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.
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
India Ink, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
1970s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Masonite
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Ink
1980s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper
1980s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Gouache
1980s Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Gouache
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Ink
Artist Comments
"The artwork is from my cityscapes of Paris," shares artist Suren Nersisyan. "I love the bridges of this city connecting the banks of the Seine river. The sof...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic
1950s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
1980s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Varnish, Oil Crayon, Board, Gr...
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A delicate cloud gently meanders along the horizon in artist George Peebles' ethereal seascape. He displays a striking view of the majestic ocean in a rare mo...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Clay, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Paintings
Polyester, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Mesh
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Jenn painted this piece using Golden Open Acrylics, which take longer to dry and therefore allow for more blending time. Jenn uses this technique to give the painting a dreamy and hopeful essence. "I am more passionate than ever about painting peaceful, reflective art...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Paper
Artist Comments
"She seemed to be perfectly content in her thoughts," shares artist Sharon Sieben. A vibrant nude sits in an expressive pose with knees pulled up to her chest...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Gouache
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Linen, Wood, India Ink, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Cotton Canvas, Paint, Cotton, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1950s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Permanent Marker, Graphite
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
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...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
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