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Contemporary Abstract Photography

CONTEMPORARY STYLE

Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.

Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.

The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.

Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.

Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Contemporary
1972 Porsche 911 Targa, 2020

1972 Porsche 911 Targa, 2020

By Nick Veasey

Located in München, BY

Edition 15, framed Chromaluxe Original 1972 Porsche 911 Targa A man with x-ray vision, NICK VEASEY creates art that shows what it is really like inside. Nick’s work with radiograph...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Wallscape V ( 40 x 32" / 102 x 81cm )
Wallscape V ( 40 x 32" / 102 x 81cm )

Wallscape V ( 40 x 32" / 102 x 81cm )

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

WALLSCAPE V by Frank Schott from a series of photographic observances capturing urban textures and wallscape color palettes 40 x 32 inches / 102cm x 81cm edition of 25 signed 60 x...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment

Untitled Work of Fire Diptych

Untitled Work of Fire Diptych

By Christopher Colville

Located in Sante Fe, NM

Christopher Colville is an American artist working to push the boundaries of the photographic medium in both experimental and traditional forms. His images are created outdoors by ig...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Essence of Life
Essence of Life

Essence of Life

Located in Plano, TX

"Essence of Life" is a part of Christopher Kennedy's "Trees Revered" series. Please note that the image without the frame is a better representation of the actual image. "This parti...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper

Summer Woods IV Cyanotype Painting, Contemporary, 18x18, Signed, 2010+
Summer Woods IV Cyanotype Painting, Contemporary, 18x18, Signed, 2010+

Summer Woods IV Cyanotype Painting, Contemporary, 18x18, Signed, 2010+

Located in Oakland, CA

This unique multistep technique is a combination of a painting and a photograph or monotype. Cyanotypes are a kind of alternative photographic process from the 1800s. The chemicals a...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Mixed Media, Rag Paper, Monotype, Photogram

I am fleeting #12. From I am fleeting Series
I am fleeting #12. From I am fleeting Series

I am fleeting #12. From I am fleeting Series

By Javier Rey

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Is a project that debates through the photographic image, the importance that humans have assigned to ourselves, and proposes a reconciliation with the reality of our own insignifica...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Color, Archival Pigment

Eternity (Deconstructivism) - Contemporary, Expired Polaroid

Eternity (Deconstructivism) - Contemporary, Expired Polaroid

By Stefanie Schneider

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

Eternity (Deconstructivism) - 2020 - about the narrative potential of images. 20x20cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid, Artist Inven...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

Autumn Magnolia (Delicate Photograph on Rice Paper of Plum Colored Blossoms)
Autumn Magnolia (Delicate Photograph on Rice Paper of Plum Colored Blossoms)

Autumn Magnolia (Delicate Photograph on Rice Paper of Plum Colored Blossoms)

By Jeri Eisenberg

Located in Hudson, NY

"Autumn Magnolia No. 1" Abstract still life photograph of deep plum Magnolia petals and green leaves against a white sky background Photograph printed on Japanese Kozo paper infused ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Wax, Encaustic, Archival Paper, Mulberry Paper

Swimming Area Panorama, Minimalist Monochrome Waterscape Photograph, Austria
Swimming Area Panorama, Minimalist Monochrome Waterscape Photograph, Austria

Swimming Area Panorama, Minimalist Monochrome Waterscape Photograph, Austria

By Gerald Berghammer

Located in Vienna, Vienna

Archival pigment ink print, produced in a limited edition of 7 // Gallery ID: 21218 Fine art prints are produced to order on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. Each print is stamped on the...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment

Tulip Fields 05 by Bernhard Lang - small size
Tulip Fields 05 by Bernhard Lang - small size

Tulip Fields 05 by Bernhard Lang - small size

By Bernhard Lang

Located in Paris, FR

Aerial Views, Tulip Fields 05 is a limited-edition photograph by German contemporary artist Bernhard Lang. Available dimensions and editions: - 60 x 75 cm: edition of 10 - 96 x 120 ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

Brushstroke - underwater photograph series REFLECTIONS - archival pigment 19x35"
Brushstroke - underwater photograph series REFLECTIONS - archival pigment 19x35"

Brushstroke - underwater photograph series REFLECTIONS - archival pigment 19x35"

By Alex Sher

Located in Beverly Hills, CA

In a delicate smear of faded blues intermingled with the curves and lines of the pale colors of the skin, Alex Sher’s “Brushstroke” uncovers his phenomenal ability to capture the tr...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Post Soviet Russian Avant Garde Photograph Mixed Media Gum Arabic Photo Painting
Post Soviet Russian Avant Garde Photograph Mixed Media Gum Arabic Photo Painting

Post Soviet Russian Avant Garde Photograph Mixed Media Gum Arabic Photo Painting

By Igor Vishnyakov

Located in Surfside, FL

Igor Vishnyakov is a Russian Postwar & Contemporary artist who was born in 1968 in Moscow. Igor spent his childhood in Africa and Southeast Asia. After returning to Moscow in the mi...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Mixed Media, Photographic Paper

