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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.

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Style: Modern
L’écorché
Located in Atlanta, GA
Artist
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

"Birthday, " 1960s Modern Abstract Painting
Located in Westport, CT
This Modern Abstract Expressionist painting by Stanley Bate is made with oil paint on canvas. It features a muted, earth-toned palette with contrasting warm yellow, orange, and red accents throughout. The painting is framed in a floater frame with gold face and black sides. It is 22" x 36" and measures 24" x 38" x 2" framed. This painting is not signed by the artist, but has been authenticated by his estate. It is stamped with the estate seal on the back of the painting, and on the back of the frame. Ready to hang. Stanley Bate was born on March 26, 1903 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Bates were an established Tennessee family, in fact, Henry’s brother William Bate was the governor of Tennessee from 1883-1887 and a United States Senator from 1887-1905. Stanley studied art at the Watkins Institute in Nashville. In the 1920’s Bate moved to New York City to study at the Art Students League under Frederick Bridgman. He soon landed a job with Encyclopedia Britannica, and from 1927-1929 served as art editor. From 1929 until his death in 1972, Stanley was a self-employed artist. He taught art classes at both the Art Students League and the Albany Institute of History and Art and brought in extra income by making illustrations for magazines such as “Outdoor Life” and “Popular Science”. On January 27, 1934 Stanley married Emilie Rossel. Emilie had emigrated from Switzerland to New York in 1923. She found work as a governess to Alfred Vanderbilt and later as an executive secretary for Wall Street investment brokers Kahn, Loeb and Co. Emilie met Stanley in New York in the early 1930’s when she attended one of his art exhibitions with a friend. The couple, who had no children, lived on 34th Street in Manhattan. During this period, Bate was producing and exhibiting his art and joined several artists groups. Stanley and Emilie became part of the New York art scene, dining weekly at the Society of Illustrators Clubhouse. Stanley Bate’s time in New York was pivotal in the formation of his painting style. He lived in New York during the inception of one of the most important Modern Art movements, one that helped New York replace Paris as the center of avant-garde art. This movement, which was called the New York School of artists, was later known as Abstract Expressionism. It was comprised of a loosely associated group of vanguard artists working in New York City during the 1940s and 1950s. The New York School was not defined by a specific style, but instead reflected a fusion of European Modernism and American social relevancy that was depicted in many individual styles. Influences of Surrealism, Cubism, and Modernism can be found in their work, along with an interest in experimenting with non-traditional materials and methods. American art was in the forefront of international avant-garde for the first time. Stanley Bate was undoubtedly exposed to the varied styles and techniques that were emerging during the formative years of the New York School. Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell were formulating their versions of color field paintings. Joseph Cornell was experimenting with assemblages, collage and the use of different types of textured paints. Jackson Pollock was adhering objects such as buttons and coins into his early works, while Louise Nevelson was using found objects. Helen Frankenthaler added sand to her early paintings. The New York School artists were undermining traditional fine art by using mixed media and non-traditional methods. Stanley Bate absorbed these varied influences and soon his early realistic landscapes and still-lifes were replaced with something entirely new. The influence of Cubism, notably the flat shallow space of the picture plane, is obvious in many of Bate’s paintings. Surrealism is evident in Bate’s use of subjects from myth, primitive art and antiquity, along with the Automatism-like line work in his more linear images. The unfettered experimentation of the New York School is everywhere in Stanley Bate’s work. We see nods to color field, collage, the mixing of textures into paint, mixed media, the inclusion of found objects and thick, luscious impasto. Bate was prolific and experimented in various media including oil, watercolor, lithography, silk screen, wood cut, drawing, collage, ceramics and sculpture. Bate is considered a true Modernist. His work is largely abstract, but sometimes figures and buildings are discernable. He frequently mixed paint, sand and glue together to achieve a textured surface, and then scraped and scratched through this layer to expose some of the underpainting below. His sculpture, which is often whimsical, also reflects the non-traditional methods of the New York School. Bate pioneered the use of enamel and copper in his work. The sculptures are not carved or modeled as was done in the past, but instead are built using mixed media and new materials. In addition to the New York School influence, many of Bate’s works exhibit a strong connection to the Spanish school, especially the work of Antonio Tapies and Modesto Cuixart. These artists were both part of an avant-garde group known as Art Informel, the Spanish equivalent of Abstract Expressionism. These artists likewise worked in mixed media and introduced objects and texture into their work. Many of Bate’s subjects and titles relate to Spanish locations and words. It is likely that Stanley spent time in Spain and found inspiration there. By the early 1940s, Stanley and Emilie had started spending weekends in a barn they purchased in Craryville, New York, a few hours north of Manhattan. The barn had no electricity or plumbing, but when the Bates eventually decided to leave New York and live full time in Craryville, they remodeled the barn, putting a gallery downstairs and a studio and living quarters upstairs. Although the Bates moved out of New York City, Stanley remained part of the New York art scene, exhibiting in New York and elsewhere throughout the 50s and 60s. During his lifetime he was represented by the New York galleries Knoedler and Company, Kennedy Galleries, Rose Fried Gallery and Key Gallery, along with Tyringham Gallery located in Tyringham, Massachusetts. Craryville was Stanley’s home until his death on August 21, 1972. Emilie died 1984...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Important Contemporary Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Impressive contemporary abstract expressionist painting by Stephen Heigh. Oil on canvas. Signed. Image size, 8H x 10L.
Category

