Abstract Portrait 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.
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Style: Abstract
Die Gäste
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Oksana Domnytska "Die Gäste"
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
We were happy that day
Located in Zofingen, AG
shipped in roll
We Were Happy That Day
This painting is not a statement, but a memory.
It speaks not about constant happiness, but about a moment when happiness already existed — qu...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Let's be happy every day
Located in Zofingen, AG
Let’s Be Happy Every Day
This painting is a gentle, optimistic message from the artist — a celebration of everyday joy and emotional warmth. It is not meant to be interpreted intell...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Prayer
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Prayer for peace in Ukraine
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Brotherhood 3
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Yes, I am black.
The right hand of the morning sun
Glittering on my skin,
Showcasing the beauty of my flesh,
Not the power that I possess.
Yes, I am black.
My origin is the vivid pa...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,600 Sale Price
20% Off
"Seed of Love II, " (2024) by Ifeoluwa Alade, Original Acrylic Painting
Located in Denver, CO
This acrylic painting, titled "Seed of Love II", is an original creation by Ifeoluwa Alade, an artist based in Nigeria. The handmade piece captures a heartfelt moment of a child in ...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
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 Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Audrey Hepburn as Ariane Farrell, Original art, still-life, Pop art, Abstract
By Agent X
Located in Deddington, GB
Original
Digitally produced painting on Canvas
Image size: H:147 cm x W:147 cm
Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:147 cm x W:147 cm x D:1cm
Sold Unframed
Please note that insitu image...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Digital
Red Chair, Oil Painting by Jan De Ruth 1964
By Jan De Ruth
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Jan De Ruth, Czech (1922 - 1991)
Title: Red Chair
Year: 1964
Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.l.
Size: 36 in. x 24 in. (91.44 cm x 60.96 cm)
Frame Size: 44 x 32 inches
Category
1960s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Aguarius . original painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
In creating this piece, I delved deep into the fusion of realism and surrealism; I wanted to capture the raw essence of the subject while wrapping it in a dreamlike aura. Pastels, pe...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Vulpecula original painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this artwork, I infuse the blended textures of pastel and pencil, with strokes that evoke realism's detail and surrealism's dreamy aura. The subject's expressive gaze, rooted in e...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
20th Century Original Signed French Abstract Oil Painting - Cubist Study
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Original oil painting by P. Valetti (French, second half 20th century)
signed
oil on canvas, unframed
size: 13 x 8.75 inches
condition: very good
provenance: from the artists estate...
Category
20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Virgo. original painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
In creating this piece, I've intertwined realism with hints of surrealism, woven with the raw emotion of expressionism. Through pastel, pencil, and touches of colored pencil and grap...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Cassiopeia. original painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Embodied within this piece is a dance of textures and hues, a fusion of realism's clarity with surrealism's dreaminess, expressionistic emotion, and the delicate play of light charac...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Libra original painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
In my artwork, I've melded realism with surreal touches, creating a harmonious blend that captures both the physical and emotional essence of my subject. My use of pastel and pencil ...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Cygnus. original painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this artwork, I sought to blend the ethereal qualities of dreams with the intense emotions of reality. My use of pastels and pencils captures the softness of the subject's gaze wh...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Andromeda. original painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
These paintings, executed on thick paper, are very sensual and intuitive. My favorite topic is: women. Often I immediately make a seria of paintings that are caused by either materi...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
Young Portrait of Francis Bacon in Berlin
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
This expressive portrait by Whitney Lee Savage, titled Young Portrait of Francis Bacon in Berlin, captures a raw and introspective vision of one of the 20th century’s most influentia...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Gold Leaf
Japanese girl. Mixed media on cardboard 60x43 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Japanese girl. Mixed media on cardboard 60x43 cm
Ivars Zaikins (1942-2017)
Zaikins Ivars - an artist. He was born in 1942. During of the Soviet Union period, he worked as an artist...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Cardboard
