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.
L'equilibre des voix, Contemporary Large Abstract Oil Painting, 42x42 in
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
L’Équilibre des Voix Sophie Dumont L’Équilibre des Voix, 2026 Oil on canvas 100 x 100 cm (39.4 x 39.4 in) Framed: 107 x 107 cm (42.1 x 42.1 in) Signed by the artist Black or natural...
Canvas, Oil
Golden Hour (The Meeting)
Located in Zofingen, AG
Golden Hour (The Meeting) is a luminous contemporary impressionist painting that explores the emotional power of human connection through expressive brushwork, radiant color, and atm...
Canvas, Acrylic
Xavi Carbonell, Untitled mixed media on canvas framed, 2025
Located in New York, NY
Xavi Carbonell, Large Scale Contemporary Spanish Mixed Media Painting Bold, energetic, and visually arresting, this large scale work by Spanish contemporary artist Xavi Carbonell (b....
Alabaster
Original Triptych Garden Story-le Bleu-British Awarded Artist-Gold leaf on Oil
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This Set of 3, gold leaf and oil, named Garden Story are a part of Le Bleu Series by award winning British artist Shizico Yi. She created the series plein air in the early summer ev...
Gold Leaf
The Shambles in York City England Medieval Street Framed, Acrylic on Board, 2007
Located in Preston, GB
The Shambles in York City England Medieval Street Framed, Acrylic on Board, 2007 - a rare early work by leading British Contemporary Artist, Angela Wakefield. This colourful & en...
Gesso, Paint, Varnish, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Board
$2,056
Snow. Abstract Winter Landscape, Contemporary, Textured Art, Mixed Media
Located in Oslo, NO
"Snow" is an atmospheric abstract landscape from the "Golden Series" by Swiss artist Anna Shesterikova. Combinations of acrylic, natural stone, sand, structural acrylic paste and epo...
Canvas, Epoxy Resin, Acrylic
Partition, Contemporary Abstract Painting by Sophie Dumont
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Partition is an original oil on canvas by French contemporary artist Sophie Dumont. Known for her richly layered surfaces and architectural sense of composition, Dumont creates paint...
Oil
$5,484
Vers l'equilibre, Contemporary Large Abstract Geometric Oil Painting, 34 x 34 in
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Vers l'Équilibre - Oil on canvas Unframed: 80 x 80 x 2 cm (31.50 x 31.50 x 0.79 in) Framed: 87 x 87 x 3.5 cm (34.25 x 34.25 x 1.38 in) Black or natural wood floater frame available S...
Canvas, Oil
$1,300Sale Price|35% Off
1950's Mid-Century Abstract Expressionist painting
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Stunning abstract expressionist painting, ca. 1955. Oil on Canvas, measuring 36 x 40 inches. Some natural cracking and paint loss due to heavy impasto technique. Unsigned. Art su...
Canvas, Oil
Profils interieurs, Contemporary Large Abstract Oil Painting, 42x42 in
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Profils Intérieurs Oil on canvas 2026 100 x 100 cm (39.37 x 389.37 in) Framed dimensions: approx. 107 x 107 cm (42.12 x 42.12 in= Framing: Floater frame available in black or natural...
Canvas, Oil
Quiet Coast, Encaustic Painting on Panel, Abstract, Framed, 21st Century
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Encaustic on panel. It's simple; I create art because it makes me happy. I try not to overthink the process of what I’m painting and let my intuition be my guide. I love laying do...
Encaustic
$11,255
Abstraction 150.200-2 13 A by Nicolas Galtier - Abstract Gold Leaf Painting
Located in Paris, FR
Abstraction 150.200-2 13 A is a painting by French artist Nicolas Galtier. The artist uses a mixed technique combining pigments, binders, glues and various metal powders and sheets. ...
Linen, Mixed Media
Gravitation – Large Geometric Abstract Oil Painting by French Artist
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Gravitation – Contemporary Geometric Abstract Painting, Sophie Dumont, 2026 Gravitation is an original oil painting on canvas by French contemporary artist Sophie Dumont. Through a ...
Oil
Where it is quiet, No.5
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work, the artist explores silence as a state of inner balance and presence. Drawing from the ощущення of natural landscapes, she creates a distilled, atmospheric space where ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Where it is quiet, No.1
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work emerged from an inner need to pause and enter a space where tension no longer exists. In a world where silence has become rare and fragile, painting becomes a way to briefl...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$1,090
Festival of Joy - Abstract Expressionism Maximalis Delight Joy Texture Statement
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Festival of Joy Abstract Expressionism Colorful Delight Joy Movement Texture Statement Vibrant Festivitas Laetitiae - Festival of Joy This vibrant artwork, set on a deep cr...
Oil, Acrylic
$731Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary abstract expressionist floral painting on paper "Golden Sunflowers"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
Contemporary Fauvist-inspired floral still life, expressive acrylic painting on heavyweight professional acid-free paper (50 × 65 cm / 19.7 × 25.6 inches), radiant bouquet compositio...
Paper, Acrylic
$2,468Sale Price|20% Off
Modern abstract expressionist floral painting on linen canvas "Flower Light"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Flower Light” is a contemporary floral still life by French artist Natalya Mougenot, where vibrant color and instinctive gesture transform a simple bouquet into a celebration of lig...
Canvas, Linen, Acrylic
$1,998Sale Price|20% Off
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Multi Colors
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 45 x 35 inches condition: the work is in overall very sound and good con...
Canvas, Oil
$442Sale Price|25% Off
The Awakening: Colorful Floral Landscape Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: The Awakening 2 Floral Landscape Nature Colorful Vibrant Flowers Joy Delight Texture Layers Little Gem In creating this painting, I portrayed the vibrant dance of nature and...
Acrylic, Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Stretcher Bars
"umbrella girl series" - Gold Edition No.11, Abstract, 21st Century, Clay
By Roger König
Located in Dessau-Rosslau, Sachsen Anhalt
Gold Edition - with real gold leaf, 23,75 carat Art measures 19.68 x 19.68 inches Frame measures 27.55 x 27.55 inches Framed in a high-quality contemporary wooden moulding. Color:...
Clay, Acrylic
Marine Spectrum, Mixed Media Seascape, Art Brut Style on Paper, Light Tones
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...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor
$9,713
Conjonction, Large Geometric Abstract Oil Painting on Linen, Sophie Dumont, 2026
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Conjonction (2026) is a large-format geometric abstract oil painting on linen by French contemporary artist Sophie Dumont. Structured around a constellation of curved forms, vertical...
Oil
$1,750Sale Price|30% Off
pink blue abstract coastal beach water impressionist painting original artwork
Located in COOMERA, QLD
"Pink Summer Light" Exploring the arrival of summer, summer nights and the beauty of the vast Pacific Ocean, containing some of the most deep blue colored waters in the world. I pain...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,468Sale Price|20% Off
Modern abstract expressionist floral painting on linen canvas "Peony Bloom"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Peony Bloom" is a contemporary floral still life by French artist Natalya Mougenot, where vibrant color and expressive gesture celebrate the joyful abundance of peonies at their pea...
Acrylic, Canvas, Linen
Exotischer Klang Exotic Sound, 1930 Oversize Archival Pigment print
Located in London, GB
Exotischer Klang (Exotic Sound), 1930 (after) Paul Klee (Original work) is Pen and ink, pencil, and watercolour on paper, mounted on card, 47 × 61.3/62.3cm. Dusseldorf, North Rhine-...
Archival Pigment
$1,026
Original-Moon Lit Dahlias-British Awarded Artist-Gold Leaf on oil canvas Board
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Moonlit Dahlia is a large gold-leaf painting created by Shizico Yi in early autumn, when dahlias reach their fullest bloom and the first turning leaves colour the garden. Painted on ...
