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.
Poppy Bird - Color Photograph, Abstract Expression, Signed Edition of 10
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
Poppy Bird explores how quickly we categorise the world through familiar symbols and associations. Naming helps us recognise, but it can also limit what we are able to see. Here, the...
Giclée
$1,800
Burst II - large scale abstract photograph of caleidoscopic color explosions
Located in San Francisco, CA
From Christian Stoll's body of works BURST (2015), an abstract exploration of high speed photographs capturing mesmerizing explosions of caleidoscopic color 27 x 40 inches (68 x 102...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
Algas 45-XIX. From the series Mareas. Cyanotype photograhs
By Paola Davila
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Water is constant in the artist's visual investigation, for her water is no longer the stage in which the body's memory bursts, but rather the environment and protagonist, constant o...
Archival Pigment
Leveza. From The Lavori in Corso series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Eduardo Rezende’s 2024 series Lavori in Corso revisits one of the artist’s most enduring themes: the urban and architectural landscape — this time focused on construction sites, scaf...
Canvas, Archival Pigment
$730
Calm Water Blue Tones Diptych of Japanese Zen Pond Ripples, Feng Shui Cyanotype
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype. This diptych is titled "Japanese Zen Pond Ripples", and shows ripples of water from a calming pond. Details: + Title: Ja...
Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, C Print, Color, Engraving, Lith...
Tones. From The Lavori in Corso series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Eduardo Rezende’s 2024 series Lavori in Corso revisits one of the artist’s most enduring themes: the urban and architectural landscape — this time focused on construction sites, scaf...
Canvas, Archival Pigment
Abstract Landscape #
Located in New York City, NY
Daniel Mansur Abstract Landscape #22 Canvas Fine Art - Framed Archival Pigment Print
Canvas, Archival Pigment
$9,800
Multilayer 328 - unique abstract collage of layered torn sculpture photographs
Located in San Francisco, CA
Multilayer 328 unique abstract photo paper collage (1 of 1), signed 28.8" x 21.7" / 73cm x 55cm About the artist Felix Schramm was born in Hamburg, Ger...
Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Paper, Archival Ink, Inkjet, Archiv...
Anemorphose Cabo Verde #4
Located in New York City, NY
27 x 44 in Edition of 9 EUR 3.500 35 x 57 in Edition of 9 EUR 5.500 48 x 71 in Edition of 9 EUR 7.100 Dye Sublimation on Aluminum 48 x 77 in Edition of 9 EUR 9.100 Dye Sublimation...
Dye Transfer
Fairy, 2025. Cyanotype photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The photos from the series Let Me Tell You a Story show, each one individually, certain themes through strongly narrative visual units. Each photograph is dedicated to a specific rep...
Archival Paper
A New Life 02 and Below 02, Diptych. Abstract color photographs
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The artists computer-generated paintings merge craftsmanship and technology, creating an eclectic and unique style. Through her art, she aims to illuminate the world. Tcherassi's wo...
Archival Pigment
The Streets of Kowloon (gold), Hong Kong - Abstract color photography
Located in Cambridge, GB
Streets of Kowloon Gold, part of Richard Heeps series photographing on the streets of Hong Kong in Kowloon in 2016 this stunning abstract piece is so striking in a room. The whole 20...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Waves. From the Trama series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The interlacing of what sustains In the series Trama, Eduardo Rezende turns his gaze to the hidden structures of the built environment — the elements usually concealed beneath the po...
Canvas, Archival Pigment
Close to the Sea. From The Lavori in Corso series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Eduardo Rezende’s 2024 series Lavori in Corso revisits one of the artist’s most enduring themes: the urban and architectural landscape — this time focused on construction sites, scaf...
Canvas, Archival Pigment
Levels. From The Lavori in Corso series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Eduardo Rezende’s 2024 series Lavori in Corso revisits one of the artist’s most enduring themes: the urban and architectural landscape — this time focused on construction sites, scaf...
Canvas
Blue Horizons
By Gary Mankus
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This unframed, signed, limited edition pigment print by artist Gary Mankus exists in an edition of 40. Paper size is 24"h x 48"w with an image size of 18.5"h x 41"w. Gary Mankus was...
