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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.

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

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Style: Abstract
Resting Rich Face
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
oil on canvas by abstract expressionist painter Jamnea Jacas
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Kate Playboy #5S
Located in Brecon, Powys
Matt Emulsion, Gloss Varnish, 24 carat Gold Leaf on Aluminium
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Aluminum, Gold Leaf

"Contretemps" French Abstract, Original Oil Painting, Signed and Dated
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Contretemps" French Abstract, Original Oil Painting, Signed and Dated By French artist Beatrice Werlie, early 21st Century Signed by the artist on the lower right hand corner Titled...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Lipstick
Located in New York, NY
Eric Friedmann Lipstick, 2018 Acrylic polymer and pigment on canvas 80 x 74 cm International Fine Arts Consortium and IFAC Athina present Eric Friedmann in his premier solo exhibiti...
Category

2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic Polymer, Pigment

R
Located in Aventura, FL
Original acrylic on canvas. Hand signed, titled and dated on verso by the artist. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reasonable offers will ...
Category

1980s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

All Blue, Abstract Oil Painting, Signed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
All Blue, Abstract Oil Painting, Signed By British Schooled artist, 21st Century Signed indistinctly on the back top corner Oil painting on canvas, unframed Canvas size: 23 x 19.5 inches Undeniably stylish abstract oil painting, using a rich palette of blue hues. This beautiful painting is one of three abstract blue oil...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Open Blue, Abstract Oil Painting, Signed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Open Blue, Abstract Oil Painting, Signed By British Schooled artist, 21st Century Signed indistinctly on the back top corner Oil painting on canvas, unframed Canvas size: 23 x 19.5 inches Undeniably stylish abstract oil painting, using a rich palette of blue hues. I see the objects portrayed in the painting as fish in the deepest, darkest part of the sea. But as all abstract...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Nature and Human Relationships – Embrace 3 – 50F" Portrait of Princess Diana
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

"Classic Maiden"
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Signed & Dated LR Vaclav Vytlacil (Vas-lav Vit-la-chil) was born in New York City in 1892 to Czech parents, but was raised in Chicago. He was an artist since boyhood, becoming the y...
Category

20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Portrait of Cubist Man', Berlin School (circa 1960s)
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of Cubist Man', oil on board, Berlin School (circa 1960s). A striking cubist depiction, this is a vibrant portrait of a figure in geometric perspective. The varied hues - b...
Category

1960s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Queen Elizabeth 2 (small version) 20" x 16 " Oil on Birch Panel Unique Style
Located in Houston, TX
LOOK FOR FREE SHIPPING AT CHECKOUT. ARTIST EXPLANATION OF THE PAINTINGS: Queen Elizabeth 2 measures 20 x 16" x 1.5" and is oil on birch panel . Ready to hang with wire on the bac...
Category

2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Birch, Oil, Wood Panel

Heritage Vermell
Located in New York, NY
Angels Grau is a Catalan artist who spends her time between Barcelona, New York, and a small village located in the breathtaking Priorat, one of the most notorious wine regions in Eu...
Category

2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Invisible Woman Groga
Located in New York, NY
Angels Grau is a Catalan artist who spends her time between Barcelona, New York, and a small village located in the breathtaking Priorat, one of the most notorious wine regions in Eu...
Category

2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Terracotta
Located in New York, NY
Angels Grau is a Catalan artist who spends her time between Barcelona, New York, and a small village located in the breathtaking Priorat, one of the most notorious wine regions in Eu...
Category

2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Turquoise
Located in New York, NY
Angels Grau is a Catalan artist who spends her time between Barcelona, New York, and a small village located in the breathtaking Priorat, one of the most notorious wine regions in Eu...
Category

2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Fluor Contrast Abstract Side Profile Portrait. Mixed Media Wood "Currency #166"
Located in FISTERRA, ES
This piece belongs to the "Exchange Currency Series" created by Natasha Lelenco in 2023, starting from the concept of the "face" on coins. It is a unique work consisting of a meticul...
Category

2010s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Silicone

"Abstract Visage" Painting 16" x 10" inch (1970) by KAMAL KHALIFA
Located in Culver City, CA
"Abstract Visage" Painting 16" x 10" inch (1970) by KAMAL KHALIFA Kamal Khalifa is regarded as one of Egypt’s most prolific modern artists. He left the art world with several catego...
Category

20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Vintage Modernist Interior Scene Nude Portrait Artist Studio Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist nude interior scene. Oil on canvas. Unframed. No signature found.
Category

