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.
$901Sale Price|20% Off
Vibrant Abstract with Bold Colours French 20th Century Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Expressionist Composition signed by Gilbert Pelissier (French born 1924) Dated 08' and Inscribed verso oil painting on board, unframed board size: 22 x 15.75 inches conditio...
Oil
$4,753Sale Price|20% Off
Abstract Minimalist Landscape Earth Mixed Media Relief on Canvas by Pau Escat
By Pau Escat
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
In my work, I explore the quiet dialogue between earth, texture, and silence. Each surface becomes a landscape — not one we see, but one we feel. I build these compositions with recl...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Pigment, Mixed Media
$720Sale Price|20% Off
Catalyst for Consciousness - Flow Contemporary Abstract Showpiece Detail Lively
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Catalyst for Consciousness Flow Contemporary Abstract Showpiece Bright Lively This series expresses our unity and our interconnectedness. We are dancing to a traverse tune ...
Oil, Acrylic
My Own Confessor
Located in Zofingen, AG
There are things you carry for so long that you forget they have weight. Not because they are small. But because there was never anyone to put them down with. No hand extended in the...
Canvas, Oil, Spray Paint
$8,500
"Try Not to Dream", Abstract Expressionist, Figures, Yellow, Gray, Oil Painting
By Sorin Bica
Located in Franklin, MA
Sorin Bica's "Try Not to Dream" is a 82 x 76 x 2 inch abstract expressionist oil painting on canvas. It features elongated figures in bold yellow, white, gray, and red, with expressi...
Canvas, Oil
Damien Hirst Spin Painting, Abstract Acrylic on Paper Framed
By Damien Hirst
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Damien Hirst Spin Painting, 2009 (Damien Hirst Circle): A mesmerizing Damien Hirst Spin painting with explosions of vivid color amidst the timeless...
Paper, Acrylic
$15,000
Josef Zenk - Concentric Squares painting, Geometric Abstraction, Signed, Framed
By Josef Zenk
Located in New York, NY
Josef Zenk Untitled Concentric Squares (Mid Century Modern Geometric Abstraction), ca. 1960 Oil on canvas painting Boldly signed by Josef Zenk on the lower right front Frame included...
Canvas, Oil
$3,580Sale Price|20% Off
American Abstract Expressionist Mid Century Framed Vintage Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Pure mid century abstract expressionist painting. Great colors and movement. Oil on canvas. Framed. No signature found.
Canvas, Oil
Daydreaming, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
"The green and blue hues give a peaceful and comforting feeling to this piece," says artist Janet Hamilton. Janet's ongoing Stripes collection is a heavily te...
Oil
Red on Yellow - Abstract Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, 1970s, Large Scale
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This large-scale contemporary painting by Milly Ristvedt explores colour in abstract form. A masterful, award-winning colourist, Milly Ristvedt’s elegant abstract paintings hang on...
Canvas, Acrylic
$14,000
Glowing forest by Gabriela Azar Schreiner. Contemporary abstract Painting
Located in Mentone, AU
This painting is unstretched and unframed. It will be carefully rolled and shipped in a tube. "Creating large-scale abstract paintings that evoke tranquility and presence in any spac...
Acrylic
$800Sale Price|46% Off
Reclining Nude
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Edwin Kosarek (b.1929). Reclining Nude, 1952. Oil on wood panel, 17 x 48 inches. Signed and dated on verso. Edwin Kosarek Born: 1929 Studied: The Cit...
Masonite, Oil
After the Rain, Tennessee Tobacco Farm, Oil Painting
By Doug Cosbie
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
In this painting, artist Doug Cosbie features small-scale American tobacco farms with their fields. Each has a curing shed that is attached to the main structure. "The atmosphere is humid after the rain, and the air has an overwhelming but delightfully sweet and pungent smell."
About the Artist
Artist Doug Cosbie presents the vibrancy found in nature with his impressionist, rural architecture centered artwork. Longing to create something that connects with people, Cosbie spent countless years perfecting how he portrays the world on canvas. Within his journey, he studied as an apprentice in the studios of Sam Black and Jack Shadbolt. As a plein air artist, Doug's studio is a portable pochade box...
