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.
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
Hover # 201913
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
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
After Leonardo Da Vinci: Mona Lisa 1 1503, 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
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
$6,500
Pedestrian Bridge On Westside Of Manhattan At Dusk, Fine Art Color Photography
Located in Miami, FL
Pedestrian bridge crossing Westside Highway, NYC . The work is signed, dated, and numbered 3/15 in the lower right recto corner, with other sizes available. It is unframed and print...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
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
Las Vegas Shopping Center Bonanza by Mitchell Funk Street Photography
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photographer Mithcell Funk embraces his long-held graphic aesthetic highly keyed bold colors and strong design, while late afternoon light skims across the surface of an empt...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
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
$3,460Sale 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
$4,974Sale 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
$3,244Sale 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
Untitled
By Shirine Gill
Located in New Orleans, LA
From the artist, "My abstract work intrigues me the most. I like the experimental aspect of playing with a variety of materials (light, fabric, paper and glass) to create compos...
Archival Pigment
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
Gravity - Bulle d'air 04 (Abstract Photography)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Gravity - Bulle d'air 04 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Gravity Bulles d'air series, Janiak creates visual representations of the idea that form can...
C Print
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
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
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
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
Résonance - water drop 251 (Abstract Photography)
By Seb Janiak
Located in London, GB
Résonance - water drop 251 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic print. Edition 1/5. In his Résonance series, Janiak explores the role of sound in creation. Taking inspiration from sa...
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
Twin Towers, World Trade Center with Green Filter
Located in Miami, FL
Shipping should be around $100. The image is signed dated lower right signed dated and numbered verso 4 /15, Unframed, Other sizes available, Printed Later
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
$5,500
Covid-19 New York City, Empty Park Avenue no Traffic Except a Lone Motorcycle
Located in Miami, FL
Mitchell Funk Covid-19 New York City, Empty Park Avenue with no Traffic Except a Lone Motorcyclist Inkjet Archival Print 43 × 29 in Signed, dated lower and numbered 2/15 lower right...
Inkjet
Sugarcane Moon-Limited Edition
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 bo...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper
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
$1,575
Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris, Expressionist, Contemporary, Water
Located in New York, NY
Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris Archival pigment print on museum fine art paper Edition of 7 Includes certificate of authenticity. Signed and numbered by artist. Custom...
Color, Archival Pigment
$1,575
"The Encounter", Abstract Color Photography, Expressionist, Contemporary, Orange
Located in New York, NY
"The Encounter", Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris Archival pigment print on museum fine art paper Edition of 7 Includes certificate of authenticity. Signed and numbered ...
Color, Archival Pigment
$1,575
"Water Dance", Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris, Green, Orange
Located in New York, NY
"Water Dance" Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris Archival pigment print on museum fine art paper Edition of 7 Includes certificate of authenticity. Signed and numbered by...
Color, Archival Pigment
$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
The Painted Ladies, San Francisco’s Victorians Seven Sisters, Architecture
Located in Miami, FL
Bright and bold colors define one of San Francisco's most beloved architectural gems. The Painted Ladies of Alamo Square are transformed into a color field painting. Mithcell Funk's...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Carbon Cycle Model (Pulse)
Located in New York, NY
Carbon Cycle Model (Pulse), 2009 chromogenic light jet print , aluminum back mount, acrylic face mount 48.5 x 48.5 inches / 1232 x 1232 mm edition of 3 plus AP available: print 3...
C Print
Old Freemont Street Neon, Las Vegas
Located in Miami, FL
This is the quintessential image of a bygone era. Old Las Vegas is captured with glowing neon signs set against a dramatic desert sunset. Signed and dated on lower right, numbered on...
Photographic Paper
Tribeca Window Reflections with Red Abstract Billboard
Located in Miami, FL
A transformative photograph with emotive color emerges from the lens of Photographer Mitchell Funk. For him, it's about capturing extreme light as it strikes form. In the present i...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Nothing of This Remains, Abstract Digital Print on Metal, 21st Century
By Henri Venne
Located in Montreal, Quebec
It is within the locality of the dream where we are at once sentient of ourselves within a multitude of reflections. The momentary awareness of self reveals transitions between those...
Metal
$1,575
Water Reflection, Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris, Blue, Green
Located in New York, NY
Water Reflection, Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris Archival pigment print on museum fine art paper Edition of 7 Includes certificate of authenticity. Signed and numbered...
