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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.

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Style: Abstract
"Exist"
"Exist"

"Exist"

Located in Zofingen, AG

“Exist” 2026 Series “From Simple to…” This work addresses simple things that lie in the basic settings of life. Repetitive, almost unnoticed actions that over time create a sense of ...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Maia, Abstract Painting
Maia, Abstract Painting

Maia, Abstract Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This abstract painting weaves linear gestures with organic circular shapes in vibrant, layered colors. Random forms create points of focus and guide the eye thr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Echoes (1/13) by James Lumsden - abstract painting, vivid red
Echoes (1/13) by James Lumsden - abstract painting, vivid red

Echoes (1/13) by James Lumsden - abstract painting, vivid red

Located in Paris, FR

Echoes (1/13) is a painting by Scottish artist James Lumsden created with acrylic on canvas (gloss finish) and focusing on the red color. Dimensions: 23.6 x 19.7 inches (60 x 50 cm)....

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Connection Points"
"Connection Points"

"Connection Points"

Located in Zofingen, AG

Series “Following the Movements” “Connection Points” is an abstract wall painting created as an accent piece for spaces where focus and presence are essential. This red and black pai...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

"At the Stroke of Midnight", Abstract, Blue, Red, Gold, Mixed Media Painting
"At the Stroke of Midnight", Abstract, Blue, Red, Gold, Mixed Media Painting

"At the Stroke of Midnight", Abstract, Blue, Red, Gold, Mixed Media Painting

By Peter Knapp

Located in Franklin, MA

Peter Knapp’s “At the Stroke of Midnight” is a 24 x 32 x 1 inch abstract mixed media painting on cradled panel in blue, aqua, red, and gold acrylic, ink, and pencil. First of the “Sp...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Archival Ink, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Color Pencil

Yellow and black 2 abstraction.
Yellow and black 2 abstraction.

Yellow and black 2 abstraction.

Located in Zofingen, AG

The work is created using the fluid acrylic technique and is built on the contrast of deep black, rich green, and bright yellow-gold accents. The composition evokes a powerful natura...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"The Denizens of Delight - Fun with Matisse", Abstract, Mixed Media Painting
"The Denizens of Delight - Fun with Matisse", Abstract, Mixed Media Painting

"The Denizens of Delight - Fun with Matisse", Abstract, Mixed Media Painting

By Peter Knapp

Located in Franklin, MA

Peter Knapp’s “The Denizens of Delight – Fun with Matisse” is a 27.375 x 38.25 x 1 inch mixed media abstract painting on panel in blue, purple, orange, and green acrylic, ink, and co...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Archival Ink, Acrylic, Panel, Color Pencil

Penetration
Penetration

Penetration

By Katarina Joys

Located in London, London

extra large scale abstract painting artist: Katarina joys 110x210cm abstract painting, landscape, The item is located in central London, United Kingdom. The painting will be shippe...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Eternity
Eternity

Eternity

By Katarina Joys

Located in London, London

All custom charges are included in the final price agreed. unframed, shipped rolled XXL, Extra-large painting, large painting, abstract art, abstract painting on canvas, oil on can...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Energy - Painting Abstract Abundant Contemporary Maximalism Bold Unique Contrast
Energy - Painting Abstract Abundant Contemporary Maximalism Bold Unique Contrast

Energy - Painting Abstract Abundant Contemporary Maximalism Bold Unique Contrast

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: The Guardians of Energy (Abundant Energy) Energy Painting Abstract Abundant Contemporary Maximalism Bold Unique Contrast Fresh Revival Renewal Texture The Guardians of Ener...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Wood, Pastel, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Echo of Lanscape, Abstract , oil, Contemporary, multicolor, french art, modern
Echo of Lanscape, Abstract , oil, Contemporary, multicolor, french art, modern

Echo of Lanscape, Abstract , oil, Contemporary, multicolor, french art, modern

By SOPHIE DUMONT

Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR

Unframed: 60 × 60 cm (23.6 × 23.6 in) Framed: 67 × 67 cm (26.4 × 26.4 in) Frame available in black or natural wood In Echo of Landscape, Sophie Dumont explores the landscape not as ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Gather Yourself"
"Gather Yourself"

"Gather Yourself"

Located in Zofingen, AG

“Gather Yourself” Series “From Simple to…” This work is about inner composure and focus that emerge from simplicity and silence. About the ability to stay in contact with oneself, to...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Original-Rosarian-La Vie en Rose: Summer Bloom Serie-British Awarded Artist
Original-Rosarian-La Vie en Rose: Summer Bloom Serie-British Awarded Artist

Original-Rosarian-La Vie en Rose: Summer Bloom Serie-British Awarded Artist

Located in London, GB

Rosarian — La Vie en Rose is part of Shizico Yi’s ongoing Summer Bloom Series, a body of work in which she explores the magical qualities of roses and the complex challenge of painti...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Abstract Figures in Purple and Green - Original Mixed Media Piece
Abstract Figures in Purple and Green - Original Mixed Media Piece

Abstract Figures in Purple and Green - Original Mixed Media Piece

Located in Soquel, CA

Abstract Figures in Purple and Green - Original Mixed Media Piece Bright and colorful abstract by Jennie T. Rafton (American, b. 1925). Two figurative shapes stand in front of a blu...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Mixed Media

Ruz RAISON D´ÉTRE canvas - Abstract Acrylic Painting
Ruz RAISON D´ÉTRE canvas - Abstract Acrylic Painting

Ruz RAISON D´ÉTRE canvas - Abstract Acrylic Painting

By Rafael Ruz

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

Original artwork by Spanish artist Rafael Ruz. Acrylic in perfect condition. While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are inclined to talk about real ‘psychodrama’, in the sam...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Turning Point
Turning Point