Photographic Paper, Digital, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
$580
The Sun, Golden Colors, Warm Tones Diptych, Space Age, Abstract Geometry Hue
Located in Barcelona, ES
Cyd Fontaine (Lausanne, 1992) is a contemporary artist renowned for her captivating use of dreamy atmospheric gradients, which has helped her carve a distinctive niche in the world o...
Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, C Print, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Holding Light In Darkness #5
Located in Los Angeles, CA
THE COLOR OF WATER Lake Michigan blue sits at the pastel confluence of green, grey and cyan on the nearby shoreline. In truth, the color of the lake is as transitory as Chicago weather. The shade of blue is widely determined by the reflection of the sky above and the organic material and sediment carried below. I recently learned that invasive mussel species have slowly transformed the lake from green to bluer over the past two decades. I often return to the water’s edge to document the color of a given day. Susan Isaacson...
Archival Paper
Fish (Stay) - Contemporary, Expired, Polaroid, Photograph
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Fish (Stay) - 2006, 20x24cm, Edition 4/5. Archival C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, matte surface, based on the Polaroid. Signature label and cer...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
$4,400
Blender 01 and I Got Your Back 01, Diptych. Abstract color photographs
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The artist's computer-generated paintings merge craftsmanship and technology, creating an eclectic and unique style. Through her art, she aims to illuminate the world. Tcherassi's w...
Archival Pigment
$14,500
"Modernismo M48" Abstract Photography 48"x48" in Ed. of 12 by Giuliano Bekor
Located in Culver City, CA
"Modernismo M48" Abstract Photography 48"x48" in Ed. of 12 by Giuliano Bekor Title of artwork: M48 Year: 2012 Printed on a high-quality museum-grade archival photo paper. Not framed...
Archival Pigment
Untitled X. From LenkPlay Series. Limited edition color photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The exploration of the concept of play as an artistic impulse presents playful, almost "baroque-written"photographs that are the result of a repeated (recycled) notion of play. Start...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$12,000
Multilayer 301 - layered abstract collage of unique torn original photographs
Located in San Francisco, CA
Multilayer 301 unique abstract photo paper collage (1 of 1), signed 39" x 31.5" / 100cm x 80cm About the artist Felix Schramm was born in Hamburg, Germa...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Paper, Archival Paper, In...
Daydream - abstract colour photography Limited edition of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Daydream' London, United Kingdom 2020 Limited edition of 20. The photograph is signed front and back and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. Carefully placed in a secure ...
Giclée, Color
Retaining Wall II, Rockingham - Abstract Blue Color Photograph
Located in Cambridge, GB
Blue abstract photograph from Richard Heeps' series Trading Paint. Richard Heeps has a history of photographing Drag Racing in the UK, America and Europe. Trading Paint is a term tha...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Seascape XIII - large scale abstract photograph of monochrome seascape
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mesmerizing large scale photograph from the artist's Seascape series, a body of works capturing the tactile surfaces and monochromatic nature of oceanic water and cloudscapes Seasca...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Archival Pi...
$1,200
Anesthesia - underwater photograph - series REFLECTIONS - archival print 35x52"
By Alex Sher
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Lost in a sea of rich saturation of dark and light blue colors, a feminine form gracefully traverses the expanse of the water. Alex Sher’s “Anesthesia” invites us into an abstracted ...
Archival Pigment, Archival Paper
$1,360Sale Price|20% Off
Torquidos
Located in Plano, TX
"Torquidos" is a painting of light 'unseen.' When light travels, the human eye doesn't see its trails, but the camera does. My usual version of light painting involves leaving the li...
Metal
$14,000
Multilayer 270 - unique abstract collage of layered torn sculpture photographs
Located in San Francisco, CA
Multilayer 270 unique abstract photo paper collage (1 of 1) signed 39" x 31.5" / 100cm x 80cm About the artist Felix Schramm was born in Hamburg, German...
Photographic Paper, Giclée, Silver Gelatin, Archival Paper, Inkjet
A New Life 01 and Below 01, Diptych. Abstract color photographs
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The artists computer-generated paintings merge craftsmanship and technology, creating an eclectic and unique style. Through her art, she aims to illuminate the world. Tcherassi's wo...
