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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.

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Style: Abstract
"Flowers in Tall Vase with Melon" Turquoise Abstract Floral Still Life Painting
"Flowers in Tall Vase with Melon" Turquoise Abstract Floral Still Life Painting

"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...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tropic Celebration - painting, acrylic on canvas
Tropic Celebration - painting, acrylic on canvas

Tropic Celebration - painting, acrylic on canvas

By Paul Fournier

Located in Bloomfield, ON

"This contemporary abstract painting by Paul Fournier captures the turquoise-colored waters of the Caribbean. Paul Fournier is among the most significant painters in the Canadian ar...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Spring Mood"
"Spring Mood"

"Spring Mood"

By Nataliia Svitlychna

Located in Edinburgh, GB

This captivating contemporary work is a luminous celebration of floral abstraction, offering a sophisticated interplay of color and texture. The artist employs a masterful palette of...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Oil

Hydrangea on Green, Oil Painting
Hydrangea on Green, Oil Painting

Hydrangea on Green, Oil Painting

By Judy Mackey

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A bouquet of white hydrangeas rests in a deep blue vase. Thick palette-knife strokes give the flowers a sculptural presence, while soft green tones in the backg...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist SurrealOil Painting
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist SurrealOil Painting

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist SurrealOil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 18 by 24 inches overall. Excellent condition, ready to hang...

Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Now (Abstract Painting)
Now (Abstract Painting)

Now (Abstract Painting)

By Nikolaos Schizas

Located in London, GB

Size without the frame: 80 x 60 cm (31,49 x 23,62 in) Size including the frame: 82 x 62 cm (32,28 x 24,41 in) Barcelona based painter Nikolaos Schizas creates dynamic abstract paint...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Time and Motion - rich, dark, colourful, geometric abstract acrylic on canvas
Time and Motion - rich, dark, colourful, geometric abstract acrylic on canvas

Time and Motion - rich, dark, colourful, geometric abstract acrylic on canvas

By Milly Ristvedt

Located in Bloomfield, ON

Milly Ristvedt continues her exciting exploration of colour and form in this stunning new work. Hard-edged geometric shapes—rectangles and squares almost appear to be dancing around the canvas. The colour palette is bright—yellows, red, blues, purples which play off the darker, fluid burgundy/black backdrop. Art Critic Barry Lord (Art in America) declared that Ristvedt’s paintings were ‘more insistent than Bush, more consciously structured than Molinari.’ “Colour has been central to my explorations in painting from the beginning.” Milly Ristvedt Born in British Columbia, Ristvedt studied at the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr University) and had her first solo exhibit at the Carmen Lamanna Gallery in Toronto. In the late 1960s, Ristvedt shared a studio with famed Canadian painter Jack Bush, met art critic Clement Greenberg and was inspired by American painters Jules Olitiski...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Boats in Harbor (French Riviera painting)
Boats in Harbor (French Riviera painting)

Boats in Harbor (French Riviera painting)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Michel Colin (b.1934). Boats in Harbor, 1969. Gouache on paper, sheet measuring 16 x 20 inches. Signed and dated lower right. Sheet is unframed. Michel Colin, born in 1934, live...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Untitled 4 (Abstract painting)
Untitled 4 (Abstract painting)

Untitled 4 (Abstract painting)

By Claude Tétot

Located in London, GB

Acrylic and oil on paper - Unframed Claude Tétot is a French abstract artist whose work expresses harmony in disharmony by exploring the enigmatic unity that can exist between seemi...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Acrylic

Meraki - Elegant Amber Abstract Landscape Oil Painting
Meraki - Elegant Amber Abstract Landscape Oil Painting

Meraki - Elegant Amber Abstract Landscape Oil Painting

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Mark Acetelli’s oil and mixed media paintings awaken the viewer’s sense of exploration and adventure; they demand a new discovery. His artworks exhibit a chemistry of complexity and ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Beyond Measure, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Beyond Measure, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Beyond Measure, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Cynthia Ligeros

Located in Yardley, PA

Beyond Measure is a luminous meditation on transformation, possibility, and the boundless nature of existence. Inspired by the light of the full moon, it interweaves geometric forms ...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Live Passionately - Red Abstract Floral Painting
Live Passionately - Red Abstract Floral Painting

Live Passionately - Red Abstract Floral Painting

By Vè Boisvert

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Drawing inspiration from an immersive and impressionistic interpretation of nature, Canadian artist Vé Boisvert paints textural original artworks that capture the fleeting effects of...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Newport Fall Garden" Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Canvas, Signed
"Newport Fall Garden" Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Canvas, Signed

