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.
Remedy Weekend (Pink) metallic paper
By Wendy Small
Located in New York, NY
40"x32" photogram, metallic paper Wendy Small’s “Remedy” photograms are made by collecting leaves, weeds, or flowers from a specific place (indicated in the title) and placing those ...
Photogram
$3,447Sale Price|20% Off
Mute # 201706
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
This work is framed 8mm face and 65mm depth. Chromogenic print face-mounted 8 mm plexiglass. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Edition: 1/3. Paul...
Plexiglass, C Print
EM2020-104
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
Pigment on watercolor paper - Unframed. Edition of 10. The Emanations series is an attempt to express the spiritual potential of the most essential aspect of photography: light. Ea...
Paper, Pigment
$3,447Sale Price|20% Off
Mute # 201801
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
This work is framed 8mm face and 65mm depth. Chromogenic print face-mounted 8 mm plexiglass. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Edition: 1/3. Paul...
Plexiglass, C Print
EM-12 Red Tara
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
Pigment on canvas - Unframed. Edition of 3. The Emanations series is an attempt to express the spiritual potential of the most essential aspect of photography: light. Each work in ...
Canvas, Pigment
EM-39 Medicine Buddha 3
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
Pigment on canvas - Unframed. Edition of 3. The Emanations series is an attempt to express the spiritual potential of the most essential aspect of photography: light. Each work in ...
Canvas, Pigment
EM-46 Ratnasambhava
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
Pigment on canvas - Unframed. Edition of 3. The Emanations series is an attempt to express the spiritual potential of the most essential aspect of photography: light. Each work in ...
Canvas, Pigment
EM-26 Siddhartha
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
Pigment on canvas - Unframed. Edition of 3. The Emanations series is an attempt to express the spiritual potential of the most essential aspect of photography: light. Each work in ...
Canvas, Pigment
Hover # 201915
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic Print face-mounted 3mm matt plexiglas - Unframed. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Available on request - 4 week turnaround Edition o...
Plexiglass, C Print
Hover # 201914
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic Print face-mounted 3mm matt plexiglas - Unframed. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Available on request - 4 week turnaround Edition o...
Plexiglass, C Print
Trace # 201903
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic Print face-mounted 3mm matt plexiglas - Unframed. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Available on request - 4 week turnaround Edition o...
Plexiglass, C Print
Hover # 201909
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic Print face-mounted 3mm matt plexiglas - Unframed. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Available on request - 4 week turnaround Edition o...
Plexiglass, C Print
Prayer
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...
C Print
Remedy (June School) Positive (framed)
By Wendy Small
Located in New York, NY
40"x32" photogram, created in four unique 20"x 16"prints positioned together to make a symmetrical pattern. The black and white imagery of wildflowers and leaves incorporate delicat...
Photogram, Photographic Paper
Intersect # 201502
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 4.5mm Plexiglas - Unframed. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Edition: 2/3. Paul Snell combines traditional and digi...
Plexiglass, C Print
Photon 01 (Abstract Photography)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Photon 01 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Photon series, Janiak explores the intrinsic duality of light. The photons we interpret as light exist in a ...
C Print
Résonance - water drop 84 (Medium)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Résonance series, Janiak explores the role of sound in creation. Taking inspiration from sacred texts from multiple spiritual traditions, he p...
C Print
Intersect # 201803
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 4.5mm Plexiglas - Unframed Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Available on request 5-6 week turnaround. Edition: 1/3. ...
Plexiglass, C Print
Intersect # 201702
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 4.5mm Plexiglas - Unframed. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Available on request 5-6 week turnaround. Edition: 2/3. ...
Plexiglass, C Print
Intersect # 201801
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 4.5mm Plexiglas - Unframed. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Available on request 5-6 week turnaround. Edition: 2/3. ...
Plexiglass, C Print
Gravity - Liquid 21 (Abstract Photography)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Gravity - Liquid 21 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Gravity Liquid series, Janiak creates visual representations of the idea that form cannot exist wi...
C Print
$3,447Sale Price|20% Off
Mute # 201705
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
This work is framed 8mm face and 65mm depth. Chromogenic print face-mounted 8 mm plexiglass. Available on request 5-6 week turnaround. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging syst...
Plexiglass, C Print
$3,231Sale Price|20% Off
Drift # 201501
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
This work is framed 8mm face and 65mm depth. Chromogenic print face-mounted 8 mm plexiglass. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Edition: 1/3. Paul...