Archival Pigment
L, From the series Opposed Tendencies. Mixed media fashion portrait
Located in Miami Beach, FL
This artwork was created by the artistic duo Hunter & Gatti (2010–2023). These works are part of the archive managed and exhibited by Cristian Hunter. The artist's technique consists...
Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper
$1,235
Rhododendron Denny Hybrid - Archival Pigment Print, Limited Edition of 25 Prints
By Giles Revell
Located in Brighton, GB
Rhododendron Denny Hybrid by Giles Revell This is an Archival Pigment Print available in this size of 50cm x 50cm in a limited edition of 25 prints. In Cartographic Colour, Giles ...
Color, Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper, Pigment
$14,000
Multilayer 285 - unique abstract collage of layered torn sculpture photographs
Located in San Francisco, CA
Multilayer 285 unique abstract photo paper collage (1 of 1) signed 39" x 31.5" / 100cm x 80cm About the artist Felix Schramm was born in Hamburg, German...
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Silver Gelatin, Archival ...
Blender 02 and CoCreate 02, Diptych. Abstract color photographs
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The artist's computer-generated paintings merge craftsmanship and technology, creating an eclectic and unique style. Through her art, she aims to illuminate the world. Tcherassi's w...
Archival Pigment
$4,800
Hemisphere II - large format photograph of abstract liquid cloudscape in water
Located in San Francisco, CA
large scale photography of mesmerizing color compositions of liquid cloudscape painting in water, hypnotizing abstract liquidscapes from the body o...
Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Paper, Giclée
Holding Light In Darkness #3
Located in Los Angeles, CA
THE COLOR OF WATER Lake Michigan blue sits at the pastel confluence of green, grey and cyan on the nearby shoreline. In truth, the color of the lake is as transitory as Chicago weather. The shade of blue is widely determined by the reflection of the sky above and the organic material and sediment carried below. I recently learned that invasive mussel species have slowly transformed the lake from green to bluer over the past two decades. I often return to the water’s edge to document the color of a given day. Susan Isaacson...
Archival Paper
$3,600
Wave I - large format abstract liquidscape in azur and lapis blue color palette
Located in San Francisco, CA
mesmerizing large scale photographic capture of strikingly abstract water surface shimmering in soothing tones of cobalt, admiral, azur and lapis blue Wave I (Abstract) by Christian...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
The Streets of Kowloon (navy), Hong Kong - Abstract color photography
Located in Cambridge, GB
Streets of Kowloon Navy, part of Richard Heeps series photographing on the streets of Hong Kong in Kowloon in 2016 this stunning abstract piece is so striking in a room. The whole 20...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$197Sale Price|84% Off
Green Abstract Photography Print, Signed Limited Edition of 15
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Print, limited edition of 15. Signed by the author.
Photographic Paper, Color, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Metallurgic A. Abstract limited edition color photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The artist's photographs capture the transformation of everyday life into another reality. Images that explore what the future will be like. Industrial, eccentric and progressive, Ca...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color
Untitled 27 NY, From The Series Of Public On Paper. Color Photograph
By Arslan Sükan
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Sukan has set out to identify alternative sites of public display and common space within the banal recesses of the everyday world. Collecting and adopting the sketch pads and papers...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Color
$329Sale Price|20% Off
Hot Red Abstract Photography, Limited Edition of 5, 21st Century
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Photography, abstract, limited edition of 5, will be signed. For me reflecting a very strong emotion.
Photographic Paper
Papel Corten. From the Trama series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The interlacing of what sustains In the series Trama, Eduardo Rezende turns his gaze to the hidden structures of the built environment — the elements usually concealed beneath the po...
Canvas, Archival Pigment
Hampton Fields
Located in New York, NY
Michael Williams, Untitled Landscape 4, Color Photograph on Paper, 22 x 32, 2010 - Colors: Blue, Gold, Brown, Green
Photographic Paper
$600
Manhattan photograph 'New York Walk' 1984 (1980s New York street photography)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
"New York Walk " by Fernando Natalici: Manhattan 1984. The simplicity & grace of the anonymous passer-by rendered timeless by the snap of the camera. A window into a street photogra...
