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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
Bold Contemporary - Abstract Painting, Colorful Texture, Large, Dream
Bold Contemporary - Abstract Painting, Colorful Texture, Large, Dream

Bold Contemporary - Abstract Painting, Colorful Texture, Large, Dream

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Interconnected Dream Bold Abstract Contemporary Colorful Masculine Investment Red Yellow Grey Blue Orange Texture Detail This series expresses our unity and our interconnect...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Pastel, Oil, Acrylic, Pencil, Color Pencil, Gesso, Canvas, Stretcher Bars

Whirl Wind (Abstract, Expressive, Fun, Colorful, Warm, 50% OFF - MUST GO NOW)
Whirl Wind (Abstract, Expressive, Fun, Colorful, Warm, 50% OFF - MUST GO NOW)

Whirl Wind (Abstract, Expressive, Fun, Colorful, Warm, 50% OFF - MUST GO NOW)

By Katherine Bello

Located in Kansas City, MO

Katherine Bello Whirl Wind Mixed Media on Canvas 2025 Size: 24 x 48 inches (60.96 x 121.92cm) Signed and titled by hand COA provided *on stretcher frame, ready to hang. -----------...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Wood, Oil, Stretcher Bars

"Wavelet" Fine Art Mirror
"Wavelet" Fine Art Mirror

"Wavelet" Fine Art Mirror

By Alina Bisikirskaite

Located in Westport, CT

This abstract fine art mirror by Alina B is made with dichroic film on mirror, and is framed in a champagne-toned frame. The film on the mirror allows for it, and the space it reflec...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mirror, Film

Still Life N°2 by Frank Chabry - Oil on Canvas - 46x38 cm
Still Life N°2 by Frank Chabry - Oil on Canvas - 46x38 cm

Still Life N°2 by Frank Chabry - Oil on Canvas - 46x38 cm

Located in Geneva, CH

Frank Chabry (1916-1979) was a 20th-century artist whose career spanned several transformative decades in the art world. His work likely reflects the arti...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Round Multicolor Relief Wall Sculpture in Clay Fake Gum Abstract Candy Mosaic
Round Multicolor Relief Wall Sculpture in Clay Fake Gum Abstract Candy Mosaic

Round Multicolor Relief Wall Sculpture in Clay Fake Gum Abstract Candy Mosaic

By Elizabeth Art Candy

Located in FISTERRA, ES

"Fake Gum" is a captivating circular wall sculpture by Elizabeth Art Candy that explores the seductive tension between softness and artifice. Composed of hundreds of hand-molded clay...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Clay, Spray Paint, Board

Abstract 2288
Abstract 2288

Abstract 2288

Located in Zofingen, AG

There’s something ethereal, almost magical, about contemporary paintings. The incredible Expressionism bleeds through the canvas, transforming any room into an entirely new experienc...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

The Hush of Winter, Abstract Oil Painting
The Hush of Winter, Abstract Oil Painting

The Hush of Winter, Abstract Oil Painting

By Jenn Williamson

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A quiet, enveloping atmosphere emerges. The abstract scene evokes the stillness of winter days when hushed sound and landscape rest within a veil of calm. Subtl...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ethereal Abstraction 32, Abstract Painting
Ethereal Abstraction 32, Abstract Painting

Ethereal Abstraction 32, Abstract Painting

By Patrick O'Boyle

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Part of artist Patrick O'Boyle's ongoing Ethereal Abstraction series. He demonstrates an abstract expression of vivid colors. "I paint standing up with the pa...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Still Life 10 - Original Abstract Still Life Oil Pastel on Colored Paper, Signed
Still Life 10 - Original Abstract Still Life Oil Pastel on Colored Paper, Signed

Still Life 10 - Original Abstract Still Life Oil Pastel on Colored Paper, Signed

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Valerie Etitinwo's unique approach to abstract figurative painting celebrates the unconventional beauty found in imperfection and awkwardness. The Nigerian-Swiss artist uses bold col...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Paper, Oil

Let the Light Shine Through: Floral, Abstract, Still-life, Painting, Bold
Let the Light Shine Through: Floral, Abstract, Still-life, Painting, Bold

Let the Light Shine Through: Floral, Abstract, Still-life, Painting, Bold

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Let the Light Shine Through Floral Abstract Still-life Painting Contemporary Expressionist Invest Abundance Flowers Vase In this piece, I captured abundance and an experienc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Large Oil Painting
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Large Oil Painting

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Large Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Unsigned. Measuring: 46 by 58 inches overall, and 45 by 57 painting alone.. In excellent original condition...

Category

1950s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Test Color - Colorful Impasto Textural Thick Paint Framed Abstract Painting
Test Color - Colorful Impasto Textural Thick Paint Framed Abstract Painting

Test Color - Colorful Impasto Textural Thick Paint Framed Abstract Painting

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Glitter, Board

Large Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist Signed Painting
Large Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist Signed Painting

Large Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist Signed Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Large vintage American modernist oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Handsomely framed. Excellent condition, ready to hang and ...

Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Multi Colors
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Multi Colors

Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Multi Colors

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Composition signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 45 x 35 inches condition: the work is in overall very sound and good con...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract Composition

Abstract Composition

By Elba Alvarez

Located in Los Angeles, CA

20th Century Modern Mixed Media Triptych of Acrylic and Sand on Canvas. Signed and Dated Lower Right 1980. Bright Dynamic Abstract work known for Painted Forms that seem to Dance Off...