LA Parking - large scale photograph of midcentury urban architectural element
LA Parking - large scale photograph of midcentury urban architectural element

LA Parking - large scale photograph of midcentury urban architectural element

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

LA Parking by Frank Schott a burst of red in an urban landscape of striking minimalism from a series of photographs capturing the mid century modern architecture and architectural el...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment

H2O IV - large format photograph of sun reflections on pool water surface
H2O IV - large format photograph of sun reflections on pool water surface

H2O IV - large format photograph of sun reflections on pool water surface

By Erik Pawassar

Located in San Francisco, CA

mesmerizing light reflections of glistening sunlight on turquoise aquamarine water surface, an homage to the iconic pool reflections paintings by artist David Hockney 40 x 32 inches...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment

Pulse (Kings Road) - observations at the Schindler House in Los Angeles
Pulse (Kings Road) - observations at the Schindler House in Los Angeles

Pulse (Kings Road) - observations at the Schindler House in Los Angeles

By Mona Kuhn

Located in San Francisco, CA

Original large format photographic print from Mona Kuhn's series Kings Road, ephemeral observations of interiors, vignettes and details captured at Rudolph Schindler's iconic LA home. In Kings Road (2022) Mona Kuhn lyrically reconsiders the realms of time and space within the midcentury architectural elements of the iconic Schindler House in Los Angeles. Built by Austrian architect Rudolph M. Schindler in 1922, the house was both a social and design experiment and an avant-garde hub for intellectuals and artists in the 1920s and ’30s. The body of work this individual photo is from incorporates chromogenic color prints, reflecting vignettes and materials of the building's emotional architecture, juxtaposition with unique solarized gelatin silver prints capturing traces of an ethereal human presence. The exhibition Kings Road has been shown in Santa Barbara, Paris, Göttingen an Lianzhou. Read more about Mona Kuhn in a recent Introspective Magazine feature - see 1stDibs page footer below Pulse (2022) Kings Road: A Rudolph Schindler House 60" x 45" / 152cm x 114cm / edition of 3 40" x 30" / 102cm x 76cm /edition of 12 limited edition photograph printed under artist supervision + accompanied by signed artist certificate: artist signature label (8x10") signed/editioned/dated/titled by the artist + stamped for authenticity label is placed centered on verso of the mounted print __________________ About the artist Acclaimed for her contemporary depictions, Kuhn is considered a leading artist in the world of figurative discourse. Throughout a career spanning more than twenty years, the underlying theme of her work is her reflection on humanity’s longing for spiritual connection and solidarity. As she solidified her photographic style, Kuhn created a notable approach to the nude by developing friendships with her subjects, and employing a range of playful visual strategies that use natural light and minimalist settings to evoke a sublime sense of comfort between the human figure and its environment. Her work is natural, restful, and a reinterpretation of the nude in the canon of contemporary art. For the past two decades, the Los-Angeles based artist's works have been shown steadily, revealing an astonishing consistency in technique, of subject and of purpose. In 2001, Kuhn’s photographs were first seen by an influential audience during the exhibition at Charles Cowles Gallery in Chelsea, New York. Kuhn’s distinct aesthetic has propelled her as one of the most collectible contemporary art photographers—her work is in private and public collections worldwide and she is represented by galleries across the United States, Europe and Asia. Kuhn was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1969, of German descent. In 1989, Kuhn moved to the US and earned her BA from The Ohio State University, before furthering her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. She is currently an independent scholar at The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Occasionally, Mona teaches at UCLA and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Kuhn’s first monograph, Photographs, was debuted by Steidl in 2004; followed by Evidence (2007), Native (2010), Bordeaux Series (2011), Private (2014), and She Disappeared into Complete Silence (2018/19). In addition, Stanley/Barker Editions published Kuhn's Bushes & Succulents in 2018. In 2021, Thames & Hudson published a career retrospective titled Works. Kuhn's most recent publication Kings Road (2022) with Steidl accompanies a multi-dimensional museum traveling exhibition shown in Europe and the US. Mona Kuhn’s work is in private and public collections worldwide, including The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Hammer Museum, Perez Art Museum Miami, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Kiyosato Museum in Japan. Kuhn's work has been exhibited at The Louvre Museum and Le Bal in Paris; The Whitechapel Gallery and Royal Academy of Arts in London; Musée de l’Elysée in Switzerland; Leopold Museum in Vienna Austria, The Polygon Gallery in Vancouver Canada, Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan and Australian Centre for Photography. Mona Kuhn lives and works in Los Angeles. __________________ Solo Exhibitions 2025 Mona Kuhn: Y Tu Desnudo será Un Gran Poema, Museum of Contemporary Art, Malaga, Spain Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Lianzhou Museum of Photography, China 2024 Mona Kuhn: The Schindler House, A Love Affair, Galerie XII...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print

Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal 2024

Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal 2024

By Nick Veasey

Located in München, BY

Edition 15, framed Chromaluxe Michael Jackson doing his smooth criminal dance move. A man with x-ray vision, NICK VEASEY creates art that shows what it is really like inside. Nick...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD14558) - large abstract photograph
She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD14558) - large abstract photograph

She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD14558) - large abstract photograph

By Mona Kuhn

Located in San Francisco, CA

In the series 'She Disappeared into Complete Silence' (2014) Mona Kuhn takes a new direction into abstraction. She turns to a highly austere and restrained reductionist geometry and distilled formal purity, connecting the interior to the exterior, the visible to the hidden. These reflections cause one to linger, as they merge to create a dynamic equilibrium of tension, spaces and rythms. AD14558 (She Disappeared into Complete Silence) 60" x 45" / 152cm x 114cm edition of 8 + 2AP 40" x 30" / 102cm x 76cm edition of 8 + 2AP limited edition photograph is printed under artist supervision and accompanied by signed artist certificate: artist signature labels are 8x10 in size signed, editioned, dated and titled by the artist, and stamped for authenticity label __________________ About the artist Acclaimed for her contemporary depictions, Kuhn is considered a leading artist in the world of figurative discourse. Throughout a career spanning more than twenty years, the underlying theme of her work is her reflection on humanity’s longing for spiritual connection and solidarity. As she solidified her photographic style, Kuhn created a notable approach to the nude by developing friendships with her subjects, and employing a range of playful visual strategies that use natural light and minimalist settings to evoke a sublime sense of comfort between the human figure and its environment. Her work is natural, restful, and a reinterpretation of the nude in the canon of contemporary art. For the past two decades, the Los-Angeles based artist's works have been shown steadily, revealing an astonishing consistency in technique, of subject and of purpose. In 2001, Kuhn’s photographs were first seen by an influential audience during the exhibition at Charles Cowles Gallery in Chelsea, New York. Kuhn’s distinct aesthetic has propelled her as one of the most collectible contemporary art photographers—her work is in private and public collections worldwide and she is represented by galleries across the United States, Europe and Asia. Kuhn was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1969, of German descent. In 1989, Kuhn moved to the US and earned her BA from The Ohio State University, before furthering her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. She is currently an independent scholar at The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Occasionally, Mona teaches at UCLA and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Mona Kuhn’s first monograph, Photographs, was debuted by Steidl in 2004; followed by Evidence (2007), Native (2010), Bordeaux Series (2011), Private (2014), and She Disappeared into Complete Silence (2018/19). In addition, Kuhn's monograph titled Bushes and Succulents has been published by Stanley/Barker Editions, with a debut at Jeu de Paume in Paris, In 2021, Thames & Hudson published a career retrospective titled Works. Kuhn's most recent publication Kings Road with Steidl accompanies a multi-dimensional museum traveling exhibition shown in Europe and the US. Mona Kuhn’s work is in private and public collections worldwide, including The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Hammer Museum, Perez Art Museum Miami, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Kiyosato Museum in Japan. Kuhn's work has been exhibited at The Louvre Museum and Le Bal in Paris; The Whitechapel Gallery and Royal Academy of Arts in London; Musée de l’Elysée in Switzerland; Leopold Museum in Vienna Austria, The Polygon Gallery in Vancouver Canada, Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan and Australian Centre for Photography. Mona Kuhn lives and works in Los Angeles. __________________ Solo Exhibitions 2025 Mona Kuhn: Works, Museum of Contemporary Art, Malaga, Spain 2024 Mona Kuhn: The Schindler House, A Love Affair, Galerie XII, Los Angeles Mona Kuhn: Between Modernism and Surrealism, Houk Gallery, New York, NY 2023 Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Galerie XII, Paris, France Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Kunsthaus-Göttingen, Germany Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta 2022 Mona Kuhn: 835 Kings Road, Art, Design & Architecture Museum, Santa Barbara 2021 Mona Kuhn: Works, Galerie XII, Paris Mona Kuhn: Works, Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York Mona Kuhn: Works, Flowers Gallery, London Mona Kuhn: Works, Galerie XII, Los Angeles + Paris + Shanghai Mona Kuhn: 835 Kings Road, Art, Design and Architecture Museum, Santa Barbara 2020 Still Light, Jardin du Bra'haus, Montée du Château, Clervaux, Luxembourg Mona Kuhn: Early Depictions, Flowers Gallery, London Mona Kuhn: Intimate, UP Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan 2019 Bushes and Succulents, Euqinom Gallery, San Francisco Mona Kuhn: She Disappeared, Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta Mona Kuhn: Experimental, Fruit Factory, Durham Triangle, North Carolina 2018 Mona Kuhn: New Works, Part II, Galerie Catherine Hug, Paris, France 2017 Mona Kuhn: The First Chapter, Euqinom Projects, San Francisco, California 2016 Mona Kuhn: New Works, Galerie Catherine Hug, Paris, France Acido Dorado, Galeria Pilar Serra, Madrid, Spain Mona Kuhn: New Works, Euqinom Gallery, San Francisco, California 2015 Private, Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Private, Galerie Ernst Hilger, Vienna, Austria 2014 Acido Dorado, Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York Acido Dorado, Flowers Gallery, London, UK Private, Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia 2012 Bordeaux Series, Galerie Particuliere, Paris, France Native, Galeria Pilar Serra, Madrid, Spain Bordeaux Series, Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia Bordeaux, Flowers Gallery, New York Native, Brancolini Grimaldi, Florence, Italy 2011 Bordeaux, Flowers Gallery, London, UK 2010 Native, Flowers Gallery, London, UK Native, Flowers Gallery, New York 2009 Native, M+B Gallery, Los Angeles, California Native, Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia 2008 Evidence, Jarach Gallery, Venice, Italy 2007 Evidence, Scott Nichols Gallery, San Francisco, California Evidence, Charles Cowles Gallery, New York Mona Kuhn, Estiarte Gallery, Madrid, Spain Evidence, Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia Less Than Innocent, M+B Gallery, Los Angeles, California 2005 Mona Kuhn – Recent Color Work, Charles Cowles Gallery, New York Mona Kuhn-Close, Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia Unbounded Youth, Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles, California 2004 Mona Kuhn-Color, Camerawork, Berlin, Germany New Work, G. Gibson Gallery, Seattle, Washington Corporeal Space, Galerie F5.6, Munique, Germany Mona Kuhn - Color Photographs, Scott Nichols Gallery, San Francisco, California Still Memory, PhotoEye...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Cloud Study VII - large scale photograph of dramatic cloudscapes in summer sky
Cloud Study VII - large scale photograph of dramatic cloudscapes in summer sky

