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.
Oceanic Blues XL, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Acrylic Abstract Painting, Original artwork created by Ronald Hunter. White gradually transitions into deep blue shades, evoking a sense of depth, of being submerged. Layers of ac...
Acrylic
Triptych: Khloris 007, 003 and 002. From The Series Khloris
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The central concept of Larios painting series KHLORIS is based on the idea of the garden as a metaphorical space. Larios seeks to find a certain romantic beauty in the details of n...
Canvas, Lacquer, Pastel, Automotive Paint, Acrylic
$600Sale Price|20% Off
20th Century Original French Expressionist Oil - Wacky Textured Painting
By P Vilette
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Original oil painting by P. Valetti (French, second half 20th century) oil on canvas, unframed size: 18 x 25.5 inches condition: very good provenance: from the artists estate, France...
Canvas, Oil
$1,020Sale Price|20% Off
Antique American School Modernist Abstract Cubist Framed Mid Century Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nicely painted mid century abstract cubist oil painting. Great color and composition. Framed. Signed.
Canvas, Oil
Composition No. 3
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Composition #3” from the series “Quiet Motion” The work conveys a state of inner balance and gentle flow. Transparent layers and subtle lines evoke a sense of movement that emerges ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$408
Abstract impressionist portrait of Frida Kahlo "Dreaming with Frida" on canvas
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Dreaming with Frida" is a contemporary, faceless abstract portrait of Frida Kahlo by French artist Natalya Mougenot. Blending elements of impressionism and expressionism, the work reimagines one of the most iconic female figures in art with bold color, emotional depth, and symbolic detail. Frida is depicted with orange flowers in her hair and matching orange earrings...
Canvas, Oil
$650
Marina Abismal, Mixed Media Painting, Blue Tones, Mediterranean Fish Patterns
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 sal...
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Mixed Media
Untitled (B)
By Paul Burlin
Located in Columbia, MO
Paul Burlin (American, 1886 - 1969) was a painter whose career spanned Realism, abstraction, and Abstract Expressionism, often addressing social and personal themes through vivid ima...
Canvas, Oil
This is Up - Impasto Thick Paint Colorful 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 a...
Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Abstract Mexican Era Composition
By Eve Peri
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful 1945 painting by American artist, Eve Peri. Watercolor on tissue paper, image measures 18 x 14 inches; 20.5 x 24.5 inches matted behind scratched plexiglass. Artwork and ma...
Watercolor
$4,083
Traveling Alone, expressionism, Joan Mitchell, contemporary art, nature, pink
By Lloyd Tabing
Located in Jönköping, SE
This painting belongs to my ongoing exploration of the relationship between nature and the human experience. It is also painted on raw linen giving the piece a special softness that ...
Acrylic
"Fifteen on the Farm", Abstract Collage painting
By Jill Haas
Located in Westport, CT
In Fifteen on the Farm, Jill Haas arranges florals into a richly layered composition alive with warmth, movement, and graphic clarity. Creamy white blossoms, soft pink forms, and dee...
Mixed Media, Canvas
$792Sale Price|20% Off
Mid Century French Architectural Abstract Ink Drawing Signed SG
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Mid Century French Architectural Abstract Ink Drawing Signed SG by Serge Guerin (b. 1916), French signed lower right 'SG', name stamped verso Ink on artists paper, unframed Si...
Ink
Red Expression Underwater Painting, Oil on Cotton Canvas
Located in Zofingen, AG
Underwater painting were created underwater during scuba diving at the depth of 5.7meters. This expressive oil painting captures a dynamic school of red fish moving through luminous ...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$748Sale Price|20% Off
Interlocking Gouache Forms on Ochre Paper by Serge Guerin French b1916
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Interlocking Gouache Forms on Ochre Paper by Serge Guerin French b1916 by Serge Guerin (b. 1916), French inscribed verso: indistinct handwritten note including “69” (likely th...
Ink, Gouache
1970s Abstract Expressionist Belgian Gouache on Paper.
Located in Cotignac, FR
1970s abstract expressionist gouache on paper by Belgian artist André Pierard painted in Provence in the south of France. A highly colourful and energetic abstract painting. The st...
Paper, Gouache
#148, 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
Contemporary abstract Impressionist landscape on canvas "Summer's nature"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Nature’s Summer” is a vibrant celebration of movement, warmth, and color — a landscape that seems to pulse with the energy of a Provençal afternoon. The painting is built around the...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Her Majesty’s Grace" Figurative Painting 39" x 47" inch by Ahmed Dafrawy
Located in Culver City, CA
"Her Majesty’s Grace" Figurative Painting 39" x 47" inch by Ahmed Dafrawy Dafrawy’s fine arts academic background started in 2014 when he received the certificate of drawing course...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Shark Spin Painting
By Damien Hirst
Located in London, GB
Acrylic on paper. 2009 48.9 × 67.3 cm 94 x 94 cm (framed) A mesmerizing Damien Hirst Spin painting with explosions of vivid color amidst the timeless, mysterious form of a shark. Th...
