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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
Period: 1940s
The Night Journey - Drip Painting like Jackson Pollock
Located in Miami, FL
In Byron Brown's "The Night Journey", 1947, Picasso meets Jackson Pollock. Here Brown strikes a balance between fanciful representation and abstraction. ...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Spanish Beauty (Portrait of the Artist's Wife)
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Spanish Beauty (Portrait of the Artist's Wife) Oil on canvas, c. 1940's Signed upper right "A.G. Warshawsky" (see photo) According to the daughter-in-law of the artist, this painting...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

The White Horse - Abstracted Landscape, In The Style Of Charles Heaney
Located in Soquel, CA
The White Horse - Abstracted Landscape, In The Style Of Charles Heaney Abstracted landscape oil painting depicting a white horse. Attributed to and painted in the style of Charles Edward Heaney (American, 1897-1981). A white horse grazes alone in a grass field, as mountains of brown are intertwined with abstracted white clouds. Deep greens, browns and reds make up this piece. Presented in a distressed wooden frame. Frame: 21.5"H x 39"W Image: 15.5"H x 32.5"W Unsigned. Charles Heaney lived in Oregon and was primarily known for his landscapes of Oregon and Nevada. From 1917 until well into the 1920s, Heaney studied intermittently at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. One of his primary instructors was legendary painter Harry Wentz, who befriended and inspired him. A fellow student was Kyuzo Furuya who, Heaney recalled, goaded him into taking himself seriously as an artist. But Heaney's deepest friendship was with Clayton Sumner (C.S.) Price, an artist twenty-three years Heaney's senior who settled in Portland in 1929 and who would become a pioneering figure in Oregon modern painting. Heaney admired and emulated Price's dedication to art-making and found in the older man an important companion. Heaney's prints of the 1920s and 1930s were mostly woodcuts, a technique he learned from Catherine DeWitt MacKenzie, a fellow student at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. In the 1930s, he experimented with etchings with his friend William McIlwraith and studied intaglio processes with William Givler...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Rescue abstract figurative oil painting by Maurice Golubov
Located in Hudson, NY
Rescue (c.1945) Oil on panel 14" x 17" 19 ½" x 22 ¼" x 1 ½" framed Signed "M. Golubov" lower right, titled "Rescue" verso. About this artist: "If you can imagine a point moving, i...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

“Mother and Child”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting by the well known Russian/American artist, Nahum Tschacbasov. Signed middle right and dated 1943. Condition is very good. Unlined canvas. The painti...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ancient Revel oil painting by Wesley Lea
By Wesley Lea
Located in Hudson, NY
Signed and titled verso on stretcher "Lea Ancient Revel". Subtitled verso on label in artist's hand: "An attempt to marry ancient mineral matter with people". Exhibited at the 194...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Antique American Abstract Expressionist Vintage Framed New York School Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1940. Housed in a vintage frame. Image size, 18L x 24H.
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Mountains and …”
Located in Southampton, NY
Outstanding and vibrant figurative oil on canvas painting by the well known American artist, Nahum Tschacbasov. Signed lower right and dated 1945. Partial Perl’s Gallery, New York label verso with partial title on same label verso. Title might be “Mountains and Horses” Condition is very good. The painting is housed in it”s original House...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cripple Creek Victor Mine, Colorado Mountain Landscape, 1940 Watercolor Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Original signed watercolor on paper painting by Charles Ragland Bunnell from 1940 of Cripple Creek or Victor Mine located in Colorado. Mine buildings wit...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Horse and Boy, Modernist Abstracted Figural Watercolor in Pink, Blue, and Yellow
By Douglas Denniston
Located in Denver, CO
Watercolor on paper titled "Horse and Boy" painted by Douglas Denniston (1921-2001) from 1945. Semi abstract picture of a young boy and his horse, painte...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Birds by Jankel Adler - Abstract painting
Located in London, GB
Birds by Jankel Adler (1895-1949) Oil and ciment on canvas 61.4 x 46.4 cm (24¹/₈ x 18¹/₄ inches) Signed lower right, Adler Executed in 1948 Provenance Galerie Charles Lienhard, Zürich, 1959 Gimpel Fils Gallery, London Denham Gallery, UK Exhibitions John Denham Gallery, Jankel Adler, June 9th - June 23rd 1996 Jankel Adler was born in Lodz, Poland and lived a life of wandering. In 1912 he moved to Belgrade where he began training as an engraver with his uncle and then went to Germany in 1914 where he lived for a time with his sister in Barmen. There he studied at the college of arts and crafts with Professor Gustav Wiethücher. Between 1918 and 1921 he moved between Lodz and Germany until in 1922, he settled in Düsseldorf where he became a teacher at the Academy of Arts, and became acquainted with Paul Klee, who influenced his work. A painting by Adler received a gold medal at the exhibition “German art Düsseldorf” in 1928. In 1933, with the rise of Hitler’s Nazi regime, he left Germany for Paris. With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, he volunteered for the Polish army...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Still Life" 20th Century Oil on Canvas by Spanish Artist Antoni Clavé
Located in Madrid, ES
ANTONI CLAVÉ Spanish, 1913 - 2005 STILL LIFE signed "Clavé" lower right also inscribed "Ce tableau a ete peint par moi vers 1946, Clavé" on the reverse oil on canvas glued to artist ...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Hawaii "The Journey - Anti-matter" - Mid Century Abstract Hawaiian Mythology
Located in Soquel, CA
Hawaii "The Journey - Anti-matter" - Mid Century Abstract Hawaiian Mythology Symbolistic and romantic 1940s figurative of pasteled figures journeying down path titled "Journey - Anti...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Spring Wahine - Mid Century Modern Figurative Abstract
Located in Soquel, CA
Beautiful and arresting oil painting of women in an abstracted springtime forest bringing flower leis to Hawaiian Island Earth Spirit by Marguerite Louis Blasingame (American, 1906-...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Mystic Woman"
Located in Southampton, NY
This is a oil on masonite painting by Nahum Tschacbasov done in 1946. Signed lower left and housed in a hand carved wood frame circa 1920. Overall size with frame is 40 x 33 inches.
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

