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
#18, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#160, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#147, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#238, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#223, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Miami Stripes. Black and White Architectural Landscape Photography
By Luca Artioli
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The 'Miami Skin Series' it’s not a traditional collection of photos about the architecture of Miami and Miami Beach. It’s rather a quick journey between its own skin from the Art Dec...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Black and White, Archival Pigment
#108, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Manhattan Panorama, Skyline, New York City, black white landscape photography
Located in Vienna, Vienna
Black and white fine art long exposure waterscape - landscape photography. Manhattan skyline with breakwater in foreground, New York city, USA. Archival pigment ink print as part of ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
#241, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Red Boat - Still life colour photography, limited edition of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Red boat'
Printed on archival paper with museum-grade precision, this limited edition work balances mystery and simplicity.
A photograph is carefully placed in a secure cardboard ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
Undo - Double Exposure Black and White Photography, Edition 5 of 10
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Undo' explores the duality of human emotion through the art of double exposure. Captured using 35mm film, this black and white analogue photograph intertwines two distinct moments i...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Giclée
Red Boat - Still life colour photography, limited edition of 5
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Red boat'
Printed on archival paper with museum-grade precision, this limited edition work balances mystery and simplicity.
A photograph is carefully placed in a secure cardboard ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
#198, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#135, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Medusas 11, 12 y 13. Cyanotype photograhs mounted in high resistance glass dish
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...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Glass, Archival Pigment
#75, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Autumn #70, abstract aerial landscape photograph
Located in New York, NY
Kacper Kowalski began his career as a landscape photographer, far before
the preeminence of drones or Google Earth, strapping himself into a
gyrocopter and exploring his native Pola...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
"Glimpses of Their Garden #1", Abstract, Botanical, Blue, Print, Photograph
Located in Franklin, MA
Hogan Seidel’s "Glimpses of Their Garden #1" is an abstract botanical photograph in vibrant cyanotype blue, printed as an 11 x 17 inch archival inkjet print on 13 x 19 inch fine art ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Photographic Paper
#136, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Great Dune
By Paul Dempsey
Located in East Hampton, NY
Snow Fence on Dunes in the Hamptons
Black & White Photography
Printed to order
edition of 10
Title: Great Dune
Year: 2018
Medium: Photography (printed on metal)
Size: 20" x 30" (lar...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Metal
#118, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#103, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#148, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#242, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#125, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Candy Time
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Photography, signed. Inspiration was a glass candy from around 1932-1930 probably Czech provenience. I liked the contrast between the heavy wooden ornamental frame and the fragility ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Abstract I., Photography, Fine Art Print, Limited
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Photography, printed as fine art print, limited edition of 15, signed by the author.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Color
$437 Sale Price
88% Off
#19, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Caribbean Sandy Shore, Black and White Abstract Seascape, Sunny Waves, Limited
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive limited edition black and white giclée print, on 100% cotton Hahnemühle Photo Rag Fine Art matte paper.
This series of black and white photographs captures the ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Emulsion, C Print, Giclée
#24, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Ignited, Nudes. The Alignment series. Limited Edition Color Photograph
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Ignited, 2017-2108
Archival Color Pigment Print
Small size: 20 H x 36 W in
Edition of 13 + 2AP
Unframed
From the series “The Alignment” which is materialized from video footage shot...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Color, Archival Pigment
Veil of Time - black and white abstract portrait, limited edition of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
A figure emerges, partially obscured by a delicate veil, as if suspended between presence and disappearance. Veil of Time explores themes of impermanence, transformation, and the pas...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Giclée
Rhododendron Denny Hybrid - Lavender Flowers Royal Horticultural Society Wisley
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 ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Color, Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper, Pigment
The Long Night - NYC Skyline Photography, 30"x40", Signed Limited Edition of 10
By Viet Chu
Located in New York, NY
" I took this picture when New York was the epicenter of the Covid pandemic in the U.S., to reflect the idea that the nights are always darkest before they turn bright. As it turned ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
#251, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Twenty cherry Trees, black and white panorama photography, limited edition
Located in Vienna, Vienna
Black and white fine art panorama landscape photography. Archival pigment ink print, limited edition of 9. Cherry Tree avenue at the edge of the cornfield, Weinviertel, Austria. All ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Breathe # 202503 (Abstract photography)
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Edition: 1/3
Work can be hung with either the WallCleat system (support bar supplied) or the screw-eye system if it needs support from wire or above.