Oil
Abstract Expressionism Large Modernist Signed Perpetual Motion
Located in Buffalo, NY
A large signed original painting . Many facets of chroma and texture. Gem like luminosity. Shows lots of energy, , gravity, tension and momentum with a mysterious atmospheric g...
Acrylic
Interior with Standing Dog
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Irvin Nahan (b.1927) Interior with Standing Dog, 1970. Watercolor and pencil on paper. Image measures 5 x 6.5 inches. Framed measurement: 10 x 12 inches. Signed and dated by ar...
Watercolor, Pencil
$3,777
Walking On Air. An original abstract artwork by Diane, Painting by Diane Whalley
Located in Deddington, GB
Walking On Air is an original expressionistic abstract with several layers of paint and some mark making in charcoal and oil pastel with show through of underlying colours. After the...
Canvas
$8,438
ABSTRACT Artwork Landscape by Contemporary Artist Italian Giorgio Petracci
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Gesso, Wood, Acrylic
Abstract Painting of Textured Earth Landscapes, 2023, 130x187 cm
By On Hansen
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
ABSTRACT New Black White Artwork Geometry Contemporary Artist Carsten Beck
By Carsten Beck
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Linen, Oil
$4,400Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Period New York Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Very impressive and amazing mid 1900s abstract expressionist oil painting. Oil on canvas. No signature found. Framed.
Canvas, Oil
$6,010Sale Price|40% Off
Floating Landscape 5500: Abstract Acrylic on Cotton Canvas, 2010+
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Floating landscapes (interdimensional maps) I use the word landscape in a broad sense that encompasses internal and external perceptions, but not necessarily what is visible. The lan...
Acrylic, Cotton Canvas
Golden Palms #4 - Tall Skinny Modern Textural Abstract Original Trees Painting
By Zabel
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Guided by her passion for life and her spirit, French Canadian painter Zabel creates vibrant artworks filled with romance and immersive textures. With a belief that art is all about ...
Gold Leaf
Ensign No. 1
Located in Columbia, MO
A native of Upstate New York, Matt Ballou was educated at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (BFA 2001) and Indiana University ( MFA 2005) before coming to The University of ...
Mixed Media, Plastic, Permanent Marker
$3,561
Remembering This Side Of You - Original Minimalist Abstract Painting on Canvas
Located in Manchester, GB
Henry Woolway, Remembering This Side of You, 2025 Overlapping acrylic dyed canvas with frayed edges 68 x 57.5 cm Artwork is hand-framed in a tray frame Hand-signed by Artist on reve...
Canvas, Acrylic
Júlia Martins Miranda – Contemporary Tropical Flora Painting, Oil on Canvas 2026
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
This work is presented in a scroll-like (parchment-style) format, with the painting executed on a flexible support and suspended using metal rods at the top and bottom, allowing the ...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
Pastel Cloud Sketch Pink minimalist abstract sky painting
Located in COOMERA, QLD
"Pastel Cloud Sketch Pink" is a large original painting featuring soft pink and green hues that blend to create a dreamy cloudscape. Thick, descriptive strokes of acrylic paint bring...
Canvas, Acrylic
$7,000
Triptych Sunset - Large Original Impasto Thick Paint Textural Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Acrylic
Ruz Original Abstract Acrylic Painting on Paper, 21st Century, Framed
By Rafael Ruz
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Ruz blue - original abstract acrylic painting. virtual frame Original work of the artist RUZ Acrylic on paper Perfect state While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are ...
Acrylic, Cardboard
Orange-magenta abstraction.
Located in Zofingen, AG
This abstract artwork is created with alcohol inks on synthetic paper. Vibrant shades of fuchsia, pink, coral, and orange flow freely into one another, forming translucent shapes and...
Ink, Synthetic Paper
Blue VR779
By Kseniya Rai
Located in Zofingen, AG
Presented at Bakerhouse Gallery, Graz, Austria, this work was exhibited alongside another painting from the same series, which became a finalist in the ScanArt Prize competition. Phi...