Silver Gelatin
Lights in Motion Photograph Chromo Photo Kodak Professional Endura
Located in Surfside, FL
Artist Unknown. From Muse X Editions. An (now defunct) LA based innovative publisher of limited-edition prints, Muse X has launched its first group of prints and is just beginning to make itself known to artists, curators, dealers and collectors. Among works just off the press are otherworldly landscapes by Barbara Kasten and Oliver Wasow, a sizzling sunset by Peter Alexander, abstract compositions by Pauline Stella Sanchez and Jennifer Steinkamp...
Photographic Paper, C Print
$2,200
It All Moves 03, From the Universe Within series. Abstract color photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The artists computer-generated paintings merge craftsmanship and technology, creating an eclectic and unique style. Through her art, she aims to illuminate the world. Tcherassi's wo...
Archival Pigment
$5,500
Chrysler Building Art Deco Spire, Fine Art Color Photography Print, Signed, 3/15
Located in Miami, FL
Chrysler Building upward view in detail with golden light at sunrise. The work is signed, dated, and numbered 3/15 in the lower right recto corner, with other sizes available. It i...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$6,119
Future city 1-Signed limited edition abstract print, Large format contemporary
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
' Future city 1 ' - Limited edition pigment print - Limited Editions of 5 Signed + numbered by artist, with certificate of authenticity This is an Archival Pigment print on fibe...
Archival Paper, Color, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, Bizalu (Eye)
Located in San Francisco, CA
Gary Goldberg Finding the Universe in Oaxaca, Bizalu (Eye), 2018 Archival pigmented print 19 x 13 in Edition of 10 Gary Goldberg has been photographing the unique qualities of Oaxac...
Archival Pigment
Bay Boys Giclée Print on Photographic Paper, Abstract, Limited Edition
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Bay boys' Dubrovnik, Croatia 2014 Limited edition of 20.
Photographic Paper, Giclée
$2,000
Wave I - large format abstract liquidscape in azur and lapis blue color palette
Located in San Francisco, CA
Wave I by Christian Stoll 40 x 40 inches (102 x 102cm) edition of 25 signed 58 x 58 inches (147 x 147cm) edition of 7 signed 48 x 48 inches (122 x 122cm) edition of 7 signed arch...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
Golden Flame. Landscape architectural color limited edition photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The artist's photographs capture the transformation of everyday life into another reality. Images that explore what the future will be like. Industrial, eccentric and progressive, Ca...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color
The Block 03, From the series The Journey. Abstract color photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The artists computer-generated paintings merge craftsmanship and technology, creating an eclectic and unique style. Through her art, she aims to illuminate the world. Tcherassi's wo...
Archival Pigment
Poppy Bird - Color Photograph, Abstract Expression, Signed Edition of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
Poppy Bird explores how quickly we categorise the world through familiar symbols and associations. Naming helps us recognise, but it can also limit what we are able to see. Here, the...
Giclée
Blue on Light Blue with Dancing Angels
Located in San Francisco, CA
Gary Goldberg Blue on Light Blue with Dancing Angels, 2021 Archival pigmented print 19 x 13 in Edition of 10 Gary Goldberg has been photographing the unique qualities of Oaxaca City...
Archival Pigment
$6,119
Italia 4- Limited edition pigment print, Gold light, Sculpture, Greek Mythology
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Italia 4 - Large scale photograph by Michael Banks Archival Pigment print on fiber based paper ( Hahnemühle Photo RAG Baryta 315 gsm ) Limited Editio...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Di...
$2,942
Future city 3- Signed limited edition abstract print, Large format contemporary
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Future city 3 Large scale photograph by Michael Banks - Archival Pigment print on fiber based paper ( Hahnemühle Photo RAG Baryta 315 gsm ) Limited Editions of 5 , signed + numbere...
Archival Paper, Color, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment, Photo...
Doll No. 15 (Edition 1/25)
Located in New York, NY
Dolls No. 15 (Edition 1/25), Lucille Khornak, Color Photograph on Board With Liquid Acrylic Finish/ Mixed Media, 26 x 40, Late 20th Century Colors: Bla...
Photographic Film
$5,500
Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Fine Art Color Photography Print
Located in Miami, FL
Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Fine Art Color Photography Print The work is signed, dated, and numbered 4/15 in the lower right recto corner, with other sizes availa...
Archival Pigment, Archival Paper, Archival Ink