego Desert California Modernist Large Landscape Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist landscape signed oil painting of the Anza-Borrego desert. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed. Measuring: 36 by 44 inches overall. In excellent original condit...
Canvas, Oil
Wiggle Room 24 - Modern Resin Minimalist Red Tone Gradient Abstract Artwork
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Figural Composition Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract figural oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 25 by 19inches overall. Handsomely framed in...
Oil, Canvas
$18,600
Beneath the Surface - contemporary, abstract, three dimensional, wall art
By Lucy Maki
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary abstract mixed media composition is geometric in form. The bold, unique and complex artwork of Lucy Maki challenges the traditional approach to painting. The New Mexico artist has been influenced by modernist abstraction, cubism, and even surrealism. For decades she has explored a distinctive visual language that incorporates mixed media, geometric shapes and architectural elements. Her shaped canvases like Beneath the Surface are an eclectic mix of oil paint and wood framing on canvas—they are both paintings and sculptures. Within the frame of this work, lyrical gestural brushstrokes in green and a creamy white play against a teal backdrop. Thick black patterns framed in geometric shapes add structure. The wood frame of this piece extends beyond the artwork itself extending the picture plane--a signature of Maki’s work. “I am fascinated with the New Mexico’s 1930s...
Wood, Oil
Hidden Portraits VIII
Located in London, GB
'Hidden Portraits VIII', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,100Sale Price|20% Off
Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series IX
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series IX", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an inter...
Canvas, Oil, Board
Tide Pools 43 - Contemporary Shiny Resin Minimalist Abstract Artwork on Wood
By Ricky Hunt
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$990Sale Price|20% Off
Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XII
Located in London, GB
"Florentine Expressions: A Portrait Series XII", oil on canvas, mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing art professor from the Istituto di Arte di Porta Romana, Florence, Italy. The professor released works of artists whom he mentored over the years. We are unsure who painted the series we acquired as several are just signed, 'Giacomo', or, left completely unsigned, yet many are clearly by the same artist. This one is in good overall condition and has been newly framed with a French-style linen slip. The canvas is textural like one of the vintage maps...
Canvas, Oil
Antique French Impressionist Framed Landscape Coastal Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique French landscape oil painting. Oil on canvasboard. Framed. Signed verso. Measuring: 12 by 14 inches overall, and 9 by 11 painting alone. In excellent original condition. Ha...
Oil, Board
$40,000
"Untitled" Edward Zutrau, Mid Century, Modernist, Abstract Composition, Green
Located in New York, NY
Edward Zutrau Untitled, 1956 Signed and dated on the reverse Oil on linen 40 x 82 inches Edward Zutrau (1922–1993) was an American painter whose career spanned from the 1940s throu...
Canvas, Oil
Large Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Jazz Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Striking mid-20th century abstract oil painting on canvas by artist Johnsen, titled “Jazz IX – Club Date” (as inscribed on the verso). The work features a bold interplay of geometric...
Canvas, Oil
$3,400Sale Price|29% Off
Abstract Expressionist Figurative Homage to Willem de Kooning
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract Expressionist Figurative Homage to Willem de Kooning's "Women Singing" Colorful and dynamic abstract expressionist figurative mixed media painting contemporary piece, featu...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Magazine Paper, Stretcher Bars
White - Acrylic Painting by Mario Padovan - 1976
Located in Roma, IT
White is an contemporary artwork realized by Mario Padovan in 1976. Mixed colored acrylic painting on canvas. Signature, title, date and technique on the back.
Acrylic
Signed Antique American Modernist Watermelon Still Life Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school modernist watermelon still life pastel painting. Pastel on paper. Signed. Framed. Measuring 18 by 22 inches overall and 16 by 20 painting alone.
Canvas, Oil
$962Sale Price|20% Off
Beautiful British Modernist Oil Painting - Soft Green Landscape & Trees
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: Jill Jackson (British, contemporary) Title: The Country Lane Medium: oil on board, framed Framed: 17 x 22 inches Painting : 14 x 18 inches Provenance: all the pa...
Oil
Vintage American Modernist Minimal Still Life Interior Scene Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist still life oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 21 by 29 inches overall. Handsomely framed in whi...
Oil, Canvas
Antique American Modernist Nocturnal Street Scene Signed Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist nocturnal street scene oil painting. Oil on board. Framed. Signed . Measuring: 14 by 12 inches overall, and 8 by 10 painting alone. In excellent original...
Canvas, Oil
"New Orleans, " 1960s Modern Abstract Painting
By Stanley Bate
Located in Westport, CT
This Modern abstract painting Stanley Bate is highly textured and features a warm, vibrant palette. Thick layers of red, orange, and blue paint appear to have been scraped back to c...
Canvas, Oil
$2,860Sale Price|20% Off
Large 1990's French Contemporary Signed Oil Painting Gordes Luberon Provence
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Gordes, The Luberon Valley, Provence French artist, signed and dated 95 oil on canvas, framed framed: 29 x 38 inches canvas: 24 x 32 inches Provenance: private collection, France Co...
Oil, Canvas
$1,160Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American Modernist Landscape Framed New England FallOil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Charming and well painted rural New England modernist landcape by Vern Henry Smith (1927 - 2007. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.
Canvas, Oil
$1,100Sale Price|20% Off
1960's French Modernist Oil Painting Green background with Bizarre Figures
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, 1960's period Title: figurative group, with deep green color background. Medium: oil on canvas, unframed Canvas: 36.5 x 26 inches Provenance: pri...
Oil