Abstract Paintings
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.
1960s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Pastel, Acrylic, Gouache, Board
2010s Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
This painting is part of Suren Nersisyan's series of California landscapes focusing on the nature and stunning light around Los Angeles. He draws inspiration ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Oil Crayon
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
2010s Abstract Paintings
Wood, Paint
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Board
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1940s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Masonite
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paint, Acrylic, Panel, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Wood, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Linen
Artist Comments
Artist Linda Cassidy employs organically composed geometric forms in an alluring abstract. She explores a playfulness inherent in...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1980s Abstract Paintings
Linen, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paint, Paper, Monoprint, Monotype
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
A vibrant view of an open meadow filled with blooming flora by artist Kip Decker. Charming flowers dot the field with red, yellow, and white as it leads the w...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Ink
1980s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Resin, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Acrylic, Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero paints a magnificent scene of a flowing river stream. Part of his series exploring the terrain and geology of northwest New Jersey. He t...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Natalie George displays a dreamy abstract landscape of lavender fields. The panorama stretches across the canvas as energetic shapes of harmonizing col...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Linen
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
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