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Abstract Photography

ABSTRACT STYLE

Beginning in the early 20th century, abstract art became a leading style of modernism. Rather than portray the world in a way that represented reality, as had been the dominating style of Western art in the previous centuries, abstract paintings, prints and sculptures are marked by a shift to geometric forms, gestural shapes and experimentation with color to express ideas, subject matter and scenes.

Although abstract art flourished in the early 1900s, propelled by movements like Fauvism and Cubism, it was rooted in the 19th century. In the 1840s, J.M.W. Turner emphasized light and motion for atmospheric paintings in which concrete details were blurred, and Paul Cézanne challenged traditional expectations of perspective in the 1890s.

Some of the earliest abstract artists — Wassily Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint — expanded on these breakthroughs while using vivid colors and forms to channel spiritual concepts. Painter Piet Mondrian, a Dutch pioneer of the art movement, explored geometric abstraction partly owing to his belief in Theosophy, which is grounded in a search for higher spiritual truths and embraces philosophers of the Renaissance period and medieval mystics. Black Square, a daringly simple 1913 work by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, was a watershed statement on creating art that was free “from the dead weight of the real world,” as he later wrote.

Surrealism in the 1920s, led by artists such as Salvador Dalí, Meret Oppenheim and others, saw painters creating abstract pieces in order to connect to the subconscious. When Abstract Expressionism emerged in New York during the mid-20th century, it similarly centered on the process of creation, in which Helen Frankenthaler’s expressive “soak-stain” technique, Jackson Pollock’s drips of paint, and Mark Rothko’s planes of color were a radical new type of abstraction.

Conceptual art, Pop art, Hard-Edge painting and many other movements offered fresh approaches to abstraction that continued into the 21st century, with major contemporary artists now exploring it, including Anish Kapoor, Mark Bradford, El Anatsui and Julie Mehretu.

Find original abstract paintings, sculptures, prints and other art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Abstract
Incoming Tide - Black & White Abstract Seascape Photograph
Incoming Tide - Black & White Abstract Seascape Photograph

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.

Category

1980s Abstract Photography

Materials

Paper, Silver Gelatin

ID No. 17 The Refined. Limited edition photograph
ID No. 17 The Refined. Limited edition photograph

ID No. 17 The Refined. Limited edition photograph

By Dubravka Lazic

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Hot Air Balloon world Championship, black and white photograph, limited edition
Hot Air Balloon world Championship, black and white photograph, limited edition

Hot Air Balloon world Championship, black and white photograph, limited edition

By Gerald Berghammer

Located in Vienna, Vienna

Black and White Fine Art Medium Format Photography. Hot Air Balloon Panorama, World Championship, Austria. Archival pigment ink print, edition of 9. Signed, titled, dated and numbere...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper

Papel Corten. From the Trama series
Papel Corten. From the Trama series

Papel Corten. From the Trama series

By Eduardo Rezende

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Canvas, Archival Pigment

Untitled (W.O.F 17-16)

Untitled (W.O.F 17-16)

By Christopher Colville

Located in Sante Fe, NM

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

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Gaia 45, Black and White Abstract Geometric Print, Limited Edition

Gaia 45, Black and White Abstract Geometric Print, Limited Edition

By Jaume Llorens

Located in Brighton, GB

Gaia Diptych 45 by Jaume Llorens Bach Gaia Diptych 45 is a 18cm x 24cm Black-and-White print on Premio Kozo 180gsm White Paper by Awagami Factory This size in a Limited Edition of ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Black and White, Digital

Stilbon (Six)

Stilbon (Six)

By Christopher Colville

Located in Sante Fe, NM

Stilbon Stilbon in the ancient Greek religion, is the sky god of Hermaon, the planet Mercury, and one of the Astra Planeta. The word, Stilbon, means shining. All works are contact p...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Drunken Oak: original watercolor painting on archival pigment photograph of tree
Drunken Oak: original watercolor painting on archival pigment photograph of tree

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Archival Pigment, Watercolor

Stilbon (Seven)

Stilbon (Seven)

By Christopher Colville

Located in Sante Fe, NM

Stilbon Stilbon in the ancient Greek religion, is the sky god of Hermaon, the planet Mercury, and one of the Astra Planeta. The word, Stilbon, means shining. All works are contact p...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Hampton Fields

Hampton Fields

By Michael Williams

Located in New York, NY

Michael Williams, Untitled Landscape 4, Color Photograph on Paper, 22 x 32, 2010 - Colors: Blue, Gold, Brown, Green

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Jose Soto, Aurora, 2017, Mirror, Plexiglass, Digital Pigment Print
Jose Soto, Aurora, 2017, Mirror, Plexiglass, Digital Pigment Print

Jose Soto, Aurora, 2017, Mirror, Plexiglass, Digital Pigment Print

By Jose Soto

Located in Darien, CT

Created for the 2017 Whitney Biennial, Aurora uses a photograph of a dense, lush landscape captured at dawn. For this work, Soto developed a technique using layers of face-mounted, l...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Mirror, Plexiglass, Digital Pigment

