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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
Light Thoughts, 2024 Mixed Media on Artist Board, Abstract Geometric Art
Light Thoughts, 2024 Mixed Media on Artist Board, Abstract Geometric Art

Light Thoughts, 2024 Mixed Media on Artist Board, Abstract Geometric Art

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Light Thoughts, 2024 Mix Media on artist board Size - 72" height x 84" width x 1.75" depth Signed Murray Duncan is a self-taught creative visionary. Know for his large-scale, expres...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Glaze, Oil Crayon, 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

Set Adrift - Large Moody Atmospheric Abstract Alluring Oil Painting on Canvas
Set Adrift - Large Moody Atmospheric Abstract Alluring Oil Painting on Canvas

Set Adrift - Large Moody Atmospheric Abstract Alluring Oil Painting on Canvas

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Mark Acetelli’s oil and mixed media paintings awaken the viewer’s sense of exploration and adventure; they demand a new discovery. His artworks exhibit a chemistry of complexity and ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Painting Animal Horse Abstract Nature Floral Unique Original Figurative Invest
Painting Animal Horse Abstract Nature Floral Unique Original Figurative Invest

Painting Animal Horse Abstract Nature Floral Unique Original Figurative Invest

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Rainbow Bridge Painting Animal Horse Abstract Nature Floral Unique Original Bold Delight Invest Mixed Media One-of-a-kind Equestrian This strikingly beautiful artwork by Kar...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Faded Rose - Muted Color Atmospheric Abstract Alluring Oil Painting on Canvas
Faded Rose - Muted Color Atmospheric Abstract Alluring Oil Painting on Canvas

Faded Rose - Muted Color Atmospheric Abstract Alluring Oil Painting on Canvas

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Mark Acetelli’s oil and mixed media paintings awaken the viewer’s sense of exploration and adventure; they demand a new discovery. His artworks exhibit a chemistry of complexity and ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lighthearted, 2024, by Murray Duncan, Mix Media on Canvas, Geometric Abstract
Lighthearted, 2024, by Murray Duncan, Mix Media on Canvas, Geometric Abstract

Lighthearted, 2024, by Murray Duncan, Mix Media on Canvas, Geometric Abstract

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Lighthearted By Murray Duncan Lighthearted is a large-scale abstract composition defined by gestural movement, architectural line-work, and a warm, luminous ground. Working in layer...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Pencil

Untitled (3)
Untitled (3)

Untitled (3)

By John von Wicht

Located in Columbia, MO

Signed recto. John von Wicht (German-American, 1888 - 1970) was a painter and printmaker whose abstract works evolved from Euro...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Sunny Day - Abstract Figurative Still Life Landscape Textured Impasto Painting
Sunny Day - Abstract Figurative Still Life Landscape Textured Impasto Painting

Sunny Day - Abstract Figurative Still Life Landscape Textured Impasto Painting

By Ekaterina Ermilkina

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Ekaterina Ermilkina’s original, abstract fine art paintings are created using a skillful combination of applying and removing oil paint with a palette knife on canvas. Her inspiratio...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Peek a Color Boo
Peek a Color Boo

Peek a Color Boo

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

Abstract 2297
Abstract 2297

Alex SenchenkoAbstract 2297, 2022

$2,103Sale Price|20% Off

Abstract 2297

Located in Zofingen, AG

This high quality acrylic painting is done on gallery wrapped canvas, with no need for framing, as the edges are painted. You will receive it "ready to hang", with a hook on the back...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Original-Jardin d'Hiver-Cloud Dahlias in Blue-British Awarded Artist-Impasto
Original-Jardin d'Hiver-Cloud Dahlias in Blue-British Awarded Artist-Impasto

Original-Jardin d'Hiver-Cloud Dahlias in Blue-British Awarded Artist-Impasto

Located in London, GB

Jardin d'Hiver Series is Shizico Yi's latest collection, created in her winter studio with an expensive window view to the winter clouds while longing for the summer left behind. Ref...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Simple Life
Simple Life