Canvas, Oil
$1,296Sale Price|20% Off
Deep Blue Figures, Large French Expressionist Original Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Deep Blue Figures, French Expressionist Original Oil Painting French school, late 20th Century Oil painting on canvas, unframed Canvas size: 39 x 51 inches A deep and inky blue lar...
Oil
$1,815
No Answer - Modern Original Impasto Thick Paint Textural Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Acrylic
$3,890
Submerged by Gabriela Azar Schreiner. Contemporary abstract Painting
Located in Mentone, AU
This painting is unstretched and unframed. It will be carefully rolled and shipped in a tube. "Creating large-scale abstract paintings that evoke tranquility and presence in any spa...
Acrylic
$2,200
"It Comes While Sleeping" (Abstract, Dream, Deep Red, Green, Text, Type, French)
Located in Paris, IDF
IT COMES WHILE SLEEPING 2018 An abstract, ominous, deep red shape hangs over handwritten, disconnected verbiage, in a mix of French and English, with a series of numbers and dates. ...
Canvas, Dye, Ink
Sides 1, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
The principle that organizes the universe is movement between opposite sides. “Everything flows, nothing remainsâ€
Acrylic
$370Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary abstract expressive floral painting on paper "Blooming petals"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
In "Blooming Petals", French artist Natalya Mougenot expands the tradition of floral painting into a powerful exploration of color, emotion, and authenticity. Part of her ongoing ser...
Paper, Acrylic
$702Sale Price|20% Off
Original 20th Century French Abstract Painting Cubist Colorful Shapes 1976
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition by Gilbert Pelissier (French 1924-2013) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 8 x 15.75 inches inscribed verso condition: overall very good and pleasing. The ...
Oil
$7,900
"Find Your Own Path", Abstract Expressionist, Figurative, Purple, Oil Painting
By Sorin Bica
Located in Franklin, MA
Sorin Bica's "Find Your Own Path" is a 80 x 62 x 2 inch abstract expressionist oil painting on canvas. This modern painting features bold purple, white, orange, and red tones with la...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled, 1962
Located in Columbia, MO
Vivian Springford signed lower right recto Vivian Springford (American, 1913–2003) was a color field painter, celebrated for her distinctive approach to abstraction. Initially influe...
Paper, Ink
#45, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request. Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Pigment
Replicas, Contemporary Art, Abstract Painting, 21st Century
Located in Mexico City, MX
Contemporary Art, Abstract Painting Acrylic on canvas 100 x 80 cm Signed and dated on the back About the artist Alejandro Legorreta (Mexico, 1987) I studied Hispanic Literature a...
Canvas, Acrylic
Floating Silence by Gabriela Azar Schreiner. Contemporary abstract Painting
Located in Mentone, AU
This painting is unstretched and unframed. It will be carefully rolled and shipped in a tube. "Creating large-scale abstract paintings that evoke tranquility and presence in any spac...
Acrylic
$12,000
Western Sky Emma Lake (Diptych) - contemporary, abstract, acrylic on paper
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This large acrylic abstract painting is a diptych by Milly Ristvedt. The beauty of a vast prairie sky is suggested by the grand gestural brushstrokes of brilliant colour in this dip...
Acrylic, Archival Paper
Mid-Summer Beach Garden, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
New series :: Painting :: Abstract :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: Yes :: Signed: Yes :: Signature Location: l...
Acrylic
$6,357
Emma Labattaglia Abstract Large Contemporary Grid Painting in Earth Tones
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection includes a Certificate of Authe...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$462Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary impressionist still life floral painting on canvas "Blue Room"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“The Blue Room” by French artist Natalya Mougenot is a contemporary still life that radiates serenity, sincerity, and the quiet brilliance of color as emotion.Centered on a transluce...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,020Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American School Mid Century Modern Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American school abstract expressionist painting. Oil on board. Signed. In excellent original condition. Nicely framed in a period wood molding. Excellent condition, read...
Canvas, Oil
Early Morning
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work is part of the Inner Landscapes series, in which the landscape becomes part of a memory, a lived state, or emotions that cannot be expressed in words and can only be felt. ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,500
Gestual Abstraction, Colorful Seascape Diptych, Fish Patterns in Vivid Tones
Located in Barcelona, ES
Details: Title: Chromatic Shoal 7 & 8 Medium: Acrylic Paint on Watercolor Paper Size: 80x120 cm total ( 31.5x47.3 inches), each panel measures 80x60cm (31.5x24 inches) Year: 2026...
