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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.

Find original abstract paintings, sculptures, prints and other art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Abstract
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

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Grace Knowlton

Located in Columbia, MO

Original oil painting by Grace Knowlton, signed verso. Grace Knowlton (American, 1932 - 2020) was born in Buffalo, NY, and studied at Smith College and Columbia University’s Teacher...

Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Almond Blossom Watercolor on Board, Kashmir Landscape, Signed, 1960
Almond Blossom Watercolor on Board, Kashmir Landscape, Signed, 1960

Almond Blossom Watercolor on Board, Kashmir Landscape, Signed, 1960

Located in Norfolk, GB

Dina Nath Walli (1908–2006) Almond Blossom, Kashmir Watercolour on Board c 1960 Framed size: 42.8cm x 52.8cm Image size: 27.5cm x 38cm Signed and dated 1970 on the verso, gifted fro...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Board, Watercolor

Ocean blue - abstract painting, made in blue color
Ocean blue - abstract painting, made in blue color

Ocean blue - abstract painting, made in blue color

By Mila Akopova

Located in Fort Lee, NJ

Interior design paintings. The work was done with alcohol ink in blue color on Yupo paper. The work is 11 by 14 inches in size, framed (gold or black) with a styrene face on a mat bo...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Mid Century Abstract Geometric Study In Polymerised Macro-Molecular Paint.
Mid Century Abstract Geometric Study In Polymerised Macro-Molecular Paint.

Mid Century Abstract Geometric Study In Polymerised Macro-Molecular Paint.

Located in Cotignac, FR

Mid Century Abstract in polymerised macro-molecular paint on canvas applied to a painted wooden board by Belgian artist Paul H Saffre. Signed and dated {1963) on the board below the ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Board

Geometric Line Study C- 5 by Murray Duncan Mix Media on Paper
Geometric Line Study C- 5 by Murray Duncan Mix Media on Paper

Geometric Line Study C- 5 by Murray Duncan Mix Media on Paper

By Murray Duncan

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Geometric Line Studies C- 5 is an original mixed-media work on paper by Toronto artist Murray Duncan, part of his ongoing exploration of gestural geometry, spatial rhythm, and atmosp...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paint, Paper, Ink, Pencil

Blue Red & Green Abstract Expressionist Painting by British Contemporary Artist
Blue Red & Green Abstract Expressionist Painting by British Contemporary Artist

Blue Red & Green Abstract Expressionist Painting by British Contemporary Artist

By Angela Wakefield

Located in Preston, GB

Blue, Red & Green Abstract Expressionist Painting, entitled 'Tropical City #1', an extremely rare early work from leading British Contemporary Artist...

Category

1990s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, 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

Siesta in Santa Fe
Siesta in Santa Fe

Siesta in Santa Fe

Located in Santa Fe, NM

Lynn Sanders is an artist excited by beauty: architecture, foliage, landscapes, seascapes, interiors. She finds palettes and shapes in her environment and propels them into her work,...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Acrylic

Déchiré 03: Mixed Media Painting: Floral Motif & Feminist Discourse
Déchiré 03: Mixed Media Painting: Floral Motif & Feminist Discourse

Déchiré 03: Mixed Media Painting: Floral Motif & Feminist Discourse

Located in BARCELONA, ES

The work of Gloria Segura Jordá transcends mere aesthetics to constitute a feminist discourse deeply anchored in the pictorial. Her production challenges the passive gaze, inviting a...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Panel, Color Pencil

Mid-Century Modern Painting Blue Gray Black American Memorial Art Gallery
Mid-Century Modern Painting Blue Gray Black American Memorial Art Gallery

Mid-Century Modern Painting Blue Gray Black American Memorial Art Gallery

Located in Buffalo, NY

This evocative mid-century abstract painting features richly layered textures and a restrained palette of aqua blues, muted greens, and deep earthen blacks. The composition suggests ...

Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1960's French Cubist Abstract Oil Painting - Monogrammed
1960's French Cubist Abstract Oil Painting - Monogrammed

1960's French Cubist Abstract Oil Painting - Monogrammed

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Artist/ School: French School, signed with initials, dated 1960's Title: Cubist abstract Medium: oil painting on board, unframed board: 13.75 x 10.5 inches Provenance: private co...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Relaxing at Camarillo" - Abstract Expressionism
"Relaxing at Camarillo" - Abstract Expressionism

"Relaxing at Camarillo" - Abstract Expressionism

Located in Soquel, CA

"Relaxing at Camarillo" - Abstract Expressionism A man relines in a black hat and a green shape emulating the symbol of infinity, accented in bright canary yellow and gray, by Calif...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Gouache, Pencil

Mosaic like - abstract painting, landscape painting
Mosaic like - abstract painting, landscape painting

Mosaic like - abstract painting, landscape painting

Located in New York, NY

The painting is in a special format - horizontal, wide, and elongated. This artwork was created using a technique reminiscent of pointillism; the painting evokes a colorful mosaic, w...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Point d'equilibre, Abstract Library, oil paint, Expressionism, Contemporary art
Point d'equilibre, Abstract Library, oil paint, Expressionism, Contemporary art

Point d'equilibre, Abstract Library, oil paint, Expressionism, Contemporary art

By SOPHIE DUMONT

Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR

Point d’Équilibre Oil on canvas 50 x 50 cm (19.7 x 19.7 in) Framed dimensions available upon request Floater frame in natural wood (also available in black) Signed on the front Born...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Double Blue Painting, Abstract Acrylic on Paper, Framed, 21st Century
Double Blue Painting, Abstract Acrylic on Paper, Framed, 21st Century

Double Blue Painting, Abstract Acrylic on Paper, Framed, 21st Century

By Sandra Salamonová

Located in Slovak Republic, SK

The painting is acrylic on cartoon, according to my opinion evoking a good illusion of depth and imagination. Delivered in an easy frame - recommendation -leave it as it is and put t...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

"Rhapsody in Red" Large-Scale Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Abstract 72"x60"
"Rhapsody in Red" Large-Scale Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Abstract 72"x60"

"Rhapsody in Red" Large-Scale Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Abstract 72"x60"

By Karina Gentinetta

Located in New York, NY

"Rhapsody in Red", 2025, 72" H x 60" W. Large-scale abstract painting in hues of a warm, desaturated crimson consisting of acrylic, pencils, and oil pastels on canvas by Argentine-bo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil

Interior, large, colorful figural abstract red, orange, blue acrylic of couple
Interior, large, colorful figural abstract red, orange, blue acrylic of couple

