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.

to
5,349
6,756
6,535
6,938
7,298
14,865
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
7
20
5,643
36,723
1
7
16
52
123
426
785
792
843
779
2
42,394
38,506
23,461
8,543
4,875
3,571
3,198
2,733
1,226
1,190
948
903
441
272
18,221
13,932
9,808
2,956
1,967
1,399
682
599
522
516
402
380
285
282
241
221
218
217
197
189
165
153
117
37,926
22,746
22,658
17,178
16,180
689
560
360
293
275
7,654
5,983
22,664
15,313
Style: Abstract
Easy Over by Murray Duncan, Abstract Mixed Media on Canvas
Easy Over by Murray Duncan, Abstract Mixed Media on Canvas

Easy Over by Murray Duncan, Abstract Mixed Media on Canvas

By Murray Duncan

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Easy Over, 2025 By Murray Duncan Mixed media on canvas Size: 36" × 36" Unframed, signed Easy On by Murray Duncan is a striking abstract composition that balances bold gestural line...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic

Saturday Morning, Sailing
Saturday Morning, Sailing

Saturday Morning, Sailing

By Donald Roy Purdy

Located in New York, NY

Saturday Morning has translucent jewel tones and is beautifully painted. Done during the early 1960's it was a favorite subject for the artist to depict boats coming into harbor as ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Abstract Painting of Textured Earth Landscapes, 2023, 130x187 cm
Abstract Painting of Textured Earth Landscapes, 2023, 130x187 cm

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic

Brazilian Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Latin American Expressionist Concreta
Brazilian Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Latin American Expressionist Concreta

Brazilian Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Latin American Expressionist Concreta