"Three Friends"
Located in West Hollywood, CA
We are proud to present a recently discovered original abstract/figurative painting by American artist Robert McIntosh(1916-2010). "Three Friends" is an original mixed media painting on panel, signed, dated 1945-50, good original condition with a dimension of 12 x 10 inches, currently unframed. We are including a biography on American artist Robert McIntosh, please contact the gallery for additional information. Presenting a magnificent, early original pastel, "The Artist's Portrait", by American artist Robert McIntosh. "The Artist's Portrait", is an original pastel on artist's paper, signed, dated 1937, 13 x 9.75, currently unframed, the portrait was acquired directly from the personal collection of the artist. We have included the artist's biography below please contact the gallery for additional information, Robert McIntosh (1916-2010) Robert McIntosh was born on March 11, 1916 near San Francisco, in Vallejo, California, the second son of Harry and Jesusita Coronado McIntosh. He found his lifelong passion for painting by the time he was ten years old and never swayed from his calling. The family moved to Stockton when Robert was 12. Their home was just six blocks from the newly opened Haggin Museum, filled with a treasure trove of European and American paintings. He became particularly enamored with the fine examples of 19th century French pastoral landscapes. As teens, Robert and his brother Harrison befriended local painter Arthur Haddock who taught them the craft of art and brought them along on outdoor painting trips. Robert also became skilled at drawing portraits that captured the subject's personality. Soon, the sheer joy of expressing himself this way became a consuming interest. ​When not sketching, McIntosh would wander the stacks of books at the public library, discovering and studying the Masters - in particular, Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Whistler. At a Gauguin exhibit at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, Robert discovered a "whole new world of color" and the importance of designing the space in the eternal rectangle. "I envision a frame around everything I see, "he admitted. "The artists' challenge is to put something meaningful, interesting or beautiful in that space." ​In 1934 McIntosh won a competition for a scholarship to the Art Center School of Design, the first award they ever bestowed. The entire family moved to Los Angeles and a new vista opened to the young artist, both visually and culturally. Robert began to take on portrait commissions and had exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Art, The Oakland Museum of Art and the Crocker Museum of Art in Sacramento. During the Great Depression, Robert began to work at Disney Studios painting backgrounds for such classics as "Fantasia". Ron Barbagallo, of Animation Art...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Conversation with Motherwell
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Presenting a just discovered magnificent oil painting by American artist Robert McIntosh (1916-2002.) Conversation with Motherwell, Is a tribute to American artist Robert Motherwell...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tango
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Presenting a just discovered mixed media painting by American artist Robert McIntosh, (1916-2010.) Tango, is an original mixed media gouache on heavy artists paper, signed, dated 1...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Conflict
Located in West Hollywood, CA
American artist Ron Blumberg was classically trained at La Grande Academie Chaumiere in Paris, 1932, before moving to New York where he became a National Academy artist and a member ...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

