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Abstract 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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Size: Medium
Style: Abstract
Bold Graphic Abstract Expressionist Mixed Media Painting Richard Snyder NYC Art
Located in Surfside, FL
Richard Snyder (American, born 1951) Untitled Mixed media painting including charcoal and watercolor Hand signed to lower right Dimensions: 30.0" W x 22.5" H x 0.1" D Richard Snyder is particularly known for his large-scale abstract expressionist paintings exhibiting vibrant colors, often applied in an irregular manner with large gestural brushstrokes. He also was an accomplished sculptor and was amongst the downtown New York art-furniture scene spawned in the 1980s by the Soho gallery ‘Art et Industrie’ founded by Rick Kaufmann. Downtown New York, circa 1977-1980 was a hothouse of creative impulses that flew in the face of restrictions and ran headlong toward riotous expression. Punk, hip-hop, graffiti or neo-expressionism, Kaufmann looked around for new talent that could create a new kind of art furniture. He felt the design of the day was so standardised, and he wanted to give voice to young artists and bring new ideas to market. After receiving a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Snyder made his career in the fields of art and design, practicing sculpture, painting, furniture design and fabrication, interior design, cabinetmaking, construction and industrial design. Along with extensive experience in a wide variety of materials and processes, Snyder also possesses a wide range of visual and experiential vocabulary acquired in his many travels through the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Central and Southeast Asia. Snyder considers his objects to be not just about form, function, color, material and process, but rather to be fantasies with spirit, magic and story. During his seventeen years with the Art et Industrie gallery, Snyder participated in five solo shows and more than twenty group shows, which established him as a major player in the American Art Furniture movement. His pieces have appeared in numerous publications and media around the world; and they are included in numerous private collections worldwide as well as in the permanent collection of The Art Institute of Chicago. Snyder guest-lectures at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, the New School in New York, and SUNY Purchase. He was included in the seminal Magen H Gallery retrospective of Art et Industrie—a New York Movement. Art et Industrie was the first to exhibit Studio Alchemia, Shiro Takahama, and Ron Arad. The retrospective included artists such as Forrest Myers, Terence Main...
Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Charcoal, Watercolor, Gouache

Tree with Red Pink White & Blue Abstract Background by British Landscape Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Tree with Red, Pink, White & Blue Abstract Forest Background by British Landscape Artist, Angela Wakefield. From the 'Spring Burst' Interior Design Series. Framed in a high quality c...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Watercolor, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic Polymer,...

20th Century French Geometric Abstract Composition Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition signed by Serge Guerin (b. 1916), French oil painting on canvas, unframed size: 20 x 26 inches provenance: private collection, Paris, France condition: overall g...
Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Contemporary Black New Abstract Dots Colors Artist Christina Gschwantner
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Christina Gschwantner combines contrasting art movements such as Art Informel and Minimal Art. She succeeds in depicting and creating her very own view of the world. A world that, ...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Dan Teis, Abstract Acrylic Painting with Collage
Located in Long Island City, NY
This is an acrylic painting on canvas by American artist Dan Teis. This work follows his signature style, geometric compositions in acrylic and paper collage on canvas. His work achi...
Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Acrylic

So Much to Say-original impressionism London cityscape painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
Embark on a journey through the expressive cityscape of "So Much to Say to You," a captivating acrylic painting by the skilled artist David Wilson. This original work, adorned with t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Balancing act 2 (Abstract Painting)
Located in London, GB
Balancing act 2 (Abstract Painting) Gouache, graphite and ink on Rives paper. Unframed. Balancing Act 2 is part of a series of works on paper started in 2016. They are created in the evenings and aptly named after busy days of teaching and other responsibilities. The artist establishes parameters involving the use of a particular palette, certain mark-making gestures and amount of time spent on each drawing. This work incorporates graphite, ink, and gouache, and is a combination of intuition-based and planned execution. Tracey Adams is an American abstract painter and printmaker. Her artworks reflect a strong interest in musical patterns, rhythms, lyrical compositional elements and what she calls a sense of performance. She lives and works in Carmel, California. Work by Adams is part of the permanent collections of several museums, including the Bakersfield Art Museum, the Monterey Museum of Art, the Fresno Art Museum, the Tucson Art...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Gouache, Graphite