"Newport Fall Garden" Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Canvas, Signed

By Charles David Francis

Located in Soquel, CA

"Newport Fall Garden" Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Canvas, Signed Vibrant and textured abstract composition by California artist Charles "Dave" Francis (American, 1951-20...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

"The Power (People)" 1970 Olaf Karlsen
"The Power (People)" 1970 Olaf Karlsen

"The Power (People)" 1970 Olaf Karlsen

Located in SANTA FE, NM

"The Power (People)" 1970  Olaf Karlsen (b. 1947) Oil on canvas Signed front and back. 28 1/4 x 40 inches (frame) Olaf Karlsen  has managed to remain a m...

Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Abstract in Coral and Jade', American School
'Abstract in Coral and Jade', American School

'Abstract in Coral and Jade', American School

Located in Santa Cruz, CA

Signed center right "J. Haigh" (American, 20th century) and painted circa 1975. An elegant, cabinet-size, American School abstract comprising fragmented structural areas of goldenro...

Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Gouache

Golden Hour Landscape 1 - Abstract Expressive Warm Tone Ink Painting on Paper
Golden Hour Landscape 1 - Abstract Expressive Warm Tone Ink Painting on Paper

Golden Hour Landscape 1 - Abstract Expressive Warm Tone 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

Sunbird Serenade: Portrait Painting, Abstract Earth Tones, 101 x 101cm
Sunbird Serenade: Portrait Painting, Abstract Earth Tones, 101 x 101cm

Sunbird Serenade: Portrait Painting, Abstract Earth Tones, 101 x 101cm

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title A Beautiful Mind - Sunbird Serenade Portrait Painting Sunbird Color Earth Delight Contrast Abstract Soulful large portrait by Karnish. The earth reflects in her eyes, the Hu...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Redemption - painting, acrylic on canvas
Redemption - painting, acrylic on canvas

Redemption - painting, acrylic on canvas

By Paul Fournier

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This contemporary abstract colourful painting by Paul Fournier has a red background. Paul Fournier received early praise from the distinguished NY art critic, Donald Kuspit, who des...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Quiet Waters, Abstract Painting
Quiet Waters, Abstract Painting

Quiet Waters, Abstract Painting

By JoAnn Golenia

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Shades of blue depict a late afternoon view of the Gulf of Mexico in warm sunshine. A thin streak of vibrant orange slices through the horizon, evoking the fa...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Ky Anderson "Land 25.4" 2025 acrylic on watercolor paper
Ky Anderson "Land 25.4" 2025 acrylic on watercolor paper

Ky Anderson "Land 25.4" 2025 acrylic on watercolor paper

By Ky Anderson

Located in New York, NY

Ky Anderson Land 25.4, 2025 acrylic on watercolor paper 30 x 44 in. (and504) Artist Statement: My work falls somewhere between abstraction, formalism and narrative painting. I see...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Evening over Green, Abstract Oil Painting
Evening over Green, Abstract Oil Painting

Evening over Green, Abstract Oil Painting

By Sarah Parsons

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Bold texture and vibrant color convey the drama of Tennessee’s summer evenings. A vast sky of purples and blues reflects the shifting light at dusk, while lay...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Tectonic 2 - Cubist Abstract Original Artwork
Tectonic 2 - Cubist Abstract Original Artwork

Tectonic 2 - Cubist Abstract Original Artwork

By Heny Steinberg

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Mexican artist Heny Steinberg’s abstracted landscapes invite us to travel from the map to the localized event. The shapes within Steinberg’s work transcend two dimensional representation and have meaning beyond visual appearance. Her process begins with concrete images and references, yet over time give way to her process. Her abstractions fluctuate between representation and abstraction of variables.. Her works are reminiscent of American Abstract Expressionists like Helen Frankenthaler but also have a clear Mexican Cubist...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Erick Johnson "Stillgate" 2026 oil on canvas

Erick Johnson "Stillgate" 2026 oil on canvas

By Eric Johnson

Located in New York, NY

Erick Johnson Stillgate, 2026 oil on canvas 48 x 60 in. (joh065) Of his recent work, Eric Johnson states "What has long inspired me is the interplay between color and form. The exp...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Monterey  Pier
Monterey  Pier