Plexiglass, C Print
$4,955Sale Price|20% Off
Dissolve # 201801
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 4.5mm Plexiglas- Unframed. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Edition: 2/3. Paul Snell combines traditional and digit...
Plexiglass, C Print
Morphogenetic field - Dandelion (Pissenlit) (Abstract Photography)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Morphogenetic field - Dandelion (Pissenlit) (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Morphogenetic fields series, Janiak examines the visible manifestation of ...
C Print
$3,770Sale Price|29% Off
Full Sail! - An Abstract Colour Print in custom made frame (options available)
Located in London, GB
Mike G Jackson, 'Full Sail!', 2024 Archival Pigment Fine Art Print mounted on aluminium and custom framed finished with antireflective Art Glass, 35 x 23.5 inches (90 x 60 cm approx....
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Archival Pigment
Photon 04 (Abstract Photography)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Photon 04 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic print. Edition 2/5. In his Photon series, Janiak explores the intrinsic duality of light. The photons we interpret as light exist in a ...
C Print
After Henri Matisse: The Goldfish 1 1912, 2017
Located in Fairfield, CT
Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA --In 2013, I first saw Carol Inez Charney’s striking semi-abstract photographs depicting details of modernist architecture partially ob...
C Print
Untitled 109
Located in London, GB
C print. Unframed. Richard Caldicott is most well known for this earlier work series which used Tupperware containers as the subject for his photographs. As he describes : "Tupperw...
C Print
Gravity Bulle d'air 05 (Abstract Photography)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Gravity Bulle d'air 05 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Gravity Bulles d'air series, Janiak creates visual representations of the idea that form canno...
C Print
Morphogenetic field - AB negative blood (Abstract Photography)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Morphogenetic field - AB negative blood (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Morphogenetic fields series, Janiak examines the visible manifestation of the ...
C Print
Untitled 110/3
Located in London, GB
C Print. Unframed. Richard Caldicott is most well known for this earlier work series which used Tupperware containers as the subject for his photographs. This work is edition 7/15. ...
C Print
Urban Landscapes - Serie Reglisse N° I, Abstract C Print, 2010+
Located in Miami, FL
Born 1959, Geneva, Switzerland Vanna Karamaounas aka Iseult Labote – Lives and works in Geneva and Berlin. Born in Geneva of mixed Greek and Swiss heritage, Labote studied art his...
C Print, Digital
Magnetic radiation 14 (Medium)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5 In his Magnetic Radiation series, Janiak reveals the hidden world of magnetism by photographing ferrofluids. A ferrofluid is a liquid substance magnet...
C Print
Magnetic radiation 99 (Large)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Magnetic Radiation series, Janiak reveals the hidden world of magnetism by photographing ferrofluids. A ferrofluid is a liquid substance magne...
C Print
Magnetic radiation 99 (Medium)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Magnetic Radiation series, Janiak reveals the hidden world of magnetism by photographing ferrofluids. A ferrofluid is a liquid substance magne...
C Print
Gravity - Liquid 04 (Abstract Photography)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Gravity - Liquid 04 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Gravity, Liquid series, Janiak creates visual representations of the idea that form cannot exist w...
C Print
Gravity Bulle d'air 01 (Abstract Photography)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Gravity Bulle d'air 01 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5 In his Gravity Bulles d'air series, Janiak creates visual representations of the idea that form cannot...
C Print
Manhattan in Snow Storm - Golden Abstraction
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photographer Mitchell Funk grabs a taxi moment in front of Grand Central Station. The image communicates the spirit of wintery New York, with skies filled with falling snow. I...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$10,000
Dawn
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...
C Print
$1,254Sale Price|20% Off
Land III - Landscape Art Photography
Located in Zürich, CH
Hailing from the picturesque city of Zaragoza, nestled near the Pyrenees, Carlos Blanchard's journey into the realm of photography was influenced by the rich tapestry of his upbringi...