Early 2000s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French 20th Century Modernist Painting Interior Objects Purple Colours
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Purple Interior by Guy Nicod (French 1923 - 2021) oil on artist paper, unframed painting : 26 x 20 inches provenance: artists estate, France condition: very ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting Three Blue Abstract Figures
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

Rare German Israeli Surrealist Judaica Abstract Gouache Watercolor Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
A Surrealist Judaica scene of a bearded man (Rabbi) in a boat with Shabbat candlesticks. Sight size: 17.75" x 22.5". Overall size with frame: 26.5" x31.5" Naftali Bezem (Hebrew: נ...
Category

1970s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Gouache

Antique American Modernist Carved Mixed Media Fish Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare and well executed modernist wall plaque by Richard Kuehne. Paint on gesso plaque. Signed. Silver leaf incorporated frame as photographed.
Category

1940s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Medieval Heads, mid-century figural surrealist acrylic painting
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Cicada, c. 1960s Watercolor on scintilla 30 x 20 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that wa...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Fresh Air (Abstract, Geometric, Minimal, Nature, ~37% OFF)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Aster da Fonseca Fresh Air Acrylic on Wood 2019 12 x 10 inches Signed on verso, lower right COA provided #abstract #geometric # minimal #acrylic # nature #painting #wood Aster da...
Category

2010s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Wood, Acrylic

1960's Huge Modernist Oil Painting The Cock Fight
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Cock Fight French School, circa 1960's period oil on board, framed framed: 25 x 48.75 inches board: 24 x 48 inches provenance: private collection condition: very good and sound c...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Personage" Heavy Impasto Expressionist Portrait of Lady with a Hat
Located in Soquel, CA
"Personage" Heavy Impasto Expressionist Portrait of Lady with a Hat Abstract expressionist portrait of a woman wearing a hat by California artist Harald "Harry" Dry Schmidt (America...
Category

1970s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Figure with Guitar II
By Henry Fitch Taylor
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
Provenance Noah Goldowsky Gallery, New York; Collection of Jeptha H. Wade and Emily Vanderbilt Wade, Boston, until 2025 Exhibitions Cleveland Museum of Art, Art for Collectors, 1971...
Category

1910s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Contemporary French Abstract Portrait Three Children Standing in Snow signed oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Huguette Ginet-Lasnier (French 1927-2020), signed lower front inscribed verso oil painting on canvas 24 x 19.5 inches. All the paintings we have for sale by this artist have come fr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting - Mother and Child in Red
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