$917 Sale Price
20% Off
CARLOS CARNERO (1922-1980) ORIGINAL DRAWING BY FERNAND LEGER STUDIO WORKER
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Portrait"
by Carlos Carnero (Uruguay/ French 1922-1980)
Pen on thin paper, unframed
paper: 8.25 x 3.75 inches
provenance: the artists estate, Paris
...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Pen
CARLOS CARNERO (1922-1980) ORIGINAL DRAWING BY FERNAND LEGER STUDIO WORKER
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Abstract"
by Carlos Carnero (Uruguay/ French 1922-1980)
Pencil on thin paper, unframed
paper: 4.75 x 3.75 inches
provenance: the artists estate, Paris
Fine original French drawin...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Pencil
CARLOS CARNERO (1922-1980) ORIGINAL DRAWING BY FERNAND LEGER STUDIO WORKER
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Abstract"
by Carlos Carnero (Uruguay/ French 1922-1980)
Pencil on thin card, unframed
Thin Card: 4 x 5.25 inches
provenance: the artists estate, Paris
Fine original French drawin...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Pencil
"Captain America"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
There was an apocalypse, humanity has lost all the resources on the planet. Humanity plunged into the Middle Ages, into a feudal system of government. Super heroes run out of their b...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Hulk"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
There was an apocalypse, humanity has lost all the resources on the planet. Humanity plunged into the Middle Ages, into a feudal system of government. Super heroes run out of their b...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Bohdan Khmelnytsky"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The picture was painted in Ukrainian hryvnia. This is a new world direction in art. In 40 countries of the world. My paintings are in the collections of world museums. This is an ex...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Spray Paint, Acrylic
"Albert Einstein"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The picture was painted in Ukrainian hryvnia. This is a new world direction in art. In 40 countries of the world. My paintings are in the collections of world museums. This is an exc...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Spray Paint, Acrylic
"Nikolay Gogol"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The picture was painted in Ukrainian hryvnia. This is a new world direction in art. In 40 countries of the world. My paintings are in the collections of world museums. This is an exc...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Spray Paint, Acrylic
"Lesya Ukrainka"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The picture was painted in Ukrainian hryvnia. This is a new world direction in art. In 40 countries of the world. My paintings are in the collections of world museums. This is an ex...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Spray Paint, Acrylic
"Mikhail Grushevsky"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The picture was painted in Ukrainian hryvnia. This is a new world direction in art. In 40 countries of the world. My paintings are in the collections of world museums. This is an ex...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Spray Paint
Pale Yellow Portrait, Cubist, French Abstract, Original Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Pale Yellow Portrait, Cubist, French Abstract, Original Oil Painting
By French artist Beatrice Werlie, early 21st Century
Signed by the artist on the ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Contemplation
By Christian Landier
Located in Chesterfield, MI
Subtle colors and composition were combined by Christian Landier to create this lovely work of art that would enhance any room in your home.
This is an original oil signed by the ar...
Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Abstract Portrait, Red Colour, Stylised, Glazed Frame
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Portrait, Red Colour, Stylised, Glazed Frame
By European schooled artist, Late 20th Century
Gouache and Ink on canvas
Framed size: 14.5 x 16 inches
...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Ink, Gouache
Vintage American Modernist Portrait of a Man Original Signed Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
American school abstract painting. Watercolor on paper, circa 1970.
Signed. Image size, 5.5"L x 8.5"H.
Category
1960s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Watercolor, Gouache
$199 Sale Price
20% Off
Large Surreal Abstract by Richard Fluhr
Located in Houston, TX
"Texas Artist Richard E. Fluhr was born in New York City in 1955 and for the past forty years has been living the artists dream. He has refined his own visual and conceptual vocabul...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Rimbaud
By C. Dimitri
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rimbaud is a contemporary homage to the 19th-century poet, capturing his enigmatic presence through an imagined portrait. Surrounding the figure are a constellation of small sketches...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oak, Mixed Media, Oil, Wood Panel
$1,200
Jazzu - Souffler la joie
By Jazzu
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Jazzu
Souffler la joie
Techniques mixtes sur papier fort
2025
Signé, daté et titré
42 x 29,7 cms
490 euros
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Groovy 1970s Men's Fashion - Gay Interest - like Domenico Gnoli
Located in Miami, FL
Illustration Star Wilson McLean executes a 1970s male fashion assignment that is situated at the intersection of realism and abstraction. Four male models are depicted with a tight ...