Color, Archival Pigment
Untitled
By Shirine Gill
Located in New Orleans, LA
From the artist, "My abstract work intrigues me the most. I like the experimental aspect of playing with a variety of materials (light, fabric, paper and glass) to create compos...
Archival Pigment
$1,575
Water Reflection, Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris, Blue, White
Located in New York, NY
Water Reflection, Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris Archival pigment print on museum fine art paper Edition of 7 Includes certificate of authenticity. Signed and numbered...
Color, Archival Pigment
$1,575
"Laundry Day, Venice" Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris, Reflections
Located in New York, NY
"Laundry Day, Venice" Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris Archival pigment print on museum fine art paper Edition of 7 Includes certificate of authenticity. Signed and numb...
Color, Archival Pigment
$1,575
Water Reflection, Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris, Blue, Black
Located in New York, NY
Water Reflection, Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris Archival pigment print on museum fine art paper Edition of 7 Includes certificate of authenticity. Signed and numbered...
Color, Archival Pigment
Water Reflection, Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris, Blue
Located in New York, NY
Water Reflection, Abstract Color Photography by Geoffrey Baris Archival pigment print on museum fine art paper Edition of 7 Includes certificate of authenticity. Signed and numbered...
Color, Archival Pigment
Neon Old Fremont Street, Las Vegas - Dramatic Sky
Located in Miami, FL
Old Las Vegas is captured with glowing neon signs set against a dramatic desert sunset.. Signed, dated numbered on the lower right, 2/15 , Printed later, another size available, unf...
Photographic Paper
Abstract photograph, Susan Wides The Bubble (Park Avenue 9)
By Susan Wides
Located in White Plains, NY
C-print of an abstracted Park Avenue, in NYC by contemporary photographer Susan Wides in blue, orange, gold. From the Bubbles series, Ed of 7. NY photographer, Susan Wides, is best...
C Print
$6,000
Abstract photograph, Susan Wides The Bubble (Rockefeller Center, March 10, 2014)
By Susan Wides
Located in White Plains, NY
Abstract photograph of Rockefeller Center in New York City by contemporary photographer Susan Wides, in silver, gold, black, and blue. NY photographer, Susan Wides, is best known fo...
C Print
Abstract photograph, Susan Wides, The Bubble (Madison Avenue)
By Susan Wides
Located in White Plains, NY
Digital c-print of an abstracted Madison Avenue, in New York City, in red, blue, black by Susan Wides. Signed verso. NY photographer, Susan Wides, is ...
C Print
Past Furnace, Photograph, Archival Ink Jet
By John Flatz
Located in Yardley, PA
"Misdirection" is a perfect example of Hunter's highly fluid, expressionistic style -- which so often results in arresting images with a sense of depth and sculptural form. Black and...
Acrylic
Green abstract
Located in New York, NY
An aerial photography that was not manipulated or color corrected.
C Print, Plexiglass
Indian Contemporary Art by Sumit Mehndiratta - Beach Umbrella
Located in Paris, IDF
Archival pigment ink print on canvas Sumit Mehndiratta is an Indian artist born in 1986 who lives & works in New Delhi, India. He has pursued Master of Science in International Fas...
Canvas, Archival Pigment
Miami Beach Lifeguard Tower
Located in Miami, FL
Miami Beach lifeguard tower with parasailing in the background. . This archival color photograph by fine art photographer Mitchell Funk is signed, da...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Inkjet
$5,839Sale Price|20% Off
Blue Dot, Chemical Works, Abstract Print (Museum Etching) on Fine Art Paper
By Paul Kenny
Located in London, GB
Blue Dot by Paul Kenny, from the Chemical Works series, 2025, Edition of 3 + 2AP Paul Kenny (b. 1951, UK) is a British Artist and Photographer. He has work in some of the worlds gr...
Color, Archival Pigment
$7,299
Iona Sun, Limited Edition Large Abstract Photograph, Framed and Signed, 40x40"
By Paul Kenny
Located in London, GB
Iona Sun, 2010 from a Limited Edition of 3 plus 2AP. Mounted and in bespoke frame. ‘The work, building on themes developed over fifty years, tries to find the awe-inspiring in that ...
Color, Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper
5447 - Edition 1/8 - can be horizontal or B/W - Diasec - Mounted on plexiglass
By Bob Tabor
Located in New York, NY
Water photography - abstract - can be horizontal or vertical. About the Artist: Known for his large format prints of equestrian portraits and stu...
Archival Pigment