Pattern Seeker- blue white black abstract geometric painting
Located in New York, NY
Hadley Radt’s abstract geometric paintings explore the connection between systems in our environment and how they relate to her own impulse to construct order. The structures she dev...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Archival Ink, Acrylic, Color Pencil

Junco, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
A contemporary abstract acrylic on canvas - unstretched - will stretch for additional fee :: Painting :: Abstract :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity sig...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"The Getty Houx"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
The Getty Hoax tells the captivating tale of a masterful deceiver Getty *Getty established by businessman and art collector J. Paul Getty (1892–1976). Mr. Getty viewed art as a civi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Oil

"Strands of Time", Abstract, Green, Blue, Red, Yellow, Oil Painting, 2019
Located in Natick, MA
Katherine Borkowski-Byrne’s “Strands of Time” is a colorful abstract oil painting, 30 x 24 inch, on canvas with very thick texture and spontaneous brushwork in saturated greens, blue...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Evening Comes, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
I love combining a strong tree line with a colorful foreground in my work," says artist Ronda Waiksnis. In this painting, Ronda portrays the abundant blessing...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

CONTEMPORARY FRENCH CUBIST ABSTRACT GEOMETRIC COMPOSITION OF OLD TOWN
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: French School, signed and dated 2010. Title: titled verso. Medium: oil painting on canvas Size: painting: 25.5 x 32 inches Provenance: private collection, ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Reverie" by Dan McCaw, Abstracted, Figural Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Dan McCaw's (US based) "Reverie" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts an abstracted figure in an interior setting. Artist Statement: Born: 1942 A solid foundation o...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Antique American Abstract Expressionist Framed Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Oil on board. Framed. Image size, 15H x 23L.
Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Burkhardt Abstract Oil On Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Framed abstract oil on canvas, signed and dated 1968 in the lower right corner. Canvas size 30"H x 25"W Gilt-wood frame.
Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Artwork Geometry Oil Pastel Earth Colors by Spanish Artist Mariona Espinet 2023
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Oil

Blue & Red II Abstract Expressionist Painting by Leading British Urban Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Blue & Red II Abstract Expressionist Painting - a rare early work from Leading British Urban Artist, Angela Wakefield. Entitled 'Tropical City #2', this moody and atmospheric artwork...
Category

1990s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Acrylic, Oil, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Varnish, Paint, Cotton,...

Dream of an Infant, Squared Grid, Pastel Tones, Pink & Blue, Naif Pattern Circle
Located in Barcelona, ES
Details: Title: Dream of an Infant Medium: Acrylic on Watercolor Paper Size: 70x70cm (28x28 inches) Year: 2023 * Frame is for illustrative purposes only, artwork is packaged and shi...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

Abstract Landscape Sky Painting of English Countryside by British Urban Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Colourful Abstract Landscape & Sky Painting with Reds, Purples & Blues of Pendle Hill in the Northern English Countryside by leading British Urban Artist Angela Wakefield. Art measu...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Acrylic, Oil, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Varnish, Paint, Cotton,...

Composition 209 (Abstract Bauhaus painting)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Werner Drewes (1899-1985). Composition 209, 1939. oil on canvas, 20 x 24 inches; 28 x 32 inches in original frame. Signed and dated with artist monogram lower left and again on verso...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

'Geometric Abstract', Japanese Mid-century Oil, Saitama, Hanno City, Iwasawa
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'K. Miyoshi' for Kazuo Miyoshi (Japanese, 20th century) and painted circa 1960. Titled on old label, verso, 'Fantasia', additionally signed by the artist and with...
Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

James Grant (1924–1997) Mixed Media Abstract 1963
Located in San Francisco, CA
Fine art mixed media painting by listed artist James Grant (1924–1997). Titled "Three Dots". Collage with oils on Masonite. This fine mid modern abstract painting will brighten up a...
Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Untitled Seahorse Abstract Space Watercolor Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Untitled watercolor surrealist painting with a sea horse and planets. The work is done using bright warm colors and is signed by the artist in the bottom corner. The painting is not currently framed. Artist Biography: Born in the Belgian Congo in 1940, Gustave Alhadeff won his first award at the annual art show in Elisabethville, at age 13. His formal art education began with Mr. Marcel Pire (Prix de Rome). He continued his studies at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, with Mr. Van Nesche in Cape Town, South Africa from 1956 to 1957. He was awarded a scholarship from the Art Academy to continue his studies with Mr.Creytens at the "Institute National Superieur des Beaux Arts" in Anvers, Belgium. The following year he entered the class of Mr. Leon Devos...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Sand Bank by Jon Rowland, Abstract expressionist, Abstract, Scottish Landscape
Located in Deddington, GB
Jon Rowland – Sand Bank [2021] original Acrylic on paper Image size: H:38 cm x W:55 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:40 cm x W:57 cm x D:0.1cm Frame Size: H:78 cm x W:61 cm x...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Contemporary Belgian Mixed Media Abstract In Blue.
Located in Cotignac, FR
Contemporary abstract mixed media on paper by Belgian artist Francis Besson, signed bottom right. Francis was born in Dundee (Scotland) in 1943 however...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Sandstone