1950s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Letter to Arike (Ebony Queen series I)
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
“Black Girls… Stop settling for less than what you deserve. That’s why I stress self-love! There comes a time when you can no longer blame a man. You’ve got to hold yourself accounta...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Charcoal

Peter Robert Keil Acrylic on Canvas Colorful Portrait
Located in Hudson, NY
Peter Robert Keil painting on stretched thick canvas. Lovely colorful portrait.
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paint, Canvas

“Blooming Joy” Large Abstract Pastel Floral Portrait of Bride in White Dress
Located in Houston, TX
Abstract pastel toned portrait painting that incorporates blue, white, and peach tones. The piece depicts a female dressed in a bright white dress surrounded by beautiful flowers. Si...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Sweet Quiet” Large Abstract Pastel Floral Portrait of Female in White Dress
Located in Houston, TX
Abstract pastel toned portrait painting that incorporates blue, white, and peach tones. The piece depicts a female dressed in a bright white dress surrounded by beautiful flowers. Signed by the artist in the bottom right corner and currently displayed in a light wood floating frame. Dimensions Without Frame: H 51 in. x W 39 in. Artist Biography: Peter Wu has been engaged in artistic creation for more than 30 years. He has held solo and group art shows around the world and many of his art works have been collected by collectors in different countries. Especially in 2003, when his artwork was collected by the municipal government of Lille Mons of France. The style of Mr. Wu’s works is lyrical and poetic. His works have shown solid foundation of traditional painting skills. At the same time, the background of oriental culture has deeply influenced the form and style of his works. He skillfully uses the rules of oriental composition in his works. Elements of eastern and western aesthetics can be found in his elegant and colorful abstract paintings and some of his figurative works. The perfect combination of light, texture, and sense of volume, which are the basic aesthetic demands of visual art, has provided the viewers with pleasant artistic enjoyment, and also enable viewers to explore the meaning of living and life. During the past decades, Mr. Wu has explored and experimented different artistic styles that evolved gradually from the traditional western art. As you can see from his art works, he is an artist that can do different styles. He has a good performance in all fields of fine art. In other words, he has a perfect artistic control over various styles and materials in art. Mr. Wu has received many honors during years of artistic practice. In 2003, due to his excellent performance in the Sino-French Cultural Year, Mr. Wu was awarded the Medal of Honor France-China (Medaille D`Honneur France-Chine ) by the Association D`Echanges Artistiques Universels, and was invited to become the honorary member of the Association of the Universal Artist Exchange (Association D`Echanges Artistiques Universels) in France. After coming to the United States in 2016, his art activities is concentrated in the USA. In recent years, he has been actively participating in various art events in different states of the United States. For example, as one of the seven invited Chinese...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Large Silver, Black, and Red Portrait Abstract Splatter Painting on Canvas
Located in Houston, TX
Large scale black, red, and silver splatter portrait of a man painted in the style of Jackson Pollock/Abstract Expressionism. Signed by artist in lower right corner. Currently unfram...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Break Out", acrylic, oil paint, charcoal, portrait, abstract, collage, cubism
Located in Toronto, Ontario
"Break Out" is oil paint, acrylic paint and charcoal on canvas measuring 54" tall by 54" wide, and addresses conditions that continue to fascinate Peter Schenck...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Charcoal, Acrylic

"Red Eye", oil painting, portrait, artist, palette, art history, performance
Located in Toronto, Ontario
"Red Eye" is oil paint on canvas measuring 48" tall by 48" wide, and a key artwork among Peter Schenck's many remarkable paintings addressing conditions ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

