Skip to main content

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.

466
to
3,838
26,827
14,302
7,485
5,264
18,505
15,098
11,250
7,140
6,831
7,056
7,794
16,650
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
45,479
36,820
18,780
7,729
3,376
2,986
2,945
2,252
1,229
1,185
1,179
1,169
445
223
2,169
1,549
1,043
525
499
458
398
338
257
237
176
163
156
143
143
139
132
124
112
106
3
24
5,613
39,836
1
3
14
45
128
431
827
828
928
758
1
550
299
296
241
200
40,856
24,106
24,019
17,698
16,470
Style: Abstract
Wild Flower no. 4
Located in Dallas, TX
M aka Michael Chow was born in 1939 into a family of theater in Shanghai, China. His father, Zhou Xinfang, the grandmaster of Beijing Opera, is regarded as a national treasure to thi...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Hike Flow
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Lynn Sanders is an artist excited by beauty: architecture, foliage, landscapes, seascapes, interiors. She finds palettes and shapes in her environment and propels them into her work,...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Acrylic

Book of Flowers 2 (small)
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Jordi Molla's "Book of Flowers" series is a collection of pages from a Botanical book in which he plastered them onto the canvas and proceeded to paint his own botanicals over them. ...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Artist Tree
Located in Boxholm, SE
The Artists Tree – Jolanta Johnsson, experienced Polish artist, graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, PhD of fine arts, university teacher. She currently lives in Sweden. T...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

LittleBrickWall
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
In 2024 Jordi Molla embarked on a new series based on life itself; painting 6 paintings in 6 different settings using the same color scheme.
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Team Colours
Located in Toronto, CA
Alexander Rasmussen’s “Better Days Are Comin’.” This vibrant new series of abstracts was presented in part at Art Miami 2023, and the remaining pieces are now being exhibited for the...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Reflex
Located in New York, NY
Reflex, 2022 Acrylic on paper 16 1/2 x 11 4/5 in. (42 x 30 cm) Unique Signed and dated, lower right
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Untitled
Located in Austin, TX
Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right. 41.75 x 61 in. 44 x 63 in. (framed) Custom framed in a hardwood floater with a matte white finish. Provenance Estate of the artist Eri...
Category

1950s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hourglass Vows
Located in Santa Monica, CA
This new series of colorful abstract paintings continues the artist’s exploration of memory - delving into those aspects of life that can be controlled and those that cannot. “I oft...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic

Astronaut - Abstract on canvas
Located in New York, NY
Abstract painting. Browns, black, white and silver. No frame needed. About the Artist: Michael has been working as a painter and designer for over 20 years. His work has been exhibited in various galleries and museums throughout the country including The Carnegie Museum of Art, The Austin Museum of Digital Art, The Westmoreland Museum of Art, UICA/Michigan, and The Mattress Factory. His paintings have been featured in Atlantic Homes and Lifestyles, Beaux Arts, Table Magazine, Perlora Contemporary Home Magazine, The Wall Street International Magazine and the cover of Housetrends. His work will also be featured in Design Within Reach’s 2019 Catalog. His clients have included The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, Nintendo, IBM, Sony Pictures and Panasonic. His work has been published widely in various publications including TIME, The Wall Street Journal, How Magazine, Graphis, London’s Computer Arts, BIg Magazine, The Book of Probes by Marshall Mcluhan (designed by David Carson), Big Magazine and Speak. His collaboration with José Muniain on the short film installation “Navarro”, which documented his painting process, was a finalist in the D.C. Independent Film Festival. Some recent projects include the main lobby...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Rebirth
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Atmospheric gradations of color are encased in hardened surfaces in a constant push and pull between depth, light and texture. Capturing the effect of light purely with color is wher...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Resin, Acrylic, Panel

Untitled
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Untitled" is an oil on canvas painting made by Dorothy Hood in the 1980s. The artwork size is 70 x 60 inches. Hood often acknowledged that Arshile Gorky, Edvard Munch, Henri Matiss...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Happy Party 45" x 30"
Located in Toronto, ON
With a vision of paintings that literally break free of the canvas, Blady + Van Mil invented moulage (molded collage) through experimentation in the early days of the pandemic. It be...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Canvas

Composition N27. Oil on Canvas. 28.5X 47 Inch. 2015. By Giorgi Vepkhvadze.
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Giorgi Vepkhvadze’s art is an Abstract expressionism for modern interior designs for Residential and Commercial spaces. Well suited for New York Apartments and Houses. Artist graduat...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Gently Does It
Located in Manchester, GB
An original acrylic painting on wood panel by artist Laura Pedley, signed on reverse by the artist, finished with archival UV protective varnish, this art...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

untitled
Located in Queenston, ON
Can be purchased as a diptych, or individual art work . custom framing options available. Adam makes bespoke one fo a kind furniture and frames.
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Alkyd

Night Falls - On Canvas
Located in New York, NY
Abstract painting on canvas. Rich texture and vibrant colors. About the artist: Sara Conca is a world renowned, American, contemporary abstract artist of French-Italian descent...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

