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
Period: 1970s
Sports Portrait of Athletic Partially Nude Boy with Rapid Brushstrokes
By Bob Peak
Located in Miami, FL
Figuration and abstraction meet in this energized quick portrait of an athletic boy with headband and resting on a bench, Most likely done for a magazine like Sports Illustrated - Si...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Masonite, Mixed Media
Fragment, abstract expressionist mid-century painting, Cleveland School artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Richard Andres
American, 1927-2013
oil on canvas
signed and titled verso
19.5 x 24 inches
20 x 25 inches, framed
Richard Andres was born in Buffalo, New York in 1927. A graduate of ...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Daniel Brush Painting, 1973
Located in Washington, DC
Painting by Daniel Brush (1947-2022).
Signed and dated 73'.
Aquatec pigments, mediums and gels on board.
Measures 60" x 10".
Exhibited at the Phillips Collection, 1974 when Dan...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Board
Vintage Vertical Abstract #5
Located in Soquel, CA
Colorful vintage abstract expressionist painting by Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009), circa 1970. From the e...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Locked in Love Huge French Modernist Original Oil Painting, Signed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Locked in Love, Abstract Portrait, Original Oil Painting, Signed
By French artist Elisabeth Dujarric, b.1930-2005
Oil painting on canvas, unframed
Canvas size: 46 x 35 inches
Elisabeth Dujarric de la Rivière...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Winston Flowers Newbury St. Boston Cityscape
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Judi Rotenberg (20th century). Winston Flowers, Newbury St. Boston, ca. 1970. Ink and watercolor on Awagami paper, sheet measures 18.5 x 24 inches. Uppe...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Handmade Paper
C.Q.P.R. composition.
Located in Como, IT
Giuseppe Minoretti (Erba, Como - 1938)
C.Q.P.R. composition.
Acrylic on Canvas
1973
Size: 60x60 cm - thickness 3 cm
Giuseppe Minoretti was born in Erba (Como) in 1938.
From 1950 to...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
Winter Lake Landscape - Large Modern Swedish Abstract Oil on Canvas Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
A beautiful large mid 20th century oil on canvas abstract winter landscape by Swedish artist Gunnar Nordstrom.
Excellent quality and condition composition with strong and vibrant i...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Bird
By Gianni Dova
Located in Como, IT
Gianni Dova (1925-1991)
Bird
1972
Oil painting on canvas in ebonized frame
Signed lower right,
Size 33 x 24 cm (60x71 cm including frame)
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Antique American Modernist Monumental Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nicely painted mid century abstract expressionist painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. No signature found.
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
1970s Abstract Expressionist Belgian Gouache on Paper.
Located in Cotignac, FR
1970s abstract expressionist gouache on paper by Belgian artist André Pierard painted in Provence in the south of France.
A highly colourful and energetic abstract painting. The st...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper, Gouache
Ammersee #2
Located in New York, NY
Walter Darby Bannard
Ammersee #2, 1975
Watercolor and acrylic painting on paper
Signed, titled and dated lower recto
This is a unique work
Frame included: elegantly floated and frame...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor, Graphite
C.L.F.Q. composition no. 20
Located in Como, IT
Giuseppe Minoretti (Erba, Como - 1938)
C.L.F.Q. composition no. 20
Acrylic on Canvas
1975
Size: 50x50 cm (72x72 cm including frame)
Giuseppe Minoretti was born in Erba (Como) in 19...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
C.L.F.R.Q. composition.
Located in Como, IT
Giuseppe Minoretti (Erba, Como - 1938)
C.L.F.R.Q. composition.
Acrylic on Canvas
1975
Size: 50x50 cm (72x72 cm including frame)
Giuseppe Minoretti was born in Erba (Como) in 1938.
...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
Antique American Abstract Expressionist Framed Large Great Color Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nicely painted abstract expressionist mid century oil painting. Oil on canvas. No signature found. Framed.
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
"Untitled" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism Hard-edge Stripes
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall
Untitled, circa 1975
Oil on canvas
50 x 40 inches
Calvert Coggeshall worked as an abstract painter and interior designer primari...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Bubblegum Girl
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Fantastic painting of a young girl blowing bubblegum. Oil on canvas, 24 x 32 inches; slightly larger in chrome frame. Signed illegibly lower right.
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Cotton Canvas, Oil
“Cotopaxi” Colorful Warm Toned Geometric Abstract Painting
By John O'Neil
Located in Houston, TX
Large abstract geometric painting that incorporates a variety of colors and warm tones.
