Modern Abstract Paintings
MODERN STYLE
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.
32
to
249
999
452
602
134
681
649
201
316
319
348
227
339
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
40,496
11,387
1,549
1,071
892
569
480
423
375
219
99
65
38
5
36
34
21
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
1
1
1,002
546
3
2
18
34
85
98
165
100
79
50
58
41
33
33
25
1,382
854
550
538
407
Style: Modern
1950s "Ms. Y" Mid Century Figurative Painting University of Paris
By Donald Stacy
Located in Arp, TX
Donald Stacy
"Ms.Y"
c. 1950s
Gouache and oil pastel on paper
14" x 17" unframed
Unsigned
Came from artist's estate
Donald Stacy (1925-2011) New Jersey
S...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel, Paper, Gouache
'The Soul is Music' France, Provence, California, Post Impressionist Figural Oil
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left, 'J.da Silveira' for Jose Da Silveira (French-American, born 1965), titled, 'The Soul is Music' and painted circa 2002.
Additionally signed and titled, and with figural drawing, verso;
Previously with: Chabot Gallery, Campbell, California
Born in a tiny jungle village in Mozambique to a Portuguese bullfighter and the daughter of one of the leaders of the French Resistance...
Category
Early 2000s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Transection No. 3, Ovoid Geometrical Figural Abstract Neon Acrylic Painting
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Transection No. 3, 1972
Acrylic on paper
Signed and dated upper right
30 x 22 inches
Provenance: Collection of William H. Milliken
Cl...
Category
1970s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Entr'acte - Mid-Century Ovoids in Theatre - Geometrical Abstract Pastel
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Entr'acte, 1977
Pastel on board
Signed and dated lower right
8 x 10 inches
A surrealist mid-century figural abstract painting.
Clare...
Category
1970s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Pastel
King Tut No. 2, Mid-Century Ovoid Geometrical Abstract Gouache on Paper
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
King Tut No. 2, 1968
Gouache on paper
Signed and dated upper right
11.25 x 8.25 inches
25.5 x 20.5 inches
A surrealist mid-century fig...
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Gouache
Signed Antique American School Modernist Cubist Jazz Piano Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract piano painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1940. Signed. Framed. Image size, 24"L x 20"H.
Category
1940s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Quadratic, Mid-Century Ovoid Figural Abstract Acrylic & Collage with faces
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Quadratic, 1979
Acrylic and collage on textured paper
Signed and dated lower right
30 x 22 inches
31.5 x 23.5 inches, framed
A surreal...
Category
1970s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Pinnacle, Surrealist Ovoid acrylic painting, Blue & Red Figural Abstract Collage
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Pinnacle, c. 1960s
Acrylic and collage on scintilla
22 x 8 inches
23.25 x 9 inches, framed
A surrealist mid-century figural abstract p...
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Vetriculus, Surrealist Ovoid acrylic painting, Figural Abstract work on paper
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Vetriculus, c. 1970s
Acrylic on paper
4.5 x 3.5 inches
11 x 10 inches, framed
A surrealist mid-century figural abstract painting.
Cl...
Category
1970s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Terror of History No. 1, Mid-Century Abstract Acrylic & Sand, Blue and Yellow
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Terror of History No. 1, 1962
Acrylic and sand on scintilla
Signed and dated upper left
23 x 30 inches
Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that was nearly unprecedented among Cleveland School artists of his day, with representation by major New York dealers...
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
The Mayor, Mid-Century Ovoid Figural Abstract Acrylic & Collage with Eye
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
The Mayor, 1979
Acrylic and collage on scintilla
Signed lower right
30 x 22 inches
A surrealist mid-century figural abstract painting....
Category
1970s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Seeing Egg, Surrealist Ovoid acrylic painting, Figural Abstract
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Seeing Egg, c. 1960s
Acrylic on textured paper
30 x 22 inches
38.5 x 30.5 inches, framed
A surrealist mid-century figural abstract pai...
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Departing from the System, Mid-Century Geometrical Abstract Mixed Media
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Departing from the System, 1961
Mixed media on paper
Signed and dated lower right
36 x 24 inches
A surrealist mid-century figural abst...
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
Vetriculus Egg, Surrealist Ovoid acrylic and collage painting, Figural Abstract
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Vetriculus Egg, 1965
Acrylic and collage on textured paper
Signed and dated lower right
30 x 22 inches
A surrealist mid-century figura...
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Caged, Mid-Century Ovoid Geometrical Abstract Acrylic, Black & Grey
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Caged, 1971
Acrylic on paper
Signed and dated lower right
24 x 20 inches
A surrealist mid-century figural abstract painting.
Clarenc...
Category
1970s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Seeing Egg No. 2, Surrealist Ovoid acrylic painting, Figural Abstract
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000)
Seeing Egg No. 2, 1965
Acrylic and collage on scintilla
Signed and dated upper right
30 x 22 inches
34 x 29 inches, framed
A surrealis...
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Antique American School Modernist Abstract Farm Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist farm landscape oil painting. Oil on board, circa 1970. Image size, 24L x 24H. Framed.
Category
1970s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Deux Harlequins" Abstract Figurative Portrait Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Blue and green-toned modern abstract figurative portrait painting by Houston, TX artist David Adickes. The work features two men figures standing side by s...
Category
1950s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Bottles Brown and Green" Green Toned Modernist Abstract Still Life
Located in Houston, TX
Green-toned modern cubist abstract still life painting by Houston, TX artist David Adickes. The work features green and brown bottles on top of a table with fruits and other objects....
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Abstract composition
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
"The Red Dome" Modern Abstract Red and Blue Toned Italian Landscape Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Modern abstract landscape painting by Houston, TX artist David Adickes. The work features a red architectural dome and white equestrian statue set ...
Category
Early 2000s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Antique American Modernist Cubist Still Life Abstract Signed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist oil painting. Oil on board, circa 1950. Housed in a vintage frame. Image size, 24L x 18H. Signed.
Category
1950s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Go West" Colorful Modern Abstract Cubist Inspired Still Life Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Modern abstract still life painting by Houston, TX artist David Adickes. The work features a colorful array of cubes and triangles set against a black and...
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
Original Abstract Mixed Media Painting “Sugar”
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Born in Tallahasee Fl, William started his artistic career as a color consultant for his family's Design and Painting company that took on constant projects of custom painted interio...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
Stained Glazes - Tempera on paper - 2021
Located in Roma, IT
Tempera on paper realized by Compempologyc in 2021.
Excellent condition.
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Tempera
Meditation on African Sculpture, mid-century figural abstract painting
By Beni E. Kosh
Located in Beachwood, OH
Beni E. Kosh/Charles Elmer Harris (American, 1917-1993)
Meditation on African Sculpture, 1957
Oil on found wood panel
Signed and dated lower left
20 x 15 inches
Charles Elmer Harris...
Category
1950s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Modern Abstract Red, Orange, and Yellow Toned Cubist Inspired Foil Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Modern abstract foil painting by Houston, TX artist David Adickes. The work features a Cubist inspired red, orange, and yellow toned abstract composition. Signed by the artist in fro...
Category
Early 2000s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Foil
"Rail Crossing: Middletown, NY"
Located in New York, NY
This beautiful oil on linen canvas painting, entitled "Rail Crossing: Middletown, was executed by the esteemed artist Jules Halfant (American, 1909-2001)...
Category
1940s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Sunset portraits
Located in Lafayette, LA
This small painting is entitled Sunset Portraits. It's an oil painting on canvas mounted on wood. The painting depicts a man's silhouette
formed by fl...
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
World of Uncertainties - Tempera on paper - 2021
Located in Roma, IT
Original tempera on paper realized in 2021 by the italian artist Contempologyc.
Excellent condition.
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Tempera
Untitled, Oil on Acrylic Board, Black, Blue, Green by Indian Artist "In Stock"
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Amitabh Sengupta - Untitled
Oil on Acrylic Board , 12 x 18 inches , 2015
(Unframed & Door Delivered)
Born :
March 3, 1941, Mysore Bangalore
Style : In his Cholamandal years, Vasude...
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Board
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...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Modern Grey and Light Yellow Toned Geometric Linear Abstract Diamond Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Modern abstract painting by Houston, TX artist Margaret Nobler. The work features a grey toned diamond shaped canvas with geometric light yellow accent...
Category
1970s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Abstract Composition - Original Painting by Lucian - 20th century
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Composition is an Original tempera and watercolor on Paper applied on wood realized by Lucian in the 20th century.
Hand-signed , also the stamp of Atelier Montmartre.
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Tempera, Paper
Vintage Signed American Surreal Exhibited Beach Scene "Femininity" Oil Painting
By Harry Long
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist oil painting by Harry Lane. Oil on canvas, circa 1940. Signed. Exhibited. Framed. Image size, 20L x 16H.
Category
1940s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Original Abstract Mixed Media Painting “Trash”
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Born in Tallahasee Fl, William started his artistic career as a color consultant for his family's Design and Painting company that took on constant projects of custom painted interio...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic, Magazine Paper
Antique American Modernist Nature Study Lake Landscape Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist landscape oil painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1940. Signed illegibly lower left. Image size, 36L x 24H. Housed in a period modern frame.
Category
1940s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Gouache
Antique American Mid Century Modern Kitchen Still Life Original OilPainting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage modernist still life painting. Oil on canvas. Housed in a period frame. Image size, 14L x 8H. Signed.
Category
1940s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Vintage American School Abstract Original Surreal Sky Study Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract painting. Oil on board, circa 1950. Unsigned. Image size 20L x 10H. Housed in a period modern frame.
Category
1950s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Portrait of a Woman
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...
Category
20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Embarrassament - Tempera on paper - 2022
Located in Roma, IT
Tempera on paper realized by the italian artist Contempologyc in 2022.
Excellent condition.
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Tempera
Southwestern Landscape Painting, Lightning Storm over Mountains, Semi Abstract
Located in Denver, CO
Original vintage painting of a Lightning Storm, Southwestern Mountain Landcape. Oil painting on textured board by Morton Lawrence Schneider (1919-2000). This large scale semi abstrac...