Lights in Motion Photograph Chromo Photo Kodak Professional Endura
Lights in Motion Photograph Chromo Photo Kodak Professional Endura

Lights in Motion Photograph Chromo Photo Kodak Professional Endura

Located in Surfside, FL

Artist Unknown. From Muse X Editions. An (now defunct) LA based innovative publisher of limited-edition prints, Muse X has launched its first group of prints and is just beginning to make itself known to artists, curators, dealers and collectors. Among works just off the press are otherworldly landscapes by Barbara Kasten and Oliver Wasow, a sizzling sunset by Peter Alexander, abstract compositions by Pauline Stella Sanchez and Jennifer Steinkamp...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print

Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Fine Art Color Photography Print
Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Fine Art Color Photography Print

Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Fine Art Color Photography Print

By Mitchell Funk

Located in Miami, FL

Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Fine Art Color Photography Print The work is signed, dated, and numbered 4/15 in the lower right recto corner, with other sizes availa...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Archival Paper, Archival Ink

"Silhouette" Into the Light, Abstract Photography, Giclee Print, Numbered
"Silhouette" Into the Light, Abstract Photography, Giclee Print, Numbered

"Silhouette" Into the Light, Abstract Photography, Giclee Print, Numbered

By Hatice Besun

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Creator: Hatice Besun Creation year: 2025 Dimension: 24 x 36" External Dimension( with white border) Height:25.6 in. Width:37.6 in Large Print In Edition of 20 + 2AP Certified Con...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment

Light 10 - Photo by Sofia Mattioli - 2020

Light 10 - Photo by Sofia Mattioli - 2020

By Sofia Mattioli

Located in Roma, IT

This beautiful photograph Light 10 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 num...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Light 3- l Photo by Sofia Mattioli - 2020

Light 3- l Photo by Sofia Mattioli - 2020

By Sofia Mattioli

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Blue Valley 2 (Cyanotype framed to 29 x 23 inches)
Blue Valley 2 (Cyanotype framed to 29 x 23 inches)

Blue Valley 2 (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. ...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Paper, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Monotype, Photogram

Old Cadillac
Old Cadillac

Old Cadillac

By Brett Weston

Located in Buffalo, NY

Signed and dated on the front of the mount. Limited edition of 35. Number 14 of 35. From the “Twenty Photographs, 1970-1977” Portfolio.

Category

1970s Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Mountain Sunrise 3 (Cyanotype framed to 29 x 23 inches)
Mountain Sunrise 3 (Cyanotype framed to 29 x 23 inches)

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. ...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Paper, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Monotype, Photogram

Yellow Ball, East Hampton

Yellow Ball, East Hampton

By Gerard Giliberti

Located in East Hampton, NY

Yellow Ball, East Hampton, NY, Archival Pigment Print, $ Ed. 3/5, 2016 Printed to Order *Photography: U Wash Truck, Death Valley and Mulford Lane, Amagansett 2012 have been feature...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Backlit Image - Fashion Week Paris 2016
Backlit Image - Fashion Week Paris 2016

Backlit Image - Fashion Week Paris 2016

By Kristy Sparrow

Located in Soquel, CA

Spectators in silhouette viewing an immense display of vintage camera flash accessories. By Kristy Sparrow, an American, Paris-based photographer. Signed and numbered by the artist. Presented in a black wood frame. Image, 20"H x 30"W. Kristy Sparow has had a lifelong love affair with photography. After many years developing her career in Los Angeles, she made the move to Paris in 2009 where she has been consistently working at the top of her trade in fashion, music, and entertainment, with images regularly seen in major media around the world. She has worked the runway for most major designer brands, including the CBS live Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and on behalf of the Arab Fashion Council, she was the solo photographer at the end of Saudi Arabia’s first-ever 2018 fashion show in Riyadh. Chanel, Estée Lauder, Justin Timberlake and The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation are among those on her client list. Kristy has received many Best Of acknowledgements for her work, and feels fortunate for the opportunities to travel and to be a part of many memorable moments—including a weekend in Switzerland photographing...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Light 2 - Photo by Sofia Mattioli - 2020

Light 2 - Photo by Sofia Mattioli - 2020

By Sofia Mattioli

Located in Roma, IT

This beautiful photograph Light 2 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...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Untitled 0472: still life photograph w/ gray vessels & abstract shadow patterns
Untitled 0472: still life photograph w/ gray vessels & abstract shadow patterns

Untitled 0472: still life photograph w/ gray vessels & abstract shadow patterns

By Paul Cava

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

This is an archival pigment print depicting an abstracted still life printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 gsm by artist Paul Cava. It is from the "Table Top" series, which is one of t...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

