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.
$390
Futurist Geometric Shapes, Triangles and Circles, White and Blue Transparencies
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted unique cyanotype that takes its inspiration from the mid-century modern shapes. It's made by layering paper cutouts and different exposures using uv-...
Monotype, Paper, Other Medium
#96, 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...
Pigment
#132, 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...
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
#131, 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...
Pigment
#157, 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...
Pigment
Gaia 117 - Black and White Diptych Print, Limited Edition of 10
Located in Brighton, GB
Gaia 117 by Jaume Llorens Bach Gaia 117 is a 18cm x 24cm Black-and-White print on Premio Kozo 180gsm White Paper by Awagami Factory This size available in a Limited Edition of 10 +...
Black and White, Digital, Photographic Paper
#258, 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...
Pigment
$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...
Metal
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
$4,500
Songs of the Sky 14 (Abstract Landscape Color Photograph of Clouds & Blue Sky)
Located in Hudson, NY
Abstracted landscape color photograph of clouds and blue sky on 4 panels Japanese Kozo paper infused with encaustic on 4 panels, each panel is 36...
Wax, Encaustic, Mulberry Paper
'Lily in Charcoal' abstract expressionism photography edition 7 of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Lily in Charcoal' 2023 From raw energy to sublime. 'Lily in Charcoal' is an expression piece combining an abstract charcoal drawing with a live lily emerging from a gash. The charc...
Paper, Photographic Film, Charcoal, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
$880Sale Price|20% Off
Sea Cliffs Diptych II ( Pair abstract cyanotypes each framed to 25 x 15)
By Christine So
Located in Oakland, CA
Though it resembles a giant abstract watercolor painting owing to its soft gradations and luminous quality, this is a form of photography called a cyanotype, photogram or sun print. ...
Paper, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Monotype, Photogram
$520
Fish Swimming Below Water, Fresh Blue Tones Cyanotype Print, Pool Art on Paper
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted unique cyanotype that takes its inspiration from the mid-century modern shapes. It's made by layering paper cutouts and different exposures using uv-...
Emulsion, Watercolor, Monotype, Paper
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
$1,720Sale Price|20% Off
Ecstasy
Located in Plano, TX
"Ecstasy" 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 way...
Metal
$376Sale Price|20% Off
Tokyo - Photograph by Amanda Ludovisi - 2019
Located in Roma, IT
Tokyo is a photograph taken by Amanda Ludovisi in 2019. It represents a street in a rainy evening in the center of Tokyo. This is a giclée print on Ca...
Acrylic
#80, 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...
Pigment
On Distant Shores #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
$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
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
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
$1,237
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
$1,402
Dahlia on Ink - floral film photography on cotton canvas, Limited edition of 5
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Dahlia on Ink' 2024 Cotton canvas print from limited edition of 5. (Does not come with streatch bars, only canvas print) Black and white floral film photography combination with...
Photographic Film, Ink, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, Cotton Canvas,...
$1,423
Dahlia on Ink No.3 - floral film photography in composition with ink abstraction
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Dahlia on Ink #3' 2023 Black and white floral film photography combination with ink painting. Made using a large format 4x5 film camera, developed in the studio by the artist. P...
Photographic Film, Ink, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, Giclée
#199, 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 ...
Pigment
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
Wind stretched daydream - linen pigment canvas print, limited edition 5.
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Wind stretched daydream' 2022 Photographed in Richmond, London using a 4x5 large format camera. 100×130 cm printed on organic linen canvas, limited edition of 5 + 1AP. Photograph...
Fabric, Canvas, Linen, Organic Material, Archival Pigment, 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
$4,500
28° 14' 22.942'' N, 114° 6' 4.129'' W-6. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves
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...
Cotton, Archival Pigment
$560Sale Price|20% Off
Mountain Sunrise 3 (Cyanotype framed to 29 x 23 inches)
By Christine So
Located in Oakland, CA
Though it resembles a giant abstract watercolor painting owing to its soft gradations and luminous quality, this is a form of photography called a cyanotype, photogram or sun print. ...
Paper, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Monotype, Photogram
Surfer, Perth, Western Australia (Oceans series)
Located in New York City, NY
David Burdeny Surfer, Perth, Western Australia (Oceans series), 2016 Archival Pigment Print Signature Label Print only. Ask us for framing options. Also available in 59 x 59 inches
Archival Pigment
Algas 45-IV. From the series Mareas. Cyanotype photograhs Mounted
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, Plexiglass
$2,200
28° 14' 20.922'' N, 114° 6' 9.395'' W-8. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves
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...