Signed in the lower right corner and includes the title and date on the back. The work is bea...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
Pair of Geometric Abstracts, Red Dot on Black and Grey, Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Red Dot on Black" and "Red Dot on Grey" are two 22.5 x 14.4 inches each, oil on board, geometric abstracts by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The paintings are estate st...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Pair of Geometric Abstracts, Green Dot on Black and Grey, Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Green Dot on Black" and "Green Dot on Grey" are two 22.5 x 14.4 inches each, oil on board, geometric abstracts by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The paintings are estat...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Interconnections - colorful, contemporary, geometric abstract, paper collage
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This bold contemporary composition by Yvonne Lammerich is an intriguing exploration of colour and form. Origami-like folded shapes inter-connected by fine lines dance across this col...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Archival Paper, Gouache, Color Pencil
Colorful 1970s Abstraction, Signed "Soyer" Illegibly
Located in Larchmont, NY
Sloyer
Untitled, 1976
Oil on canvas
36 1/4 x 24 x 1 3/8 in.
Artist label verso (text slightly obscured)
Signed on stretcher bar
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
A geometric Play of Masks, Eyes and Lines. Post war Expressionist. 1970's.
Located in Firenze, IT
A Geometric Play of Masks, Eyes and Lines.
Post war Expressionism.
1970's.
Patrick Boudon.
Art Informel. Ecole de Paris.
Technique: oil on canvas, very textural and colorful.
Patr...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Sweet Earth - bold, modern, colorful, minimalist, abstract, acrylic on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Jack Bush had told Milly Ristvedt that she was ahead of her time. The Canadian modernist’s deep dive into the world of colour and its potential continued in the seventies. Sweet Eart...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Untitled" Sherron Francis, Female Abstract Expressionism Green Gold Color Field
Located in New York, NY
Sherron Francis
Untitled, 1976
Signed and dated on the reverse
Acrylic on canvas
52 x 28 inches
Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen, and Sam Francis a...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Untitled" Sherron Francis, Female Abstract Expressionism, Blue Red Color Field
Located in New York, NY
Sherron Francis
Untitled, 1975
Acrylic on canvas
96 x 66 inches
Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen, and Sam Francis are already well-known names. How...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Notes XXI" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism Hardedge Vertical Stripes
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall
Notes XXI, 1973
Signed, titled, and dated on the reverse
Japanese pigment on canvas
29 x 29 inches
Calvert Coggeshall worked as ...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Untitled" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism Hard-edge Vertical Stripes
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall
Untitled, circa 1970
Acrylic on canvas
80 x 67 inches
Calvert Coggeshall worked as an abstract painter and interior designer pri...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Warrior and His Horse Original oil and Clay on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
Warrior and his Horse Greco-Roman Theme Original oil and Clay on Canvas
Rendition of an ancient warrior and his horse by a unknown but prolific painter (Africa/USA 20th C.).
Possibl...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Clay, Canvas, Oil
"Grey II" Sherron Francis, Female Abstract Expressionism, Color Field
Located in New York, NY
Sherron Francis
Grey II, 1975
Signed, titled and dated on the reverse
Acrylic on canvas
80 x 69 1/2 inches
Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen, and Sa...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Illumination" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism, Hard-edge Stripes
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall
Illumination, 1973
Signed, titled, and dated on the reverse
Acrylic on canvas
65 x 67 inches
Calvert Coggeshall worked as an abs...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"A Stripe" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism, Hard-edge Vertical Lines
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall
A Stripe, 1971
Signed, titled, and dated on the reverse
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches
Calvert Coggeshall worked as an abstrac...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Untitled" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism, Hard-edge Vertical Stripe
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall
Untitled
Acrylic on canvas
65 x 67 inches
Calvert Coggeshall worked as an abstract painter and interior designer primarily in Ma...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Untitled" Sherron Francis, Female Abstract Expressionism, Red Green Color Field
Located in New York, NY
Sherron Francis
Untitled, circa 1975
Acrylic on canvas
90 x 64 inches
Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen, and Sam Francis are already well-known name...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Untitled" Sherron Francis, Female Abstract Expressionism, Black Color Field
Located in New York, NY
Sherron Francis
Untitled, 1977
Signed and dated on the reverse
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas
93 x 42 inches
Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen, a...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Notes XX" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism Hard-edge Vertical Stripes
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall
Notes XX, 1970
Signed, titled, and dated on the reverse
Acrylic on canvas
30 1/4 x 30 1/4 inches
Calvert Coggeshall worked as an...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Notes I" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism Hard-edge Vertical Stripes
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall
Notes I, 1970-80
Signed, titled, and dated on the reverse
Acrylic on canvas
65 x 67 inches
Calvert Coggeshall worked as an abstr...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Titled Out" Sherron Francis, Female Abstract Expressionism, Brown Color Field
Located in New York, NY
Sherron Francis
Titled Out, 1973
Signed, titled and dated on the reverse
Acrylic on canvas
66 3/4 x 38 1/2 inches
Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen,...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Noble O" Sherron Francis, Female Abstract Expressionism, Black Color Field
Located in New York, NY
Sherron Francis
Noble O, 1976
Signed, titled and dated on the reverse
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas
57 x 21 inches
Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christe...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Sonic Lark" Sherron Francis, Female Abstract Expressionism, Long Color Field
Located in New York, NY
Sherron Francis
Sonic Lark, 1974
Signed, titled and dated on the reverse
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 109 1/2 inches
Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen, an...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"Meridian" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism Hard-edge Vertical Stripes
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall
Meridian, 1974
Signed, titled, and dated on the reverse
Acrylic on canvas
67 x 45 inches
Calvert Coggeshall worked as an abstrac...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Untitled" Sherron Francis, Female Abstract Expressionism, Black Color Field
Located in New York, NY
Sherron Francis
Untitled, 1973
Acrylic on canvas
70 x 48 inches
Artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Dan Christensen, and Sam Francis are already well-known names. How...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Untitled, 1971, Tela di juta, Spazialismo, Detessitura, Luce
Located in Milano, IT
Una preziosa opera d'arte di Salvatore Emblema risalente ai primi anni Settanta, legata alle prime sperimentazioni sull'immagine di paesaggio e sulla tela de-filata.