Available in 4-5 weeks turnaro...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, C Print
10000 blue days
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'10000 blue days'
Mesr Desert, Iran 2016.
Limited edition of 20.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Giclée
Ultramarine hills - abstract blue desert dunes, Limited edition 10 of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Ultramarine hills' Ultramarine hills was photographed in Iran, 2016 with a combination of the special ultramarine colour filter. The idea of colour combination together with Iranian...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, Giclée
#226, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#241, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#223, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#246, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Sandstill No.3 - abstract mixed media photography, Limited edition of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
Sandstill No.3
London, United Kingdom 2021
From limited edition of 20.
The photograph is signed front bottom right corner and comes with a certificate of authenticity, signed dat...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Giclée
[Untitled]
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN
[Untitled]
2002
Ektacolor Professional print taken with Wide Lux camera
Unsigned
AP 1/5, apart from an edition of 9
20” x 24”
Chamberlain began to explore photog...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Photography
Materials
C Print
![[Untitled]](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/john-chamberlain-1927-american-photography-untitled-for-sale/a_27962/1730322058184/5266_Untitled_Dining_in_Paris_1989_master.jpg?width=240 "John Chamberlain - [Untitled]")
#184, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Forest Embers, Giclée Print Diptych Landscape, Warm Tons Abstract Autumn Leaves
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...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, C Print, Giclée, Archival Pigment
No. 25, Rose France
Located in San Francisco, CA
albumen print, mounted on card stock
with the photographer's name, title, and number in the negative
11 1/2 x 8 3/4 inches/29.2 x 22.2 cm
Category
19th Century Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Stream of Men. The Alignment series. Nudes. Limited Edition Color Photograph
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
From the series “The Alignment” which is materialized from video footage shot with two ballet dancers underwater; he is carrying on the theme of water as a source of rebirth and flow...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Color, Archival Pigment
'Lily in Charcoal no.3' abstract expressionism photography edition of 10
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Lily in Charcoal no.3' 2023
From raw energy to sublime. 'Lily in Charcoal No.3' is an expression piece combining an abstract charcoal drawing with a live lily emerging from a gash....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Paper, Photographic Film, Charcoal, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
Shadow
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
abstract photography, signed by the author, limited 3.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Color
$256 Sale Price
88% Off
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...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Paper, Archival Paper, In...
Ramunės - abstract analogue black and white floral photography, Ltd. 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Ramunės'
London, United Kingdom 2022
Limited edition of 20.
Photograph printed on heavyweight fine art paper.
Photograph is shipped fast and flat in secure thick cardboard packa...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Film, Photographic Film, Giclée
Photographs 1960–2024. Book & signed Gelatin silver print ‘Sardegna, 1980'
By Ralph Gibson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Limited Art Edition (No. 101–200), with the gelatin silver print Untitled (Sardegna, 1980), numbered and signed by Ralph Gibson.
Edition of 100
Gelatin silver print, 11 x 14 in., in ...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
White Mood
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Photography / fine art print, limited 1/5, signed by the author.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Digital
$285 Sale Price
86% Off
Miami Beach NYE. Black and White Abstract Photography
By Luca Artioli
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The 'Miami Skin Series' it’s not a traditional collection of photos about the architecture of Miami and Miami Beach. It’s rather a quick journey between its own skin from the Art Dec...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Black and White, Archival Pigment
Conception, The Alignment series. Nude. Limited Edition Photograph
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
From the series “The Alignment” which is materialized from video footage shot with two ballet dancers underwater; he is carrying on the theme of water as a source of rebirth and flow...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Color, Archival Pigment
Stream of men and Ignited. The Alignment Series. Male nude color Photographs
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
From the series “The Alignment” which is materialized from video footage shot with two ballet dancers underwater; he is carrying on the theme of wat...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment, Color
Anesthesia - underwater photograph from series REFLECTIONS - acrylic 36x54"
By Alex Sher
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
“Anesthesia” is a part of Alex Sher’s popular series REFLECTIONS - underwater photographs that could be almost mistaken for abstract paintings as ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Acrylic Polymer, Archival Pigment
$3,840 Sale Price
20% Off
Pillow III./ Photography/ Signed/
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Pillow III. photography belongs to a concept of three photographies done on a sole bank in a park. Will be signed.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
$370 Sale Price
20% Off
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.