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Monoprint
"Pond Life" Colorful Japanese Koi Fish & Water Lily Oil Painting on Canvas
By Eric Alfaro
Located in New York, NY
An impressionistic portrayal of Japanese Koi fish jubilantly depicted with movement and enthusiasm. In a burst of motion, the fish joyfully swim in the clear light blue waters, as th...
Canvas, Oil
$3,750Sale Price|25% Off
Bailando en Azul, Contemporary Art, Abstract Painting, 21st Century
Located in Mexico City, MX
Contemporary Art, Abstract Painting Acrylic on canvas 150x200cm Signed FREE SHIPPING ROLLED UP About the artist Enrique Pichardo (Mexico City, 1973) graduated from Escuela Naciona...
Canvas, Acrylic
$920Sale Price|20% Off
"Relaxing at Camarillo" - Abstract Expressionism
Located in Soquel, CA
"Relaxing at Camarillo" - Abstract Expressionism A man relines in a black hat and a green shape emulating the symbol of infinity, accented in bright canary yellow and gray, by Calif...
Paper, Acrylic, Gouache, Pencil
$716Sale Price|20% Off
American Large Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Signed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage modernist abstract painting. Oil on canvas. Image size, 36L x 36H. Signed verso, "Larry Glickman".
Canvas, Oil
$340Sale Price|20% Off
Abstract Expressionist Painting American 1960's Mid Century New York Colorful
Located in Buffalo, NY
Mid Century Modern, American Abstract Expressionist Painting on Masonite. This wonderful work in exciting colors is housed in a contemporary white wood frame presentation.. The art...
Masonite, Acrylic
“Meeting Point”
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting “Meeting Point” captures a quiet moment of anticipation. In the foreground, a man in a cap leans calmly against a car, as if waiting for someone. In the background, anot...
Canvas, Acrylic
$264Sale Price|20% Off
20th Century French Expressionist Tall Pine Tress in Moonlight Blue Forest
By Akos Biro
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Moonlight Blue Forest by Akos Biro (Hungarian 1911-2002) pastel painting on artist paper, unframed painting: 9 x 12 inches provenance: the artists estate, France Superb ...
Pastel
May 29 (Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting in Earth Tones of Green & Blue)
By James O'Shea
Located in Hudson, NY
Gestural, abstract expressionist oil painting on canvas in earth tones of blue and green, with accents of burgundy and pale yellow "May 29", Painted by Hudson Valley based artist, James O'Shea in 2021 Oil on canvas, 26 x 26 inches unframed, raw canvas sides Wire backing, ready to hang Signed verso James O’Shea’s deeply pigmented abstractions are grounded in the landscape. Taking his cues from the bare winter months in the Northeast when the horizon is stripped of its foliage, he suggests that “So much of life’s structure reveals itself when it goes into hibernation”. The architecture in O’Shea’s compositions takes form with expressive gestures using...
Canvas, Oil
Lineto I (Abstract Encaustic and Collage Painting on Linen)
Located in Hudson, NY
"Lineto I" made by Hudson Valley artist, Alaina Enslen, in 2025 Encaustic, dyed fabrics, and paper mounted on panel 36 x 48 x 2 inches unframed, sides reveal raw panel and wrapped fa...
Fabric, Encaustic, Linen, Monotype
Antique American Abstract Expressionist Large Colorful Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American abstract expressionist oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Measuring 16 by 36 inches.
Canvas, Oil
Sea glow
Located in Edinburgh, GB
An atmospheric, captivating, and warmth-filled artwork that transports the viewer to a southern coast bathed in the glow of a setting sun. Against the backdrop of deep turquoise-blue...
Acrylic
The Italian-American’s 2020 abstract painting “The Hoe” personifies his “art of not knowing.”
In his current show at New York's Lehmann Maupin gallery, the Puerto Rican–born talent reveals new paintings with a semiautobiographical aspect.