Cotton, Archival Pigment
$4,500
28° 14' 22.942''N, 114° 6' 4.129'' W-12. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves
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...
Cotton, Archival Pigment
$4,500
27° 42' 26.32'' N, 7° 42' 26.32'' W-15. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves
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...
Cotton, Archival Pigment
Untitled (W.O.F 09-07-13)
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...
Silver Gelatin
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
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
#199, 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 ...
Pigment
$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
Untitled (W.O.F 15-1)
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...
Silver Gelatin
$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
#271, 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 ...
Pigment
$289Sale Price|24% Off
Hodge-Podge
By Jim Dingilian
Located in East Quogue, NY
Small bleached found abstract photographic artwork by Jim Dingilian. Offered framed in plexiglass. Frame size: 5 x 6.25 inches Paper size: 3 3/8 x 4.75 inches Jim Dingilian makes ...
Archival Paper
#270, 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 ...
Pigment
Alice - photograph of an underwater reflection - archival print 35" x 49"
By Alex Sher
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
“Alice” is a part of Alex Sher’s popular series Reflections - underwater photographs that could be almost mistaken for abstract paintings as they bring up recollections of masterpiec...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$310Sale Price|20% Off
Framed Impression Abstract Photography on Paper, 21st Century Art
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
The photo was taken by me in an abandoned house. I like the colors and the impression from the picture. Will be signed, framed in a simple black frame, which can be hanged on the wal...
Photographic Paper
ID No. 17 The Refined. Limited edition photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
In this early photographic series, Dubravka Lazić turns her lens toward a subject rarely treated with such a quiet dignity: domestic cats. Shot in 2005, these portraits mimic the fo...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Barbara Hocker, Water Verse XIV, 2022, encaustic, photography, Naturalism
Located in Darien, CT
Barbara Hocker sees her life’s vocation as being an ambassador for the natural world through her art. Nature is facing many challenges right now. Hock...
Mixed Media, Encaustic, Digital, Panel, Monotype
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
$367Sale Price|20% Off
Incoming Tide - Black & White Abstract Seascape Photograph
By James Deike
Located in Soquel, CA
Incoming tide, a black & white abstracted seascape by possibly Jim Deike, signed illegibly lower right. Unframed. Photograph: 10.25"H x 13"W. Overall: 16"H x 20"W.
Paper, Silver Gelatin
ID No. 4 The Confident. Limited edition photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
In this early photographic series, Dubravka Lazić turns her lens toward a subject rarely treated with such a quiet dignity: domestic cats. Shot in 2005, these portraits mimic the fo...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
#91, 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 ...
Pigment
Light 3- l Photo by Sofia Mattioli - 2020
Located in Roma, IT
This beautiful photograph Light 3 was shot by the Italian photographer Sofia Mattioli. From the series The lights I see since you are gone, limited edition of 50 copies in Arab numb...
Photographic Paper
#208, 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 ...
Pigment
$4,750
Eugene 8- Floral landscape white dominant contemporary abstract color photo
Located in New York, NY
Belgian photographer Isabelle Menin creates portraits of flowers that are not only gorgeous in form and color, but also uniquely expressive. Fresh blossoms and withering blooms melt ...
Photographic Paper
ID No. 3 The Ambitious. Limited edition photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
In this early photographic series, Dubravka Lazić turns her lens toward a subject rarely treated with such a quiet dignity: domestic cats. Shot in 2005, these portraits mimic the fo...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Barbara Hocker, Water Verse XVI, 2022, encaustic, photography, Naturalism
Located in Darien, CT
Barbara Hocker sees her life’s vocation as being an ambassador for the natural world through her art. Nature is facing many challenges right now. Hock...
Mixed Media, Encaustic, Panel, Digital, Monotype
$1,900
Drunken Oak: original watercolor painting on archival pigment photograph of tree
By Ava Blitz
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
"Drunken Oak" is an original abstract watercolor painting layered over an original archival pigment print of an oak tree using alternative process photography on 100% rag paper. Imag...
Rag Paper, Archival Pigment, Watercolor