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Abstract Figurative Paintings

ABSTRACT STYLE

Beginning in the early 20th century, abstract art became a leading style of modernism. Rather than portray the world in a way that represented reality, as had been the dominating style of Western art in the previous centuries, abstract paintings, prints and sculptures are marked by a shift to geometric forms, gestural shapes and experimentation with color to express ideas, subject matter and scenes.

Although abstract art flourished in the early 1900s, propelled by movements like Fauvism and Cubism, it was rooted in the 19th century. In the 1840s, J.M.W. Turner emphasized light and motion for atmospheric paintings in which concrete details were blurred, and Paul Cézanne challenged traditional expectations of perspective in the 1890s.

Some of the earliest abstract artists — Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint — expanded on these breakthroughs while using vivid colors and forms to channel spiritual concepts. Painter Piet Mondrian, a Dutch pioneer of the art movement, explored geometric abstraction partly owing to his belief in Theosophy, which is grounded in a search for higher spiritual truths and embraces philosophers of the Renaissance period and medieval mystics. Black Square, a daringly simple 1913 work by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, was a watershed statement on creating art that was free “from the dead weight of the real world,” as he later wrote.

Surrealism in the 1920s, led by artists such as Salvador Dalí, Meret Oppenheim and others, saw painters creating abstract pieces in order to connect to the subconscious. When Abstract Expressionism emerged in New York during the mid-20th century, it similarly centered on the process of creation, in which Helen Frankenthaler’s expressive “soak-stain” technique, Jackson Pollock’s drips of paint, and Mark Rothko’s planes of color were a radical new type of abstraction.

Conceptual art, Pop art, Hard-Edge painting and many other movements offered fresh approaches to abstraction that continued into the 21st century, with major contemporary artists now exploring it, including Anish Kapoor, Mark Bradford, El Anatsui and Julie Mehretu.

Find original abstract paintings, sculptures, prints and other art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Abstract
Tenec 5 - Figurative acrylic Painting Yellow Blue Brown White Red Black
Located in Sofia, BG
"Tenec 5" is a modern, figurative, abstract art line painting by Maestro Anatoliy Stankulov The painting is unframed. The vivid colors of his paintings bring emotion happiness, lov...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Tenec 6 - Figurative acrylic Painting Yellow Blue Brown White Red Black
Located in Sofia, BG
"Tenec 6" is a modern, figurative, abstract art line painting by Maestro Anatoliy Stankulov The painting is unframed. The vivid colors of his paintings bring emotion happiness, lov...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Tenec I - Figurative acrylic Painting Yellow Blue Brown White Red Black
Located in Sofia, BG
"Tenec I" is a modern, figurative, abstract art line painting by Maestro Anatoliy Stankulov The painting is unframed. The vivid colors of his paintings bring emotion happiness, lov...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Polka Dot Dreams, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"A young woman in a polka dotted dress stands in waiting, dreaming of the night ahead," says Gena. Bold repeated strokes of pinks rhythmically move across the ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

So Sorry
Located in Delray Beach, FL
So Sorry. Malgosia Kiernozycka was born in Wroclaw, Poland. She graduated high school at the School of Fine Arts and received a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and Art for t...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Faces which Ring with Refuge 5
Located in Dallas, TX
“Everybody has that feeling when they look at a work of art and it’s right, that sudden familiarity, a sort of...recognition, as though they were creating it themselves, as though it...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Panel

Bora Bora
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Bora Bora Figurative Abstract Painting. Malgosia Kiernozycka was born in Wroclaw, Poland. She graduated high school at the School of Fine Arts and received a...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Stop with Red Gloves, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"This woman is expressing herself and asking for attention with her red gloves," says artist Diana Rosa. "I used black lines to define...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Balloon Parade Pink Abstract
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Balloon Parade- 2020. Malgosia Kiernozycka was born in Wroclaw, Poland. She graduated high school at the School of Fine Arts and received a schola...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

The Three Graces after Rubens V
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Dimitar Hinkov (1972) lives and works in Germany. He is a contemporary artist with over 50 solo and 70 group exhibitions worldwide.
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Sketch of Carla at Age 12
By Jacquelinne White
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Jacquelinne White– American (1919-2008) Title: Sketch of Carla at the Age of 12 Year: 1957 Medium: Oil on canvas Sight size: 37.5 x 27.5 Framed size: 41 x 31 inches Signatur...
Category