Category
20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Mid Century American Abstract, possibly Fisherman's wharf San Francisco, Ca
By Mel Fowler
Located in Woodbury, CT
Midcentury oil on canvas , Wharf scene, possibly Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco.
Mel Fowler (1921-1987) was a listed Italian-American painter known for ...
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Hibiscus Surrounded by the Sun" iridescent acrylics and signed by artist
Located in Milwaukee, WI
8" x 10" art
18.25" x 20.5" frame
David Barnett an artist, collector, appraiser and gallerist has been passionate about art from the early age of five. David’s career as an art deal...
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Archival Paper
Land and Water - Tempera on paper - 2021
Located in Roma, IT
Tempera on paper realized by the italian artist Contempologyc in 2021.
Excellent condition.
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Tempera
City - Tempera on paper - 2021
Located in Roma, IT
Drawing made by experimentartlis in 2022 in Italy, made with Pantone markers, sketch of artist's thoughts
Excellent condition.
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Tempera
Mixture - Tempera on paper - 2021
Located in Roma, IT
Tempera on paper realized by the italian artist Contempologyc in 2021.
Excellent condition.
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Tempera
Mixture - Tempera on paper - 2020
Located in Roma, IT
Tempera on paper realized by the italian artist Contempologyc in 2020.
Excellent condition.
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Tempera
20th Century French Modernist Signed Oil Provence Landscape, framed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, late 20th century, signed
Title: Provencal Landscape
Medium: oil on canvas, framed
Framed: 28.5 x 22.5
Canvas : 24 x 19 inches
Provenance: privat...
Category
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Concentric Reality - Tempera on paper - 2021
Located in Roma, IT
Tempera on paper realized by the italian artist Contempologyc in 2021.
Excellent condition.
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Tempera
Stunning 1930s French Oil Lady in Wedding Dress in Interior, very thick impasto
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: early 20th century (c. 1930's) French School
Title: Lady in an interior, painted with very thick impasto oil
Medium: oil on canv...
Category
Early 20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Hillside Patterns
By David Hayes
Located in Lawrence, NY
Gouache on paper
signed en verso
Throughout his sixty-year artistic career, David Hayes created sculptural forms abstracted from organic forms encountered in daily life. He first studied with American sculptor David Smith, who was among the first to work with welded steel. Hayes' sculptures have affinities to Alexander Calder's playful stabiles (Hayes met Calder in Paris) and to the shapes and colors of Matisse's late paper cutouts. Hayes works are firmly rooted in modern artists' interests in industrial materials and in commercial fabrication processes.
He has had more than 400 exhibitions of his work. His work is in more than 70 museum collections, including MOMA and the Guggenheim.
Throughout his career, Hayes painted models for his sculptures and sculptural-like landscapes of the geography surrounding his home in Northwestern Connecticut. In these landscapes, the gently rolling hills become modernist forms and shapes, recognizable as landscapes but also as explorations of shape and color. These are intriguing works of art in and of themselves. Lawrence Fine Art...
Category
1980s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Gouache
Sphere of Life, #2238. Horst P. Horst Homage, Mixed media Collage on Paper.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Sphere of Live, #2238 by Natasha Zupan
Mixed-media collage
Dimensions: 21.25 in. H x 17.32 in. W
One of a kind
Signed lower right on recto by the artist
2018
________________________...
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper
Modern Abstract Cubist Inspired Landscape Painting of an Oceanside Boat Dock
Located in Houston, TX
Modern abstract landscape painting by Houston, TX artist Margaret Nobler. The work features a boat floating near an oceanside dock with the sun setting...
Category
1970s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Under The Sea Series, Nº 11. Fantasy abstract underwater landscape.
Located in Segovia, ES
Under The Sea Series, Nº 11. Fantasy abstract underwater landscape.
Author: Úbeda.
Oil on paper, 59 x 40 x 0,1 cm.
The sheets that make up t...
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
Abstract Composition - Original Paint by Ramón Sánchez Cascado - 1961
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Composition is an original mixed media artwork on paper realized by Ramon Sanchez Cascado in 1961.
Hand-Signed on the lower and dated.
Good Conditions.
Poetic representat...
Category
1960s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
On A Clear Day (Geometric Abstraction, Minimalism, Josef Albers, Hard Edge)
By Susan Kiefer
Located in Kansas City, MO
Susan Kiefer
On A Clear Day
Oil on Canvas
Year: 2022
Size: 36x36x1.35in
Signed by hand
COA provided
Ref.: 924802-1048
Though born and raised in Kansas C...
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint, Oil
Vintage Mid Century Fauvist American Modernist Amusement Park Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
A Painting depicting an amusement park exploding in vibrant colors. The painting is signed "William Wright" lower right. Oil on Canvas. 20 x 24. Nicely framed.
Category
1940s Modern Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Modern abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Modern 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 blue, orange, red, pink and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Stanley Bate, Christel Haag, Clarence Holbrook Carter, and Carmen Gutierrez. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Modern abstract paintings, so small editions measuring 18 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 $380 and tops out at $175,000, while the average work sells for $2,970.