Color
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
The Three Off One 2
By Roger Reist
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Color
$1,995Sale Price|20% Off
2020 - Abstract Expressionist Art Photography
By Roger Reist
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Black and White
Close Your Eyes - Abstract Expressionist Art Photography
By Roger Reist
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Black and White
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
Awake - Abstract Expressionist Art Photography
By Roger Reist
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Black and White
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
Shine On Me Crazy Diamond - Abstract Expressionist Art Photography
By Roger Reist
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Black and White
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
Space Running Girl - Abstract Expressionist Art Photography
By Roger Reist
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Black and White
$1,996Sale Price|20% Off
The Entertainer - Abstract Expressionist Art Photography
By Roger Reist
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Black and White
Engine, Frankfurt Airport April 19 2001
By Vera Lutter
Located in London, GB
Merce Cunningham Dance Company 50th Anniversary Photography Portfolio Edition of 40 91.5 x 76.5 cms (36 x 30 1/8 ins)
Silver Gelatin
Colorful Words #1, #2 + #3 - Triptych - Glitch Art - Printed on Acrylic
By Oz Van Rosen
Located in New York, NY
Triptych. Archival Print on Acrylic. Abstract. Glitch Art. Vibrant Colors. Beautifully mounted, sits an inch off the wall. Individually each piece i...
Archival Pigment
Le Mer II
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
30 x 45 inches ($5200) and 40 x 60 inches ($7200) limited editions of 10, printed on Archival Watercolor Fine Art Paper, 335 gram weight, signed by the artist. Cheryl Maeder was b...
Photographic Paper
Far & Away I
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
30 x 45 inches ($5200) and 40 x 60 inches ($7200) limited editions of 10, printed on Archival Watercolor Fine Art Paper, 335 gram weight, signed by the artist. Cheryl Maeder was b...
Photographic Paper
New York City at Sunset from New Jersey - Manhattan Skyline with Blue Sky
Located in Miami, FL
Signed, dated, numbered 3/15 lr recto, unframed, other size available, printed later, Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper
Photographic Paper
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
Storm 64
By Les Schmidt
Located in New Orleans, LA
"Storm 64" STORM series 30" x 22.5" Archival Pigment Print on Moab Rag fine art paper Ed. #2/20 signed and dated by artist Selected Finalist: Camera USA® 2017: National Photography Exhibition The von Liebig Art Center, Naples, FL Artist's Statement: glitch noun 1. a defect or malfunction in a machine or plan. 2. Computers. any error, malfunction, or problem. 3. a brief or sudden interruption or surge in voltage in an electric circuit. STORM is almost the antithesis of what we think of as photography, because the end result does not accurately depict what was viewed from the other side of the lens. Taken with an old BlackBerry Storm smartphone, these images were created from what appeared to be a corruption within the device's operating system. After attempting to take more photos and getting the same results, I frustratingly downloaded hundreds of files only to discover frenetic, vibrant, undulating images. The photographs represented are the last of 28 images that still exist today -- the remaining files having degraded to the point where there is no useful color information left. Making a photograph is a painstaking process occasionally made easier with modern photo editing software. But despite our best efforts, sometimes technology just slips up and has its own way, and in this case an unexplainable computer glitch produced a surprisingly delightful result -- if only for a fleeting moment. From the gallerist: I proudly exhibited Les Schmidt's award-winning photography at my New Orleans gallery for years. His work is in notable collections around the world and his exhibitions are always well received by collectors and the press alike. Over the coming months, I will be listing limited edition prints from his diverse portfolio. (PLEASE NOTE: As with many photographic editions, prices rise as prints sell in each edition) BIO Les Schmidt (b. 1960 New Brunswick, NJ) attended the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts from 2003-2004. He has exhibited extensively in the US including Atlanta, GA; Los Angeles, CA; Naples, FL; New Orleans, LA and Cooperstown, NY and internationally in Budapest, Hungary and Crete, Greece. He’s been a twice selected finalist for Naples Art Association's Camera USA® National Photography Award (2016, 2017) as well as being curated into recent national exhibits held at the Huntsville Museum of Art, Masur Museum of Art and Attleboro Arts Museum Les Schmidt