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.
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Charcoal, Oil, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Wood, Ink, Acrylic, Cardboard
1990s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Paper, Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Cardboard
1990s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Gouache
1980s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Organic Material, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1980s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Ink, Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, India Ink, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Gouache
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Plywood
1990s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Ink
Artist Comments
Artist Terri Bell presents an abstract grid in various colors and arrangements. She pays homage to Batik, a traditional Indonesian technique of dyeing wax-cov...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Handmade Paper, Permanent Marker
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Board
Artist Comments
Artist Sarah Parsons displays a spirited abstract with bold green, yellow, and blue accents. She presents an exploration of color and movement with contrastin...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Evening on Randolph Street in Chicago, home to many of the city's theatres. "The lights are on, the musicals in the theatres are on," says Yangzi. "I painted ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Ink
2010s Abstract Paintings
Watercolor, Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
1970s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil, Graphite
Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero shows three people observing a grand ornate painting in a museum. The mostly fictitious scene displays hi...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
"Monet's Garden in Giverny, France - just a delightful train ride outside of Paris - never fails to inspire artists just as it was intended to do when it was ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Felt Pen, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, India Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Graphite
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, ABS
Artist Comments
"Derived from a personal photo, this semi-abstract work attempts to recreate a sunlit autumn stream in Fauvist color and exuberant paint handling," says artis...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Janet Dyer exhibits a picturesque view of a summer sunset in Provence. Groves of trees flourish in the evergreen landscape. She captures the distinct f...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Wood, Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
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