Cloud Study VII - large scale photograph of dramatic cloudscapes in summer sky

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

Large scale original art photography from a series of dramatic cloud atlas and abstract sky scapes observations above the Pacific Ocean Cloud Study VII by Frank Schott 75 x 58 inc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment

Stars 5, 2014 - Stars and Trees in Ancient English Woodland and Forest Landscape

Stars 5, 2014 - Stars and Trees in Ancient English Woodland and Forest Landscape

By Ellie Davies

Located in Brighton, GB

Stars 5, 2014 - Stars and Trees in Ancient English Woodland and Forest Landscape by Ellie Davies Stars 5 by Ellie Davies is a stunning Digital C-Type Print on Fuji Maxima Matte pape...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Digital, C Print, Color

Stars 7, 2015 - Stars and Trees in Ancient English Woodland Forest Landscape

Stars 7, 2015 - Stars and Trees in Ancient English Woodland Forest Landscape

By Ellie Davies

Located in Brighton, GB

Stars 7, 2015 - Stars and Trees in Ancient English Woodland Forest Landscape by Ellie Davies Stars 7 by Ellie Davies is a stunning Digital C-Type Print on Fuji Maxima Matte paper, a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Digital, C Print, Color

Hemisphere I - large format photograph of abstract liquid cloudscapes in water
Hemisphere I - large format photograph of abstract liquid cloudscapes in water

Hemisphere I - large format photograph of abstract liquid cloudscapes in water

By Christian Stoll

Located in San Francisco, CA

large scale photography of mesmerizing color compositions of liquid cloudscape painting in water, hypnotizing abstract liquidscapes from the body of works titled 'Hemisphere' Hemisp...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée, Archival Ink

1959 Porsche 365B Coupe

1959 Porsche 365B Coupe

By Nick Veasey

Located in München, BY

Edition 9 Framed Chromaluxe X-Ray of a 1959 Porsche 365B Coupe. A man with x-ray vision, NICK VEASEY creates art that shows what it is really like inside. Nick’s work with radiogra...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Untitled (Paradise) - Contemporary, Nude, Men, Polaroid
Untitled (Paradise) - Contemporary, Nude, Men, Polaroid

Untitled (Paradise) - Contemporary, Nude, Men, Polaroid

By Stefanie Schneider

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

Untitled (Paradise) - 1999, 98x97cm. Edition 3/10. Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid. Signature label and Certificate. Artist Inventory No. 20451. Not mounted. ...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