ABSTRACT Artwork Architecture Circles Spanish Artist Mariona Espinet 2024
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Oil

“Multishore”
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil on canvas painting titled “Multishore” by the well known American artist, Syd Solomon. Signed Syd Solomon lower right. Signed and dated Syd Solomon 1971 on the stretcher, inscribed as titled on the reverse 30 × 26 inches. Condition is excellent. The painting is housed in its original wood with silver reveal floating frame. Overall framed measurements are 32.75 by 28.75 inches. Provenance: A private collector. Syd Solomon was born near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1917. He began painting in high school in Wilkes-Barre, where he was also a star football player. After high school, he worked in advertising and took classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the war effort and was assigned to the First Camouflage Battalion, the 924th Engineer Aviation Regiment of the US Army. He used his artistic skills to create camouflage instruction manuals utilized throughout the Army. He married Ann Francine Cohen in late 1941. Soon thereafter, in early 1942, the couple moved to Fort Ord in California where he was sent to camouflage the coast to protect it from possible aerial bombings. Sent overseas in 1943, Solomon did aerial reconnaissance over Holland. Solomon was sent to Normandy early in the invasion where his camouflage designs provided protective concealment for the transport of supplies for men who had broken through the enemy line. Solomon was considered one of the best camoufleurs in the Army, receiving among other commendations, five bronze stars. Solomon often remarked that his camouflage experience during World War II influenced his ideas about abstract art. At the end of the War, he attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Because Solomon suffered frostbite during the Battle of the Bulge, he could not live in cold climates, so he and Annie chose to settle in Sarasota, Florida, after the War. Sarasota was home to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, and soon Solomon became friends with Arthur Everett “Chick” Austin, Jr., the museum’s first Director. In the late 1940s, Solomon experimented with new synthetic media, the precursors to acrylic paints provided to him by chemist Guy Pascal, who was developing them. Victor D’Amico, the first Director of Education for the Museum of Modern Art, recognized Solomon as the first artist to use acrylic paint. His early experimentation with this medium as well as other media put him at the forefront of technical innovations in his generation. He was also one of the first artists to use aerosol sprays and combined them with resists, an innovation influenced by his camouflage experience. Solomon’s work began to be acknowledged nationally in 1952. He was included in American Watercolors, Drawings and Prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. From 1952–1962, Solomon’s work was discovered by the cognoscenti of the art world, including the Museum of Modern Art Curators, Dorothy C. Miller and Peter Selz, and the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Director, John I. H. Baur. He had his first solo show in New York at the Associated American Artists Gallery in 1955 with “Chick” Austin, Jr. writing the essay for the exhibition. In the summer of 1955, the Solomons visited East Hampton, New York, for the first time at the invitation of fellow artist David Budd. There, Solomon met and befriended many of the artists of the New York School, including Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, James Brooks, Alfonso Ossorio, and Conrad Marca-Relli. By 1959, and for the next thirty-five years, the Solomons split the year between Sarasota (in the winter and spring) and the Hamptons (in the summer and fall). In 1959, Solomon began showing regularly in New York City at the Saidenberg Gallery with collector Joseph Hirshhorn buying three paintings from Solomon’s first show. At the same time, his works entered the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, Connecticut, among others. Solomon also began showing at Signa Gallery in East Hampton and at the James David Gallery in Miami run by the renowned art dealer, Dorothy Blau. In 1961, the Guggenheim Museum’s H. H. Arnason bestowed to him the Silvermine Award at the 13th New England Annual. Additionally, Thomas Hess of ARTnews magazine chose Solomon as one of the ten outstanding painters of the year. At the suggestion of Alfred H. Barr, Jr., the Museum of Modern Art’s Director, the John and Mable Ringling Museum in Sarasota began its contemporary collection by purchasing Solomon’s painting, Silent World, 1961. Solomon became influential in the Hamptons and in Florida during the 1960s. In late 1964, he created the Institute of Fine Art at the New College in Sarasota. He is credited with bringing many nationally known artists to Florida to teach, including Larry Rivers, Philip Guston, James Brooks, and Conrad Marca-Relli. Later Jimmy Ernst, John Chamberlain, James Rosenquist, and Robert Rauschenberg settled near Solomon in Florida. In East Hampton, the Solomon home was the epicenter of artists and writers who spent time in the Hamptons, including Alfred Leslie, Jim Dine, Ibram Lassaw, Saul Bellow, Barney Rosset, Arthur Kopit, and Harold Rosenberg. In 1970, Solomon, along with architect Gene Leedy, one of the founders of the Sarasota School of Architecture, built an award-winning precast concrete and glass house and studio on the Gulf of Mexico near Midnight Pass in Sarasota. Because of its siting, it functioned much like Monet’s home in Giverny, France. Open to the sky, sea, and shore with inside and outside studios, Solomon was able to fully solicit all the environmental forces that influenced his work. His friend, the art critic Harold Rosenberg, said Solomon’s best work was produced in the period he lived on the beach. During 1974 and 1975, a retrospective exhibition of Solomon’s work was held at the New York Cultural Center and traveled to the John and Mable Ringling Museum in Sarasota. Writer Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. conducted an important interview with Solomon for the exhibition catalogue. The artist was close to many writers, including Harold Rosenberg, Joy Williams, John D. McDonald, Budd Schulberg, Elia Kazan, Betty Friedan...
Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Changing Seasons" - Red Over Blue Tribute to Mark Rothko in Acrylic on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
"Changing Seasons" - Red Over Blue Tribute to Mark Rothko in Acrylic on Paper A bright abstract painting by California-based artist, Ricardo de Silva (American/Brazil, 20th C). Draw...
Category