No.6
Located in Bantam, CT
Steven Miller trained at Parsons School of Design, Miller derives inspiration from electron microscope images that reveal the invisible building blocks of natural world. His pursuit ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Red King - Enamels on Plexi
Located in New York, NY
Abstract painting on plexi. Vibrant red with black and yellow and charcoal hues. No frame needed. King theme. About the Artist: Michael has been working as a painter and des...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Elsewhere, Suite #7 - Small Abstract Oil Painting
Located in Newport Beach, CA
Kennedy Contemporary is proud to announce a solo exhibition by Laguna Beach artist, Chris Gwaltney. This will be Gwaltney’s second solo exhibition with the gallery and will remain on...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Elsewhere, Suite #10 - Small Colorful Oil Painting
Located in Newport Beach, CA
Kennedy Contemporary is proud to announce a solo exhibition by Laguna Beach artist, Chris Gwaltney. This will be Gwaltney’s second solo exhibition with the gallery and will remain on...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Raw Linen, Oil

Marine Landscape done by Charles Movalli Painting "Covered Snow"
Located in Rockport, MA
Charles Movalli (1945–2016) had a BA from Clark University and a PhD from the University of Connecticut. He painted and wrote about art for over thirty years. He belonged to the Nort...
Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Cerulean Flora
Located in Readsboro, VT
Infused with a tranquil palette, this textile sculpture was crafted to evoke serenity and growth, drawing inspiration from the resilience of nature. Its cerulean hues and wood founda...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Fabric, Textile, Cotton, Wood, Latex

Drip, Drip, Drip.
Located in Toronto, CA
Acrylic painting on canvas by artist Troy Smith. The Drip, Drip, Drip painting measures 48" x 72" and is painted on canvas. Painted in his studio in the summer of 2022, Troy experime...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Children of the World: Midnight #4
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

Acrylic, Canvas

"Stripe Drawing #11" Contemporary Original Abstract Drawing
Located in Roselle Park, NJ
My drawings and paintings are an examination of three major elements - color, surface and mark making. These nonrepresentational pieces give me the freedom to concentrate on and inve...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel

Down Comes the Sky
Located in San Diego, CA
"Down Comes the Sky" in "Urban Peace" collection is an original painting by San Diego Artist Shima Shanti in the ancient art form of Encaustic. Up to 50 layers of purified beeswax m...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Wax, Encaustic, Oil

Four & Six, No. 1 painting by Naohiko Inukai
Located in Hudson, NY
Strong vertical and horizontal elements woven into a repeating pattern, Naohiko Inukai's painting Four & Six, No. 1 offers a calming rhythmic symmetry. As was noted the the March 196...
Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Joy Factory
Located in Covington, LA
"The nostalgia of a tropical climate is the undercurrent that inspires my process. Bright and vibrant pigments live on my palette. I treat each canvas with an intuitive approach, nev...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic

Lets Not Think About Tomorrow
Located in Jönköping, SE
Keeping with my passion of nature, this collection focusses on the movement and structure of nature. Primarily that from trees. I am fascinated by trees and their amazing beauty. Co...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

New Space Arabia 1979 Colossal Abstract Red Blue Green Museum Canvas James Yohe
Located in Miami, FL
James Yohe painted this large scale red and deep hues of blue and green powerful and beautiful original work on canvas in 1979. This early work by this famous artist of the 1980's a...
Category

1980s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic Polymer

Birchband
Located in San Luis Obispo, CA
Michael Kessler was born in 1954 in Hanover, Pennsylvania and had his first art show in 1080. His abstract art awards include the Rome Prize for Painting from the American Academy in Rome in 1990 and the Pollock/Krasner Award in Painting. His modern artwork has been widely exhibited in the US and abroad via international and national galleries, and has been featured in over 150 SOLO exhibitions since 1983. Michael Kessler’s abstract contemporary paintings are widely collected and appear in over 20 museum collections in the US, including the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Appearances are deceptive, and anyone who is interested in the true nature of the universe knows that there are far more questions than answers. The more we know, the more we know we don’t know. I want my paintings to reflect both the desire to know and the futility of trying to know. I’m building a surface and not so much an image. I see my work as a metaphor for nature – about wondering how it (nature) got that way, realizing that we may never find out. I’m interested in beauty, but not a superficial or superfluous beauty – something deeper. It is daunting, but if you go through the forest at night...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Forgotten Landscape
Located in Greenwich, CT
Elizabeth Higgins Biography b. 1960 Elizabeth Higgins describes herself as an abstract figurative and landscape painter. Everything around her serves as a potential subject, an insp...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