Living in a Dream (Till Death do us Part) - Contemporary, Polaroid, Women

Living in a Dream (Till Death do us Part) - Contemporary, Polaroid, Women

By Stefanie Schneider

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

Living in a Dream (Till Death do us Part) - 2005 20x20cm, Edition of 10, Archival C-Print print, based on the Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label, artist Inventory No. 9781. Not mounted. on offer is a piece from the movie "Till Death do us Part" Stefanie Schneider’s Till Death Do Us Part or “There is Only the Desert for You.” BY DREW HAMMOND Stefanie Schneider’s Til Death to Us Part is a love narrative that comprises three elements: 1. A montage of still images shot and elaborated by means of her signature technique of using Polaroid formats with outdated and degraded film stock in natural light, with the resulting im ages rephotographed (by other means) enlarged and printed in such a way as to generate further distortions of the image. 2. Dated Super 8 film footage without a sound track and developed by the artist. 3. Recorded off-screen narration of texts written by the actors or photographic subjects, and selected by the artist. At the outset, this method presupposes a tension between still and moving image; between the conventions about the juxtaposition of such images in a moving image presentation; and, and a further tension between the work’s juxtaposition of sound and image, and the conventional relationship between sound and image that occurs in the majority of films. But Till Death Do Us Part also conduces to an implied synthesis of still and moving image by the manner in which the artist edits or cuts the work. First, she imposes a rigorous criterion of selection, whether to render a section as a still or moving image. The predominance of still images is neither an arbitrary residue of her background as a still photographer—in fact she has years of background in film projects; nor is it a capricious reaction against moving picture convention that demands more moving images than stills. Instead, the number of still images has a direct thematic relation to the fabric of the love story in the following sense. Stills, by definition, have a very different relationship to time than do moving images. The unedited moving shot occurs in real time, and the edited moving shot, despite its artificial rendering of time, all too 2009often affords the viewer an even greater illusion of experiencing reality as it unfolds. It is self-evident that moving images overtly mimic the temporal dynamic of reality. Frozen in time—at least overtly—still photographic images pose a radical tension with real time. This tension is all the more heightened by their “real” content, by the recording aspect of their constitution. But precisely because they seem to suspend time, they more naturally evoke a sense of the past and of its inherent nostalgia. In this way, they are often more readily evocative of other states of experience of the real, if we properly include in the real our own experience of the past through memory, and its inherent emotions. This attribute of stills is the real criterion of their selection in Til Death Do Us Part where consistently, the artist associates them with desire, dream, memory, passion, and the ensemble of mental states that accompany a love relationship in its nascent, mature, and declining aspects. A SYNTHESIS OF MOVING AND STILL IMAGES BOTH FORMAL AND CONCEPTUAL It is noteworthy that, after a transition from a still image to a moving image, as soon as the viewer expects the movement to continue, there is a “logical” cut that we expect to result in another moving image, not only because of its mise en scène, but also because of its implicit respect of traditional rules of film editing, its planarity, its sight line, its treatment of 3D space—all these lead us to expect that the successive shot, as it is revealed, is bound to be another moving image. But contrary to our expectation, and in delayed reaction, we are startled to find that it is another still image. One effect of this technique is to reinforce the tension between still and moving image by means of surprise. But in another sense, the technique reminds us that, in film, the moving image is also a succession of stills that only generate an illusion of movement. Although it is a fact that here the artist employs Super 8 footage, in principle, even were the moving images shot with video, the fact would remain since video images are all reducible to a series of discrete still images no matter how “seamless” the transitions between them. Yet a third effect of the technique has to do with its temporal implication. Often art aspires to conflate or otherwise distort time. Here, instead, the juxtaposition poses a tension between two times: the “real time” of the moving image that is by definition associated with reality in its temporal aspect; and the “frozen time” of the still image associated with an altered sense of time in memory and fantasy of the object of desire—not to mention the unreal time of the sense of the monopolization of the gaze conventionally attributed to the photographic medium, but which here is associated as much with the yearning narrator as it is with the viewer. In this way, the work establishes and juxtaposes two times for two levels of consciousness, both for the narrator of the story and, implicitly, for the viewer: A) the immediate experience of reality, and B) the background of reflective effects of reality, such as dream, memory, fantasy, and their inherent compounding of past and present emotions. In addition, the piece advances in the direction of a Gesammtkunstwerk, but in a way that reconsiders this synaesthesia as a unified complex of genres—not only because it uses new media that did not exist when the idea was first enunciated in Wagner’s time, but also because it comprises elements that are not entirely of one artist’s making, but which are subsumed by the work overall. The totality remains the vision of one artist. In this sense, Till Death Do Us Part reveals a further tension between the central intelligence of the artist and the products of other individual participants. This tension is compounded to the degree that the characters’ attributes and narrated statements are part fiction and part reality, part themselves, and part their characters. But Stefanie Schneider is the one who assembles, organizes, and selects them all. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THIS IDEA (above) AND PHOTOGRAPHY This selective aspect of the work is an expansion of idea of the act of photography in which the artistic photographer selects that which is already there, and then, by distortion, definition or delimitation, compositional and lighting emphasis, and by a host of other techniques, subsumes that which is already there to transform it into an image of the artist’s contrivance, one that is no less of the artist’s making than a work in any other medium, but which is distinct from many traditional media (such as painting) in that it retains an evocation of the tension between what is already there and what is of the artist’s making. Should it fail to achieve this, it remains, to that degree, mere illustration to which aesthetic technique has been applied with greater or lesser skill. The way Til Death Do Us Part expands this basic principle of the photographic act, is to apply it to further existing elements, and, similarly, to transform them. These additional existing elements include written or improvised pieces narrated by their authors in a way that shifts between their own identities and the identities of fictional characters. Such characters derive partially from their own identities by making use of real or imagined memories, dreams, fears of the future, genuine impressions, and emotional responses to unexpected or even banal events. There is also music, with voice and instrumental accompaniment. The music slips between integration with the narrative voices and disjunction, between consistency and tension. At times it would direct the mood, and at other times it would disrupt. Despite that much of this material is made by others, it becomes, like the reality that is the raw material of an art photo, subsumed and transformed by the overall aesthetic act of the manner of its selection, distortion, organization, duration, and emotional effect. * * * David Lean was fond of saying that a love story is most effective in a squalid visual environment. In Til Death Do Us Part, the squalor of the American desert...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