Gold Leaf
21 (Gestural Abstract, Warm, Heart, Pink, Green)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Katherine Bello 21 Oil on Canvas 2021 Size: 40 x 30 x 1.5 inches (101.6 cm × 76.20 × 3.81 cm) Signed, dated and titled by hand COA provided *On Stretcher Frame, Gallery-wrapped - re...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
#21, 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
Where it is quiet No.8
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting is part of the “Where it is quiet” series, which continues my ongoing search for a sense of stillness found in nature, light, colour, and open space. The work was crea...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$4,885Sale Price|52% Off
Eternity Abstract Expressionist Painting, XXL Oil & Acrylic on Canvas
Located in London, London
full size 212x118cm full size canvas stretched size204x110x10cm All custom charges are included in the final price agreed. unframed, shipped rolled XXL, Extra-large painting, larg...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$274Sale Price|20% Off
"Bright bouquet" Contemporary abstract expressionist floral still life painting
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Bright Bouquet" is an original Contemporary Expressionist floral painting by French artist Natalya Mougenot, created in 2026 as part of her ongoing series dedicated to flowers. Executed with watercolors and acrylic paint pens on heavyweight professional acid-free paper, this A4 artwork (21 × 29.7 cm 8.27 × 11.69 inches) celebrates the emotional power of color through an expressive visual language inspired by nature. A vibrant bouquet of golden blossoms rises from a luminous pink pitcher...
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor
$734Sale Price|20% Off
Mid Century French Geometric Abstract Starburst in Brown Blue and White
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Mid Century French Geometric Abstract Starburst in Brown Blue and White by Serge Guerin (b. 1916), French signed lower right “SG”, name stamped verso Acrylic and gouache on ar...
Ink, Acrylic, Gouache
$3,416
Terres de lumiere, Contemporary Abstract Landscape Painting in Earthy tones
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Terres de Lumière (Lands of Light) French contemporary painter Sophie Dumont is renowned for her richly layered oil paintings inspired by landscape, memory, and the passage of time....
Oil
My Joyful Heart - Lively Colorful Abstract 3-D Painted Weaving
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...
Wire
Hiroshi Honda Abstracted Trees Painting, Signed
Located in New York, NY
Hiroshi Honda (American, 1910-1970) Untitled, c. mid-20th century Oil on board 15 3/4 x 30 in. Framed: 19 1/2 x 33 1/2 x 1 in. Signed lower right Hiroshi Honda (1910–1970) was an Am...
Oil, Board
Presence silencieuse, Contemporary Large Abstract Geometric Oil Paint
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Presence Silencieuse Oil on canvas, 80 x 80 cm (31.5 x 31.5 in) Framed dimensions: approx. 87 x 87 cm (34.3 x 34.3 in) Floating frame available in black or natural wood. Presence S...
Oil, Canvas
$900
Sea in Orange, School of Fish in Turquoise, Abstract Patterns Seascape, Paper
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...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor
$1,490
Floral Fantasy: Nature Abstract Bold Statement Colorful Invest Striking Delight
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Floral Fantasy Nature, Abstract, Bold, Statement, Colorful, Invest, Striking, Delight, Modern, Landscape. In this work, I've poured my heart into a vivid garden of dreams, u...
Acrylic, Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Stretcher Bars
Falling Reef. From the series Polyculture
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These works explore our relationship with the incredible biodiversity of our planet Earth. Visual representations of flowing colours, smells, sounds and the feeling of our life sourc...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Silent Sanctuary
Located in Zofingen, AG
The world does not always come at you loudly. Sometimes it is quiet and persistent — a thousand small moments of pressure, expectation, judgment. A look that says you are too much. A...
Canvas, Oil, Spray Paint
$600
"All Fours" (Animalia, Fauna, Contemporary, Original, Nude Figures, Raw, Horses)
Located in Paris, IDF
ALL FOURS 2025 Paris, France The painting shows four men on hands and knees in the foreground, their bodies merging in muted white and black tones against a plain ochre-brown backgr...
Acrylic, Dye, Cotton Canvas, Oil
$705
A Place to Breathe - Abstract Gold Leaf and Acrylic Sky Painting on Wood Panel
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Adele Webster’s contemporary landscape paintings explore atmosphere, light, and the emotional presence of open space. Working with layered acrylic washes on wood panel, Webster creat...
Gold Leaf
Picnic by the Cypress
Located in Zofingen, AG
Picnic by the Cypress Size: 140×97 cm (overall size with stretching 150×107 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled In this piece, a moment of calm and ease mee...
Canvas, Acrylic
Original-Once in a Sturgeon Moon-Brit Awarded Artist-plein-air with gold-leaf
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Painted en plein air beneath the final full moon of summer—the Sturgeon Moon—this work captures a rare moment when the florals in Shizico Yi’s garden glowed under brilliant moonlight...
Gold Leaf
$5,990
Whispering Winds Bay by Gabriela Azar Schreiner. Contemporary abstract
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
$455Sale Price|30% Off
Blue Desert No. 6 - Abstract Deep Green Bronze Geometric Original Wall Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Alexander Eulert's original mixed media paintings on wood panels are abstract propositions of worlds where divergent forces coalesce into harmonious geometric interactions. He draws ...
Metal, Gold Leaf
After sound
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work is about a sound that has already disappeared, yet continues to exist as a trace. I am interested not in the moment itself, but in what remains after: vibration, residual m...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,913
Lisiere d'horizon, French Abstract Landscape Painting, Contemporary Coastal
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
In Lisière d'horizon, Sophie Dumont distills the landscape to its essential rhythms. Broad horizontal bands of muted blues, warm ochres, soft whites and earthy reds suggest the meeti...
Oil
"Forevermore 2" - Original Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Denver, CO
Forevermore 2 by Dorothy Fagan is a 2023 oil on canvas measuring 48 x 36 inches, with a framed size of 49.50 x 37.50 x 2 inches. Professionally framed and ready to hang, this vibrant...
Canvas, Oil
$13,712
Couleurs en équilibre – Large Contemporary Geometric Abstract Oil Painting
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Sophie Dumont (b. 1964, Paris) French contemporary painter Sophie Dumont has developed a distinctive body of work over the past two decades, exploring the intersection of memory, str...
Oil
Summer After Winter, Abstract Painting
By Kajal Zaveri
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Inspired by the transition from winter's stillness to the abundance of summer, this painting celebrates nature's renewal and vitality. Layers of vibrant green e...
Acrylic
Contemporary Watercolor Painting, 'Design for Light', c. 2000 by David Ruth
By David Ruth
Located in Oakland, CA
This is a contemporary abstract watercolor painting by artist David Ruth. This series of paintings often feature bright colors and vibrant layouts that draw the viewer in. They are c...
Paper, Watercolor
Take a smile with you by Gaetan de Seguin - Figurative contemporary Painting
Located in DE
Contemporary figurative painting with lots of details and movement. Beautiful statement piece for any art collection. Combining a lot of different colors in any interiors and setting...
Canvas, Acrylic
Surreal White Deer and Red Anthurium Oil and Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Surreal white deer, red anthurium and animal bones emerge within a colorful oil and acrylic painting on canvas structured through gradients and fragmented forms. Originally titled W...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Vigilantes II, From the Mediterránea Series. Marcio Marquez Massa
Located in Villa Allende, AR
Vigilantes II Marcio Marquez Massa 2025 From the Mediterránea Series Oil on Canvas 290 × 140 cm (114.2 × 55.1 in) Vigilantes II is a monumental oil painting from Marcio Marquez Mas...
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil
$2,161
Fragments of Light - Large Impasto Abstract Painting, Textured Blue Pink Canvas
Located in Zofingen, AG
Experience the captivating interplay of light, color, and texture with this original abstract painting. "Fragments of Light" is a visual metaphor for the artist’s vision of life — po...
Acrylic
$292Sale Price|20% Off
Abstract Impressionist oil painting on cardboard "Blossoms of the almond tree"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This contemporary floral expressionist piece with a touch of impressionism was created by French artist Natalya Mougenot and belongs to her evocative series dedicated to the beauty o...
Oil, Cardboard
$1,919Sale Price|20% Off
Blue Landscape, Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting Large Size made in Italy
Located in Agrigento, AG
Description and details In Blue Landscape, Marilina Marchica transforms the landscape into an essential, contemplative space. Deep shades of blue are crossed by a subtle line of ligh...
Canvas, Oil
Titulado "Airo XII" - Acrílico sobre tela - Firmado y enmarcado
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra va firmada por el autor en la parte inferior En la parte trasera, va nuevamente firmado y titulado Se presenta enmarcada la pintura Buen estado de conservación el de la pi...
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.