Category
1970s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
History secrets (idols from Easter Island)-abstract painting, made in pink, grey
By Galin R
Located in Fort Lee, NJ
The artwork is showing idols from Easter Island and in some way it resembles Presents Mountain in the USA.
About the Artist: Art Decorator, working in contemporary colors for interio...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Couple, Figurative, , Acrylic, Black, White by Indian Artist "In Stock"
By Tapas Ghosal
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Tapas Ghosal - Untitled - 24 x 24 inches (unframed size)
Acrylic Dry Pastel & Pigment on Canvas, 2014
It will be delivered in a roll form.
Style : In Hindu philosophy, the 'Antahka...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Pigment
Persona YB2402
Located in Zofingen, AG
In creating this artwork, I plunged into the vibrant interplay of abstract expressionism and pop art, using acrylics to capture the raw, kinetic energy of human emotion. My brushstro...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
$1,637 Sale Price
20% Off
"Nature and Human Relationships – Embrace 3 – 50F" Portrait of Princess Diana
By Suki Maguire
Located in New York, NY
Unorthodox; yet effective, Suki treats us to a series of works that tantalizes the imagination with bold strokes of dark and light, hinting at shapes both human and ethereal and pull...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Linen, Mixed Media
Green and Blue Abstract Portrait of a Bald Man
Located in Houston, TX
Abstract portrait of a man by artist Carla Nickerson-Adams. This portrait depicts a seated bald man with a green garment with a red and yellow lining. Signed ...
Category
1990s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Retired Ballerina" Great Mid Century Modern Portrait.
By Clarice Akin Holloway
Located in San Antonio, TX
Clarice Akin Holloway (1905-1989) Port Arthur Artist Image Size: 20 x 16 Frame Size: 28 x 24 Medium: Oil Circa 1960s "Retired Ballerina"
Biography
Clarice Akin Holloway (1905-1989)
Mrs. Richard B. Dell Holloway Port Arthur Painter, teacher. A native of Port Arthur, Holloway graduated from nearby Lamar College, Beaumont, with honors. She received instruction or criticism on various occasions from Otis Dozier, Frederic Taubes, Elliott O'hara, Henri Gasser, Ted Schuyler, Fred Samuelson, Boardman Robinson, Morris Davidson...
Category
1960s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Death of Marat
Located in New York, NY
Eric Friedmann
Death of Marat, 2018
Acrylic polymer and pigment on canvas
200 x 150 cm
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
Persona YB2302
Located in Zofingen, AG
ARTIST : Alex Senchenko ©
Title : Persona YB2302 .
Technique: Acrylic & structure on canvas
100cm. x 100cm.
Original Painting on a 1.5 cm Deep Canvas
Ready to hang
2023
...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Movement in Black Profile facing right, acrylic on board
By Ceravolo
Located in Southampton, NY
A new original one of a kind painting by New York artist Ceravolo titled "Movement in Black Profile facing right" creates a natural flow and movement of black values creating depth, ...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Board
Ole! 2003, mixed media on cardboard, 30x39 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Ole! 2003, mixed media on cardboard, 30x39 cm
Colorful abstract painting in blue, red colors
Gunta Liepina Griva
Born 1942 in Riga, Latvia
1961 – Gradua...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Cardboard
$458 Sale Price
20% Off
'O Happy Day' - pure abstract, meditation, red clay, moody
Located in Atlanta, GA
This large-scale pure abstract painting features hues of blue, orange, brown and green. This piece includes acrylic, diamond dust, red clay & mica on canvas.