1950s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitle - Abstract painting on canvas inspired by Maestro Mimmo Paladino
Located in Napoli, IT
Untitle -Oil on canvas cm.170x122 - Massimo Caiafa Italy 2009. Abstract painting on canvas inspired by Maestro Mimmo Paladino.Lacquered wooden frame.
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Blue Angel, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Part of Naoko's signature series, Who Are These Angels. A diaphanous angel stands quietly in a deep blue landscape. The tonal quality of the painting accentua...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

5835 - Original Figurative Abstract Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swiss artist Edith Konrad paints figurative abstract compositions with mixed media on canvas. She layers her expression of her emotional response to the subjects with dynamic texture...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil, Board

Shapeless History, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A woman in a yellow dress runs barefoot through wildflowers alongside the ocean on a summer night. This ephemeral painting evokes the sensation of fleeting mo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Broken Sleep, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This ethereal portrait of a woman represents a fleeting encounter that fades away. Rendered with soft light, the painting mimics the quality of a dream disapp...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

5831 - Original Figurative Blue Abstract Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swiss artist Edith Konrad paints figurative abstract compositions with mixed media on canvas. She layers her expression of her emotional response to the subjects with dynamic texture...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil, Board

Large Oil Painting on Paper - Color Code II - unframed
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a beautiful bright vibrant of yellows and golds, with pale blues and silvery grays - oil on paper. A very high resolution photograph is provided here to enable viewing of bot...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

ARLETTE MARTIN (b.1924) FINE FRENCH GEOMETRIC ABSTRACT PAINTING - SIGNED
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Geometric Abstract" by Arlette Martin (French, b.1924) signed lower right hand-side, gouache painting on card, unframed painting: 3.5 x 8.5 inches Finely painted original by the p...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gouache

ROGER HERSON (1922-2008) SIGNED FRENCH ABSTRACT PAINTING - SURREALIST FIGURES
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Abstract Figures" by Roger Herson (French 1922-2008) signed lower left hand-side, gouache painting on card, unframed painting: 16 x 23.5 inches Superb original abstract painting by the very well listed French abstract and surrealist artist, Roger Herson (1922-2008). The painting has excellent provenance, having come from the artists estate in northern France. Roger Herson (1922-2008) was a French abstract, cubist and surrealist painter from Rouen, France. Influenced by Picasso, Braque and Léger, he infuses the canvas with a frenzied and tonic movement, a rigorous construction and a personal graphic power. Painter of woman, desire and fantasies, Herson draws his inspiration from the verve and surrealist movement inspired by Georgio de Chirico...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gouache

ARLETTE MARTIN (b.1924) SUPERB FRENCH BURNT ORANGE ABSTRACT PAINTING - SIGNED
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Abstract Composition" by Arlette Martin (French, b.1924) signed lower corner gouache painting mounted on card, unframed mount: 6 x 7.5 inches painting: 2.75 x 4.5 inches Stunning ...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gouache

SIGNED FRENCH ABSTRACT NUDE PAINTING - ROUEN PAINTER
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Abstract Nude" by Roger Herson (French 1922-2008) signed lower right hand-side, gouache and crayon on card, unframed painting: 19.5 x 15.5 inches Superb original abstract painting...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gouache

Tiny Lariat
Located in Montreal, Quebec
I think of my paintings primarily as landscapes. Recently, these landscapes appear to be more manufactured than organic. At first glance the subjects seem to be monumental forms such...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Outskirts
Located in Montreal, Quebec
I think of my paintings primarily as landscapes. Recently, these landscapes appear to be more manufactured than organic. At first glance the subjects seem to be monumental forms such...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Ropes, Fire and Trees
Located in Montreal, Quebec
I think of my paintings primarily as landscapes. Recently, these landscapes appear to be more manufactured than organic. At first glance the subjects seem to be monumental forms such...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Vomiting Figure
Located in Montreal, Quebec
I think of my paintings primarily as landscapes. Recently, these landscapes appear to be more manufactured than organic. At first glance the subjects seem to be monumental forms such...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Mesmerized
Located in Montreal, Quebec
I think of my paintings primarily as landscapes. Recently, these landscapes appear to be more manufactured than organic. At first glance the subjects seem to be monumental forms such...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Talking to Ourselves
Located in Montreal, Quebec
I think of my paintings primarily as landscapes. Recently, these landscapes appear to be more manufactured than organic. At first glance the subjects seem to be monumental forms such...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Sidelines, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This painting is part of a series exploring coastal life and memories. It's all about summer, all year-round. Palm trees, beaches, green grass, evening walks,...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Wheels, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"This painting is the first in a new series exploring coastal life and memories," says Marie-Eve. "It's all about summer, all year-round. Palm trees, beaches,...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Shadow & Fog IV
Located in New York, NY
Shadow & Fog IV, 2018 Oil and charcoal on canvas 42 x 57 inches Signed and dated on verso The Decent Series The realization that wholeness comes from self reflection and a dive into...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Oil, Canvas