Located in Surfside, FL

Abstract oil on canvas painting by Ivan Freitas. 25" x 31" inch canvas, framed to 30" x 36". It is signed at the lower right. Bearing a Barcinski Art Gallery label verso and a second label stating that the painting was sold in 1961 at a benefit auction for the Albert Einstein Hospital held at the Museum of San Paulo. Ivan Freitas was a Brazilian Postwar & Contemporary painter and Muralist (1932-2006) Son of muralist Severino Araújo, Ivan started painting as a self-taught artist. His first individual exhibition was at the Public Library, in 1957. With the success of the exhibition, he was able to move to Rio de Janeiro the following year, in 1958, where he came into contact with the work of artists such as Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte who influenced him. Between 1962 and 1963 he resided as a fellow in Paris. Between 1969 and 1972, he was on his second tour abroad, in New York City and commissioned by the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation. Back in Brazil, he painted a mural of over a thousand square meters on the external wall of the National School of Music in Rio de Janeiro in 1984 - the first of the Arte nos Muros Project. Still in the 70s, he married Dalva Mendes Gall whom he left after his death in 200, an extensive collection where one can find all the best works of this renowned Paraiba artist in Brazil and abroad. The stay in New York, from 1969 to 1972, was perhaps the greatest turning point in Ivan's career. Until then, according to art critic Roberto Pontual, the plastic artist followed "a phase of abstraction close to the informal". In the United States , with so much technological influence around him, Ivan becomes interested in the machine and its movement mechanisms and inserts these perceptions in his works, as kinetic constructions with small motors hidden in boxes as Pontual defines, and also and triggering light patterns in cyclic and repeated series. (similar to the Op Art works of Julio le Parc and works by Yves Tinguely being shown at Rene Denis Gallery in Paris In 1968, the magazine Galeria de Arte Moderna (GAM), published an article entitled Ivan Freitas and the Cosmic Space. In the Brazilian Dictionary of Plastic Artists , the Italian art critic Giuseppe Marchiori refers to Ivan Frentas as someone who "controls and dominates each part of the painting with a desire to deepen the image that surprises and enchants". Still according to the critic, Ivan is someone who preserves the mystery in the harmony between lines and the colorful atmosphere, where he creates pauses and rhythms for the reading of his "secret structures". Arte Neo Concreta artists Lygia Clark, Helio Oiticica and Lygia Pape, were all contemporaries The poet Ferreira Gullar writes: "Freitas does not turn to the subjective world, does not inquire into the arcana of the unconscious; he inquires into the future and, in the solitude of his paintings, promises us a serene and orderly world. And, if in his landscapes man does not appear, it is not that this order excludes him - it is that he has not yet reached it. " Selec Solo Exhibitions 1957 - João Pessoa Public Library; João Pessoa, PB. 1960 - Ivan Freitas: Painting Exhibitions , at the Penguin Gallery; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1961 - MAM-BA , Salvador , BA. 1962 - Rubbers Gallery; Buenos Aires , Argentina . 1962 - La Cabana Galeria; Trieste , Italy . 1962 - Brazil-United States Cultural Institute; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1962 - Brazil-Uruguay Institute; Montevideo , Uruguay . 1962 - Barcinski Gallery; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1963 - Galleria Del Canale, Naples , Italy. 1963 - Ivan Freitas: Paris 1963, at the Barcinski Gallery ; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1964 - Barcinski Gallery; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1966 - Relief Gallery; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1968 - Relief Gallery; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1969 - Pan American Union; Washington , United States. 1971 - Miramar Gallery; New York, United States. 1971 - Bloomingdale's Art Gallery; New York, United States. 1973 - Individual, at Galeria Bonino; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1973 - Galeria Collection; São Paulo , SP. 1974 - Ivan Freitas: Paintings / Objectives , at the Rio de Janeiro Art Exchange; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1975 - Arte Global Gallery; São Paulo-SP. 1976 - Ivan Freitas: Paintings / Space / Movement , at Galeria Ipanema; Sao Paulo-SP. 1977 - Paulo Prado Gallery; Sao Paulo-SP. 1978 - Paraíba State Cultural Foundation; João Pessoa, PB. 1979 - Gallery B. 75 Concorde; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1980 - Individual, at Galeria do Sesi; Sao Paulo-SP. 1980 - Paulo Prado Gallery; Sao Paulo-SP. 1986 - Ivan Freitas: The Reinvented Landscape , at Galeria Arte Aplicada; Sao Paulo-SP. 1987 - Applied Art Gallery; Sao Paulo-SP. 1989 - Evasion Arte Gallery; Sao Paulo-SP. 1994 - GB Arte Gallery; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. Select Group Exhibitions 1959 - 8th National Salon of Modern Art; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1960 - 9th National Salon of Modern Art; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1961 - 10th National Salon of Modern Art - jury exemption and critical award; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1961 - 6th São Paulo International Art Biennial , at the Ciccilo Matarazzo Pavilion; Sao Paulo-SP. 1963 - Art from America and Spain; Europe . 1963 - 2nd Youth Biennial; Paris, France. 1963 - 7th São Paulo International Art Biennial, at the Fundação Bienal; ; Sao Paulo-SP. 1964 - 2nd Art Summary of Jornal do Brasil, at MAM-RJ; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1965 - Current Brazilian Art; Bonn , Germany . 1965 - Current Brazilian Art; London , England . 1965 - 1st Esso Young Artists Salon, at MAM-RJ; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1965 - Opinion 65, at MAM / RJ; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1965 - 1st Esso Salon of Young Artists, at MAC / USP; Sao Paulo-SP. 1965 - 8th São Paulo International Art Biennial, at the Fundação Bienal; Sao Paulo-SP.* 1965 - Current Brazilian Art; Vienna , Austria . 1966 - 5 Contemporary Painters from Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina. 1966 - 5 Contemporary Painters from Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay. 1966 - 1st National Biennial of Plastic Arts; Salvador BA. 1967 - 9th Bienal Internacional de Arte de São Paulo, at the Bienal Foundation; Sao Paulo-SP. 1968 - 2nd Esso Young Artists Salon, at MAM / RJ; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. 1969 - 7th JB Art Summary, at MAM-RJ ; Rio de Janeiro - RJ. Local de realização:(Brasil / Rio de Janeiro / Rio de Janeiro) Instituição de realização:Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, Ficha Técnicado evento Resumo de Arte JB Artista participante: Anna Letycia, Darel, Farnese de Andrade, Fayga Ostrower, Flexor, Frans Krajcberg, Ione Saldanha...

Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Contemporary Big Abstract Vivid Strokes Colors Artist Christina Gschwantner
Contemporary Big Abstract Vivid Strokes Colors Artist Christina Gschwantner

Contemporary Big Abstract Vivid Strokes Colors Artist Christina Gschwantner

By Christina Gschwantner

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Gold line, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Gold line, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Jakob Gold

Located in Yardley, PA

Artist: Jakob Gold Work: Original Acrylic Painting, Handmade Artwork, One of a Kind Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Style: Abstract Art Unframed, Stretched on Wooden Bar, Gallery Wrapped, ...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

White lacqured foldes
White lacqured foldes

White lacqured foldes

By Svetlana Saratova

Located in Zofingen, AG

An original textured artwork handcrafted on canvas using clay, acrylic, and a glossy finish. The sculptural forms, rendered in pure white, evoke the graceful flow of draped fabric, c...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Clay, Canvas, Acrylic

The Pursuit of Thought – Large Abstract Library Oil Painting on canvas, French
The Pursuit of Thought – Large Abstract Library Oil Painting on canvas, French

The Pursuit of Thought – Large Abstract Library Oil Painting on canvas, French

By SOPHIE DUMONT

Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR

Created by a contemporary French artist recognized for his refined approach to material and abstraction, this painting reflects a deep exploration of memory, silence, and time throug...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

210125
210125

210125

By Alicia Gimeno

Located in Badung, ID

Alicia Gimeno approaches painting as a form of writing—one that exists beyond language, meaning, or legibility. From an early fascination with Eastern calligraphy, her practice evolv...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

The Taste of Wild Honey
The Taste of Wild Honey

The Taste of Wild Honey

Located in Zofingen, AG

The Taste of Wild Honey This work is part of the Infinity Map series, dedicated to exploring the inner world and the search for personal answers. Different facets of the inner self ...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media

Figure with Orange and Blue - Original Signed Abstract Expressionist Work
Figure with Orange and Blue - Original Signed Abstract Expressionist Work

Figure with Orange and Blue - Original Signed Abstract Expressionist Work

By Felix Ruvolo

Located in Soquel, CA

Figure with Orange and Blue - Original Signed Abstract Expressionist Work Dynamic figural abstract piece by Felix Ruvolo (American, 1912-1992). In the center of the composition is a...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Gouache, Ink

Valley Moon Abstract
Valley Moon Abstract

Valley Moon Abstract

Located in New York, NY

This Chinese ancestry, California based artist created collage layered paintings of remarkable quality and appeal. A great example of his best work and of good size. The layers and...

Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Dye, Acrylic, Board, Rice Paper

"Nude show"
"Nude show"

"Nude show"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

A composition titled Nude Show unfolds across a deep brown background, where the warmth of the surface grounds the visual tension. Female figures emerge not as literal bodies, but as...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Plywood, Oil

“Untitled Abstract”
“Untitled Abstract”

“Untitled Abstract”

By Nahum Tschacbasov

Located in Southampton, NY

Original mid-century modern abstract oil on canvas painting by the well known Russian/American artist Nahum Tschacbasov. Signed lower right and dated 1945. Condition is very good. P...

Category

1940s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Colourful French Mixed Media Abstract Painting, Acrylic and Ink, 1980s
Colourful French Mixed Media Abstract Painting, Acrylic and Ink, 1980s

Colourful French Mixed Media Abstract Painting, Acrylic and Ink, 1980s

Located in Cotignac, FR

Colourful, French mixed media abstract, acrylic, newsprint and ink from the 1980s. The canvas is signed and dated bottom right but we have not yet managed to decipher it. A colourful and engaging painting crossing over styles. The colourfield elements are reminiscent of the work of Mark Rothko, three defined bands of colour in orange/pink tones vertically dissecting the painting with one horizontal band across the top, and yet the elongated depiction of the female figures within the bands remind us of Gustav Klimt and his paintings of Adele. The background of the painting has been worked broadly with a palette knife whilst the detail has been added quickly and deftly with ink or finer brushstrokes. With the addition of newsprint (in French) the artist may...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Newsprint, Ink

Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman

Portrait of a Woman

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Neo-Expressionist painting depicts a young woman in luminous light. Encaustic on canvas, 13 x 15 inches. Unsigned. Minor paint loss along right edge.