Sachi Rome is inspired ...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
"THE BLACK COAT PROJECT - CAITLIN" Oil Painting 50" x 30" in by Charles Malinsky
Located in Culver City, CA
"THE BLACK COAT PROJECT - CAITLIN" Oil Painting 50" x 30" in by Charles Malinsky
Full name: THE BLACK COAT PROJECT - THE NEW YORK SESSIONS - CAITLIN
Artwork ships rolled in a tube.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Charles Malinsky is an internationally acclaimed Canadian painter. His artwork is represented in many distinguished museums throughout the world and has been featured in countless publications. His extraordinary achievements throughout his career have made him one of the most dynamic figurative painters working in the 21st century.
Malinsky was born in 1956 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and grew up in the isolation of the vast Canadian prairies. He earned his diploma from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 1978. He then spent his early years in Calgary as a graphic designer in educational Television, winning several international awards from the small, obscure station. Malinsky states, "The shear...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Spirits Through Time VI, " Abstract Portrait Painting
By Ned Martin
Located in Westport, CT
This abstract portrait by Ned Martin blends realistic and abstracted styles. Part of his Spirits Through Time series of female portraits, the woman's face is rendered realistically, ...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
“Rough Seas”
Located in Southampton, NY
Early original oil on canvas painting of sailboats in stormy seas by the American artist, Nahum Tschacbasov. Artist signed lower right and dated 1945. Condition is very good. Prese...
Category
1940s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$5,760 Sale Price
20% Off
JAZZU - L’envol vers le renouveau
By Jazzu
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Jazzu
L’envol vers le renouveau
Techniques mixtes sur papier fort
2025
Signé et daté au recto au crayon
Titré , signé et daté au verso au feutre
76 x 56 cms
890 euros
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
'And the Day Goes On' - pure abstract, meditation, red clay, contemporary
Located in Atlanta, GA
This large-scale pure abstract painting features hues of blue, orange, brown and green. This piece includes acrylic, diamond dust, red clay & mica on canvas.
Sachi Rome is inspired ...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas, Mixed Media
Late 20th century colorful close up face portrait oil painting red and green
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Pan" is a fauvist-expressionist-figurative oil on canvas painting by American artist Matthew Schaefer. Primary colors of red, yellow, and blue fill the figure with brown hair and is...
Category
1990s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Chinese Contemporary art by Fu Ze-Nan - Portrait No.4
By Fu Zenan
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on linen + frame
Fu Zenan always known as Da Han is a Chinese artist born in 1953 who lives & works in Songzhuang, Beijing, China. He is graduated from the Suzhou University. In...
Category
2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Linen
"Seated Pair" Abstract Painting 10" x 20" inch (1960) by KAMAL KHALIFA
Located in Culver City, CA
"Seated Pair" Abstract Painting 10" x 20" inch (1960) by KAMAL KHALIFA
Kamal Khalifa is regarded as one of Egypt’s most prolific modern artists. He left the art world with several c...
Category
20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
"Seated Figure II" Abstract Painting 16" x 10" inch (c. 1960) by KAMAL KHALIFA
Located in Culver City, CA
"Seated Figure II" Abstract Painting 16" x 10" inch (c. 1960) by KAMAL KHALIFA
Kamal Khalifa is regarded as one of Egypt’s most prolific modern artists. He left the art world with s...
Category
20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
Father Figure
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Oil on canvas.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$16,000
Self Portrait Series 3A
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Oil on canvas.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Portrait with Madonna, Abstract Oil on Board Painting by John F. Leonard
Located in Long Island City, NY
Portrait with Madonna (25)
John F. Leonard
American (1921–1987)
Date: circa 1965
Oil on Board, unsigned
Size: 24 in. x 20 in. (60.96 cm x 50.8 cm)
Category
1960s Abstract Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Abstract portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract portrait 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 portrait 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, purple, red, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Beatrice Werlie, Carlos Carnero, Masri Hayssam, and Addison Jones. 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 portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 1 inches across are also available. Prices for portrait 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 $22 and tops out at $570,000, while the average work sells for $1,960.