Shadow & Fog I
Located in New York, NY
Shadow & Fog I, 2018 Oil and charcoal on canvas 42 x 57 inches Signed and dated on verso The Decent Series The realization that wholeness comes from self reflection and a dive into ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil

Tumultuous Shadow
Located in New York, NY
Tumultuous Shadow, 2018 Oil and charcoal on canvas 42 x 57 inches Signed and dated on verso The Decent Series The realization that wholeness comes from self reflection and a dive in...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil

Shadow & Fog II
Located in New York, NY
Shadow & Fog II, 2018 Oil and charcoal on canvas 42 x 57 inches Signed and dated on verso The Decent Series The realization that wholeness comes from self reflection and a dive into...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil

Surrendering Compulsion
Located in New York, NY
Surrendering Compulsion, 2018 Oil and charcoal on canvas 42 x 57 inches Signed and dated on verso The Decent Series The realization that wholeness comes from self reflection and a d...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Charcoal

Scattered Light
Located in New York, NY
Scattered Light, 2018 Oil and charcoal on canvas 42 x 57 inches Signed and dated on verso The Decent Series The realization that wholeness comes from self reflection and a dive into...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil

Intoxication & Trauma
Located in New York, NY
Intoxication & Trauma, 2018 Oil and charcoal on canvas 42 x 57 inches Signed and dated on verso The Decent Series The realization that wholeness comes from self reflection and a div...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Oil, Canvas

Burden of- Fantasy
Located in New York, NY
Burden of Fantasy, 2018 Oil and charcoal on canvas 42 x 57 inches Signed and dated on verso The Decent Series The realization that wholeness comes from self reflection and a dive in...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil

Blood Love Diptych
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Blood Love Diptych 2019 Malgosia Kiernozycka was born in Wroclaw, Poland. She graduated high school at the School of Fine Arts and received a scholarship from the Minister of Cultur...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Pensive in Red
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
As part of my typical process, I started this piece with layers of color without a clear subject in mind. When I found a photo my friend posted on social medi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Post
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Carwash
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Median
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Molson Park
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled #1
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study for Island
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Borden Screen Saver
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

South from high school study
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Building on Tupper
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Shadow
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled #3
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Gary Evans is widely recognized for his distinctive painting practice that spans two decades. Evans’ vibrant paintings challenge traditional notions of perception and our experience ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

2301 - Original Figurative Abstract Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swiss artist Edith Konrad paints figurative abstract compositions with mixed media on canvas. She layers her expression of her emotional response to the subjects with dynamic texture...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

Backlight
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
I was striving to paint a figure on a highly textured surface. I really like the variation in mark making and the glow of her hair against the darkness. This...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"One, " contemporary abstract expressionist oil painting on canvas by Alayna Rose
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"One" is an original oil painting on canvas by Alayna Rose, signed in the lower left. In this composition, Rose has abstracted the side-profile of a head by filling it with an array ...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

2302 - Original Figurative Abstract Oil Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swiss artist Edith Konrad paints figurative abstract compositions with mixed media on canvas. She layers her expression of her emotional response to the subjects with dynamic texture...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

Outlook (I Dream of Japan)
Located in Montreal, Quebec
I think of my paintings primarily as landscapes. Recently, these landscapes appear to be more manufactured than organic. At first glance the subjects seem to be monumental forms such...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Small Yellow City
Located in Montreal, Quebec
I think of my paintings primarily as landscapes. Recently, these landscapes appear to be more manufactured than organic. At first glance the subjects seem to be monumental forms such...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract figurative 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 figurative 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, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Cindy Shaoul, Simon Richard Halimi, Frank Arnold, and Judith Berry. 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 Abstract figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative 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 $121 and tops out at $570,000, while the average work sells for $2,500.

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