French Modernist Signed Oil Blue Yellow Abstract Expressionist Painting Canvas
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French School signed and dated verso oil painting on canvas, unframed painting: 9.5 x 13 inches condition: overall very good
Category

20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1960's Modernist Signed Oil Very Large Canvas Fisherfolk in Harbour with Boats
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: Wong MOO CHEW - PENGHIDUPAN (Malaysian b. 1942), signed, dated 1967 Title: Fishing Harbour Medium: oil painting on canvas, framed, signed....
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Antique American Modernist Sunset Seascape Signed Framed Rolling Waves Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school modernist seascape sunset oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Measuring: 28 by 32 inches overall, and 20 by 24 painting alone.. In excellent origina...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

20th Century German Modernist Oil Painting - Mother and Child
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

"With All I Have", Black and White graffiti artwork, graffiti artwork , 2021
Located in Delaware , OH
"With All I Have", Black and White graffiti artwork, graffiti artwork , 2021 With All I Have is a Fine Art Painting inspired by letter art and graffiti by Addison Jones featuring h...
Category

2010s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Black and White

1960's French Modernist Signed Oil Painting Fusion of Colors & Shapes
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"L 'arbre Mort" French School, circa 1960's signed lower corner, titled verso oil painting on canvas, framed canvas: 23.5 x 29 inches framed: 26 x 31 Wonderful fusion of colors blur...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Colorful Samurai, Large-Scale Modern Figural Geometric Abstract
Located in Soquel, CA
Colorful Samurai, Large-Scale Modern Figural Geometric Abstract Colorful modern figural abstract of a samurai figure fractured into fields of color and pattern by S. Baker (Susan Baker...
Category

1990s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Street and Houses - Oil Paint by Sante Monachesi - mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Street and houses is a contemporary artwork realized by Sante Monachesi in the mid-20th century Mixed colored oil painting. Includes frame Hand signed on the lower marign
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Vintage American School Modernist Geometric Abstract New York School Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed verso.
Category

1980s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Large 20th Century French Modernist Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition French School, 20th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 30 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound condition
Category

20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Antique Italian Impressionist Venice Trompe L'Oeil Flower Cityscape Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Very well done and interesting vintage Italian impressionist painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.
Category

1940s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Signed Sunset In Columbia Modernist Street Scene Framed WPA Rare Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique oil on board. Signed. Framed. Measuring 26 by 32 inches overall and 24 by 30 painting alone. In excellent original condition. Excellent condition, ready to hang and enjoy.
Category

1940s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

CLOTO TESSE IL FILO DELLA VITA - Oil on canvas painting, Antonio Minopoli
By Antonio Minopoli
Located in Napoli, IT
CLOTO TESSE IL FILO DELLA VITA - Oil on canvas painting cm.70x100, Antonio Minopoli Italia 2009 Frame available on request from our workshop.
Category

Early 2000s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Large Vintage American Modernist Abstract Dove Portrait Signed Framed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed. Measuring 48 by 48 inches overall and 40 by 40 painting alone. In excellent original condition. Hands...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Vintage American Modernist New Orleans Street Scene Original Large Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist cityscape painting by Kamil Kubik. Oil on canvas. Unsigned. Unframed. Image size, 30L x 24H.
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Paphos, " 1960s Modern Abstract Painting
Located in Westport, CT
This textured, Modern Abstract Expressionist painting Stanley Bate features a neutral palette with both warm and cool undertones. Muted blues and reds seem to be incorporated into a ...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Abduction of the Emperor, " 1970s Modern Abstract Painting
Located in Westport, CT
"Abduction of the Emperor" by Stanley Bate is an abstract oil painting made in 1971. This piece is primarily a textured sandy gold color with geometric shapes that add pops of light ...
Category