1980s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Beach Patterns Abstract
Located in Greenwich, CT
Della-Volpe early abstractions are rare and good. Even at this early time he abstracted off "beach" elements such as shapes and colors. With minimal shapes here he creates a compos...
Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled
Located in Vancouver, CA
Ron Stonier (1933-2001) was a dedicated Vancouver artist celebrated for his exploration of abstract painting, influenced by his mentors Gordon Smith and Jack Shadbolt, as well as by ...
Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board, Archival Paper

Contemporary Grey New Abstract Dots Colors Artist Christina Gschwantner
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Landscape - XXI century, Contemporary Oil & Acrylic Painting, Abstraction
Located in Warsaw, PL
MONIKA ROSSA studied painting at the University of Arizona, in the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and at the Escuela de Diseno in Barcelona. She practices drawing and easel painting....
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Board

Psychedelic Abstract Landscape Painting of Urban City Scene by British Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Colourful Psychedelic Abstract Landscape Painting of Urban City Scene by leading British Urban Artist Angela Wakefield. This artwork is from an intense body of abstract work that fo...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Paint, Cotton, Canvas

Abstract expressive impressionist floral roses acrylic painting on canvas
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Scented Blooms of Roses": Acrylic on Canvas Original Artwork by French Artist Natalya Mougenot This vibrant abstract expressionist painting is part of Natalya Mougenot’s new "Spri...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Modern Realist Green and Blue-Toned Rural Village Market Landscape Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Modern realist daily life landscape painting by Haitian artist Felix Defournoy. The work features a bustling rural village market scene of vendors selling their various goods set against a dense, lush...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Relinquished, Carne Griffiths, Underwater Painting, Abstract Art, Affordable Art
Located in Deddington, GB
Relinquished is a low edition print of a run of 33 prints by Carne Griffiths. The print measures 81x61cm and has been printed on 330gsm smooth epson brightwhite paper. Size: H:81 cm x W:61 cm Originally from Liverpool, Griffiths graduated from the Kent Institute of Art and Design in Maidstone in 1995. After completing a one-year KIAD fellowship and moving to London he served an apprenticeship at the longest-established gold wire embroidery firm in the world. Here he worked as a gold wire embroidery designer for twelve years, eventually becoming the creative director. Carne produced intricate designs for the military and the film, theatre, fashion and advertising industries. His designs were used for the uniforms in the films Valkyrie, The Last King of Scotland...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Giclée