Monterey Pier

By Gregory Kondos

Located in San Francisco, CA

Untitled (Cityscape) is an oil on canvas created by Gregory Kondos (American, b. 1923), one of the world's most prominent California landscape artists. The artwork is signed in the lower right corner and was created circa 1950. The canvas size is 24 x 47.75 inches. Overall in good condition. Framed in a gold wooden frame. The size including frame is 33 x 56.75 inches. Gregory Kondos has spent decades depicting California’s unique, majestic beauty, from its rolling farmland to its varied coastline, to the forests and peaks of Yosemite, where he has often served as artist-in-residence. He has been drawn as well to the deserts around Santa Fe, and to Europe, especially Greece, the country from which his parents emigrated. Now in his nineties, he is celebrated as one of the world’s foremost landscape painters, known for his light-filled palette and intuitive, organic forms that seem like effortless extensions of nature. Kondos describes his paintings as possessing a sense of quietude and cleanliness while maintaining a necessary lonely quality: “Less is more…and what is left out makes the picture more understandable.” His distilled images tend to feature a solitary element—a lone boat, a mountain peak, a house standing away from the others—that projects a contemplative sense of being alone in thought. His simple yet lively palette and elegant lines, influenced by artists like Willem de Kooning, Cezanne, and Gauguin, allow us to place ourselves within the space of the painting. Chief curator and associate director at Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum, Scott A. Shields, who organized “A Touch of Blue: Landscapes by Gregory Kondos” at the museum in 2013, remarks: “His paintings simultaneously celebrate the terrain's inherent formal, abstract properties, as well as the beautiful possibilities of the paint itself." Kondos’ lifelong achievements place him in the great tradition of American landscape painters such as Albert Bierstadt, Edward Hopper, and Georgia O’Keefe. He has won numerous prizes and awards, including a lifetime achievement award from International Bienniale in Florence, Italy, and has been elected to the National Academy of Design in New York. Collections of Kondos’ work are displayed in museums around the world, including the Shanghai Art Museum in China, the Phoenix Art Museum, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The gallery at Sacramento City...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Geometric Study in Motion 1960s by Serge Guerin French b1916
Geometric Study in Motion 1960s by Serge Guerin French b1916

Geometric Study in Motion 1960s by Serge Guerin French b1916

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Title: Geometric Study in Motion 1960s by Serge Guerin French b1916 by Serge Guerin (b. 1916), French Black ink on paper, unframed Size: 25.75 (height) x 19.75 (width) inches Provena...

Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Ink, Gouache

Large 1980's French Abstract Surrealist Original Oil Amazing Bright Colors
Large 1980's French Abstract Surrealist Original Oil Amazing Bright Colors

Large 1980's French Abstract Surrealist Original Oil Amazing Bright Colors

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Artist/ School: French abstract, signed by T. Fabris dated 1987 Title: Abstract Surrealist Composition Medium: oil on canvas, unframed Painting: 26 x 21 inches Colors: Black, red...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Flowers explosion"
"Flowers explosion"

"Flowers explosion"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The series of flowers shows a classical motif with a subtle attention to the subtle movement and rhythm of the flora, with the help of paint, abstract vision and expressive handwriti...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Wood, Oil

Abstract 2437
Abstract 2437

Alex SenchenkoAbstract 2437, 2024

$2,177Sale Price|20% Off

Abstract 2437

By Alex Senchenko

Located in Zofingen, AG

In creating this piece, I harnessed the vibrant chaos and serenity of nature's own contrasts. Using acrylics allowed me to layer and texturize, enveloping the canvas in a dance of sh...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Serene Scape - Large Original Minimalist Contemporary Green Abstract Painting
Serene Scape - Large Original Minimalist Contemporary Green Abstract Painting

Serene Scape - Large Original Minimalist Contemporary Green Abstract Painting

By Clara Berta

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Clara Berta’s acrylic and mixed-media paintings blend texture and color to create harmony, mystery, and depth on the painted surface. Her paintings transform spaces into Zen environm...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

French 20th Century Dual Bright Abstract Kitchen Scene Large Painting
French 20th Century Dual Bright Abstract Kitchen Scene Large Painting

French 20th Century Dual Bright Abstract Kitchen Scene Large Painting

By Gilbert Pelissier

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Gilbert Pelissier (French born 1924) signed oil painting on canvas, unframed inscribed verso canvas size: 35 x 46 inches condition: overall very...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

Territory

Territory

By Javier Manrique

Located in San Francisco, CA

Javier Manrique Territory, 2023 Acrylic on canvas 48 x 72 inches This is an abstract landscape painting created by Javier Manrique in 2023. This one-of-a-kind painting on canvas is ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

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.