1970s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Inevitable Day – Birth of the Atom oil and tempera painting by Julio De Diego
Located in Hudson, NY
Julio De Diego’s Atomic Series paintings made an extraordinary statement regarding the shock and fear that accompanied the dawn of the nuclear age. In the artist’s own words, “Scientists were working secretly to develop formidable powers taken from the mysterious depths of the earth - with the power to make the earth useless! Then, the EXPLOSION! . . . we entered the Atomic Age, and from there the neo-Atomic war begins. Explosions fell everywhere and man kept on fighting, discovering he could fight without flesh.” To execute these works, De Diego developed a technique of using tempera underpainting before applying layer upon layer of pigmented oil glazes. The result is paintings with surfaces which were described as “bonelike” in quality. The forms seem to float freely, creating a three-dimensional visual effect. In the 1954 book The Modern Renaissance in American Art, author Ralph Pearson summarizes the series as “a fantastic interpretation of a weighty theme. Perhaps it is well to let fantasy and irony appear to lighten the devastating impact. By inverse action, they may in fact increase its weight.” Bibliography Art in America, April 1951, p.78 About this artists: Julio De Diego crafted a formidable persona within the artistic developments and political struggles of his time. The artist characterized his own work as “lyrical,” explaining, “through the years, the surrealists, the social-conscious painters and the others tried to adopt me, but I went my own way, good, bad or indifferent.” [1] His independence manifested early in life when de Diego left his parent’s home in Madrid, Spain, in adolescence following his father’s attempts to curtail his artistic aspirations. At the age of fifteen he held his first exhibition, set up within a gambling casino. He managed to acquire an apprenticeship in a studio producing scenery for Madrid’s operas, but moved from behind the curtains to the stage, trying his hand at acting and performing as an extra in the Ballet Russes’ Petrouchka with Nijinsky. He spent several years in the Spanish army, including a six-month stretch in the Rif War of 1920 in Northern Africa. His artistic career pushed ahead as he set off for Paris and became familiar with modernism’s forays into abstraction, surrealism, and cubism. The artist arrived in the U.S. in 1924 and settled in Chicago two years later. He established himself with a commission for the decoration of two chapels in St. Gregory’s Church. He also worked in fashion illustration, designed magazine covers and developed a popular laundry bag for the Hotel Sherman. De Diego began exhibiting through the Art Institute of Chicago in 1929, and participated in the annual Chicago Artists Exhibitions, Annual American Exhibitions, and International Water Color Exhibitions. He held a solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in the summer of 1935. Though the artist’s career was advancing, his family life had deteriorated. In 1932 his first marriage dissolved, and the couple’s young daughter Kiriki was sent to live with friend Paul Hoffman. De Diego continued to develop his artistic vocabulary with a growing interest in Mexican art. He traveled throughout the country acquainting himself with the works of muralists such as Carlos Merida, and also began a collection of small native artifacts...
Category

1940s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil, Tempera

“Abstract #7”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil paint on heavy archival paper abstract by the American artist, Martin Rosenthal. Bold, vibrant colors. Signed lower right by the artist and dated 1965. Condition is goo...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Archival Paper, Gouache, Oil

Large Antique American Modernist Abstract Framed Landscape Fauvsit Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract landscape oil painting by Charles Green Shaw (1892 - 1974). Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed i...
Category