Interior, large, colorful figural abstract red, orange, blue acrylic of couple

By Richard Andres

Located in Beachwood, OH

Richard Andres (American, 1927-2013) Interior, 1976 acrylic on canvas signed lower right, signed and titled verso 50 x 59.5 inches Richard Andres was born in Buffalo, New York in 1927. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1950, he was immediately drafted and served for two years in the army as a mural painter. He received his Master of Arts from Kent State in 1961. A frequent exhibitor at galleries and museums and winner of multiple May Show prizes, Andres taught art in the Cleveland Public Schools for 28 years, as well as teaching the University of Buffalo, the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Western Reserve University. Very little in Richard Andres’ childhood would have predicted his love of classical music, mid-century-modern architecture and certainly not his lifelong passion for art and in particular abstract art. Richard’s father, Raymond, had no more than a third-grade education, and his mother, Clara, was one of thirteen children – only three of whom lived into adulthood and none of whom attended high school. They lived, when Richard was a boy, in a dingy area of Buffalo, NY in a walk-up apartment situated above a tavern. Raymond and Clara supplemented the income from their factory jobs in the bar downstairs with Raymond playing ragtime on the piano and Clara serving drinks. This often left Richard and his two older brothers at home alone to fend for themselves. The two older boys, Raymond and Russell, were - unlike Richard- rather rough and tumble and entertained themselves with stickball, boxing and the like. Richard, on the other hand, from a very young age liked to draw, or better yet even, to paint with the small set of watercolors he received for Christmas one year. Paper, however, at the height of the depression, was hard to come by. Luckily, Clara used paper doilies as decoration for the apartment and Richard would contentedly paint and then cut up doilies, gluing the pieces together to create collages. At eight-years-old, he discovered the Albright-Knox Museum (then known as the Albright Art Gallery) and spent several hours a week there studying the paintings. He was particularly fond of Charles Burchfield‘s landscapes, enamored with their ‘messiness’ and thinking that they somehow captured more ‘feeling’ than works he was previously familiar with. For his tenth Christmas, he asked for and received a ‘how-to’ paint book by Elliot O’Hare. Through this self-teaching, he assembled the portfolio needed for acceptance to Buffalo Technical High School where he studied Advertising Arts. In his Junior year, he was encouraged to enter a watercolor painting, “Two Barns,” in the national 1944-45 Ingersoll Art Award Contest and was one of twelve grand prize winners – each one winning one hundred dollars. More importantly the painting was exhibited at the Carnegie Institute Galleries, which resulted in his winning a national scholarship to the Cleveland School of Art (The Cleveland Art Institute). He flourished at the art school under the tutelage of faculty members such as Carl Gaertner, as well as that of visiting artists such as William Sommer and Henry George Keller. He would say in later years that Gaertner, in particular, influenced his attitude toward life as well as art. “Gaertner,” Andres said, “believed that there was no need to be a ‘tortured artist’, that an artist should rather enjoy beauty, family, and life in general.” Free to spend his days as he chose, he wandered the Cleveland Art Museum for most of the hours he was not attending classes or painting; the remaining time was spent drinking coffee at a local hangout with art school friends – which is where he met fellow Henry Keller scholarship winner, Avis Johnson. Richard was immediately smitten with Avis, but being rather shy, it took him the entire summer of 1948 to build up his courage to ask her out. Over that summer he ‘thought about Avis’ and worked in a diner to save money. He also used the hundred-dollar prize money won in High School to visit the first Max Beckmann retrospective in the United States at the City Art Museum in St. Louis. Over a half century later he spoke of that exhibit with a reverence usually reserved for spiritual matters, “I walked in and it was like nothing I had ever seen before... the color...It just glowed.” Returning to campus in the Fall, the first thing he did was go to the coffee shop in hopes of finding Avis. He did, and she, upon seeing him, realized that she was also smitten with him. They quickly became known as ‘the couple’ on campus, and a year later, with Richard being drafted for the Korean war, they were quickly married by a Justice of the Peace, celebrating after with family at Avis’s Cleveland home. As a gift, faculty member John Paul Miller...

Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Ebb and Flow 1
Ebb and Flow 1

Ebb and Flow 1

By Amy Van Winkle

Located in Santa Fe, NM

Encaustic on panel. It's simple; I create art because it makes me happy. I try not to overthink the process of what I’m painting and let my intuition be my guide. I love laying do...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Encaustic

"Portrait"
"Portrait"

"Portrait"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Memoirs

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

American Vivid Abstract Expressionist Art Oil Painting Norman Carton, WPA Artist
American Vivid Abstract Expressionist Art Oil Painting Norman Carton, WPA Artist

