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
5,527
6,743
6,609
6,951
7,334
14,904
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
5
19
5,636
36,882
1
7
16
50
122
421
788
781
839
773
1
42,543
38,372
23,503
8,585
4,817
3,566
3,243
2,687
1,225
1,177
935
907
407
270
18,217
14,038
9,827
2,905
1,939
1,393
676
532
527
454
404
368
278
276
226
216
214
185
183
171
148
134
120
38,054
22,747
22,655
17,328
16,350
690
560
360
293
275
7,482
5,858
22,685
15,452
Style: Abstract
Golden Accent. Abstract.
Golden Accent. Abstract.

Golden Accent. Abstract.

By Svetlana Saratova

Located in Zofingen, AG

This painting on a small canvas, measuring 40x40 cm, is a unique work of art. The edge of the painting is crafted using modeling paste, forming circles. This edge is painted with bla...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Clay, Canvas, Acrylic, Mixed Media

Still life with flowers  cardboard/oil, 70x49 cm
Still life with flowers  cardboard/oil, 70x49 cm

Still life with flowers cardboard/oil, 70x49 cm

Located in Riga, LV

Aleksandr Rodin (1922-2001) Painter Born in a family of farmers. Wife Rasma Lace - art scholar. Studied at the Stalingrad School of Art, Saratov Art School, graduated from the Depar...

Category

1990s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Geometric Painting by Martha Lloyd, Carrie Haddad Gallery Provenance
Geometric Painting by Martha Lloyd, Carrie Haddad Gallery Provenance

Geometric Painting by Martha Lloyd, Carrie Haddad Gallery Provenance

By Martha Lloyd

Located in New York, NY

Martha Lloyd (American, 1927-2018) Thaw, 1997 Oil and wax (encaustic) on canvas 20 x 20 in. Framed: 21 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 1 3/4 in. Inscribed verso Provenance: Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY Martha Anne Lloyd...

Category

1990s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Encaustic, Oil

Notice-ing (Abstract painting)
Notice-ing (Abstract painting)

Notice-ing (Abstract painting)

By Xanda McCagg

Located in London, GB

Notice-ing (Abstract painting) Oil and graphite on canvas. Unframed. This work is rooted in the human figure, but is abstracted. The forms could be construed as figures in space –s...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Graphite

Landscape 128 by Jean Krille - Oil on masonite 70x50.5 cm
Landscape 128 by Jean Krille - Oil on masonite 70x50.5 cm

Landscape 128 by Jean Krille - Oil on masonite 70x50.5 cm

By Jean Krille

Located in Geneva, CH

Jean Krillé’s paintings are known for their expressive use of color and dynamic, abstract forms, blending realism with abstraction in his depictions of nature. His landscapes often f...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Untitled Abstraction
Untitled Abstraction

Untitled Abstraction

By Rolph Scarlett

Located in Summit, NJ

Gouache on paper by Rolph Scarlett c. 1950s. The piece is signed "Scarlett" on the front in two places. The piece is in perfect condition. Unframed it measures 10.75 x 13.5.

Category

1950s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gouache

View of planet earth-6
View of planet earth-6

View of planet earth-6

By Svetlana Saratova

Located in Zofingen, AG

An abstract composition is presented on the canvas, created using the fluid acrylic technique. The painting is built on the flowing movement of paint, creating a sense of depth, text...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Lanzorate, Large Abstract Collage, New York Artist
Lanzorate, Large Abstract Collage, New York Artist

Lanzorate, Large Abstract Collage, New York Artist

By Joseph Glasco

Located in Beachwood, OH

Joseph Glasco (American, 1925-1996) Lanzorate, 1985 Monotype with fabric collage and mixed media on paper Signed and dated lower right, 1/1, titled lower left 31.5 x 48 inches 37 x 5...

Category

1980s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Fabric, Paper, Monotype

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

Magico, Large Abstract Painting by Bob Nugent
Magico, Large Abstract Painting by Bob Nugent

Magico, Large Abstract Painting by Bob Nugent

By Bob Nugent

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Bob Nugent, American Title: Magico Year: 2002 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed, titled, and dated verso Size: 50 x 70 in. (127 x 177.8 cm) Frame Size: 52 x 72 inches

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage American Black and White Framed Abstract Oil Painting
Vintage American Black and White Framed Abstract Oil Painting

Vintage American Black and White Framed Abstract Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American abstract painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Measuring: 26 by 22 inches overall and 24 by 20 artwork alone. Framed in a wooden floater frame. Excellent condition, read...

Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Red Cloth 153 - Abstract Flowy Minimalist Figurative Ink Painting on Paper
The Red Cloth 153 - Abstract Flowy Minimalist Figurative Ink Painting on Paper

The Red Cloth 153 - Abstract Flowy Minimalist Figurative Ink Painting on Paper

By Bettina Mauel

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Bettina Mauel expresses dynamism and sensuality in her paintings: “I paint what I experience,” she articulates. “This includes landscapes, flowers, and people in motion, capturing th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Linen, Ink, Mixed Media, Graphite

Contemporary abstract figurative expressive human figure portrait "Inner being"
Contemporary abstract figurative expressive human figure portrait "Inner being"

Contemporary abstract figurative expressive human figure portrait "Inner being"

By Mougenot Natalya

Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR

“Inner Being” is a contemporary portrait by French artist Natalya Mougenot, part of her ongoing exploration of the human presence beyond appearance — a direction closely connected to...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Some Spain Abstract Painting on Found Wood, Textured, 2021, Signed
Some Spain Abstract Painting on Found Wood, Textured, 2021, Signed

Some Spain Abstract Painting on Found Wood, Textured, 2021, Signed

By Nicholas Evans

Located in Paris, IDF

SOME SPAIN 2021 Paris, France Graphically bold, yet cerebral, this textured, abstract piece offers a rich color palette. Painted using oil, acrylic and plaster, and executed on an ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Wood, Found Objects, Oil, Acrylic

Always and Forever
Always and Forever

Always and Forever

By Ilana Greenberg

Located in Brooklyn, NY

This black and white acrylic painting on paper is inspired by the mid-century masters. Framed in a vintage gold wood frame, wired and ready to hang Signed on the back - Ilana Greenb...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Ruz   White Background  Reds  Stripes  Big. SQUARES. original

Ruz White Background Reds Stripes Big. SQUARES. original

By Rafael Ruz

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

SQUARES. original acrylic on canvas. abstract. painting composed of 4 canvases of 16sx114 cm Ruz, Rafael (Barcelona 1956) While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are inclined to...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Blossom Diptych, Monoprint on Japanese Paper, Pastel Tones Flowers Patterns 2025
Blossom Diptych, Monoprint on Japanese Paper, Pastel Tones Flowers Patterns 2025

Blossom Diptych, Monoprint on Japanese Paper, Pastel Tones Flowers Patterns 2025

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

#11 (Abstract Expressionist mid-century painting)
#11 (Abstract Expressionist mid-century painting)

#11 (Abstract Expressionist mid-century painting)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

RAYMOND JOHN MACMAHON (1913–2023) #11, 1957. Oil on linen canvas, 24 x 32 inches. Unframed. Signed , titled and dated on verso. Minor craquelure and flaking. Raymond John MacMa...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Summer Ambience, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Summer Ambience, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Summer Ambience, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By silvia vassileva

Located in Yardley, PA

This abstract is a celebration of color. Spontaneous, playful and light, it expresses the joy of summer. The warm tangerine, soft pink and yellow interact with sea blue suggesting ex...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

A dynamic futurist inspired painting with a color-filled pallet
A dynamic futurist inspired painting with a color-filled pallet

A dynamic futurist inspired painting with a color-filled pallet

Located in Colfax, CA

A dynamic abstract painting from the 1950s. The work appears to be signed, Nicotine, Nicotina, or Vicotina? The artist was clearly influenced by earlier styles of abstraction, includ...

Category

1950s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

"IN THE GARDEN", Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

"IN THE GARDEN", Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By June Johnson

Located in Yardley, PA

Painting these wonderful flowers outside in the fresh air was such fun. I am looking forward to another season of plein air painting. :: Painting :: Abstract :: This piece comes ...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Plant-like
Plant-like

James BrooksPlant-like, c.1945

$12,000Sale Price|20% Off

Plant-like

By James Brooks

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

James Brooks (1906-1992). Plantlike, c.1945. Oil on canvas measures 18 x 24 inches; 24 x 30 inches in a painted wood frame of the period. Signed "J. David Brooks" lower right, Signed...

Category

1940s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Arroyo Grove, c. 1940s
Arroyo Grove, c. 1940s

Arroyo Grove, c. 1940s

By Samuel Hyde Harris

Located in Pasadena, CA

Consigned to American Legacy Fine Arts by H&N Fine Art as part of the Katherine A. Norris Legacy Collection, Newport Beach, California; Bonham’s California, April 11, 2005, lot 205, sold for $7,000; Estate of Sam Harris Signed "Sam Hyde Harris...