1950s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

American Woman Artist Modernist Large Oil Painting Cubist Influenced Landscape
Located in Surfside, FL
A beautiful wooded landscape scene with houses and trees. Painted on a masonite board. hand signed lower right. with framers label verso. Framed to 40 X 55 inches. 33 X 48 without the frame and mat. It is not dated. Lena Gurr (1897–1992), was an American woman artist who made paintings, prints, and drawings During the course of her career Gurr's compositions retained emotional content as they evolved from a naturalistic to a semi-abstract cubist style. Born into a Russian-Jewish Yiddish speaking immigrant family, she was the wife of Joseph Biel, also Russian-Jewish and an artist of similar genre and sensibility. Gurr used Lena Gurr as her professional name. After marrying Joseph Biel she was sometimes referred to as Lena Gurr Biel. Biel had been born in Grodno, Poland (later absorbed into Russia) and had lived in England, France, and Australia before coming to New York. An artist, he specialized in landscape paintings and silkscreen printing as well as photography. He studied art at the Russian Academy in Paris. After immigrating to the United States, he studied under George Grosz at the Arts Students League. Gurr was born in Brooklyn and, apart from brief stays in Manhattan and in Paris, lived there her whole life. This painting bears the influence of Lyonel Feininger an influential German American artist. Gurr began studying art at a young age. In 1919 she studied painting and printmaking at the Educational Alliance Art School and between 1920 and 1922 she won a scholarship to attend the Art Students League where she took classes with John Sloan and Maurice Sterne. In 1926 and 1928 Gurr participated in group shows at the Whitney Studio Club in Greenwich Village and in 1928 she also participated in the 12th annual exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists at the Waldorf Roof in New York. (Reviewing this show, Helen Appleton Read, the critic for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, said "I made three discoveries on my first visit, Thomas Nagel, Eugenie McEvoy and Lena Gurr with two figure compositions which have something of Marie Laurencin or Helene Perdriat quality of naive sophistication.") The Waldorf Roof was a set of rooms on the top floor of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, one of which had glass sides and a glass roof. The rooms were used for concerts, dances, benefits, and exhibitions.From 1929 to 1931 Gurr took a leave of absence from her teaching position to travel in France with Joseph Biel, an artist whom she had met while studying at the Art Students League. They spent time in Nice and Mentone but mainly in Paris. During the early months of 1931, while she was still abroad, her work appeared in group exhibitions held at the R. H. Macy department store and the Opportunity Gallery (opened by Gifford Beal). In 1932 she participated in three shows: a solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, an annual exhibition of the New York Society of Women Artists, ( Its first president was Marguerite Zorach. Founding members included Agnes Weinrich, Anne Goldthwaite...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Claudio Verna Signed and Certified Pastel on Paper
Located in Roma, IT
Claudio Verna pastel on paper signed and dated 1980 registered and certified by the Claudio Verna Archive.  The drawing was analyzed by the Claudio Verna Archive directly. Based on ...
Category

1980s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Untitled Gestural Abstract Composition
Located in Kansas City, MO
Matthias Kohlmann Untitled Gestural Abstract Composition Medium: Gouache Year: 1991 Signed and dated by hand Edition: Unique Size: 13.7 × 9.9 inches COA provided Matthias Kohlmann (...
Category

1990s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gouache

"Chief Crazy Horse" Abstracted Fauvist Portrait with Heavy Impasto in Oil Paint
Located in Soquel, CA
Heavy Impasto Portrait of Chief Crazy Horse by Harald Dry Schmidt Abstract expressionist portrait of a man by California artist Harald "Harry" Dry Schmidt (American, 1933-1979). The...
Category

1970s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

'Figurative Abstract', Woman Artist, Art Institute of Chicago, San Bernardino
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Stamped, verso, with certification of authenticity for Suzanne Gertz (American, 1938-2003) and painted circa 1985, partial signature lower right. Suzanne Gertz first studied at the...
Category

1980s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Graphite

Mexican Modernist Oil Painting - Double Sided Abstract Figures and Buildings
Located in Soquel, CA
Mexican Modernist Oil Painting - Double Sided Abstract Figures and Buildings Dynamic abstract pieces by Ernesto Butterlin, aka Linares, (Mexican, German b. 1917 d. 1964.) The front ...
Category

1940s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Interesting Tropical Modernist Palm Tree Abstract Vintage Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist signed abstract tropical oil painting. Oil on board. Framed.
Category