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French Expressionist Abstract Portrait Of A Man Studio Provenance
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
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Black is Beautiful
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
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Category

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Contemporary French impressionist oil "YOUTH IN SUMMER IN LA ROCHELLE"
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"Her Universe" Large Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Figurative Woman
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"Figure de Notier" framed, signed oil on canvas painting by artist Max Papart
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Flora, Of All Flowers. Contemporary Impressionist Oil Painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
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Light 2001. Canvas, oil, 92x65 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Light 2001. Canvas, oil, 92x65 cm The artwork portrays a colorful and abstract woman figure against a backdrop of pink and blue hues. The central focus of the painting is the woman...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Amber & Turquoise", Irene Sheri, Figurative, Impressionism, Original, 34x30
Located in Dallas, TX
Sheri mixes traditional techniques with modern western aspects. Her intense colors free the imagination and embody wonder and beauty through the female form. Soft smiles with momentary looks are subtle yet well-defined and brought together concisely and pointedly. "Amber and Turquoise" embodies what Sheri is all about. A beautiful young woman's blue dress takes over as it transforms into an impressionistic background of amber colors. Her curly red hair frames her beautifully painted face as she begins to realize her matching blue pearl necklace...
Category

2010s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Acrylic

Dreaming In The Garden
Located in Brecon, Powys
There’s something restorative in being outside in the fresh air. It enables one to recharge and relax. Even if one has no outside space of ones own to dream in art makes it possible. Francesca Owen...
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Previously Available Items
“Untitled”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting by the well known Russian/American artist, Nahum Tschacbasov. Signed lower left and dated 1944. Condition is very good. Unlined canvas with no restor...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American School Abstract Expressionist Signed Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American abstract expressionist oil painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1940. Image size, 28L x 22H. Signed.
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American School Abstract Expressionist Signed Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American abstract expressionist oil painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1940. Image size, 24L x 30H. Signed.
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Untitled" Green, Yellow, and Pink Abstract Figurative Cubist Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Green, yellow, and pink-toned abstract figurative cubist painting by Houston, TX artist Herb Mears. This painting depicts an interior scene with a stick figure of a man in the middle...
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1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Abstract Expressionist Figurative -- Dancing Women at Picnic
By Alfred Rogoway
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful abstract expressionist scene of woman dancing at a picnic by Alfred Rogoway (American/Spanish, 1899 - 1990) titled "Legend" circa 1940. Signed on lower right corner "Rogowa...
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1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

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Masonite, Oil

Birth, Vintage
Located in Denver, CO
Semi-abstract, somewhat surrealist, vintage 1944 painting of a female figure giving birth painted during the artist's Black and Blue period. Watercolor and ink on paper, signed lower...
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1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Birth, Vintage
Birth, Vintage
H 30.125 in W 24.125 in D 0.75 in
On Upper Deck
Located in Lawrence, NY
John von Wicht (1888-1970) was a German-American artist whose work was initially influenced by European Cubism and Expressionism. He later moved to create more clearly abstract expre...
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1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

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Oil

Abstract Red and Blue Toned Color-Block Female Portrait
By Buckley MacGurrin
Located in Houston, TX
Buckley Mac-Gurrin, prominently known for his work as a Los Angeles Mural Painter, painted an abstract portrait of a female using a combination of geometric shapes with hues of red a...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Josef Steiner (1899-1977), Lying Female Nude on Divan, 1944, Mixed Technique
By Josef Steiner
Located in Greding, DE
Signed and dated on the lower right. Josef Steiner (1899 Munich - 1977 ibid.) lived through a Germany in all its facets as an artist. As a young talented student of the Munich art s...
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Pastel

New York School Abstract Expressionist Flower Still Life Painting, William Scher
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist abstract oil painting by William Scher. Oil on board, circa 1940. Signed Scher" lower left. Displayed in a period modernist frame. Image, 26"L x 36"H, overall 28"L x 38"H.
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

New York School Abstract Expressionist Mid Century Composition by William Scher
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist abstract oil painting by William Scher. Oil on board, circa 1940. Signed Scher" lower left. Displayed in a period modernist frame. Image, 24"L x 36"H, overall 25"L x 37"H.
Category

1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Bathers
By Arturo Fallico
Located in Soquel, CA
The Bathers, by Los Gatos, California artist and Professor Arturo Fallico (American, 20th Century). Presented in a wooden frame. Signed "Fallico" and dated "...
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1940s Abstract Figurative Paintings

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Paper, Oil, Cardboard

The Bathers
The Bathers
H 14 in W 17 in D 1 in

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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