Cocktail? 2023

Cocktail? 2023

By Nick Veasey

Located in München, BY

Edition 15, framed Chromaluxe A bartender is waiting for you. A man with x-ray vision, NICK VEASEY creates art that shows what it is really like inside. Nick’s work with radiograph...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD7517) - large scale abstract photograph
She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD7517) - large scale abstract photograph

She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD7517) - large scale abstract photograph

By Mona Kuhn

Located in San Francisco, CA

In the series 'She Disappeared into Complete Silence' (2014) Mona Kuhn takes a new direction into abstraction. She turns to a highly austere and restrained reductionist geometry and distilled formal purity, connecting the interior to the exterior, the visible to the hidden. These reflections cause one to linger, as they merge to create a dynamic equilibrium of tension, spaces and rythms. AD7517 (She Disappeared into Complete Silence) 30" x 40" / 76cm x 102cm edition of 8 + 2AP 45" x 60" / 114cm x 152cm edition of 8 + 2AP limited edition photograph printed under artist supervision + accompanied by signed artist certificate: artist signature labels are 8x10 in size signed, editioned, dated and titled by the artist, and stamped for authenticity label is placed centered on verso of the mounted print __________________ About the artist Acclaimed for her contemporary depictions, Kuhn is considered a leading artist in the world of figurative discourse. Throughout a career spanning more than twenty years, the underlying theme of her work is her reflection on humanity’s longing for spiritual connection and solidarity. As she solidified her photographic style, Kuhn created a notable approach to the nude by developing friendships with her subjects, and employing a range of playful visual strategies that use natural light and minimalist settings to evoke a sublime sense of comfort between the human figure and its environment. Her work is natural, restful, and a reinterpretation of the nude in the canon of contemporary art. For the past two decades, the Los-Angeles based artist's works have been shown steadily, revealing an astonishing consistency in technique, of subject and of purpose. In 2001, Kuhn’s photographs were first seen by an influential audience during the exhibition at Charles Cowles Gallery in Chelsea, New York. Kuhn’s distinct aesthetic has propelled her as one of the most collectible contemporary art photographers—her work is in private and public collections worldwide and she is represented by galleries across the United States, Europe and Asia. Kuhn was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1969, of German descent. In 1989, Kuhn moved to the US and earned her BA from The Ohio State University, before furthering her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. She is currently an independent scholar at The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Occasionally, Mona teaches at UCLA and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Mona Kuhn’s first monograph, Photographs, was debuted by Steidl in 2004; followed by Evidence (2007), Native (2010), Bordeaux Series (2011), Private (2014), and She Disappeared into Complete Silence (2018/19). In addition, Kuhn's monograph titled Bushes and Succulents has been published by Stanley/Barker Editions, with a debut at Jeu de Paume in Paris, in 2019. A stunning career retrospective of Mona Kuhn's works has been published by Thames & Hudson, Spring 2021. Kuhn's forthcoming publication Kings Road, will be published and released by Steid this Fall 2021. Mona Kuhn’s work is in private and public collections worldwide, including The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Hammer Museum, Perez Art Museum Miami, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Kiyosato Museum in Japan. Kuhn's work has been exhibited at The Louvre Museum and Le Bal in Paris; The Whitechapel Gallery and Royal Academy of Arts in London; Musée de l’Elysée in Switzerland; Leopold Museum in Vienna Austria, The Polygon Gallery in Vancouver Canada, Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan and Australian Centre for Photography. Mona Kuhn lives and works in Los Angeles. __________________ Solo Exhibitions 2024 Mona Kuhn: Between Modernism and Surrealism, Houk Gallery, New York, NY 2023 Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Galerie XII...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Dreamscape (Wastelands) - Contemporary, Abstract, Polaroid, Expired, Photograph

Dreamscape (Wastelands) - Contemporary, Abstract, Polaroid, Expired, Photograph

By Stefanie Schneider

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

Dreamscape (Wastelands), 2003 20x20cm 
Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. 
 Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid. 
Certificate and Signature label. 
 Artist inventor...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

Cloud Study IV - large format photograph of dramatic cloudscape sky
Cloud Study IV - large format photograph of dramatic cloudscape sky

Cloud Study IV - large format photograph of dramatic cloudscape sky

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

An homage to Caspar David Friedrich, towering thunder clouds over the Pacific Ocean, from a series of dramatic cloud atlas observations and abstract skyscapes above the winter sea, c...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Black and White, G...

Abstract #1 - Contemporary, Polaroid, Childhood, abstract

Abstract #1 - Contemporary, Polaroid, Childhood, abstract

By Cristina Fontsare

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

Abstract #1 (Journey to the Center of the Earth) - 2019 Edition of 10. Photograph printed in Canson Barita Fiber Rag 340gr, based on a reclaimed Fuji Instant Film Negative (not mou...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Archival Pigment, Polaroid

30x30in. -Aerial Photography of Earth, Land, Sea - Earth 3
30x30in. -Aerial Photography of Earth, Land, Sea - Earth 3

30x30in. -Aerial Photography of Earth, Land, Sea - Earth 3

By MAE Curates

Located in Los Angeles, CA

This is a new series of photography of land art depicting Earth and its land forms taken from the air. This series of aerial photography captures Earth's beauty in its natural, diver...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

I am fleeting #4 and #6, Diptych. From I am fleeting Series
I am fleeting #4 and #6, Diptych. From I am fleeting Series

I am fleeting #4 and #6, Diptych. From I am fleeting Series

By Javier Rey

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Is a project that debates through the photographic image, the importance that humans have assigned to ourselves, and proposes a reconciliation with the reality of our own insignifica...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Columbine: The Mystery of Five Doves - Botanical White Violet Blue Flowers, 2017
Columbine: The Mystery of Five Doves - Botanical White Violet Blue Flowers, 2017

Columbine: The Mystery of Five Doves - Botanical White Violet Blue Flowers, 2017

By Lisa A. Frank

Located in Kent, CT

In this contemporary botanical photograph, flowers, butterflies, and doves are layered and combined in an abstracted composition. Shades of violet and blue stand out brightly against...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Digital Pigment

She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD14491) - large scale abstract photo
She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD14491) - large scale abstract photo

She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD14491) - large scale abstract photo

By Mona Kuhn

Located in San Francisco, CA

Large scale photograph of reflective golden architectural abstraction In the series 'She Disappeared into Complete Silence' (2014) Mona Kuhn takes a new direction into abstraction. She turns to a highly austere and restrained reductionist geometry and distilled formal purity, connecting the interior to the exterior, the visible to the hidden. These reflections cause one to linger, as they merge to create a dynamic equilibrium of tension, spaces and rythms. AD14491 (She Disappeared into Complete Silence) 60" x 45" / 152cm x 114cm edition of 8 + 2AP 40" x 30" / 102cm x 76cm edition of 8 + 2AP limited edition photograph is printed under artist supervision and accompanied by signed artist certificate: artist signature labels are 8x10 in size signed, editioned, dated and titled by the artist, and stamped for authenticity label is then placed centered on verso if the mounted print __________________ About the artist Acclaimed for her contemporary depictions, Kuhn is considered a leading artist in the world of figurative discourse. Throughout a career spanning more than twenty years, the underlying theme of her work is her reflection on humanity’s longing for spiritual connection and solidarity. As she solidified her photographic style, Kuhn created a notable approach to the nude by developing friendships with her subjects, and employing a range of playful visual strategies that use natural light and minimalist settings to evoke a sublime sense of comfort between the human figure and its environment. Her work is natural, restful, and a reinterpretation of the nude in the canon of contemporary art. For the past two decades, the Los-Angeles based artist's works have been shown steadily, revealing an astonishing consistency in technique, of subject and of purpose. In 2001, Kuhn’s photographs were first seen by an influential audience during the exhibition at Charles Cowles Gallery in Chelsea, New York. Kuhn’s distinct aesthetic has propelled her as one of the most collectible contemporary art photographers—her work is in private and public collections worldwide and she is represented by galleries across the United States, Europe and Asia. Kuhn was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1969, of German descent. In 1989, Kuhn moved to the US and earned her BA from The Ohio State University, before furthering her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. She is currently an independent scholar at The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Occasionally, Mona teaches at UCLA and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Mona Kuhn’s first monograph, Photographs, was debuted by Steidl in 2004; followed by Evidence (2007), Native (2010), Bordeaux Series (2011), Private (2014), and She Disappeared into Complete Silence (2018/19). In addition, Stanley/Barker Editions published Kuhn's Bushes and Succulents (2018) with a debut at Musee Jeu de Paume in Paris in 2019. Thames & Hudson published a career retrospective titled Works. Kuhn's most recent publication Kings Road with Steidl accompanies a multi-dimensional museum exhibition in Germany and the US. Mona Kuhn’s work is in private and public collections worldwide, including The J. Paul Getty Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Hammer Museum, the Perez Art Museum in Miami, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Kiyosato Museum in Japan. Kuhn's work has been exhibited at The Louvre Museum and Le Bal in Paris, The Whitechapel Gallery and Royal Academy of Arts in London, Musée de l’Elysée in Switzerland, Leopold Museum in Vienna Austria, The Polygon Gallery in Vancouver Canada, Australian Centre for Photography and Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan. Mona Kuhn currently lives and works in Los Angeles. __________________ Solo Exhibitions 2024 Mona Kuhn: Between Modernism and Surrealism, Houk Gallery, New York, NY 2023 Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Galerie XII, Paris, France Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Kunsthaus-Göttingen, Germany Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Jackson Fine Art...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

'Yellow is the Dawning of May' Large scale photograph flowers blue green pastel
'Yellow is the Dawning of May' Large scale photograph flowers blue green pastel

'Yellow is the Dawning of May' Large scale photograph flowers blue green pastel

By Sophia Milligan

Located in Penzance, GB

'Yellow is the Dawning of May' Limited edition (1 of 25) archival photograph, hand signed and numbered. Unframed _________________ Illuminated among painted pools of early summer lig...

Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Giclée, Archival Pigment, Digital...

She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD14491) large scale abstract photograph
She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD14491) large scale abstract photograph

She Disappeared into Complete Silence (AD14491) large scale abstract photograph

By Mona Kuhn

Located in San Francisco, CA

In the series 'She Disappeared into Complete Silence' (2014) Mona Kuhn takes a new direction into abstraction. She turns to a highly austere and restrained reductionist geometry and distilled formal purity, connecting the interior to the exterior, the visible to the hidden. These reflections cause one to linger, as they merge to create a dynamic equilibrium of tension, spaces and rythms. AD14558 (She Disappeared into Complete Silence) 60" x 45" / 152cm x 114cm edition of 8 + 2AP 40" x 30" / 102cm x 76cm edition of 8 + 2AP limited edition photograph is printed under artist supervision and accompanied by signed artist certificate: artist signature labels are 8x10 in size signed, editioned, dated and titled by the artist, and stamped for authenticity label __________________ About the artist Acclaimed for her contemporary depictions, Kuhn is considered a leading artist in the world of figurative discourse. Throughout a career spanning more than twenty years, the underlying theme of her work is her reflection on humanity’s longing for spiritual connection and solidarity. As she solidified her photographic style, Kuhn created a notable approach to the nude by developing friendships with her subjects, and employing a range of playful visual strategies that use natural light and minimalist settings to evoke a sublime sense of comfort between the human figure and its environment. Her work is natural, restful, and a reinterpretation of the nude in the canon of contemporary art. For the past two decades, the Los-Angeles based artist's works have been shown steadily, revealing an astonishing consistency in technique, of subject and of purpose. In 2001, Kuhn’s photographs were first seen by an influential audience during the exhibition at Charles Cowles Gallery in Chelsea, New York. Kuhn’s distinct aesthetic has propelled her as one of the most collectible contemporary art photographers—her work is in private and public collections worldwide and she is represented by galleries across the United States, Europe and Asia. Kuhn was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1969, of German descent. In 1989, Kuhn moved to the US and earned her BA from The Ohio State University, before furthering her studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. She is currently an independent scholar at The Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Occasionally, Mona teaches at UCLA and the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Mona Kuhn’s first monograph, Photographs, was debuted by Steidl in 2004; followed by Evidence (2007), Native (2010), Bordeaux Series (2011), Private (2014), and She Disappeared into Complete Silence (2018/19). In addition, Kuhn's monograph titled Bushes and Succulents has been published by Stanley/Barker Editions, with a debut at Jeu de Paume in Paris, In 2021, Thames & Hudson published a career retrospective titled Works. Kuhn's most recent publication Kings Road with Steidl accompanies a multi-dimensional museum traveling exhibition shown in Europe and the US. Mona Kuhn’s work is in private and public collections worldwide, including The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Hammer Museum, Perez Art Museum Miami, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Kiyosato Museum in Japan. Kuhn's work has been exhibited at The Louvre Museum and Le Bal in Paris; The Whitechapel Gallery and Royal Academy of Arts in London; Musée de l’Elysée in Switzerland; Leopold Museum in Vienna Austria, The Polygon Gallery in Vancouver Canada, Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan and Australian Centre for Photography. Mona Kuhn lives and works in Los Angeles. __________________ Solo Exhibitions 2025 Mona Kuhn: Works, Museum of Contemporary Art, Malaga, Spain 2024 Mona Kuhn: The Schindler House, A Love Affair, Galerie XII, Los Angeles Mona Kuhn: Between Modernism and Surrealism, Houk Gallery, New York, NY 2023 Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Galerie XII, Paris, France Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Kunsthaus-Göttingen, Germany Mona Kuhn: Kings Road, Jackson Fine Art...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Contemporary abstract photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary abstract photography 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 abstract photography 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, red, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Alessandro Puccinelli, Peter Mendelson, Stefanie Schneider, and Jessica Houston. Frequently made by artists working with Pigment Print, and Archival Pigment Print and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Contemporary abstract photography, so small editions measuring 2 inches across are also available.