1940s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Morat, " 1960s Modern Abstract Painting
Located in Westport, CT
This abstract painting by Modernist artist Stanley Bate combines deep, textured red with creme and dark blue and grey. Geometric shapes throughout the painting are softened by the en...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Survivors, " 1960s Modern Abstract Painting
Located in Westport, CT
This Modern painting by Abstract Expressionist Stanley Bate was made with oil on canvas circa 1960. It features a cool blue and grey palette along the perimeter, with warmer muted gr...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1950s "Curled Up Cubist" MidCentury Figurative Gouache University of Paris
Located in Arp, TX
Donald Stacy "Curled Up Cubist c.1950s Gouache on paper 24" x 18" unframed Unsigned Came from artist's estate Donald Stacy (1925-2011) New Jersey Studied: Newark School of Fine Art The Art Students League Pratt Graphic Arts Center University of Paris 1953-54 University of Aix-en-Provence 1954-55 Faculty: Art Department of the New School Museum of Modern Art School of Visual Arts Stacy Studio Workshop Exhibitions: Grand Central Moderns George Wittenborn The New School Print Exhibitions, Chicago University of Oklahoma Honolulu Museum Monclair Museum Wisconsin State College Louisiana Art Commission Philadelphia...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Abstract Landscape - Oil Painting by Enzo Brunori - 1960s
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Landscape is an original modern artwork realized by Enzo Brunori between 1962-1963. Mixed colored oil painting. Hand signed and dated on the lower margin. Good conditions...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Large Antique American Abstract Landscape Framed Vintage Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed.
Category

1950s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Modernist Abstract Bull
Located in Soquel, CA
Unique modernist depiction of an abstracted bull by California artist Dick Crispo (American, b.1945), 1981. The earthtoned animal is outlined in bold strokes of black, and is rendered in an interesting fractured geometric style evocative of cubism's handling of perspective. Signed and dated lower left "D. Crispo '81", and on label on verso. Presented in a dark copper metal frame. Image size; 22.5"H x 28.75"L. An award winning artist, Crispo has studied at the Carmel Art Institute under John Cunningham and Sam Colburn...
Category