Mid century Modern 1960s Abstract Expressionist painting, renowned artist Signed
Located in New York, NY
Jack Wolfe Untitled, 1965 Acrylic and collage on board Hand signed on the front Frame included: held in original vintage frame with original gallery label Unique Provenance: Parker Street 470 Gallery, Boston, Mass (with label verso) Excellent abstract expressionist mixed media work. Measurements: Image: 17" x 24" Framed: 24" x 28" x 1" From Wiki: Jack Wolfe (14 January 1924 – 18 November 2007) was a 20th-century American painter most known for his abstract art, portraiture, and political paintings. Jack Wolfe was born in Omaha, Nebraska on January 14, 1924, to Blanche and Everett L. Wolfe. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Brockton, MA. At 18, Wolfe had an interest in commercial illustration, which he pursued at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). However, upon matriculating at RISD in 1942, he developed an interest in fine art and painting inspired by an exhibition of modern French art. He described this change of direction, explaining that, "One day, for the first time, I saw an exhibition of modern French art. It was like being struck by lightning." He became particularly interested in the work of a number of European modernists, including Rouault, Cézanne, Braque, Modigliani, and Picasso.[1] Following his time at RISD, he pursued a Master’s in Fine Arts degree at the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston, MA. At the Museum School, Wolfe studied under the renowned Expressionist Karl Zerbe, a German-born artist who was the Museum School's most influential and vital teacher until 1953.[2] After graduating from the Museum School, Wolfe was represented by the Margaret Brown Gallery in Boston, which also represented many other cutting edge Moderns that defied the more conservative tastes of New England collectors at the time, including György Kepes, Congur Metcalf, and Alexander Calder.[3] Career and Museum Representation Jack Wolfe's painting "Robin's Rock" 1962, 72" x 72" Jack Wolfe's artwork received early recognition from a number of organizations and was consistently featured in influential exhibitions, including the 1955 Carnegie International at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, PA, the American Federation of Art's traveling exhibition New Talent in the USA in 1956-57, the Whitney Museum’s Young America exhibition in 1957,[4] the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art's Selection exhibition in 1957,[5] and both the Whitney Museum’s 1958 Annual exhibition and its Forty Artists Under Forty show in 1962-63.[6] In 1959, his widely acclaimed Portrait of Abraham Lincoln toured Europe in a show circulated by the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. In addition, his painting Crucifixion was chosen by the United States Information Agency to be exhibited across Europe, including being shown at the Salzburg Biennial in Austria in 1958.[7] Crucifixion was also exhibited at the Whitney Museum and subsequently displayed in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, in 1958.[8] In 1966-67, his work was selected for Art for Embassies by the U.S. State Department.[9] He received the first annual Margaret Brown Memorial Award for high achievement by a New England Artist from the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, in 1958.[10] With his future as one of the great artists of his time laid out neatly before him, Wolfe moved to New York in the early 1950s, which was then the postwar epicenter of the art world and in the midst of experiencing the first real revolution in American Art, now known as Abstract Expressionism.[11] However, almost immediately upon his arrival, he became disenfranchised with the overtly commercial nature of the art scene there, spurning fame and security in an unwillingness to bend his creative vision to the expectations of others.[12] After four short months, he left New York, returned to Massachusetts where he bought property in Stoughton, cleared the land, and built both his home and studio with his own two hands. He would go on to live and paint there, extensively exhibiting and garnering constant critical acclaim.[13] Wolfe became one of the earliest artists championed by the deCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. He was awarded a traveling scholarship in 1958,[6] which allowed him to set up studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and then in San Francisco, California.[14] Upon his return in 1959, the deCordova museum hosted Wolfe’s third solo exhibition, featuring work made during his time in California...
Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Gouache, Permanent Marker

