Abstract Paintings
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.
1970s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Linen, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Linen, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Linen, Oil, Wood Panel, Pigment
2010s Abstract Paintings
Polyester, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Mesh
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Ink, Paper
1990s Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, ...
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Jenn painted this piece using Golden Open Acrylics, which take longer to dry and therefore allow for more blending time. Jenn uses this technique to give the painting a dreamy and hopeful essence. "I am more passionate than ever about painting peaceful, reflective art...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Paper
1950s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"She seemed to be perfectly content in her thoughts," shares artist Sharon Sieben. A vibrant nude sits in an expressive pose with knees pulled up to her chest...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Color Pencil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Mirror, Film
1980s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Pastel, Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Paintings
Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Egg Tempera, Stretcher Bars
1980s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Oil, Monotype
2010s Abstract Paintings
Plastic, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Ink, Oil, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Clay, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Dye, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Sandstone
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Encaustic, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
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