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Encaustic

Contemporary Minimal Abstract Diptych, Large-Scale Neutral Textured Painting
Contemporary Minimal Abstract Diptych, Large-Scale Neutral Textured Painting

Contemporary Minimal Abstract Diptych, Large-Scale Neutral Textured Painting

By Viktor Kobylianski

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Pigment

Large French 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting Orange and Pink
Large French 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting Orange and Pink

Large French 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting Orange and Pink

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Marie Deloume (French born 1942) signed oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 51 x 38 inches condition: overall very good, a few minor s...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Oil

Deep Blue, Abstract Oil Painting
Deep Blue, Abstract Oil Painting

Deep Blue, Abstract Oil Painting

By Heidi Hybl

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Deep blues sit below the composition, while soft cream tones rest above. The colors illustrate the sky and water along the Big Sur Coast, where artist Heidi Hyb...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Haven in the Chaos
Haven in the Chaos

Haven in the Chaos

Located in Zofingen, AG

Size: 145×97 cm (overall size with stretching 155×107 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled Haven in the Chaos" is a deep exploration of the phenomenon of inn...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Spring Day
Spring Day

Spring Day

By Jacob Burda

Located in Zofingen, AG

A tranquil rural landscape in which green grass awakens after winter and a modest rural house rests among the awakening trees surrounded by geese grazing nearby This painting reflec...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Abstract 2479
Abstract 2479

Alex SenchenkoAbstract 2479, 2024

$1,335Sale Price|40% Off

Abstract 2479

By Alex Senchenko

Located in Zofingen, AG

In my painting, I've danced with colors on the canvas, letting acrylics flow and merge to depict the emotions of renewal and growth. This abstract expression allows the viewer to fee...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Geometric Abstraction Oil on Canvas
Geometric Abstraction Oil on Canvas

Geometric Abstraction Oil on Canvas

By Jaro

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Geometric Abstraction Artist signed on reverse, oil on canvas JARO was born in 1934 Prague the Czech Republic. Since his childhood, he enjoyed his art class at school the most. Almo...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Vintage American Impressionist Signed Beach Scene Framed Original Oil Painting
Vintage American Impressionist Signed Beach Scene Framed Original Oil Painting

Vintage American Impressionist Signed Beach Scene Framed Original Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Very nicely painted American impressionist beach scene. A nice summer view with a figure walking along the shore. Signed lower right illegibly. Framed handsomely in a wide gold gi...

Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Azure drifts - abstract painting
Azure drifts - abstract painting

Azure drifts - abstract painting

By Eran Shmueli

Located in New York, NY

This beautiful diptych by Eran Shmueli will bring color to any room it will be placed in. These are 2 hand made pieces that comes rolled in a tube but can also shipped framed with a...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper, Ballpoint Pen

Joyous Sea, Abstract Seascape, Horizontal Diptych, Paper, Turquoise Fish Pattern
Joyous Sea, Abstract Seascape, Horizontal Diptych, Paper, Turquoise Fish Pattern

Joyous Sea, Abstract Seascape, Horizontal Diptych, Paper, Turquoise Fish Pattern

By Enric Servera

Located in Barcelona, ES

This series by Enric Servera explores the relationship of humans to salt and seawater. The intention of these works is to submerge us into the sea, a salty treasure that surrounds us...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Monoprint

The Memory of Unknown Things 7(iii), Contemporary, Abstract
The Memory of Unknown Things 7(iii), Contemporary, Abstract

The Memory of Unknown Things 7(iii), Contemporary, Abstract

Located in Deddington, GB

The Memory of Unknown Things is a series of paintings exploring the experience of knowing something but not being able to retrieve it immediately from memory. Through the painting pr...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Plant in Pottery Pot 2 - Original Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper
Plant in Pottery Pot 2 - Original Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper

Plant in Pottery Pot 2 - Original Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper

By Krisanne Souter

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

Into the Wave, Large Ocean Diptych, Abstract Fishing Net, Mixed Media on Paper
Into the Wave, Large Ocean Diptych, Abstract Fishing Net, Mixed Media on Paper

Into the Wave, Large Ocean Diptych, Abstract Fishing Net, Mixed Media on Paper

By Enric Servera

Located in Barcelona, ES

Unusual Seascape is a striking mixed-media diptych that reimagines the ocean as an abstract cartography of color, texture, and movement. Layers of vibrant blues and orange tones coll...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Monoprint

581, Contemporary Abstract Painting, Bright Statement Art, Geometric Painting
581, Contemporary Abstract Painting, Bright Statement Art, Geometric Painting

581, Contemporary Abstract Painting, Bright Statement Art, Geometric Painting

By Jessie Woodward

Located in Deddington, GB

Original abstract painting Discover new works by Jessie Woodward available to buy online and in our art gallery. Jessie Woodward is an abstract painter and mixed media artist. She ha...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Oil Pastel, Pen

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.