3-part painting construction by Black African American artist, w/ found objects
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
This is an 3-part painting / construction (assemblage) created from acrylic paint, wood, glass, and found objects. It includes several historic photograph of figures as well as many scenes from Black African American cultural history. Each piece measures 23" x 7.75" x 2.5", and they can be hung close together or far apart, depending on the buyer's preference. All pieces are wired with the appropriate hanging hardware and are ready to install, no additional framing needed. PROVENANCE: Exhibited in "Portals + Revelations: Richard J. Watson," the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Oct 2021 - Mar 2022. "Most of my works are supported by memories of the past and suggested realities. Issues of social politics, ancestral references, and astral projections are presented with fragmented elements of 'real life' collaged and collapsed, as dreams are prone to do. If connections are made, all the better. I feel that life should remind us of our dreams." - Richard J. Watson Richard J. Watson is an icon in the Philadelphia art world. Much of his work relates to his experiences as a Black African American man. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1968), has taught at his alma mater, and has served in the Exhibitions Department at the African American Museum in Philadelphia since the 1980s. He has been exhibiting his work for decades, and has an extensive bibliography. His work is held in the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art; the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; the Uniworld Corporation; Sony; the Federal Reserve Bank; the City of Philadelphia; Sprint; the Church of the Advocate; the poet Dr. Sonia Sanchez; and the Woodmere Museum...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Found Objects, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Glass, Wood

Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Sculpture', C. 2000 by David Ruth
Located in Oakland, CA
This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Large Modernist Abstract Expressionist Watercolor Painting Bauhaus Weimar Artist
Located in Surfside, FL
Abstract watercolor composition bearing the influence of the earlier color-block compositions of Paul Klee. Pawel August Kontny, (Polish-German-American artist) He was born in Laurahuette, Poland, in 1923, the son of a wealthy pastry shop owner. In 1939 he began studying architecture in Breslau where he was introduced to the European masters and to the work of some of the German Expressionists, soon afterward banned as "degenerate artists" and removed from museums throughout Germany by the Nazi regime. His studies were interrupted by World War II. Drafted into the German army, traveling in many countries as a soldier, he sketched various landscapes but in 1945, he was captured and held as a prisoner of war in Italy. After the war, he studied at the Union of Nuremberg Architects to help design buildings to replace ones destroyed in the war. He recorded his impressions of the local population and the landscapes through his watercolors and drawings. Pawel Kontny thereafter moved to Nuremberg, Germany, becoming a member of the Union of Nuremberg Architects and helping to rebuild the city's historic center. He soon decided to concentrate on his professional art career. He married Irmgard Laurer, a dancer with the Nuremberg Opera. Pavel Kontny 's career as an artist was launched with his participation in an all German exhibition, held at the Dusseldorf Museum in 1952. He held one-man shows in Germany, Switzerland and the United States. During his trip to the United States in 1960, Kontny became instantly enamored with Colorado, and decided to relocate to Cherry Hills with his wife and two children. He quickly established himself in the local art community, being affiliated for a time with Denver Art Galleries and Saks Galleries. His subject matter became the Southwest. During this time he received the Prestigious Gold Medal of the Art Academy of Rome. His extensive travel provided material for the paintings he did using his hallmark marble dust technique. he also worked equally in pastel, watercolor, charcoal and pencil-and-ink. in a style which merged abstraction and realist styles, influenced by Abstract Expressionist painting and South Western American landscapes. In the early 1960s he was one of only a few European-born professional artists in the state, a select group that included Herbert Bayer (1900-1985), a member of the prewar Bauhaus in Weimar and Dessau, Germany, and Roland Detre (1903-2001), a Hungarian modernist painter. As a Denver, Colorado resident, Pavel Kontny exhibited at galleries and museums throughout the United States, Germany and Japan. There, he was inspired by frequent trips to Native American pueblos in the Southwest, as well as by the study of the Plains Indians of Montana and Wyoming. Over the years Kontny had a number of students and generously helped young artist by hosting exhibitions at his Cherry Hills home. For many years he generously donated his paintings to support charitable causes in Denver. Influences during his European years included German pastelist C.O. Muller, German Informel painter Karl Dahmen and Swiss artist, Hans Erni. In the early 1950s his painting style showed the influence of the Die Brücke (The Bridge), a group of German expressionist artists formed in Dresden in 1905 who had a major impact on the evolution of modern art in the twentieth century in Germany. By the middle of the decade his style incorporated more referential abstraction and total abstraction, resulting in part from his study of Hans Hartung, a German artist based in Paris who exhibited his gestural abstract work in Germany. The American moon landing in 1969 inspired Paul Kontny...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Tweet
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Tweet" c.1990, is an acrylic painting on paper by noted American artist Glen Chesnut. It is. signed and titled at the lower right corner by the artist. The artwo...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"Window" Diana Kurz, 1961 Hans Hofmann School Abstract Expressionist Painting
Located in New York, NY
Diana Kurz Window, 1961 Oil on canvas 30 x 23 inches Diana Kurz (born 1936) is an Austrian-born feminist painter. In 1938, Diana Kurz's family fled Austria, first to England and th...
Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Immersion 1-original abstract vibrant landscape painting-contemporary floral Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Deeply Immersed I" by Magdalena Morey is a captivating abstra...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