3498 - Abstract portrait photography, Limited edition 3 of 20

3498 - Abstract portrait photography, Limited edition 3 of 20

By Ugne Pouwell

Located in London, GB

'3498' London, United Kingdom 2022 From limited edition of 20. The photograph is signed front bottom right corner and comes with a certificate of authenticity, signed date of prin...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Film, Photographic Film, Giclée

Poppy on ink #2 - floral film photography in composition with ink abstraction

Poppy on ink #2 - floral film photography in composition with ink abstraction

By Ugne Pouwell

Located in London, GB

'Poppy on Ink #2' 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. Pr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Ink, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, Giclée

Italian Vintage Dye Transfer Photograph Franco Fontana Color Landscape Photo
Italian Vintage Dye Transfer Photograph Franco Fontana Color Landscape Photo

Italian Vintage Dye Transfer Photograph Franco Fontana Color Landscape Photo

By Franco Fontana

Located in Surfside, FL

Franco Fontana (Italian, born 1933) Title: Los Angeles, California 1979 Edition 6/15 Medium: dye-transfer Dimensions: Frame 21.5 x 29.25. Sight 13 x 19.5 Provenance: Monique Goldstrom Gallery Franco Fontana (Italian, 1933) is an Italian photographer. He is best known for his Minimalist abstract colour landscapes. He was influenced by Minimalism and Abstract Expressionism. Franco Fontana was born in 1933 in Modena. He started taking photographs in the 1950s when he was working as a decorator in a furniture showroom. In 1961 he joined a local amateur club in Modena. The experience would be a turning point in his career, and Fontana went on to have his first solo exhibition in 1965 at the Società Fotografica Subalpina, Turin and at the Galleria della Sala di Cultura in Modena in 1968. Since then he has participated in more than 400 group and solo exhibitions including the exhibit Lines, Spheres and Glyphs at Robert Klein Gallery with works by photographers: Franco Fontana, Mario Giacomelli, Ernst Haas, Gyorgy Kepes and Aaron Siskind. Franco Fontana is considered one of the most relevant photographers of our time, In 1963 he exhibited his work at the Biennale of Color in Vienna, and in 1968 he held his first solo exhibition in Modena. Fontana often pares landscapes down to their essential elements, producing flat, geometric compositions reminiscent of the color field abstract expressionist paintings of Mark Rothko Ad Reinhardt and Barnett Newman, by underexposing his transparencies. Contrasting blue skies with green or yellow grass and the rigid lines of buildings with the softness of puffy clouds, he makes color and texture his primary subjects. He has also shot in Polaroid film, Cibachrome, C Print and chromogenic prints. His art has been acquired by some of the most important museums worldwide, including the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, MoMA in New York, Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Museum of Modern Art in Norman, Oklahoma, National Gallery in Beijing, Australian National Gallery in Melbourne, University of Texas in Austin, Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Israel Museum in Jerusalem, and Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville in Paris. Fontana has photographed for advertising campaigns for brands such as Fiat, Volkswagen, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Snam, Sony, Volvo, Versace, Canon, Kodak, Robe di Kappa, Swissair, and has been a magazine photographer for publications including Time, Life, Vogue (USA and France), Venerdì di Repubblica, Panorama, and with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and The New York Times. Fontana's first book, Skyline, was published in 1978 in France by Contrejour and in Italy by Punto e Virgola with a text by Helmut Gernsheim. Fontana is the art director of the Toscana Foto Festival. He has received numerous awards, such as the 1989 Tokyo Photographer Society of Japan - The 150 Years of Photography - Photographer Award. Fontana is especially interested in the interplay of colours. His early innovations in colour photography in the 1960s were stylistically disruptive. According to art critic Giuliana Scimé, Fontana "destroyed all the structures, practices, and technical choices within the Italian tradition." Fontana uses 35mm cameras, and as noted by Iwan Zahar, deploys distant viewpoints with telephoto lenses to flatten contours in a landscape of crops and fields into bands of intense, saturated colour. This is an effect that Franco Lefèvre has described as 'dialectical landscapism'. Of his use of colour in his 2019 retrospective exhibition Sintesi ('Synthesis') at Fondazione Modena Arti Visive, curator Diana Baldon has observed; “His bold geometric compositions are characterised by shimmering colours, level perspectives and a geometric-formalist and minimal language, By adopting this approach during the 1960s, Fontana injected a new vitality into the field of creative colour photography for then multicolour was not in fashion in art photography., The way Fontana shoots, dematerializes the objects photographed, which loose three-dimensionality and realism to become part of an abstract drawing”. Aside from the rural landscape Fontana has applied his graphic sensibility to other subjects: city architecture, portraiture, fashion, still-life and the nude. He was included in the exhibition of the Helmut Newton Collection along with Brassaï, Diane Arbus, Franco Fontana, Horst P. Horst, Irving Penn, June Newton, Just Loomis, Man Ray, Mark Arbeit...

Category

1980s Abstract Photography

Materials

Dye Transfer

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.