Turning Point

Located in Burlingame, CA

Eleanor Rahim’s work explores the emotional and perceptual power of water through painting and drawing. Her images do not describe a specific place so much as a state of being, where...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Original Spring Triptych-British Awarded Artist-Abstract British Contemporary
Original Spring Triptych-British Awarded Artist-Abstract British Contemporary

Original Spring Triptych-British Awarded Artist-Abstract British Contemporary

Located in London, GB

Spring Triptych belongs to two interconnected projects begun in 2024 — Spring Duet and The Weaver Series — where Shizico Yi explores abstraction through the expanded formats of diptych and triptych. Although abstract in form, all three paintings were created en plein air, in situ, capturing both the landscape surrounding her studio and the interior space itself across the unfolding months of spring. Each canvas functions like an individual musical note. Together, the three form a visual harmony — a quiet concert of rhythm, colour, and movement. This triptych is part of Shizico’s long-running Memory Landscape Project (initiated in 2015), an expansive body of work spanning painting, sculpture, installation, and abstraction. Across this project, she moves fluidly between impressionism, expressionism, and abstract language, allowing memory and presence to shape form. In Spring Triptych, Shizico focuses on a restrained, luminous palette of soft greens, creamy whites, and pink-apricot tones, evoking the fragile early spring light of Northern Europe. The works hold a sense of emergence — of quiet awakening — where colour breathes gently across the canvas. -Artist's Lifetime Warranty for the original artwork. -Guarantee End to end tracking Delivery Worldwide by Royal Mail Worldwide at lowest Rate £19-28 only. About the artist: Dr. Shizico Yi is a London-based multidisciplinary artist working across painting, installation, and film. Her practice explores themes of loss, repetition, the everyday, and the formation of memory, weaving personal narratives into broader social and human contexts. Drawing on a background in design and film, Yi’s work moves fluidly between mediums, allowing lived experience, place, and time to shape each project. Yi holds a PhD in Fine Art from the University of East London (2017), an MFA, and a BA in Womenswear from the University of the Arts London. Her practice is grounded in both rigorous research and embodied making. Alongside her studio practice, Yi works en plein air from spring through autumn, returning to studio-based work during the winter months. This cyclical approach allows seasonality, landscape, and environment to inform the scale, materiality, and emotional tenor of her work. Her work has been exhibited internationally in the UK, South Korea, and Italy, and is held in private collections across the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. In addition to her visual art practice, Yi is an award-winning filmmaker. She was the Winner of the Women Filmmakers: Best Shorts Competition in Los Angeles (2013) and has served as a guest jury member for the 14th–16th Annual New York City Independent Film Festival (2022–2024). She is also the founder and curator of no barking aRt...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Magenta abstraction on a gold background. Triptych
Magenta abstraction on a gold background. Triptych

Magenta abstraction on a gold background. Triptych

Located in Zofingen, AG

The triptych is created in fluid acrylic technique and consists of three vertical panels, each measuring 24 × 30 cm. Together they form a unified composition connected by a continuou...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Abraham Walkowitz (1878-1965) Signed Antique Modernist Abstract Framed Painting
Abraham Walkowitz (1878-1965) Signed Antique Modernist Abstract Framed Painting

Abraham Walkowitz (1878-1965) Signed Antique Modernist Abstract Framed Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist cityscape painting by Abraham Walkowitz (1878 - 1965). Mixed media on paper. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 20 by...

Category

1910s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Water flowers
Water flowers

Water flowers

By Katarina Joys

Located in London, London

Decor floral, vintage flowers Abstract painting on canvas, blue, extra-large, XXL, large oil on canvas painting, abstract expressionism. Abstract art, water flowers, exotic flower...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Geometic Composition Oil Painting
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Geometic Composition Oil Painting

Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Geometic Composition Oil Painting

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Composition signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 39.5 x 29 inches condition: the work is in overall very sound and good c...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Original-Primary Blue-Sunlit Series-Gold Leaf-British Awarded Artist
Original-Primary Blue-Sunlit Series-Gold Leaf-British Awarded Artist

Original-Primary Blue-Sunlit Series-Gold Leaf-British Awarded Artist

Located in London, GB

Primary Colour Series- Blue is Shizico Yi's on going project, inspired by Japanese woodblock Print and the a nod to calligraphy tradition. The series is a continuation of her "Sunli...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Horizon of Silence The "Moment" Series
Horizon of Silence The "Moment" Series

Horizon of Silence The "Moment" Series

Located in Zofingen, AG

Horizon of Silence The "Moment" Series oil on linen canvas This painting extends the exploration of temporal fragility central to the “Moment” series. Built through numerous transluc...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mid Century French Geometric Abstract in Black White and Navy Signed SG
Mid Century French Geometric Abstract in Black White and Navy Signed SG

Mid Century French Geometric Abstract in Black White and Navy Signed SG

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Title: Mid Century French Geometric Abstract in Black White and Navy Signed SG by Serge Guerin (b. 1916), French signed lower right “SG”, name stamped verso Acrylic and gouache on ar...

Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Ink, Acrylic, Gouache

Flower in Bowl - Abstract Cool Tone Botanical Mixed Media Painting on Paper
Flower in Bowl - Abstract Cool Tone Botanical Mixed Media Painting on Paper

Flower in Bowl - Abstract Cool Tone Botanical Mixed Media Painting on Paper

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Krisanne Souter weaves together elements of nature and ancient feminine archetypes, such as the Mother and the Mystic. Botanical themes, playful elements, and unexpected surprises ar...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil

The Still Point
The Still Point

The Still Point

Located in Zofingen, AG

,,The Still Point,, Oil on linen canvas, layered translucent glazes. From the series “Silence.” In this painting, space dissolves into light and the quiet breath of mist. The artis...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, 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.