ABSTRACT New Black Lines Artwork by Contemporary Spanish Artist Pol Pinto
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

Flight, Oil and Sand on Board, Abstract Horizontal Landscape Painting, 2006
Located in Kingsclere, GB
Flight, Oil and Sand on Board Painting by Keith Purser b 1944, 2006 Additional information: Oil and sand on board Dimensions: 12 1/4 x 29 7/8 in 31 x 76 cm (KP523)
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

Désert - Charles Bézie contemporary modern painting on canvas
Located in Doetinchem, NL
Désert (artist inventory no. 121) is a unique medium size contemporary modern abstract geometric painting on canvas by French artist Charles Bézie. The painting is an early career wo...
Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Original Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Expressionist Abstract by Armand Rottenberg (French 1903-2000) Signed oil painting on board, unframed Board size: 29 x 21 inches provenane: the artists estate, France Stunning origi...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

ABSTRACT Artwork Architecture Geometry Circles Spanish Texture Mariona Espinet
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Oil

Man in Leather Smoking
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful ca. 1960 portrait by American artist, Vito Tomasello. Oil on line canvas, 20 x 24 inches, 28 x 32 inches in period frame. Signed lower right. A lifetime NYC resident, T...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

ARMAND ROTTENBERG (1903-2000) LARGE FRENCH EXPRESSIONIST ABSTRACT OIL PAINTING
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Abstract Composition" by Armand Rottenberg (French 1903-2000) oil painting on board, unframed board: 29 x 21 inches Stunning original Cubist painting by the French abstract artis...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Rythme, Abstract, Minimalism, Black and White, Collage, Contemporary, Japandi
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Worked in black and white on a greige background, each piece is made with fabric that is glued and painted. Musical rhythm, each piece of fabric takes us to the next and the eye wan...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Abstract expressive nature landscape sea beach acrylic painting on paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This vibrant landscape painting, "Summer Breeze Escape", by French artist Natalya Mougenot, showcases a dynamic interplay of bold brushstrokes and vivid colors, capturing a coastal scene with striking intensity. Part of her nature-focused series, the piece celebrates the artist’s deep love for the sea, beach, and the natural world. The sky is painted in dramatic strokes of red and blue, evoking a sense of tumultuous energy, while below, the sea shimmers in shades of blue and green, reflecting the atmosphere above. A rugged coastline, rendered in rich browns and greens, divides the scene, enhancing its natural beauty. Lively grasses in yellow, green, and red tones in the foreground create texture and movement, adding depth to the composition. Through contrasting colors and expressive brushwork, Mougenot powerfully captures the raw energy of nature, invoking a sense of awe and wonder. The artwork’s emotional intensity and masterful use of color invite viewers to immerse themselves in its vibrant world. Created in the artist’s Lyon...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

In the studio, Composition, Abstract, Geometric, Contemporary, Cubism, French
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
"In the Studio" is a compelling exploration of the artist's workspace, where the tools of creation are celebrated as subjects in their own right. Sophie Dumont captures the essence o...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Abstract Landscape #240, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Bold geometric shards and planer forms float in space. Solid, angular volumes intersect and overlap with thin, translucent ones. The interplay of light and shad...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Circles
Located in Genève, GE
Work on wood Unsigned Direct from the artist's studio
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Histoire sans fin, Abstract Expressionist, Colorful Books, Library, Pink French
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Abstract expressionist library with colorful books. Worked in oil and with a knife, the subject ends up disappearing in favor of abstraction, the colors are soft but vibrate a lot. S...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Constructive"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Anatoly Kost “Constructive” 1993 y. Canvas.Oil. Painting Flat: 70,5/70,5 cm Framed: 76,5/76,5 cm This picture is a transformation of music on canvas, so it is accompanied by: Visio...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract 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 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, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Giorgio Lo Fermo, Sumit Mehndiratta, Nestor Toro, and Cindy Shaoul. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Synthetic Resin 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 0.1 inches across are also available.

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