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
4,647
6,390
6,333
6,607
7,005
14,350
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
6
20
5,602
35,058
1
10
14
42
122
399
779
791
839
776
1
40,688
36,915
22,551
8,732
4,665
3,451
3,306
2,517
1,203
1,165
970
900
424
272
17,655
13,508
9,065
2,439
1,660
1,178
499
472
433
404
363
291
249
226
196
193
190
171
164
138
132
128
105
36,360
21,424
21,332
16,555
15,611
693
560
360
309
274
7,267
5,844
22,579
13,926
Style: Abstract
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

"Doves for the Dorians I" (pink, green, white, Greek warrior. sword, painting)
"Doves for the Dorians I" (pink, green, white, Greek warrior. sword, painting)

"Doves for the Dorians I" (pink, green, white, Greek warrior. sword, painting)

By Nicholas Evans

Located in Paris, IDF

The Dorians played a significant role in the development of the Greek city-states during the Bronze Age -- and Doves are widely recognized as symbols of peace, primarily in the bibli...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Dye, Oil, Acrylic

Large Abstract Expressionist Taiwanese Painting Chihung Yang Chinese Art
Large Abstract Expressionist Taiwanese Painting Chihung Yang Chinese Art

Large Abstract Expressionist Taiwanese Painting Chihung Yang Chinese Art

Located in Surfside, FL

Chihung Yang American (b. 1947) Untitled (Black and Brown Composition) (1986) Mixed media (acrylic, pastel) on paper Hand signed lower right Sheet 38 x 50 inches, frame dimensions: 4...

Category

1980s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper

Open Spaces, Abstract Painting
Open Spaces, Abstract Painting

Open Spaces, Abstract Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Soft whites and cool blues create a tranquil, expansive space. Accents of orange and fine linework bring contrast and gentle energy. Minimalist abstract forms i...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Memory of blooming
Memory of blooming

Memory of blooming

Located in Zofingen, AG

This work appears as a fragment of a future archive, where not events are preserved, but states — tenderness, tension, and the fragility of life. The tulip petals unfold like layers ...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Rose Madone — Large Neutral Abstract Minimal Earth Diptych on Canvas (Set of 2)
Rose Madone — Large Neutral Abstract Minimal Earth Diptych on Canvas (Set of 2)

Rose Madone — Large Neutral Abstract Minimal Earth Diptych on Canvas (Set of 2)

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

Onirisme organique (Diptych), 146 × 114 cm each panel, Acrylic on raw canvas. Total size of the two panels: 146 × 228 cm. At Escat Gallery, we are committed to maintaining the highe...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Pigment

Abstract Geometric Painting by Dave Braden
Abstract Geometric Painting by Dave Braden

Abstract Geometric Painting by Dave Braden

Located in San Francisco, CA

No two shapes are alike. Yet they work together as a harmonious whole. Painter David Braden has described his vision overall in abstract terms. Inspired by individuality, he especial...

Category

1990s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mid-century Abstract Expressionist painting
Mid-century Abstract Expressionist painting

Mid-century Abstract Expressionist painting

By Hoi Lebadang

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Beautiful ca. 1960-70 abstract painting in the style of Vietnamese artist, Hoi Lebadang (1921-2015) Oil on canvas measures 22 x 28 inches. Framed measurement 29.5 x 33.5 inches. Un...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Magical Mycorrhiza - Original Art - Vibrant Exploration of Nature and Connection
Magical Mycorrhiza - Original Art - Vibrant Exploration of Nature and Connection

Magical Mycorrhiza - Original Art - Vibrant Exploration of Nature and Connection

By Jonas Fisch

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Swedish artist Jonas Fisch’s imagery is vibrantly buzzing with colorful commentary on society - past and present - morphed into figures, words, and shapes. His heavily layered canvas...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Fabric

Plants in Pottery Pots - Original Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper
Plants in Pottery Pots - Original Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper

Plants in Pottery Pots - Original Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Krisanne Souter weaves together elements of nature and ancient feminine archetypes, such as the Mother and the Mystic. Botanical themes, playful elements, and unexpected surprises ar...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil

Untitled
Untitled

Roland AyersUntitled, 1982

$960Sale Price|20% Off

Untitled

By Roland Ayers

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Roland Ayers (1932-2017). Untitled, 1983. Ink on paper, measures 17 x 23 inches. Unframed and unmounted. Signed and dated lower left. Ayers holds the distinction of having participated in the first important survey of African-Americans, Contemporary Black Artists in America, a 1971 show at The Whitney. Biography: Artist and art educator, Roland Ayers was born on July 2, 1932, the only child of Alice and Lorenzo Ayers, and grew up in the Germantown district of Philadelphia. Ayers served in the US Army (stationed in Germany) before studying at the Philadelphia College of Art (currently University of the Arts). He graduated with a BFA in Art Education, 1954. He traveled Europe 1966-67, spending time in Amsterdam and Greece in particular. During this period, he drifted away from painting to focus on linear figurative drawings of a surreal nature. His return home inaugurated the artist’s most prolific and inspired period (1968-1975). Shorty before his second major trip abroad in 1971-72 to West Africa, Ayers began to focus on African themes, and African American figures populated his work almost exclusively. In spite of Ayers’ travel and exploration of the world, he gravitated back to his beloved Germantown, a place he endowed with mythological qualities in his work and literature. His auto-biographical writing focuses on the importance of place during his childhood. Ayers’ journals meticulously document the ethnic and cultural make-up of Germantown, and tell a compelling story of class marginalization that brought together poor families despite racial differences. The distinctive look and design of Germantown inform Ayers’ visual vocabulary. It is a setting with distinctive Gothic Revival architecture and haunting natural beauty. These characteristics are translated and recur in the artist’s imagery. During his childhood, one of the only books in the Ayers household was an illustrated Bible. The images within had a profound effect on the themes and subjects that would appear in his adult work. Figures in an Ayers’ drawing often seem trapped in a narrative of loss and redemption. Powerful women loom large in the drawings: they suggest the female role models his journals record in early life. The drawings can sometimes convey a strong sense of conflict, and at other times, harmony. Nature and architecture seem to have an antagonistic relationship that is, ironically, symbiotic. A critical turning point in the artist’s career came in 1971 when he was included in the extremely controversial Whitney Museum show, Contemporary Black Artists in America. The exhibition gave Ayers an international audience and served as a calling card for introductions he would soon make in Europe. Ayers is a particularly compelling figure in a period when black artists struggled with the idea of authenticity. A questioned often asked was “Is your work too black, or not black enough?” Abstractionists were considered by some peers to be sell-outs, frauds or worse. Figurative* work was accused of being either sentimental or politically radical depending on the critical source. Ayers made the choice early on to be a figurative artist, but considered his work devoid of political content. Organizations such as Chicago’ s Afri-Cobra in the late 1960‘s asserted that the only true black art of any relevance must depict the black man and woman...

Category

1980s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Expression 2, abstraction
Expression 2, abstraction

Expression 2, abstraction

Located in Zofingen, AG

The work is created in the fluid art technique on canvas, where the primary expressive element is the movement of paint. The composition is structured around a dynamic diagonal flow ...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

One Way or Another
One Way or Another

One Way or Another

Located in Brooklyn, NY

This black and white abstract acrylic painting is inspired by the mid-century masters like Franz Kline. Framed in a beautiful wood frame, wired and ready to hang, 17 in. wide x 21 in...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Hui Sheng Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Outside III"
Hui Sheng Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Outside III"

Hui Sheng Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Outside III"

Located in New York, NY

Title: Outside III Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 23 x 31 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This painting is u...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Floral painting "Summer Blooming Flowers in a Blue Vase" Mixed Media on Paper
Floral painting "Summer Blooming Flowers in a Blue Vase" Mixed Media on Paper

Floral painting "Summer Blooming Flowers in a Blue Vase" Mixed Media on Paper

Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR

Contemporary Floral Artwork – "Summer Blooming Flowers in a Blue Vase" – Mixed Media on Heavy-Weight Acid-Free Paper (21 × 29.5 cm / 8.3 × 11.6 in), Unframed “Summer Blooming Flowers in a Blue Vase” is a contemporary floral artwork by French artist Natalya Mougenot, created with a vibrant mix of watercolor and acrylic paints on heavy-weight professional acid-free paper. Measuring 21 × 29.5 cm (8.3 × 11.6 in), this one-of-a-kind original painting is sold unframed, giving you the freedom to frame it according to your taste and interior. The composition captures a lively bouquet bursting with color and texture. Flowers in shades of pink, purple, and luminous white are rendered with bold, gestural brushstrokes, creating movement, depth, and vibrancy. The blue-checkered vase...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Paper

Floral  - Viktoria Ganhao Abstract Contemporary Painting
Floral  - Viktoria Ganhao Abstract Contemporary Painting

Floral - Viktoria Ganhao Abstract Contemporary Painting

Located in DE

This ethereal abstract painting captivates with its delicate interplay of colors and textures. Soft, swirling strokes of pastel greens and blues establish a serene, dreamlike atmosph...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Linen, Acrylic

Original-Primary Blue-Sunlit Series-Gold Leaf-British Awarded Artist
Original-Primary Blue-Sunlit Series-Gold Leaf-British Awarded Artist

Original-Primary Blue-Sunlit Series-Gold Leaf-British Awarded Artist

Located in London, GB

Primary Colour Series- Blue is Shizico Yi's on going project, inspired by Japanese woodblock Print and the a nod to calligraphy tradition. The series is a continuation of her "Sunli...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Ruz  Red Light Background Landscapes -  Abstract Acrylic on canvas Painting
Ruz  Red Light Background Landscapes -  Abstract Acrylic on canvas Painting

Ruz Red Light Background Landscapes - Abstract Acrylic on canvas 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 same...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Signed Antique Painting: 'Still Life of Fruit and Flowers'
Signed Antique Painting: 'Still Life of Fruit and Flowers'

Signed Antique Painting: 'Still Life of Fruit and Flowers'

Located in St. Albans, GB

Mary Armour 1902 – 2000 Signed. Oil Paint on Board. Picture size: 24 x 24 inch (61 x 61 cm) Mary Nicol Neill Armour, née Steel, (27 March 1902 – 5 July 2000) was a Scottish landsc...

Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

Original-Rosarian-La Vie en Rose: Summer Bloom Serie-British Awarded Artist
Original-Rosarian-La Vie en Rose: Summer Bloom Serie-British Awarded Artist

Original-Rosarian-La Vie en Rose: Summer Bloom Serie-British Awarded Artist

Located in London, GB

Rosarian — La Vie en Rose is part of Shizico Yi’s ongoing Summer Bloom Series, a body of work in which she explores the magical qualities of roses and the complex challenge of painti...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

'Abstract, Ebony & Rust', San Francisco Bay Area Abstraction, Large Oil
'Abstract, Ebony & Rust', San Francisco Bay Area Abstraction, Large Oil

'Abstract, Ebony & Rust', San Francisco Bay Area Abstraction, Large Oil

By Eral Leek

Located in Santa Cruz, CA

Signed lower right, "Eral" for Eral Leek (American, 20th century) and dated 1962. A substantial, mid-century oil abstract comprising bold, overlapping rectangular compositional elem...

Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Not This Not That

Not This Not That

Located in Dallas, TX

acrylic on birch panel

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Birch, Acrylic, Panel

Plant in Pottery Pot 2 - Original Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper
Plant in Pottery Pot 2 - Original Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper

Plant in Pottery Pot 2 - Original Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Krisanne Souter weaves together elements of nature and ancient feminine archetypes, such as the Mother and the Mystic. Botanical themes, playful elements, and unexpected surprises ar...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil

"Floral Landscape" very large diptych on linen, colorful impressionistic art
"Floral Landscape" very large diptych on linen, colorful impressionistic art

"Floral Landscape" very large diptych on linen, colorful impressionistic art

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Look at the flowers. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are." - Osho „Floral Landscape“ is a captivating diptych with two parts, each measuring 80x80x2 cm/31,5x31,5x0,8 in...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Spray Paint, Canvas, Acrylic

Original Modern Contemporary painting on canvas, Abstract, Fantasy style, Framed
Original Modern Contemporary painting on canvas, Abstract, Fantasy style, Framed

Original Modern Contemporary painting on canvas, Abstract, Fantasy style, Framed

Located in Palm Coast, FL

Up for sale Original Abstract Acrylic Painting on canvas in a fantasy abstract style. A unique technique, very colorful. An unusual combination of colors, a flow from sharp to soft s...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

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

Blue Hibiscus
Blue Hibiscus

Blue Hibiscus

Located in Zofingen, AG

This painting, created with acrylic on canvas and adorned with golden accents, presents a stylized interpretation of a hibiscus. Instead of the traditional red, the flower appears in...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance
French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance

French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Jacques COULAIS (1955-2011) gouache painting on paper/ card unframed: 19.5 x 13 inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we hav...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

May 29 (Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting in Earth Tones of Green & Blue)
May 29 (Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting in Earth Tones of Green & Blue)

May 29 (Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting in Earth Tones of Green & Blue)

By James O'Shea

Located in Hudson, NY

Gestural, abstract expressionist oil painting on canvas in earth tones of blue and green, with accents of burgundy and pale yellow "May 29", Painted by Hudson Valley based artist, James O'Shea in 2021 Oil on canvas, 26 x 26 inches unframed, raw canvas sides Wire backing, ready to hang Signed verso James O’Shea’s deeply pigmented abstractions are grounded in the landscape. Taking his cues from the bare winter months in the Northeast when the horizon is stripped of its foliage, he suggests that “So much of life’s structure reveals itself when it goes into hibernation”. The architecture in O’Shea’s compositions takes form with expressive gestures using...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Accept”
“Accept”

“Accept”

Located in Zofingen, AG

“Gather Yourself” Series “From Simple to…” This work is about inner composure and focus that emerge from simplicity and silence. About the ability to stay in contact with oneself, to...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

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.