works and resides in New Orleans, LA. EXHIBITIONS 2019 Choice 2019 Atlanta Photography Group Gallery, Atlanta, GA 2018 Snap to Grid Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Los Angeles, CA Chania International Photo Festival Grand Arsenali, Crete, Greece St Tammany Art Association: 53rd National Juried Exhibition Miriam Baranger Gallery, Covington, LA Monochrome: Juried International Photography Exhibition PH21 Gallery, Budapest, Hungary Urban Landscapes 1650 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Still Life A Smith Gallery, Johnson City, TX 2017 Snap to Grid Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Los Angeles, CA I'll Be Your Mirror: The Portrait 1650 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA STORM Guy Lyman Fine Art, New Orleans, LA Solo Exhibition Atlanta Celebrates Photography: Photo Buckhead Buckhead Library, Atlanta, GA Someone/Someplace: Figures, Portraits & Landscapes Western Bureau Arts, San Jose, CA Street Photography: Juried International Photography Exhibition PH 21 Gallery, Budapest, Hungary Cooperstown Art Association: 82nd Annual National Exhibition CAA Village Building, Cooperstown, NY The Red Clay Survey: 2017 Exhibition of Contemporary Southern Art Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL St Tammany Art Association: 52nd National Juried Exhibition STAA Art House, Covington, LA RECOLLECTIONS: A Community Photography Project New Orleans Photo Alliance, New Orleans, LA It's a Sign: The Medium is the Message 1650 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA Camera USA® 2017: National Photography Exhibition The von Liebig Art Center, Naples, FL Line - 2017 National Juried Exhibition Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, MA Masur Museum of Art: 54th Annual Juried Competition Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA 2016 New Beginnings: Insight Photography Show Rail Yard Studios, Nashville, TN Highway 90: Beyond the Rigolets Guy Lyman Fine Art, New Orleans, LA Solo Exhibition Abstracted Mpls Photo Center, Minneapolis, MN Portraiture: Photography Now Black Box Gallery, Portland, OR THINGS: a still life show 5 Press Gallery, New Orleans, LA ARTifact Darkroom Gallery, Essex Junction, VT Fishing for Iconography 2 A Smith Gallery, Johnson City, TX Camera USA® USA 2016: National Photography Exhibition The von Liebig Art Center, Naples, FL 2015 Dorothy Jean Guy Lyman Fine Art, New Orleans, LA Solo Exhibition 2012 A New Landscape: The 10th Annual Grand Isle Juried Exhibition Grand Isle Community Center, Grand Isle, LA 2011 The Windsor Court Art Showcase Series Windsor Court Hotel, New Orleans, LA Solo Exhibition Embleme Eustis Studios, Cape Girardeau, MO Solo Exhibition 2009 PhotoNOLA 2009 Soren Christensen Gallery, New Orleans, LA Salon d'Automne Arthur Silverman Studio, New Orleans, LA 2006 New Works Soren Christensen Gallery, New Orleans, LA Souvenir Grand Contemporary, Lafayette, LA 2005 Souvenir Soren Christensen Gallery, New Orleans, LA 2004 Leaf Shadows Soren Christensen Gallery, New Orleans, LA 2003 Jack...
Archival Pigment
$3,200
"On the Edge of Nothingness" n13, Giclee Print, Abstract Photography, Limited Ed
By Hatice Besun
Located in Brooklyn, NY
On the edge of nothingness / n°13 / Photograph Creator: Hatice Besun Creation year: 2024 Dimension: 24 x 36" External Dimension( with white border) : Height: 25.6 in.( 65.02 cm) Wi...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Red Head Girl in the Bowery - Graffiti Street Photography
Located in Miami, FL
A graffiti street scene in New York City becomes a semi-abstract picture. Signed and dated on lower right, numbered on verso Edition 3 of 15. Unframed. Other size available, Printe...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$5,500
Manhattanhenge, Big Sun Sunset Manhattan Street Golden Light Silhouetted People
Located in Miami, FL
Signed, dated lower and numbered 2/15 lower right recto, unframed, other sizes available. Manhattanhenge. Unique moment where the sun aligns with the east to west grid structure of t...
Inkjet
Everglades I
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
30 x 45 inches ($5200) and 40 x 60 inches ($7200) limited editions of 10, printed on Archival Watercolor Fine Art Paper, 335 gram weight, signed by the artist. Cheryl Maeder was bor...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper
$6,500
Chrysler Building in Colorful Multiple Exposure - A Triumph of Color and Design
Located in Miami, FL
Pioneering Color Photographer Mitchell Funk experiments with multiple in-camera exposures of the Chrysler Building, producing a triumph of color and design in motion. No less than t...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Chrysler Building with Brooklyn Bridge
Located in Miami, FL
Color photography in the mid-1970s had barely emerged as a recognized fine art form. The few works in color that museum curators considered were mostly nature pictures or snapshot-l...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment