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.
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Rich blues and teal streaks suggest the depth of the sea, while cream and white accents mimic light piercing the water. Thick paint applied using drywall knives...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Paintings
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil Pastel, Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Cotton Canvas
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Adhesive, Oil
1990s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gold Leaf
1960s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Charcoal, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Srinivas Kathoju demonstrates an absorbing abstract landscape using vibrant linear forms. He takes inspiration from vast open fields, mountains, and ho...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Rag Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Epoxy Resin, Foam Board
Artist Comments
A tonal abstract landscape rendered with an introspective approach. Artist Pat Forbes describes the scene as "the world left behind in the dreamy moments when...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Gold
1990s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
This painting offers a moody, atmospheric view where land and sky seem to blur into one. Quick, expressive brushstrokes suggest movement across the scene, as ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Masonite
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic, Dye, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Resin, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gold Leaf
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Ink, Canvas, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Lisa Nielsen displays impressionist roses gleaming from the warmth of the sun. Plump blossoms spring from effervesce...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Adhesive, Oil
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Several shades of blue sweep across a lightly textured background. Bits of orange highlight the focal point, adding warmth to the composition. Sections of gray ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Abstract Paintings
Clay, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil, Paper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gold Leaf
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Metal
1960s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Lisa Carney displays an abstract depiction of wildflower-covered fields and sea corals in sophisticated earthy tones. Part of her lush and colorful Geo...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Encaustic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gold
Late 19th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
1970s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Silk, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil