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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
Untitled Triptych

Christopher ColvilleUntitled Triptych, 2020

$4,000

Untitled Triptych

By Christopher Colville

Located in Sante Fe, NM

Works of Fire When I look into the night sky I am awestruck by the darkness that is the universe. As the sparse light of the stars descends, I am entangled in a state of wonder, sea...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Gaia 98 - Limited Edition Black and White Print, 18cm x 24cm

Jaume LlorensGaia 98 - Limited Edition Black and White Print, 18cm x 24cm

$569

Gaia 98 - Limited Edition Black and White Print, 18cm x 24cm

By Jaume Llorens

Located in Brighton, GB

Gaia 98 by Jaume Llorens Bach Gaia 98 is a 18cm x 24cm Black and White Photographic print on Premio Kozo 180gsm White Paper by Awagami Factory This size in a limited edition of 10 ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Black and White, Digital, Photographic Paper

Gaia 90 - Limited Edition of 10, Black and White Diptych Landscape Print

Jaume LlorensGaia 90 - Limited Edition of 10, Black and White Diptych Landscape Print

$569

Gaia 90 - Limited Edition of 10, Black and White Diptych Landscape Print

By Jaume Llorens

Located in Brighton, GB

Gaia 90 by Jaume Llorens Bach Gaia 90 is a 18cm x 24cm Black and White Photographic print on Premio Kozo 180gsm White Paper by Awagami Factory This size in a limited edition of 10 ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Black and White, Digital, Photographic Paper

Aspen Study I - large scale photograph of Indian summer autumnal color palette
Aspen Study I - large scale photograph of Indian summer autumnal color palette

Frank SchottAspen Study I - large scale photograph of Indian summer autumnal color palette, 2018

$2,200

Aspen Study I - large scale photograph of Indian summer autumnal color palette

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

Aspen Study I by Frank Schott a series of images capturing the yellow golden Indian summer foliage palette of aspen trees in California's Sierra Nevada ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

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

Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach

Wynn BullockPebble Beach, 1970

$5,500

Pebble Beach

By Wynn Bullock

Located in Pacific Grove, CA

This vintage silver gelatin print is signed and dated in ink on the front of the mount beneath the image and was likely made in 1970. An image that heralded Bullock's highly experi...

Category

1970s Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Melting Curves II, Blue Tones Monotype Cyanotype on Paper, Unique Abstract Piece
Melting Curves II, Blue Tones Monotype Cyanotype on Paper, Unique Abstract Piece

Kind of CyanMelting Curves II, Blue Tones Monotype Cyanotype on Paper, Unique Abstract Piece, 2025

$570

Melting Curves II, Blue Tones Monotype Cyanotype on Paper, Unique Abstract Piece

By Kind of Cyan

Located in Barcelona, ES

This unique monotype cyanotype, rendered in rich blue tones, invites the viewer into a dreamlike rhythm of interwoven shapes. Created using the cyanotype process, this one-of-a-kind ...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Lithograph, Monotype

Corkscrews
Corkscrews

Christopher Kennedy (Photo Luminism)Corkscrews, 2017

$1,800Sale Price|20% Off

Corkscrews

Located in Plano, TX

"Corkscrew" is a classic example of my abstract PhotoLuminism technique. When light travels, the human eye cannot see its trails, but the camera can and does. Capturing images this w...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Metal

Ramunės - abstract analogue black and white floral photography, 3 of 5
Ramunės - abstract analogue black and white floral photography, 3 of 5

Ugne PouwellRamunės - abstract analogue black and white floral photography, 3 of 5, 2022

$2,128

Ramunės - abstract analogue black and white floral photography, 3 of 5

By Ugne Pouwell

Located in London, GB

'Ramunės' London, United Kingdom 2022 Limited edition 3 of 5. Photograph printed on heavyweight Hahnehmule German Etching fine art paper. Signed bottom right corner on extra 4 cm ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Film, Photographic Film, Giclée

Seascape XIII (framed) - large scale abstract photograph of monochrome seascape
Seascape XIII (framed) - large scale abstract photograph of monochrome seascape

Frank SchottSeascape XIII (framed) - large scale abstract photograph of monochrome seascape, 2021

$12,800

Seascape XIII (framed) - 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 Seascape XIII...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Plexiglass, Giclée...

Heading In

Marian CrosticHeading In, 2021

$1,650

Heading In

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

"Modernismo M110" Abstract Photography 48"x48" in Ed. 3/12 by Giuliano Bekor
"Modernismo M110" Abstract Photography 48"x48" in Ed. 3/12 by Giuliano Bekor

Giuliano Bekor"Modernismo M110" Abstract Photography 48"x48" in Ed. 3/12 by Giuliano Bekor, 2012

$14,500

"Modernismo M110" Abstract Photography 48"x48" in Ed. 3/12 by Giuliano Bekor

By Giuliano Bekor

Located in Culver City, CA

"Modernismo M110" Abstract Photography 48"x48" in Ed. 3/12 by Giuliano Bekor Title of artwork: M110 Year: 2012 Printed on a high-quality museum-grade archival photo paper. Not frame...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Delphinium 2, 2018 - Archival Pigment Print, Limited Edition of 25, 50cm x 50cm

Giles RevellDelphinium 2, 2018 - Archival Pigment Print, Limited Edition of 25, 50cm x 50cm, 2018

$1,235

Delphinium 2, 2018 - Archival Pigment Print, Limited Edition of 25, 50cm x 50cm

By Giles Revell

Located in Brighton, GB

Delphinium 2 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 Revell reduc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Color, Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper, Pigment

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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