Category

1940s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel, Masonite

“Sandscape 2”
“Sandscape 2”

“Sandscape 2”

By Syd Solomon

Located in Southampton, NY

Original oil and acrylic painting on canvas titled “Sandscape 2” by the well known American artist, Syd Solomon. Signed Syd Solomon lower left. Signed and dated Syd Solomon 1972 and inscribed as titled on the reverse. 22 × 30 inches. Overall very good to excellent condition. No notable issues detected during inspection. No signs of restoration under UV inspection. The painting is in its original wood with silver reveal floating frame. Overall framed measurements are 24.25 by 32.25 inches. Provenance: A private collector. Syd Solomon was born near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1917. He began painting in high school in Wilkes-Barre, where he was also a star football player. After high school, he worked in advertising and took classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the war effort and was assigned to the First Camouflage Battalion, the 924th Engineer Aviation Regiment of the US Army. He used his artistic skills to create camouflage instruction manuals utilized throughout the Army. He married Ann Francine Cohen in late 1941. Soon thereafter, in early 1942, the couple moved to Fort Ord in California where he was sent to camouflage the coast to protect it from possible aerial bombings. Sent overseas in 1943, Solomon did aerial reconnaissance over Holland. Solomon was sent to Normandy early in the invasion where his camouflage designs provided protective concealment for the transport of supplies for men who had broken through the enemy line. Solomon was considered one of the best camoufleurs in the Army, receiving among other commendations, five bronze stars. Solomon often remarked that his camouflage experience during World War II influenced his ideas about abstract art. At the end of the War, he attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Because Solomon suffered frostbite during the Battle of the Bulge, he could not live in cold climates, so he and Annie chose to settle in Sarasota, Florida, after the War. Sarasota was home to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, and soon Solomon became friends with Arthur Everett “Chick” Austin, Jr., the museum’s first Director. In the late 1940s, Solomon experimented with new synthetic media, the precursors to acrylic paints provided to him by chemist Guy Pascal, who was developing them. Victor D’Amico, the first Director of Education for the Museum of Modern Art, recognized Solomon as the first artist to use acrylic paint. His early experimentation with this medium as well as other media put him at the forefront of technical innovations in his generation. He was also one of the first artists to use aerosol sprays and combined them with resists, an innovation influenced by his camouflage experience. Solomon’s work began to be acknowledged nationally in 1952. He was included in American Watercolors, Drawings and Prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. From 1952–1962, Solomon’s work was discovered by the cognoscenti of the art world, including the Museum of Modern Art Curators, Dorothy C. Miller and Peter Selz, and the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Director, John I. H. Baur. He had his first solo show in New York at the Associated American Artists Gallery in 1955 with “Chick” Austin, Jr. writing the essay for the exhibition. In the summer of 1955, the Solomons visited East Hampton, New York, for the first time at the invitation of fellow artist David Budd. There, Solomon met and befriended many of the artists of the New York School, including Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, James Brooks, Alfonso Ossorio, and Conrad Marca-Relli. By 1959, and for the next thirty-five years, the Solomons split the year between Sarasota (in the winter and spring) and the Hamptons (in the summer and fall). In 1959, Solomon began showing regularly in New York City at the Saidenberg Gallery with collector Joseph Hirshhorn buying three paintings from Solomon’s first show. At the same time, his works entered the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, Connecticut, among others. Solomon also began showing at Signa Gallery in East Hampton and at the James David Gallery in Miami run by the renowned art dealer, Dorothy Blau. In 1961, the Guggenheim Museum’s H. H. Arnason bestowed to him the Silvermine Award at the 13th New England Annual. Additionally, Thomas Hess of ARTnews magazine chose Solomon as one of the ten outstanding painters of the year. At the suggestion of Alfred H. Barr, Jr., the Museum of Modern Art’s Director, the John and Mable Ringling Museum in Sarasota began its contemporary collection by purchasing Solomon’s painting, Silent World, 1961. Solomon became influential in the Hamptons and in Florida during the 1960s. In late 1964, he created the Institute of Fine Art at the New College in Sarasota. He is credited with bringing many nationally known artists to Florida to teach, including Larry Rivers, Philip Guston, James Brooks, and Conrad Marca-Relli. Later Jimmy Ernst, John Chamberlain, James Rosenquist, and Robert Rauschenberg settled near Solomon in Florida. In East Hampton, the Solomon home was the epicenter of artists and writers who spent time in the Hamptons, including Alfred Leslie, Jim Dine, Ibram Lassaw, Saul Bellow, Barney Rosset, Arthur Kopit, and Harold Rosenberg. In 1970, Solomon, along with architect Gene Leedy, one of the founders of the Sarasota School of Architecture, built an award-winning precast concrete and glass house and studio on the Gulf of Mexico near Midnight Pass in Sarasota. Because of its siting, it functioned much like Monet’s home in Giverny, France. Open to the sky, sea, and shore with inside and outside studios, Solomon was able to fully solicit all the environmental forces that influenced his work. His friend, the art critic Harold Rosenberg, said Solomon’s best work was produced in the period he lived on the beach. During 1974 and 1975, a retrospective exhibition of Solomon’s work was held at the New York Cultural Center and traveled to the John and Mable Ringling Museum in Sarasota. Writer Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. conducted an important interview with Solomon for the exhibition catalogue. The artist was close to many writers, including Harold Rosenberg, Joy Williams, John D. McDonald, Budd Schulberg, Elia Kazan, Betty Friedan...

Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Oil, Canvas

Mid Century French Geometric Abstract Starburst in Blue Green and Purple
Mid Century French Geometric Abstract Starburst in Blue Green and Purple

Mid Century French Geometric Abstract Starburst in Blue Green and Purple

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Title: Mid Century French Geometric Abstract Starburst in Blue Green and Purple by Serge Guerin (b. 1916), French signed lower right “SG”, name stamped verso Acrylic and gouache on b...

Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Ink, Acrylic, Gouache

Blooming Landscape - Framed Layered Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Blooming Landscape - Framed Layered Acrylic Painting on Canvas

Blooming Landscape - Framed Layered Acrylic Painting on Canvas

By Greet Helsen

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Belgian artist Greet Helsen masterfully layers acrylic paint with the effervescent transparency of watercolors in her large mixed-media abstract paintings. Reminiscent of abstract ex...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Ligne de passage, Abstract Seaside, Contemporary, Oil on canvas, French, framed
Ligne de passage, Abstract Seaside, Contemporary, Oil on canvas, French, framed

Ligne de passage, Abstract Seaside, Contemporary, Oil on canvas, French, framed

By SOPHIE DUMONT

Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR

Unframed dimensions: 35 × 27 cm (13.8 × 10.6 in) Framed dimensions: 42 × 34 cm (16.5 × 13.4 in) Choose the black or light wood frame Certificate of authenticity provided In Lignes d...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Contemporary Mixed-Media Abstract Painting on Canvas by Emma Labattaglia 2025
Contemporary Mixed-Media Abstract Painting on Canvas by Emma Labattaglia 2025

Contemporary Mixed-Media Abstract Painting on Canvas by Emma Labattaglia 2025

By Emma Labattaglia

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Linen, Charcoal

Jungle Nights Abstract Expressionist Composition in Oil on Canvas
Jungle Nights Abstract Expressionist Composition in Oil on Canvas

Jungle Nights Abstract Expressionist Composition in Oil on Canvas

Located in Soquel, CA

Jungle Nights Abstract Expressionist Composition in Oil on Canvas Color, texture, light and shadow interplay in this dark jewel tone abstract by an unknown Bay Area abstract express...

Category

1990s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Oil

Pink Cosmos Monotype Print, Abstract Art, 2023, Hand-Pulled by the Artist
Pink Cosmos Monotype Print, Abstract Art, 2023, Hand-Pulled by the Artist

Pink Cosmos Monotype Print, Abstract Art, 2023, Hand-Pulled by the Artist

By a.muse

Located in New york, NY

In the artist's abstract print series, Cosmos, 2023 by a.muse represents an imaginary cosmos - the universe as a place of longing, dreams, wonder, and ethereal beauty. A 13.75" x 11"...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Ink, Rag Paper, Monotype, Gouache

Large Finely Painted American School Abstract Coastal Landscape Oil Painting
Large Finely Painted American School Abstract Coastal Landscape Oil Painting

Large Finely Painted American School Abstract Coastal Landscape Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Very nicely painted American school abstract landscape painting. Framed in a period modernist wood molding. Oil on board. Image size, 24H by 29L.

Category

1940s 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.