Category

1980s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

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

Tranquil Puzzle 4
Tranquil Puzzle 4

Tranquil Puzzle 4

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

Autumn impressions
Autumn impressions

Autumn impressions

Located in Zofingen, AG

Autumn impressions. In this piece, I poured my passion for vibrant color and movement into every brushstroke. The rich reds and purples evoke the fiery heart of autumn, while the su...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Yellow" (2022) by Jennifer Bobola, Mixed Media Abstract Painting
"Yellow" (2022) by Jennifer Bobola, Mixed Media Abstract Painting

"Yellow" (2022) by Jennifer Bobola, Mixed Media Abstract Painting

Located in Denver, CO

"Yellow" is an original, handmade mixed media painting, by Jennifer Bobola, that presents colorful abstract expressionism. Artist Statement: Let’s be honest, understanding abstract ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Just Like Blue Sapphire 01 - Mellow Abstract Painting

Just Like Blue Sapphire 01 - Mellow Abstract Painting

By Usha Shukla

Located in Boston, MA

Just Like Blue Sapphire 01 16.0 × 20.0 × 1.5, 2.0 lbs Oil Paint Hand signed by the artist Artist's Commentary: "Over the years I’ve become a keen observer of wave patterns. On th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Forever Hope - Abstract Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, Framed, 1980s
Forever Hope - Abstract Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, Framed, 1980s

Forever Hope - Abstract Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, Framed, 1980s

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This modern abstract is a Harold Feist 'spoke' painting. Early in his career, Canadian artist Harold Feist was mentored by the famed New York Art critic, Clement Greenberg and the f...

Category

1980s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Steel Blue, Ikebana Series, Dale Chihuly
Steel Blue, Ikebana Series, Dale Chihuly

Steel Blue, Ikebana Series, Dale Chihuly

By Dale Chihuly

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Dale Chihuly (1941) Title: Steel Blue, Ikebana Series Year: 2007 Medium: Acrylic on Arches Aquarelle Rag paper Size: 42 x 30 inches Inscription: Signed by the artist Notes: H...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Number 12 - Painting by Alfredo Pizzi - 2025

Number 12 - Painting by Alfredo Pizzi - 2025

Located in Roma, IT

Alfredo Pizzi, “Number 12” Acrylic on Canvas Medium Scale Contemporary Abstract Expressionism Exploding with dynamic energy and vivid emotion, Number 12 is a striking original wor...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Pastel Study 3 - Original Serene Paris Eifel Tower Cityscape Painting on Paper
Pastel Study 3 - Original Serene Paris Eifel Tower Cityscape Painting on Paper

Pastel Study 3 - Original Serene Paris Eifel Tower Cityscape Painting on Paper

By Kathleen Keifer

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Kathleen Keifer's original artworks represent one of the most significant expressions of New California Realism. Keifer brings a fresh perspective to her colorful scenes of everyday ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil Pastel

ABSTRACT Earth Tones Black Lines Composition 5 Paintings Artist Alicia Gimeno
ABSTRACT Earth Tones Black Lines Composition 5 Paintings Artist Alicia Gimeno

ABSTRACT Earth Tones Black Lines Composition 5 Paintings Artist Alicia Gimeno

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Ink, Oil, Acrylic

Hushed Moment 1

Hushed Moment 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

Palimpseste- Large Black Abstract Library Painting – Oil on Canvas –Contemporary
Palimpseste- Large Black Abstract Library Painting – Oil on Canvas –Contemporary

Palimpseste- Large Black Abstract Library Painting – Oil on Canvas –Contemporary

By SOPHIE DUMONT

Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR

Title: Palimpsest Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 100 x 100 cm 39.37 x 39.37 in (canvas only), 107 x 107 cm 42.12 x 42.12 in framed Year: 2025 Framing: Black wooden floater frame ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Impasto Abstract Seascape Landscape Miniature Study Contemporary British Artist
Impasto Abstract Seascape Landscape Miniature Study Contemporary British Artist

Impasto Abstract Seascape Landscape Miniature Study Contemporary British Artist

By Angela Wakefield

Located in Preston, GB

Impasto Abstract Seascape Landscape Miniature Study by Contemporary British Artist Angela Wakefield Art measures 5 x 5 inches Frame measures 11 x 11 inches Framed in a high qualit...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paint, Acrylic, Board

Large Antique American Abstract Expressionist Flower Still Life Oil Painting
Large Antique American Abstract Expressionist Flower Still Life Oil Painting

Large Antique American Abstract Expressionist Flower Still Life Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Antique American modernist abstract still life painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed verso. Measuring: 48 by 56 inches overall, and 46 by 54 painting alone. In excellent origina...

Category

1960s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ruz Blues Soft Upright. acrylic canvas painting
Ruz Blues Soft Upright. acrylic canvas painting

Ruz Blues Soft Upright. acrylic canvas painting

By Rafael Ruz

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

blues soft upright acrylic canvas painting Original artwork by Spanish artist Rafael Ruz. Acrylic on canvas in perfect condition. While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are in...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Large Impressive American Abstract Expressionist Modern Interior Oil Painting
Large Impressive American Abstract Expressionist Modern Interior Oil Painting

Large Impressive American Abstract Expressionist Modern Interior Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist abstract interior scene oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed and titled verso, "Bertoia Chair". Handsomely framed in a period molding. Excellent ...

Category

1950s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Love (Peonies)
Love (Peonies)

Love (Peonies)

Located in Zofingen, AG

Two delicate peonies on a deep navy-blue background. It feels as if these two flowers have merged into one — this is love! The painting is created with acrylic on canvas: layered br...

Category

2010s 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.