El Ravel - Mixed Media on Canvas
Located in New York, NY
Abstract painting. Browns and blues. About the Artist: Michael has been working as a painter and designer for over 20 years. His work has been exhibited in various galleries and museums throughout the country including The Carnegie Museum of Art, The Austin Museum of Digital Art, The Westmoreland Museum of Art, UICA/Michigan, and The Mattress Factory. His paintings have been featured in Atlantic Homes and Lifestyles, Beaux Arts, Table Magazine, Perlora Contemporary Home Magazine, The Wall Street International Magazine and the cover of Housetrends. His work will also be featured in Design Within Reach’s 2019 Catalog. His clients have included The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, Nintendo, IBM, Sony Pictures and Panasonic. His work has been published widely in various publications including TIME, The Wall Street Journal, How Magazine, Graphis, London’s Computer Arts, BIg Magazine, The Book of Probes by Marshall Mcluhan (designed by David Carson), Big Magazine and Speak. His collaboration with José Muniain on the short film installation “Navarro”, which documented his painting process, was a finalist in the D.C. Independent Film Festival. Some recent projects include the main lobby...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Untitiled
Located in Queenston, ON
Painted in Alkyd paint, oil paint and gold leaf.
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

What Is What Really Is
Located in San Diego, CA
"What Is What Really Is" in "A Clearing for Silence" collection is an original painting by San Diego Artist Shima Shanti in the ancient art form of Encaustic. This painting conveys ...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Wax, Encaustic, Oil

Egipto
Located in Barcelona, ES
Various sophisticated with oxides, pigments, etc., etc.
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Framed Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Very impressive mid 20th century abstract landscape. Oil on canvas. Framed.
Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Deep River Turnaround"
Located in Bantam, CT
Emilia Dubicki's paintings evoke the infinite: duration, expanse and change knowing no limits. The artist based in New Haven Connecticut says " I like to combine the feelings, struc...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

blau - bunt
Located in Berlin, DE
Jürgen Reichert - Maler Freischaffender Künstler, Farbflächenmalerei, lebt und arbeitet in Berlin. blau - bunt 2019 Acryl auf Leinwand 180 x 150 cm Jürgen Reichert, 1953 in Mannhei...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

City Scene with Faces casein tempera on canvas by Vaclav Vytlacil
Located in Hudson, NY
Signed and dated "Vytlacil 32" lower right Provenance: Estate of the artist #1584; Martin Diamond Fine Art Exhibitions: 1990 Graham Gallery, NYC (label verso) About this artist: B...
Category

1930s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Tempera, Casein, Canvas

Suite
Located in Berlin, DE
Jürgen Reichert - Maler Freischaffender Künstler, Farbflächenmalerei, lebt und arbeitet in Berlin. Suite 2015 Acryl auf Leinwand 170 x 140 cm Jürgen Reichert, 1953 in Mannheim gebo...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Siluetas
Located in Barcelona, ES
Pigments, varnishes and various elements to create imprecise special shapes
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Mea Culpa #26
Located in Roselle Park, NJ
The Mea Culpa series is more about feeling than a specific vision. I attempt to use mark-making, color, and surface to explore the emotions I need to convey. I never know when they w...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel

o.T. (2201)
Located in Berlin, DE
Jürgen Reichert - Maler Freischaffender Künstler, Farbflächenmalerei, lebt und arbeitet in Berlin. o.T. (2201) 2019 Acryl auf Leinwand 50 x 60 cm Jürgen Reichert, 1953 in Mannheim ...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

A Love Letter
Located in New York, NY
2023, Oil & cold wax on wood panel
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Wax, Oil, Wood Panel

o.T. (kleines Feld)
Located in Berlin, DE
Jürgen Reichert - Maler Freischaffender Künstler, Farbflächenmalerei, lebt und arbeitet in Berlin. o.T. 2015 Eitempera auf Leinwand 120 x 120 cm Jürgen Reichert, 1953 in Mannheim g...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Egg Tempera

Manhattan Day 3
Located in New York, NY
2023, Acrylic on Canvas
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

The glare, constructive painting of visions of a dream.
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
Constructive Figurative Painting 37" x 24" inch by Ion Xiua. Mixed technique. Oil on canvas made with professional Winsor & Newton colors protected with gloss varnish with UV protect...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Inisheer Lighthouse, Aran Islands, Co Galway
Located in Belfast, GB
Inisheer Lighthouse, Aran Islands, Co Galway Oil on Board 24 x 32 in 61 x 81.3 cm "Painting is trial and error, somewhere between this there is a balance in which a painting will wo...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tears of a Striped Elephant
Located in Barcelona, ES
Oil painting on canvas.
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Girl with Headphone
Located in New York, NY
2017, Oil on canvas
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Blue Heart
Located in New York, NY
2022, Acrylic on canvas
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic

Green swamp path 2
Located in Southampton, NY
The latest in the wide world of J. Oscar Molina's "Children of the World" Collection--a profound color driven body of paintings in assorted sizes and mediums which have been inspired...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Formes Suspeses - 21st Century, Abstract Art, Cement on Wood, Earth Tones
Located in Barcelona, Catalonia
"The constant search for matter with its limitations has led me to work with different elements throughout my career, but it is now with cement, waxes and tar that I have found my ow...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Concrete

Vis
Located in Sausalito, CA
"There is a constant internal back and forth, and it's a huge part of my creative process. I'm simultaneously creating space for dialogue and following the lead of the piece, and to...
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Two Stallions and a Blond
Located in Barcelona, ES
Oil painting on canvas.
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Mysterious flight of a Unicorn
Located in Barcelona, ES
Oil painting on canvas.
Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

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.

Recently Viewed

View All