Katherine BelloSimple Life, 2021

$950Sale Price|47% Off

Simple Life

By Katherine Bello

Located in Kansas City, MO

Katherine Bello Title: Simple Life Oil and Oils stick on canvas Year: 2021 Dimensions: 20"x20"x1.5" Signed by hand Canvas on stretcher frame - ready...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Oil Pastel

Capulin Volcano
Capulin Volcano

Capulin Volcano

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

Encounters at Dawn, Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, free shipping
Encounters at Dawn, Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, free shipping

Encounters at Dawn, Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, free shipping

Located in Bogotá, Bogotá

"Encounters at Dawn" – Contemporary Abstract Painting on Canvas in Violet Tones with Figuration is an abstract oil painting that explores color field and abstract expressionism. The ...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

YVETTE DUBOIS-HABASQUE (1929-2016) FRENCH CUBIST ABSTRACT PAINTING
YVETTE DUBOIS-HABASQUE (1929-2016) FRENCH CUBIST ABSTRACT PAINTING

YVETTE DUBOIS-HABASQUE (1929-2016) FRENCH CUBIST ABSTRACT PAINTING

By Yvette Dubois Habasque

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

"Abstract Composition" original Oil Painting on board by Yvette Dubois Habasque (1929-2016) signed on back Dated: November 2007 card: 15.75 x 15.7.5 inches Fine original abstract...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Awakening: Colorful Floral Landscape Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
The Awakening: Colorful Floral Landscape Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

The Awakening: Colorful Floral Landscape Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: The Awakening 2 Floral Landscape Nature Colorful Vibrant Flowers Joy Delight Texture Layers Little Gem In creating this painting, I portrayed the vibrant dance of nature and...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Stretcher Bars

Evening in Silence, Abstract Oil Painting
Evening in Silence, Abstract Oil Painting

Evening in Silence, Abstract Oil Painting

By Ronda Waiksnis

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Soft greens, blues, and earthy tones suggest an abstract river nestled among dense foliage. The water reflects the overcast sky, creating a sense of depth and t...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

An American Farm at Sunset by S. Salomon
An American Farm at Sunset by S. Salomon

An American Farm at Sunset by S. Salomon

Located in San Francisco, CA

On offer is an American Impressionist landscape painting featuring a vibrant sunset casting a glow over a farm setting. The work depicts a figure walking down a dirt path through a m...

Category

Early 20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Floral Fantasy: Nature Abstract Bold Statement Colorful Invest Striking Delight
Floral Fantasy: Nature Abstract Bold Statement Colorful Invest Striking Delight

Floral Fantasy: Nature Abstract Bold Statement Colorful Invest Striking Delight

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Floral Fantasy Nature, Abstract, Bold, Statement, Colorful, Invest, Striking, Delight, Modern, Landscape. In this work, I've poured my heart into a vivid garden of dreams, u...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Stretcher Bars

Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist Beach Scene Painting
Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist Beach Scene Painting

Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist Beach Scene Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage abstract beach scene oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a wood molding. Excellent condition, ready to han...

Category

1950s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Vibrant Modernist Abstraction by Claire Burch
Vibrant Modernist Abstraction by Claire Burch

Vibrant Modernist Abstraction by Claire Burch

Located in New York, NY

Claire Burch (American, 1925-2009) Untitled, 20th century Oil on canvas 24 x 30 in. Framed: 31 2/3 x 37 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. Signed lower right: Claire Burch After attending grade school in Brooklyn, Burch completed a commercial art course at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan and received her B.A. in English from NYU. In the suburbs of Great Neck, New York, she first began writing poetry and articles which were published in Life magazine, The New Republic, Mademoiselle, McCall's, Saturday Review, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, and numerous literary quarterlies and anthologies.[1] Burch also developed a career as a psychiatric writer, publishing two books on the subject: Careers in Psychiatry and Stranger in the Family. In the early 1970s Burch became a playwright and painter. Her play Ten Cents a Dance was optioned to be directed by José Quintero, the famous O'Neill interpreter. Burch wrote a total of seven plays and several folk operas, but eventually moved on to filmmaking and video anthropology—she was an early adapter of video as a medium. In 1978, Burch moved to California with her longtime companion Mark Weiman, publisher and owner of Berkeley's Regent Press. She had endured a series of illnesses and wanted to escape the harsh climate of Manhattan. Burch gained insight and inspiration from insanity and the often unexpected behavior associated with it. She would often videotape homeless people in People's Park and Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, which were collected in her film People's Park in Berkeley: Then and Now. The film documented the dispute between homeless activists and the University of California from the riots of 1969 through 1996 by interviewing park "regulars," and profiling the events surrounding the deaths of park supporters James Rector and Rosebud Denovo.[2] She also produced documentaries on noted cultural figures such as James Baldwin (whom she knew as a teenager), Timothy Leary and Country Joe McDonald. Also of note was Oracle Rising, a film about the legendary psychedelic newspaper The SF Oracle published in the Haight-Ashbury district during the Summer of Love. Her last completed film was Elegy for the Naked Guy...

Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Exotic Blue Green Birds
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Exotic Blue Green Birds

Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Exotic Blue Green Birds

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Composition signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 46 x 35 inches condition: the work is in overall very sound and good con...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

Vintage American Modernist Signed Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

This mid-century abstract composition employs a dynamic interplay of geometric planes and gestural brushwork, rendered in a vibrant yet balanced palette of pastel pinks, acid yellow...

Category

1970s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Crows. Contemporary Mixed Media Painting, Abstraction, Birds, Polish art

Crows. Contemporary Mixed Media Painting, Abstraction, Birds, Polish art

By Anna Mikke

Located in Warsaw, PL

Contemporary mixed media on board painting by Polish artist Anna Mikke. Birds are next to people favourite artistic subject of Mikke. This piece is in neutral colors, the background ...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Pastel, Acrylic, Gouache, Board

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

Untitled 145_25 (Abstract Painting)
Untitled 145_25 (Abstract Painting)

Untitled 145_25 (Abstract Painting)

Located in London, GB

Ludovic Dervillez is a French abstract painter whose practice is a powerful interrogation of how painting can still be a living, resonant space, focusing on the vital tension between...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

20th Century Original French Expressionist Oil Painting Abstract Face
20th Century Original French Expressionist Oil Painting Abstract Face

20th Century Original French Expressionist Oil Painting Abstract Face

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Original oil painting by P. Valetti (French, second half 20th century) oil on canvas, unframed size: 24 x 19.75 inches condition: very good provenance: from the artists estate, Franc...

Category

20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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 thick board unframed: 8 x 8 inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we have fo...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Feeling Pink - Lifeguard Stand on Beach Original Pop Art Oceanscape Sky Painting
Feeling Pink - Lifeguard Stand on Beach Original Pop Art Oceanscape Sky Painting

Feeling Pink - Lifeguard Stand on Beach Original Pop Art Oceanscape Sky Painting

By Kathleen Keifer

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Kathleen Keifer is a California-based internationally collected artist. She is a leading force of the New California Realism. With a high level of technical virtuosity Keifer creates...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Unfolding
Unfolding

Unfolding

Located in Zofingen, AG

This work embodies the state of opening oneself to new experience. “Unfolding” is the moment of meeting your own strength and vulnerability at once — where chaos transforms into harm...

Category

2010s Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, 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

New York Misses You Too, Oil Painting
New York Misses You Too, Oil Painting

New York Misses You Too, Oil Painting

By Onelio Marrero

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"The source of inspiration for this painting came as I was walking in Manhattan in the rain," says artist Onelio Marrero. "This street is based on 8th Avenue ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

A852 - Original Large Scale Minimalist Modern Green Expressive Abstract Painting
A852 - Original Large Scale Minimalist Modern Green Expressive Abstract Painting

A852 - Original Large Scale Minimalist Modern Green Expressive Abstract Painting

By Marco Schmidli

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Swiss-born artist Marco Schmidli creates large-scale minimalist paintings reminiscent of color field studies with a contemporary edge. Placing emphasis on process, he lets the medium...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Contemporary Minimal Abstract, Large-Scale Neutral Earth Tones Painting
Contemporary Minimal Abstract, Large-Scale Neutral Earth Tones Painting

Contemporary Minimal Abstract, Large-Scale Neutral Earth Tones Painting

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, Mixed Media, Pigment

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

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.