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Abstract Photography

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
Haze

Christine MatthaiHaze, 2016

$8,500

Haze

By Christine Matthai

Located in Fairfield, CT

Christine Matthäi was born in Germany. She lives and works between Shelter Island, New York, Germany and the Bahamas. Her LIGHT and SEA series, and all other water related series, a...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

White Building, Red Sun

Mitchell FunkWhite Building, Red Sun, 1975

$5,000

White Building, Red Sun

By Mitchell Funk

Located in Miami, FL

Cover. Photomethods Magazine, March, 1982, Signed and dated on lower right, numbered on verso, 2/15 Printed later, other size available, unframe

Category

1970s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Into the Blue

Christine MatthaiInto the Blue

$10,000

Into the Blue

By Christine Matthai

Located in Fairfield, CT

Also available 50 x 70 in. $9,500, edition of 10. Christine Matthäi was born in Germany. She lives and works between Shelter Island, New York, Germany and the Bahamas. Her LIGHT and...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print, Plexiglass

Iris Eye #12, 2022, digitally made abstract print, edition of 3 signed
Iris Eye #12, 2022, digitally made abstract print, edition of 3 signed

Gary CruzIris Eye #12, 2022, digitally made abstract print, edition of 3 signed

$700

Iris Eye #12, 2022, digitally made abstract print, edition of 3 signed

By Gary Cruz

Located in New York, NY

Iris Eye #12, radiates like a solar mandala: a central, golden nucleus encircled by repeating petal-like arcs that resemble both organic growth and mechanical precision. The symmetry...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Winter at the Beach

Marian CrosticWinter at the Beach, 2025

$1,200

Winter at the Beach

By Marian Crostic

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Edition 2/15 Archival pigment print “Water's Edge” a collection of photos by Marian Crostic defines the power of the ocean and the land which borders it. Having spent much of her l...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Gaia 108, Monochrome Black and White Diptych Limited Edition Photograph

Jaume LlorensGaia 108, Monochrome Black and White Diptych Limited Edition Photograph

$566

Gaia 108, Monochrome Black and White Diptych Limited Edition Photograph

By Jaume Llorens

Located in Brighton, GB

Gaia 108 by Jaume Llorens Bach Gaia Diptych 108 is a 18cm x 24cm Black and White Photographic print on Premio Kozo 180gsm White Paper by Awagami Factory This size in a limited edit...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Black and White, Digital, Photographic Paper

Sunlight on Water
Sunlight on Water

Harry CallahanSunlight on Water, 1943

$12,000

Sunlight on Water

By Harry Callahan

Located in Pacific Grove, CA

This silver gelatin contact print with margins (4 x 4 7/8 in) is signed in ink and numbered '7' in pencil on the front of the mount. Credited, titled and dated on gallery label affix...

Category

1940s Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Poipu

Marian CrosticPoipu, 2021

$1,650

Poipu

By Marian Crostic

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Edition 6/15 Archival pigment print “Water’s Edge” a collection of photos by Marian Crostic defines the power of the ocean and the land which borders it. Having spent much of her l...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Gaia 98 - Black and White Diptych Waves Crashing on Shore with Natural Flora

Jaume LlorensGaia 98 - Black and White Diptych Waves Crashing on Shore with Natural Flora

$566

Gaia 98 - Black and White Diptych Waves Crashing on Shore with Natural Flora

By Jaume Llorens

Located in Brighton, GB

Gaia 98 - Black and White Diptych Waves Crashing on Shore with Natural Flora by Jaume Llorens Bach Gaia 98 is a 18cm x 24cm Black and White Photographic print on Premio Kozo 180gsm ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Black and White, Digital, Photographic Paper

Abstract photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic 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 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 Mitchell Funk, Paul Snell, Michael Banks, and Seb Janiak. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and 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 Abstract photography, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available. Prices for photography made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $50 and tops out at $36,000, while the average work sells for $3,359.

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