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.
Style: Abstract
Color: Black
"Epergne" (black & white, abstract, surreal, dark, mysterious, natural, canvas)
Located in Paris, IDF
EPERGNE
2024, Paris, France
This painting conveys the sense of knowing something is under the surface, in the dark, while not fully understanding it - as if looking into a cave. An ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Oil
L’horizon mensonger
Located in PARIS, FR
Georges Mathieu (1921 - 2012)
L’horizon mensonger
Alkyde sur toile / Alkyd on canvas
Signé en bas à gauche, titré au dos / Signed lower left and titles on the back
Circa 1990
Size : ...
Category
1980s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Alkyd
"Ink” No1, Abstract Oil Painting, 2024
Located in London, GB
Hsu Tung-Lung (b.1947) is a highly accomplished contemporary artist, who specializes in paintings. His latest collection "Memory Landscape" features an original abstract oil painting...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Abstract Moonlit Landscape, signed "Douvos"
Located in New Orleans, LA
Abstract Moonlit Landscape, signed and dated "Douvos"
Category
1950s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Ink” No1, Abstract Oil Painting, 2024
Located in London, GB
Hsu Tung-Lung (b.1947) is a highly accomplished contemporary artist, who specializes in paintings. His latest collection "Memory Landscape" features an original abstract oil painting...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Landscape - XXI century, Contemporary Oil & Acrylic Painting, Abstraction
By Monika Rossa
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
Black abstract M4
Located in San Juan, PR
CARLOS MERCADO
ABSTRACT
Inspired in the work of Franz and Ives Klein
This body of work was produced during the initial months of the lock down due to the pandemic. This tragedy crea...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Black abstract M1
Located in San Juan, PR
CARLOS MERCADO
ABSTRACT
Inspired in the work of Franz and Ives Klein
This body of work was produced during the initial months of the lock down due to the pandemic. This tragedy crea...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Black abstract M3
Located in San Juan, PR
CARLOS MERCADO
ABSTRACT
Inspired in the work of Franz and Ives Klein
This body of work was produced during the initial months of the lock down due to the pandemic. This tragedy crea...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Contemporary Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Sculpture', c. 2000 by David Ruth
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
Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Light', c. 2000 by David Ruth
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
"Saudade" (black & white, rich, text, type, abstract, surreal, natural, neutral)
Located in Paris, IDF
SAUDADE
2024, Paris, France
An abstract, original painting on linen, which is primarily black & white with hand-painted typography detail. Centered at the bottom of the work reads t...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Linen
White Tree Grove
By Geoffrey Key
Located in Manchester, GB
Geoffrey Key is a highly acclaimed and celebrated artist known for his bold, distinctive style and his ability to capture the essence of the human form and the natural world. His pai...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
’Are We In The Cave’ acrylics on canvas dark green abstract painting
Located in Lahti, FI
Original artwork by the multifaceted Finnish artist and holistic interior architect Emmi Granlund, also known as EMMI IIDA for her music with healing frequencies and ethereal, philos...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Light', c. 2000 by David Ruth
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
Portia, Floral Art, Bright Flower Painting, Contemporary Abstract Floral Artwork
Located in Deddington, GB
Portia’ is an original abstract painting on canvas by contemporary artist Wendi Weller. Acrylic and oil pastel on framed canvas Image size: H: 30 cm x W: ...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Light', c. 2000 by David Ruth
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
Chronos 5
By Jane Booth
Located in San Diego, CA
Jane Booth lives and works on the rural Kansas prairie where the broad, open vistas of land, water, and sky, act as a foundation for her work. Booth paints from the inside out, from ...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Il mio tempo sotto assedio
Located in Milano, MI
In over twenty years of activity he has developed a language that, starting from an emblematic figurality, arrives at the current symbolic research begun at the end of the 1980s.