American Vivid Abstract Expressionist Art Oil Painting Norman Carton, WPA Artist

By Norman Carton

Located in Surfside, FL

Norman Carton (1908 – 1980) was an American artist and educator known for abstract expressionist art. He was born in the Ukraine region of Imperial Russia and moved to the United States in 1922 where he spent most of his adult life. A classically trained portrait and landscape artist, Carton also worked as a drafter, newspaper illustrator, muralist, theater set designer, photographer, and fabric designer and spent most of his mature life as an art educator. Carton showed in and continues to be shown in many solo and group exhibitions. His work is included in numerous museums and private collections throughout the world. Norman Carton was born in the Dnieper Ukraine territory of the Russian Empire in 1908. Escaping the turbulence of civil war massacres, he settled in Philadelphia in 1922 after years of constant flight. While attending the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art, Carton worked as a newspaper artist for the Philadelphia Record from 1928 to 1930 in the company of other illustrator/artists who had founded the Ashcan School, the beginnings of modern American art. From 1930 to 1935, he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts under Henry McCarter, who was a pupil of Toulouse-Lautrec, Puvis de Chavanne, and Thomas Eakins. Arthur Carles, especially with his sense of color, and the architect John Harbison also provided tutelage and inspiration. Following his time at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Carton studied at the Barnes Foundation from 1935 to 1936 where he was influenced by an intellectual climate led by visiting lecturers John Dewey and Bertrand Russell as well as daily access to Albert C. Barnes and his art collection. Carton was awarded the Cresson Traveling Scholarship in 1934 which allowed him to travel through Europe and study in Paris. There he expanded his artistic horizons with influences stemming from Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Chaim Soutine, and Wassily Kandinsky. While at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Carton was also awarded the Toppan Prize for figure painting as well as the Thouron Composition Prize. He received numerous commissions as a portrait artist, social realist, sculptor, and theatrical stage designer as well as academic scholarships. During this time, Carton worked as a scenery designer at Sparks Scenic Studios, a drafter at the Philadelphia Enameling Works, and a fine art lithographer. From 1939 to 1942, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project employed Carton as a muralist and easel artist. He collaborated with architect George Howe...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Every Which Way, Abstract Oil Painting
Every Which Way, Abstract Oil Painting

Every Which Way, Abstract Oil Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Dorothy Gaziano builds layers of orange and cream over deep blues and black using oil paint and cold wax. The interplay of light and dark draws the viewer in,...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Peppermint - contemporary, gestural, abstract, acrylic on canvas
Peppermint - contemporary, gestural, abstract, acrylic on canvas

Peppermint - contemporary, gestural, abstract, acrylic on canvas

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This colourful contemporary abstract painting is by Carol Sutton. In the 1970s, the paintings of a young Carol Sutton caught the attention of one of America’s best-known art critics...

Category

1980s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Lisiere du silence, Abstract Seaside, Contemporary, Oil painting, French, framed
Lisiere du silence, Abstract Seaside, Contemporary, Oil painting, French, framed

Lisiere du silence, Abstract Seaside, Contemporary, Oil painting, French, framed

By SOPHIE DUMONT

Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR

Unframed dimensions: 35 × 27 cm (13.8 × 10.6 in) Framed dimensions: 42 × 34 cm (16.5 × 13.4 in) Choose the black or light wood frame Certificate of authenticity provided In Lisière ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Blooming Horizon
Blooming Horizon

Blooming Horizon

Located in Zofingen, AG

In Blooming Horizon, the artist captures the vibrant essence of a blooming meadow beneath a radiant sky. This abstract landscape is characterized by dynamic textures and luminous col...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Dreaming In The Garden
Dreaming In The Garden

Dreaming In The Garden

Located in Brecon, Powys

There’s something restorative in being outside in the fresh air. It enables one to recharge and relax. Even if one has no outside space of ones own to dream in art makes it possible. Francesca Owen...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ruz   Gray and Black Diptych  Very Big  original abstract canvas  acrylic
Ruz   Gray and Black Diptych  Very Big  original abstract canvas  acrylic

Ruz Gray and Black Diptych Very Big original abstract canvas acrylic

By Rafael Ruz

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

El brote- original abstract canvas diptic acrylic painting. virtual frame , Rafael (Barcelona 1956) While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are inclined to talk about real ‘psyc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Abraham Walkowitz (1878-1965) Signed Antique Modernist Abstract Framed Painting
Abraham Walkowitz (1878-1965) Signed Antique Modernist Abstract Framed Painting

Abraham Walkowitz (1878-1965) Signed Antique Modernist Abstract Framed Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist cityscape painting by Abraham Walkowitz (1878 - 1965). Mixed media on paper. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 20 by...

Category

1910s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper

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

Marine Spectrum, Mixed Media Seascape, Art Brut Style on Paper, Light Tones
Marine Spectrum, Mixed Media Seascape, Art Brut Style on Paper, Light Tones

Marine Spectrum, Mixed Media Seascape, Art Brut Style on Paper, Light Tones

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 salty treasure that surrounds us...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor

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.