1980s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Tempera

"Untitled #128, " 1960s Modern Abstract Painting
Located in Westport, CT
This Modern Abstract Expressionist painting by Stanley Bate is made with gouache on paper. It features a dark palette, with dark charcoal black tones contrasted by yellow and red accents throughout, and large brush strokes. The painting itself is 16" x 54" and measures 17" x 56" x 2" framed. The paper is mounted on board, framed in a black frame under glass. It is not signed by the artist, but has been authenticated by his estate, and is stamped with the estate seal on the back of the painting, and on the back of the frame. It is ready to hang. Stanley Bate was born on March 26, 1903 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Bates were an established Tennessee family, in fact, Henry’s brother William Bate was the governor of Tennessee from 1883-1887 and a United States Senator from 1887-1905. Stanley studied art at the Watkins Institute in Nashville. In the 1920’s Bate moved to New York City to study at the Art Students League under Frederick Bridgman. He soon landed a job with Encyclopedia Britannica, and from 1927-1929 served as art editor. From 1929 until his death in 1972, Stanley was a self-employed artist. He taught art classes at both the Art Students League and the Albany Institute of History and Art and brought in extra income by making illustrations for magazines such as “Outdoor Life” and “Popular Science”. On January 27, 1934 Stanley married Emilie Rossel. Emilie had emigrated from Switzerland to New York in 1923. She found work as a governess to Alfred Vanderbilt and later as an executive secretary for Wall Street investment brokers Kahn, Loeb and Co. Emilie met Stanley in New York in the early 1930’s when she attended one of his art exhibitions with a friend. The couple, who had no children, lived on 34th Street in Manhattan. During this period, Bate was producing and exhibiting his art and joined several artists groups. Stanley and Emilie became part of the New York art scene, dining weekly at the Society of Illustrators Clubhouse. Stanley Bate’s time in New York was pivotal in the formation of his painting style. He lived in New York during the inception of one of the most important Modern Art movements, one that helped New York replace Paris as the center of avant-garde art. This movement, which was called the New York School of artists, was later known as Abstract Expressionism. It was comprised of a loosely associated group of vanguard artists working in New York City during the 1940s and 1950s. The New York School was not defined by a specific style, but instead reflected a fusion of European Modernism and American social relevancy that was depicted in many individual styles. Influences of Surrealism, Cubism, and Modernism can be found in their work, along with an interest in experimenting with non-traditional materials and methods. American art was in the forefront of international avant-garde for the first time. Stanley Bate was undoubtedly exposed to the varied styles and techniques that were emerging during the formative years of the New York School. Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell were formulating their versions of color field paintings. Joseph Cornell was experimenting with assemblages, collage and the use of different types of textured paints. Jackson Pollock was adhering objects such as buttons and coins into his early works, while Louise Nevelson was using found objects. Helen Frankenthaler added sand to her early paintings. The New York School artists were undermining traditional fine art by using mixed media and non-traditional methods. Stanley Bate absorbed these varied influences and soon his early realistic landscapes and still-lifes were replaced with something entirely new. The influence of Cubism, notably the flat shallow space of the picture plane, is obvious in many of Bate’s paintings. Surrealism is evident in Bate’s use of subjects from myth, primitive art and antiquity, along with the Automatism-like line work in his more linear images. The unfettered experimentation of the New York School is everywhere in Stanley Bate’s work. We see nods to color field, collage, the mixing of textures into paint, mixed media, the inclusion of found objects and thick, luscious impasto. Bate was prolific and experimented in various media including oil, watercolor, lithography, silk screen, wood cut, drawing, collage, ceramics and sculpture. Bate is considered a true Modernist. His work is largely abstract, but sometimes figures and buildings are discernable. He frequently mixed paint, sand and glue together to achieve a textured surface, and then scraped and scratched through this layer to expose some of the underpainting below. His sculpture, which is often whimsical, also reflects the non-traditional methods of the New York School. Bate pioneered the use of enamel and copper in his work. The sculptures are not carved or modeled as was done in the past, but instead are built using mixed media and new materials. In addition to the New York School influence, many of Bate’s works exhibit a strong connection to the Spanish school, especially the work of Antonio Tapies and Modesto Cuixart. These artists were both part of an avant-garde group known as Art Informel, the Spanish equivalent of Abstract Expressionism. These artists likewise worked in mixed media and introduced objects and texture into their work. Many of Bate’s subjects and titles relate to Spanish locations and words. It is likely that Stanley spent time in Spain and found inspiration there. By the early 1940s, Stanley and Emilie had started spending weekends in a barn they purchased in Craryville, New York, a few hours north of Manhattan. The barn had no electricity or plumbing, but when the Bates eventually decided to leave New York and live full time in Craryville, they remodeled the barn, putting a gallery downstairs and a studio and living quarters upstairs. Although the Bates moved out of New York City, Stanley remained part of the New York art scene, exhibiting in New York and elsewhere throughout the 50s and 60s. During his lifetime he was represented by the New York galleries Knoedler and Company, Kennedy Galleries, Rose Fried Gallery and Key Gallery, along with Tyringham Gallery located in Tyringham, Massachusetts. Craryville was Stanley’s home until his death on August 21, 1972. Emilie died 1984...
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Incredible American Modernist New York City Central Park Plaza View Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Really impressive mid 1900s American school painting of Central Park. An amazing piece with hints of abstraction. Framed. No signature found.
Category

1960s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Wilma Fiori 1994 Abstract Oil Painting, Large Horizontal Modernist Canvas
Located in Denver, CO
This original 1994 abstract oil painting by Wilma Fiori (1929–2019) presents a rich, moody composition in a commanding large horizontal format. Signed and ...
Category

1990s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

King of Swords by Salvador Dalí
Located in New Orleans, LA
Salvador Dalí 1904-1989 Spanish King of Swords Signed “Dalí” (lower center) Gouache on photographic background This unique gouache by Surrealist master Salvador Dalí combines the...
Category

20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gouache, Photographic Paper

Vintage Mid Century Modern Abstract Expressionist Framed Signed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.
Category

1970s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of A Woman, Abstract Oil Painting by John Uht
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: John Uht, American (1924 - 2010) Title: Portrait of a Woman Year: circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Board, signed l.l. Size: 12 x 9 inches Frame Size: 16 x 13 inches
Category

1970s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Romanian Modernist Gouache Painting Of Buildings And Boats - Jean David
Located in Surfside, FL
Jean David was a painter and designer, known for his contributions to the Romanian avant-garde and to the early modernist art of Israel (then recently founded). He was the first Israeli artist to be inducted into the illustrious Alliance Graphique Nationale in 1954. He had studied between 1927 and 1937 at various art academies in Paris. In 1929 he participated for the first time at a collective exhibition in Bucharest and in 1933 he had his first personal exhibition (in the same city). In the early '30s he was a member of the Surrealist group "unu" (meaning "one"). In 1942, he left Romania in a boat with 12 other Jews, including Theodor Brauner, the brother of Victor Brauner. After being captured by British authorities in Cyprus, he managed to reach Palestine in 1944. In 1949 he went to live in Jerusalem, where he was active in developing ceramic arts, sculpture works in copper, and artistic tapestry wall hangings under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Together with Marcel Janco, he founded in Israel the artist village known as Ein Hod. He also gained much reputation as a muralist and graphic and poster designer, having designed numerous posters and other works for the El Al air company, Maccabiah games, Zim shipping and The Israel tourist industry. David’s primary importance was in the design of posters. He used a wildly colorful decorative style in his art, which combined illustration, caricature, and national figures. In addition he designed wall hangings for “Maskit,” and also worked in the decoration of public buildings. His paintings had elements of Surrealism and included images from nature and landscapes. Similar in style to David Klein and the Polish Cyrk posters. Forms From Israel, Mounting Exhibition, USA, 1958 Artists: El Hanani (Sapozhnikow), Arie Azaz, Nehemiah Boris Carmi, Hanna Harag Zunz, David, Jean David Gumbel, Keiner Forcheimer, Julia Mansfeld, Al Merom, Peter Mayer, Jean Palombo...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Abstract
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This painting is part of our exhibition Charles Goeller: A Wistful Loneliness. Oil on canvas, 29 x 22 inches, Signed on frame verso “Painted by Charles L. Goeller” Exhibited: (Perh...
Category

1930s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Joseph Wolins WPA Artist Dancing, Torah Modernist Judaica Cubist Oil Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
Joseph Wolins 1915-1999 Subject: Jewish, Dancing with the Torah (New Torah, Simchat Torah) Hand signed oil painting In this painting, Joseph Wolins uses vibrant and complimentary co...
Category

20th Century Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pájaros Birds
Located in Segovia, ES
The artwork "Pájaros" ("Birds"), created by Spanish artist Celia Herranz, is a striking large-format piece, 116 x 89 cm / 45.67 x 35 inches, executed in Indian ink on canvas. This w...
Category

2010s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

American School Modernist Abstract Cityscape Holiday Lights Signed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Oil on canvasboard. Framed. Image size, 20H x 30L. Signed.
Category

1940s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Selfie from saint Sebastian" ( in memory of Rudolf Nureyev)
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This work was inspired by the dance of Rudolf Nureyev. I compared him to Saint Sebastian.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Composition - Oil on Canvas by Mario Asnago - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Composition is an original contemporary artwork realized in the mid-20th Century by Mario Asnago. Mixed colored oil painting. Hand signed on the lower margin. Includes frame: 90x5...
Category

1950s 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.

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