Paper, Acrylic
In a fearless reality, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Nestor Toro
Located in Yardley, PA
Each color in this impactful painting was hand mixed with mica particles and iridescent mediums to make the lavender, orange, yellow, purple, blue and teal all pop and shine. The col...
Acrylic
$13,250
A641 - Big Canvas Art Large Contemporary Neutral Palette Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swiss born artist Marco Schmidli creates minimalist paintings with a contemporary edge. Placing emphasis on process, he lets the mediums naturally manifest within his artwork. “An im...
Canvas, Acrylic
$874Sale Price|20% Off
Abstract British Contemporary Splash Painting Green and Blue on White
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Green and Blue on White, 2023 signed by Sally Bradshaw (British, b.1962) oil painting on canvas painting: 20 x 16 inches Superb original modern abstract expressionist painting by th...
Acrylic
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
"Application of the Laws" Chine Colle Watercolor with Found Object Collage
Located in Soquel, CA
Beautiful abstract expressionist collage by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b.1957). Composed of two contrasting sections of teal and yellow-brown, this piece has layers of...
Paper, Watercolor
$491Sale Price|20% Off
Earthy Brown and Dark Tone Abstract French 20th Century Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Expressionist Composition signed by Gilbert Pelissier (French born 1924) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 31.5 x 16 inches condition: overall very good, a few m...
Canvas, Oil
"1117 abstract antique white/red" Abstract, Painting, 21st Century, Acryl
By Roger König
Located in Dessau-Rosslau, Sachsen Anhalt
Artist: Roger König b. Dessau, Germany (1968) Master student of Kurt Schönburg, HWK Halle, Germany. König combines modern painting with acrylic with old techniques and in this way, h...
Clay, Acrylic
Another pink day, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Emily STARCK
Located in Yardley, PA
Abstract expressionism artwork worked in several layers with visible gestural brush strokes. The palette is warm and colorful. Professional and high quality painting with anti UV p...
Acrylic
Abstract Sea - The Deep, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Contemporary abstract oil painting on canvas board. I painted this abstract as an organic emotional response to the ocean. Signed on the front and accompanied by a certificate ...
Oil
"Summer Salad", Large Contemporary Vibrant Abstract, Green, Orange, Red, Black
By Lee Cox
Located in Carmel, CA
Lee Cox (American, born 1941) "Summer Salad" 2025 Acrylic Paint, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the bottom right corner of the painting. “Summer Salad” is a vibrant abstra...
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
Contemporary colorful abstract acrylic painting of woman's body on paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This abstract piece "Resilient reflection" is part of Natalya's series dedicated to "Women," where the artist explores the complexities of womanhood and femininity. Through this work...
Paper, Acrylic
Christina Gschwantner – Contemporary Abstract Multicolor Line Painting Canvas
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
The work reflects the artist’s mastery of gesture and emotion, where each mark becomes a visual language. A striking piece that brings movement, depth, and intensity to any collectio...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
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"...
Ink, Rag Paper, Monotype, Gouache
$1,049
Framed painting "Light Field II" with flowers roses on large linen canvas
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Light Field II” examines the relationship between color fields and organic structure. Branches extend across a softly diffused surface, intersecting areas of warm yellow light and ...
Canvas, Linen, Spray Paint, Acrylic
$2,000
"Dream Until Your Dream Come True" Abstract Oil and Mixed Media Painting Canvas
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
With layers of bright oils, whisking brush strokes, and thrown paint, Shaoul captures a love story through her paint pallet and abstract expression. The artist explores something new...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
$1,436Sale Price|61% Off
Frequency Bloom – Bold Contemporary Abstract Graffiti Painting with Nordic Sprin
Located in Lahti, FI
A bold, playful explosion of green, pink, and black, "FREQUENCY BLOOM" is an abstract graffiti-style statement piece that channels the electric moment of finding your inner rhythm—th...
Canvas, Acrylic, Permanent Marker, Color Pencil
$392Sale Price|40% Off
Rhythm by Olga Reward - Watercolor
By Olga REIWALD
Located in Geneva, CH
Work on paper White wooden frame with glass pane 43 x 53 x 1,5 cm
Watercolor, Gouache
$3,383
Monochrome Ultramarine Blue Abstract Painting on Canvas by Gabriela Meunie
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...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Pigment
Set of 2 Acrylic on Paper. Abstract collage mixed media
Located in Miami Beach, FL
This series is born from a search to leave aside the narrative figurative and reduce the image to shape and colour. Starts with both images found as well as her own images, previous ...
Paper, Acrylic
$1,200Sale Price|20% Off
Variation 4, orange, blue, nature inspired, abstract Impressionism, contemporary
Located in Cumming, GA
Orange and blue contemporary landscape original wall art.
Canvas, Acrylic
$408
Small contemporary abstract vibrant floral painting on paper "Trio Blossom"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Trio Blossom" by French artist Natalya Mougenot is a vibrant contemporary floral composition that celebrates color, rhythm, and emotional immediacy. Rendered with energetic brushwor...
