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.
1980s Abstract Paintings
Silk, Masonite, Glaze
1960s Abstract Paintings
Paint, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Laid Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Wood, Paint, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Paintings
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Paper
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1990s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Fabric, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Pigment
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Archival Paper
1960s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Masonite
2010s Abstract Paintings
Lacquer, Charcoal, Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil, Mixed Media, Tape, Glue, Pencil, Stretcher Bars, Wax
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil, Canvas
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil Pastel, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Glitter, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Acrylic, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Jute, Acrylic, Washi Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Artist Comments
Bold teal and fiery red command attention against the earthy white background. Layers of distressed detailing add a rustic feel to the piece. The abstract des...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
1950s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Oil Pastel, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Masonite, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Paintings
Cardboard, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board, Glass, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1940s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
1960s Abstract Paintings
Gouache, Graphite
Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
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