CARLOS CARNERO (1922-1980) ORIGINAL DRAWING BY FERNAND LEGER STUDIO WORKER
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Landscape" by Carlos Carnero (Uruguay/ French 1922-1980) `Charcoal on paper, unframed paper: 10.5 x 8.25 inches provenance: the artists estate, Paris Fine original French drawing by the important and fascinating painter, Carlos Carnero (1922-1980). The painting has excellent provenance, having come from the artists estate sale in Paris. The artists close connection to one of the 20th centuries most important artists, Fernand Leger is of important significance, with his own work being widely collected and appreciated. The artist: Carlos Carnero (1922-1980), a native of Montevideo, emigrates to Paris and joins Fernand Léger's studio workshop at the end of the 1940s. Located on the Boulevard de Clichy, the workshop-school has some seventy-five students. At the end of his life, Léger elaborates a protest against Cubism advocates the return to the human figure. The head of the workshop, Nadia Khodasievich, brilliant painter, first pupil of Malevich, then of Leger in the mid-1920s, became the assistant thenthe mistress of this one and the wife in 1952. In the workshop, Carlos Carnero, soon nicknamed "Carlos" is noted for his talent and involvement. In addition to art education, the couple Léger entrusts the task of the secretariat of the workshop: movements of the stocks, inventory paintings, material organization of exhibitions. After the death of Léger in 1955, Carlos becomes very close to Nadia, rigorous in the construction of the posterity of the master. With his new companion Georges Bauquier, they found, on their own funds, the museum Fernand Léger de Biot - Carnero gives his assistance. Carnero's style is very close to that of his master, filled with joy and colorful dynamism. At the beginning of the 50's, he tried the cubisante figuration of the portraits of Picasso then adopts the abstract balances between lines, shapes and colors of Léger. Some dates: Classical studies in Montevideo (Uruguay). 1941 to 1946 School of Fine Arts, architecture section (Montevideo). 1947 Travel grant (Italy, Spain, France). 1948 Painting workshop at André Lhote workshop. 1949 Entered the Académie Fernand Léger, first student, then 1949 to 1955 Assistant-collaborator of Fernand Léger. 1955 to 1970 Collaborator of Nadia Khodasievitch and Georges Bauquier. Exhibitions: 1950 Galerie Jeanne Bucher, Paris, Atelier Fernand Léger, Exposition collective, juillet 1950. 1951 Académie des Beaux-Arts, Paris, Atelier Fernand Léger, exposition annuelle, décembre 1951. 1953 Salon des Artistes indépendants, Paris. 1953-1954 Galerie Gentilhommière, Paris, Groupe 53. 1957-1958 Première Biennale de la “Jeune Peinture”, musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris, mai-juin 1957, Francfort, Montréal, 1958. 1959 “École de Paris” à Vienne, Linz, Gratz. Galerie de France, “Cinq peintres – Un sculpteur”. 1960 Galerie Création à Roubaix. Exposition personnelle. 1961 Galerie Pierre Weiller à Paris. Exposition personnelle. Salon des Réalités nouvelles. Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles. Exposition personnelle, mai 1961. 1962 Musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris, “Antagonismes 2 - L’objet”, juillet-octobre 1962. Galerie Pierre Weiller, Paris, “Poèmes Peints”, mars-avril 1962. Exposition personnelle. Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris : “L’art latino-américain à Paris”. 1962-1963 Exposition de peinture contemporaine, Communauté européenne, Prix Marzotto. Italie, Allemagne, Belgique, France. Exposition des Artistes latino-américains, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris. “Expressions Nouvelles”, Antibes. 1962 à 1965 Salon “Comparaisons”. L’Oeil de Boeuf, Galerie 7...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Charcoal

Large Abstract French Portrait of Lady Signed Oil on canvas
By Philippe Gabriel
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Portrait of a Lady" by Philippe Gabriel (French, b.1963) signed oil painting on canvas, unframed painting: 36 x 28.5 inches Stunning original oil painting by the contemporary Fren...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Elegant French Portrait, "Le Depart" Large Size, Original Oil Painting, Signed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Elegant French Portrait, "Le Depart" Large Size, Original Oil Painting, Signed By French artist Beatrice Werlie, early 21st Century Titled by the artist and dated '2004' verso Oil painting on canvas, unframed Canvas size: 32 x 25.5 inches Sensational abstract oil painting by the French female artist...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Elegant French Portrait, "A La Folie" Large Size, Original Oil Painting, Signed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Elegant French Portrait, "A La Folie" Large Size, Original Oil Painting, Signed By French artist Beatrice Werlie, early 21st Century Titled by the artist and dated '2005' verso Oil painting on canvas, unframed Canvas size: 29 x 19.5 inches Sensational abstract oil painting by the French female artist, Beatrice Werlie (b.1974). The abstract style painting shows a medley of coloured streams of paint, based on a colourful background, with a soft range of reds and greens. There is a 'Medusa' feel with this models wild hair...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Elegant French Portrait, Picasso Style, Original Oil Painting, Signed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Elegant French Portrait, Picasso Style, Original Oil Painting, Signed By French artist Beatrice Werlie, early 21st Century titled 'Lavande' by the artist on the lower right hand corn...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Sun le Chemin" Cubist Style French Abstract, Original Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Sun le Chemin" Cubist Style French Abstract, Original Oil Painting By French artist Beatrice Werlie, early 21st Century Signed by the artist on the lower right hand corner Titled a...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Untitled (Self Portrait #3)
Located in New York, NY
Untitled (Self Portrait #3)
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic Polymer

Unttled (Portrait #1)
Located in New York, NY
Unttled (Portrait #1)
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic Polymer

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.

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