Paper, Acrylic
Waterfall Whispers, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Artist Dorothy Gaziano depicts a flowing waterfall with vertical layers of blue, green, and cream. Black imprints move across the surface, guiding the eye from ...
Acrylic
$2,513Sale Price|20% Off
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Formula 1 Motor Racing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition, Formula 1 Motor Racing Cars signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 45.5 x 32 inches condition: the work is in ...
Canvas, Oil
The Voice of a Dream 6 - Abstract Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, Signed, 2010+
By SOOS TIBERIU
Located in Zofingen, AG
Ready to hang with 2 metallic hangers on the back. This painting is an original, unique, fluid, hand-painted abstract artwork full of vivid colors. The painting was created using pr...
Acrylic
Greece #2, Painting, Pastels on Paper
Located in Yardley, PA
Pastel on heavy archival paper. Photographs of Greece collage. :: Painting :: Abstract :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready ...
Pastel
$991
Contemporary abstract floral expressive oil painting canvas "Flowering fields"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This contemporary, expressive oil painting titled "Flowering Fields" was created by French artist Natalya Mougenot and is part of her series inspired by the scenes of the summer seas...
Canvas, Oil
Unlikely Refresh, Abstract Oil Painting
By Lisa Crosby
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This abstract landscape painting, built through multiple layers of wet-on-wet mediums, creates a rich surface. The tactile depth contrasts with smooth, glossy p...
Oil
2106, Mix media on Canvas
Located in Miami Beach, FL
2106, 2022 by Alejandra Quintanilla Mix media on Canvas Image size: 120 cm. H x 160 cm. W One of a Kind Unframed Alejandra Quintanilla graduated with a degree in Arts from the Uni...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Dynamic Tension 3 - Original Geometric Contemporary Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mexican artist Heny Steinberg’s mid-century modern inspired abstract artworks invite us to travel from the map to the localized event. She is suggesting that the spatial memory guid...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
The Hills - Impasto Thick Paint Tall Colorful 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, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Other Realms- acrylic on canvas
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Nina is an artist, ceramist and colorist with 20 years of professional experience and a lifetime of art appreciation. Originally from Virginia and having traveled and lived extensive...
Canvas, Acrylic
$3,130
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Amazing Colors
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 46 x 32 inches condition: the work is in overall very sound and good con...
Canvas, Oil
The Magic Horse. Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
The Magic Horse is a painting of a beautiful fantasy from the studio of leading British Expressionist Francesca Owen. Dreamlike in it's execution and rich in it's palette this piece ...
Oil
$1,399
"Pink Buds in Blue Air" impressionistic painting flowers on linen canvas
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Look at the flowers. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are.” — Osho This painting captures a moment of quiet movement, where delicate pink buds drift across a soft blue f...
Canvas, Linen, Spray Paint, Acrylic
$803Sale Price|20% Off
LEROY - LARGE FRENCH CONTEMPORARY ABSTRACT CUBIST PAINTING
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: R. Leroy (French b. 1932) Title: Abstract/ Cubist Composition Medium: oil painting on canvas, framed signed Size: frame: 20.5 x 24.75 inches pa...
Oil
Gold in magenta. Abstraction
Located in Zofingen, AG
The work is created in the fluid art technique using acrylic on canvas. The composition is built on the intense interaction of saturated pink, coral, and crimson tones, complemented ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,119
Boundless Spring. Medium size abstract painting, floral, soft colors, dyptich
Located in Oslo, NO
Boundless Spring is a diptych built on expansion — of color, of gesture, of spatial breath. The two canvases function as a continuous field, where forms emerge and dissolve without f...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Silence Follows " Abstract Painting
Located in Westport, CT
This contemporary abstract painting by Julia Contacessi features light, washy layers of blue tones through the middle of the canvas, with lighter, textured layers on either side, Ove...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
"Everyone deserves happiness"
By Elina Bilous
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Everyone deserves tenderness and love Coziness. The warmth of childhood, spring warmth, the first sip of morning coffee, hugs Spring is always about tenderness, fragility, elusivenes...
Canvas, Oil
$6,666
Contemporary Art, Gold and Black Painting, Abstract Paintings-Abundance 904
Located in Delaware , OH
Contemporary Art, Gold and Black Painting, Abstract Paintings-Abundance 904 A B O U T T H I S P I E C E : “Abundance 904” is a piece of letter art inspired by graffiti by Addison Jo...
Gold
"Flowers in Tall Vase with Melon" Turquoise Abstract Floral Still Life Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Turquoise abstract still life painting by Houston, TX artist David Adickes. The painting depicts white flowers in a tall blue vase on top of a table with a slice of orange melon. Unsigned. Framed in a simple black frame. Dimensions Without Frame: H 29.5 in. x W 23.5 in. Artist Biography: Born (1927) and raised in Huntsville, TX, David Adickes is an artist whose art and heart are closely aligned with Paris, France. After studying art at the Atelier F. Leger in the late 40s, Adickes burst onto the art scene in Houston and elsewhere in the early 50s and has been a prominent member of Houston’s art community ever since. While his most visible works are his giant sculptures...
Oil
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.