In...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Mixed Media
"Magdalena" (black & white, red, text type, abstract, surreal, dark, mysterious)
Located in Paris, IDF
MAGDALENA
2024, Paris, France
An abstract and surreal original painting which is primarily black & white with accents of deep reds, browns, light blues, greens, and natural tones, o...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Light', C. 1997 by David Ruth
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
1990s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
When Light Bends Itself
Located in San Diego, CA
About the artist:
James Austin Murray’s paintings are made using the most basic of means: ivory black oil paint, a canvas with wood-panel support and wallpaper brushes—up to nine aff...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
Stromboli, la Sciara
Located in Baranzate, IT
TITLE: Stromboli, la Sciara
ARTIST: Antonio Franchi
YEAR: 2017
CLASSIFICATION: Unique
MEDIUM TYPE: Painting
MEDIUM/MATERIALS: Acrylic on canvas
DIMENSIONS: 50 x 50 cm
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Harbour Island
Located in Baranzate, IT
TITLE: Harbour Island
ARTIST: Antonio Franchi
YEAR: 2018
CLASSIFICATION: Unique
MEDIUM TYPE: Painting
MEDIUM/MATERIALS: Acrylic on canvas
DIMENSIONS: 80 x 80 cm
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
The Unfolding
Located in San Diego, CA
About the artist:
James Austin Murray’s paintings are made using the most basic of means: ivory black oil paint, a canvas with wood-panel support and wallpaper brushes—up to nine aff...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
Bouquets
Located in Yuba City, CA
The Journey of an Artist .I trust my Instincts ,follow my passion and continue to create art .
This artwork is from my black-white collection .It is very unique and original .
Ready ...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Basic Instincts
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This abstract portrait painting is inspired by the work of Picasso. A unique patchwork style composition by artist Ilana Greenberg. The work is framed ...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
"Potion as a Place" (Violet Floral, Energetic, Vibrant, Abstract, Landscape)
Located in Paris, IDF
"Potion as a Place," 2024, Paris, France
A deep and bold floral of an abstract, mesmerizing landscape. This original oil painting on linen exudes loose and energetic movement with rich purples, that dances across the surface. Swirls of the floral, rose composition...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Linen
Perfect Sunrise
Located in Yuba City, CA
One-of a -kind artwork . This is original ,color field painting ,which offers a space to practice perception and to
experience the present of active silence ,and mindfulness . I draw...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Rowan
By Holly Addi
Located in Tulsa, OK
Holly Addi makes paintings to explore the art of abstraction and the philosophy of beauty in imperfection.
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Landscape of a Face, Bold, colorful, large painting
Located in Boston, MA
Oil paint on Belgium Linen. The Artist is Joerg Madlener, The series is attributed to Gustav Mahler and has built up surface. You won’t be disappointed, this is a painting that is vi...
Category
1980s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Undercolor 72-1
Located in San Diego, CA
About the artist:
James Austin Murray’s paintings are made using the most basic of means: ivory black oil paint, a canvas with wood-panel support and wallpaper brushes—up to nine aff...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Acrylic, Panel
Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Light', C. 2000 by David Ruth
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
Children of the World: Starry Night
Located in Southampton, NY
The latest in the wide world of J. Oscar Molina's "Children of the World" Collection--a profound collection of paintings and sculptures in assorted sizes and mediums which have been ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Bold Abstract Expressionist Figure
Located in Soquel, CA
Bold figurative abstract in black, white, and red by Daniel David Fuentes (American, 1978-2016). From a collection of his works. Signed "Fuentes" and dated "07" bottom right. Unframe...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Cardboard, Cotton Canvas, Oil
Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Thoughts About The World Underwater'
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
"Signs" Black and White, Abstract Painting Made in Italy
Located in Agrigento, AG
Signs
Mixed Media Paint
80x80 cm
Original Art
Made in Italy
Marilina Marchica, born in 1984, was born in Agrigento, where she lives and works. She graduated in Painting at the Aca...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
"Realization", Graffiti Styled / Abstract Expressionism Modern, Blue, Black
Located in Atlanta, GA
Artist Motivation:
Captivating, courageous, and edgy!
This piece is done is a "Street Art" Expressionist Style that is full of movement, grit and rawness. Its intentionally text...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Varnish, Acrylic, Spray Paint
Southern Modernist Abstract Musical Oil Painting by Ethel Davis, Alabama 1940
Located in Baltimore, MD
Ethel Rosetta Davis was born in Hardin County, Tennessee in 1897. She studied art in Birmingham, Alabama. Davis married and located to Tuscumbia a...
Category
1940s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Abstract Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Light', c. 2000 by David Ruth
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
Summer Hedgerow with Dog Roses 1, Floral meadow, Abstract art, Original painting
Located in Deddington, GB
A summer hedgerow festooned with wild roses - the epitome of a lazy walk down a country lane. These are dog roses, which got their name from the belief that you should eat the root i...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Contemporary Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Light', c. 2000 by David Ruth
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
"David Eclipsed by the USA"
Located in New York, NY
Sharing a significant aspect of my artistic journey, particularly
about a unique piece named "David Eclipsed by the USA" that I created
when I first arrived in this country. This pie...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Archival Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Due Soli
Located in Milano, MI
With the works "Leonardo's Purpose" and "Two Suns" he continues his path toward an increasingly essential three-dimensionality, in which removing allows the forms and the shadows bet...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Mixed Media
Shining Field, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
"I am inspired by light in the natural world," says artist Kent Sullivan. "The compliment of dark shapes in the foreground lush a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Chronos 5
By Jane Booth
Located in San Diego, CA
Jane Booth lives and works on the rural Kansas prairie where the broad, open vistas of land, water, and sky, act as a foundation for her work. Booth paints from the inside out, from ...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
UNTITLED 44
Located in Las Condes, CL
UNTITLED 44, is an abstract painting, mixed technique on canvas, measuring 260x130 cm. Created by Chilean artist Jorge Reyes Zepeda.
Jorge works with the canvas on the floor or a tab...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Enamel
Yellow Sunshine
Located in Yuba City, CA
Inspiration came while I was looking at lemon and lime trees .I was amazed about the yellow and green colors .
Ready to hang either way .The painting is signed on the back and on the...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Contemporary Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Light', c. 2000 by David Ruth
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
Colorful expression of joy / Oil Pastel on cardboard / 50 x 70 cm
Located in KRAKÓW, PL
"Colorful expression of joy" from 2013 is a painting full of expression and energy, emanating warmth and inducing well-being. The painting is framed in a passe-partout and a black w...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel
Small Works on Paper, Untitled #8
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Stephanie Visser, a native of southwestern Michigan, was educated at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids Michigan. She continued her education in fine arts and painting...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Paper
"The Black Series number seven" by Anna Pennati - collage on paper on canvas
Located in Milano, MI
We are pleased to present this event, which will see the exclusive world premiere of Anna Pennati's works entitled The Black Series, that the artist reserved exclusively for 1stDibs ...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paper, Ink, Cardboard
Mandrill - Abstract Expressionism, Graffiti-Style Painting with Bright Colors
Located in Chicago, IL
Color, line, texture, pattern and process are the formal qualities of abstract work. By exploring these qualities, Connor Hughes creates a visceral and cerebral experience within the abstract. Fields of color and texture fill the canvas. He attacks his work with a vigorous show of emotion, a struggle between self-expression and the chaos of the subconscious. The heavy paint spills...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Prowl - Abstract Expressionism Mixed Media Graffiti-Style Painting Bright Colors
Located in Chicago, IL
Color, line, texture, pattern and process are the formal qualities of abstract work. By exploring these qualities, Connor Hughes creates a visceral and cerebral experience within the abstract. Fields of color and texture fill the canvas. He attacks his work with a vigorous show of emotion, a struggle between self-expression and the chaos of the subconscious. The heavy paint spills...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media
Sitting on a bench / Oil Pastel on cardboard / 70 x 50 cm
Located in KRAKÓW, PL
Oil pastel on cardboard "Sitting on a bench". A reflective and nostalgic painting painted with white oil pastel on black cardboard.
Catalog Number P0066. The painting is framed in a...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel
"The Black Series number five" by Anna Pennati - collage on cardboard on canvas
Located in Milano, MI
We are pleased to present this event, which will see the exclusive world premiere of Anna Pennati's works entitled The Black Series, that the artist reserved exclusively for 1stDibs ...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paper, Ink, Cardboard
Joyspring - Blue Ocean Water Free Blues Abstract Contemporary Striking Invest
By Karnish Art
Located in Cullinan, ZA
Title: Joyspring
Blue Ocean Water Free Blues Abstract Contemporary Striking Invest
Joyspring - An everlasting spring or fountain of joy.
While creating this work, the artist was tr...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Acrylic
Curtain Wall
Located in Lincoln, RI
Curtain Wall is a piece created from cast resin panels. The piece depicts the nighttime Mountain Views and a cave system within that range. With this piece I was inspired by tapest...
Category
2010s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Copper, Foil
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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