Iuta de-filata ...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Burlap, Mixed Media
Untitled
By Bill Alpert
Located in Lawrence, NY
Oil on Arches paper
Experimental artist Bill Alpert was concerned with the properties of paint and pigment--how they would interact and how they were affected by different drying te...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Untitled
By Bill Alpert
Located in Lawrence, NY
Oil on paper
Experimental artist Bill Alpert was concerned with the properties of paint and pigment--how they would interact and how they were affected by different drying technique...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil
Street After Rain (Santiago de Chile) Dominican Artist
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Alberto Ulloa Burgos (1 January 1950 – 1 October 2011). Street After Rain (Santiago de Chile), 1970. Oil on masonite panel measuring 20 x 24 inches; 26 x 30 inches framed. Signed and...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Pair of Geometric Abstracts, Purple Dot on Black and Grey, Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Purple Dot on Black" and "Purple Dot on Grey" are two 22.5 x 14.4 inches each, oil on board, geometric abstracts by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The paintings are est...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
'Abstract Landscape', California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, Thiebaud
By Don Clausen
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left, 'Clausen' for Don Clausen (American, 1930-2020) and dated 1974.
A self-proclaimed "sculptor of paint," Donald Clausen used tools of his own invention to create co...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Pair of Geometric Abstracts, Orange Dot on Black and Grey, Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Orange Dot on Black" and "Orange Dot on Grey" are two 22.5 x 14.4 inches each, oil on board, geometric abstracts by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The paintings are est...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Pair of Geometric Abstractions, Blue Dot on Black and Grey, Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Blue Dot on Black" and "Blue Dot on Grey" are two 22.5 x 14.4 inches each, oil on board, geometric abstracts by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The paintings are estate ...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Pair of Geometric Abstracts, Yellow Dot on Black and Grey, Philadelphia Artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Yellow Dot on Black" and "Yellow Dot on Grey" are two 22.5 x 14.4 inches each, oil on board, geometric abstracts by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The paintings are est...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Antique American School Modernist Abstract Action Drip Splatter Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Oil on canvas. Framed.
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Adventurous Bottle - Mid 20th Century Oil on Wood Abstract by George De Goya
Located in Watford, Hertfordshire
Professor George De Goya. PhD. MA. FRSA. Born In Budapest, 1915-1992, related to the Spanish artist Goya on his mother’s side. Educated in Budapest and France where he received a de...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
Geometric Abstract #6, multi colored, Philadelphia artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Geometric Abstract #6" is a 30 x 48 inches oil on board work by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The painting is signed and dated "MLB...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
6 Variations Relief - colorful, contemporary, abstract, wood, gouache, foam core
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Striking in colour and form, this contemporary composition is by Yvonne Lammerich. The Canadian artist has garnered an international reputation for her inspired exploration of abstra...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media, Gouache, Wood Panel, Foam Board
Untitled, 1977, Oil on paper, Analytical Painting, Abstract
Located in Milano, IT
In this masterpiece Claudio Olivieri experimented with palette darkening, using a spray gun to distribute the oil and achieve an unprecedented result. In addition, this painting give...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper, Oil
Geometric Abstract #5, multi colored, Philadelphia artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Geometric Abstract #5" is a 68 x 38 inches oil on board work by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The painting is signed and dated "MLB...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Phenomena for a king, abstract watercolor pouring
By Paul Jenkins
Located in Brooklyn, NY
The work is signed on both sides. It also bears a Galerie Karl Flinker label, since Jenkins has spent a great deal of time in France since the 1950s.
Paul Jenkins was born on July 1...
Category
1970s Abstract Paintings
Materials
Paper, 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.
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