Skip to main content

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.

to
240
348
553
322
329
1,570
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
2
217
2,902
2
1
4
5
16
69
37
65
44,235
15,151
2,804
1,328
799
605
279
216
126
116
97
43
26
1,391
1,196
493
261
235
216
122
118
90
82
82
76
76
71
69
64
63
56
51
50
47
40
37
1,417
1,237
952
644
622
328
318
129
93
88
244
438
1,683
1,173
Style: Abstract
#161, 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

"Erosion #1", abstract, black, white, tree, roots, bark, landscape, photograph
Located in Franklin, MA
Rebecca Skinner’s “Erosion #1” was photographed on the shoreline of Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. The textural beauty is natures own art form. The 18 x 12 inch abstract blac...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Metal

Temporal Perception 4 (Diptych) (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
Temporal Perception 4 (Diptych) (Abstract photography) Archival C-Print — Unframed. Edition: 1/12 Available in 2 weeks turnaround. Sold as a diptych. Each element size is: 45 x 30" ...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

Three Rivers
Located in New York, NY
"Three Rivers" from the "Light Leaks" series. Lambda digital-c print on Ilford Ilfoflex Archival Super Gloss, 2003. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered 1/1 on verso. This is a unique...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, Lambda

#172, 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

Yellow Ball, East Hampton
Located in East Hampton, NY
Yellow Ball, East Hampton, NY, Archival Pigment Print, $ Ed. 2/5, 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

Temporal Perception 119 (Diptych) (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
Temporal Perception 119 (Diptych) (Abstract photography) Archival C-Print — Unframed. Edition: 1/12 Available in 2 weeks turnaround. Sold as a diptych. Each element size is: 45 x 30...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

Two Faces: black & white framed photograph, male & female figures, abstract
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
"Two Faces" is a black & white framed silver gelatin print (photograph) of a man and woman in an embrace from artist Jenny Lynn's "Little Rituals" series. I...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Close Up Flower Sabattier Photograph
Located in Houston, TX
Black and white close up photograph of a flower. This photograph showcases the Sabbttier process or the results of solarization. The photograph is not framed. Artist Biography: Pat ...
Category

1960s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Framed abstract montage photograph w/ legs, feet, black & white patterns, #0607
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
This is an archival pigment print (photographic montage) includes abstract references to the human figure, enlivened with gestural energy from artist Paul Cava’s experiments with lig...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

#139, 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

Chrysler Building in New York Skyline Out-of-Focus
Located in Miami, FL
In this deliberately out-of-focus 1979 photograph of the New York skyline from Weehawken, Mitchell Funk captures the dynamic urban energy of Mid-Town Manhattan through the expressive...
Category

1970s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

"Bryant Park" New York, Giclee Print, Abstract Photography, Limited Edition
Located in Brooklyn, NY
“Bryant Park” New York, Giclee Print, Limited Edition Creator: Hatice Besun Creation year: 2021 Dimension: 42 x 28 External Dimension( with white border) : Height: 43.6 inch Weigh...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment

Changing Moods 8- Floral landscape pink color contemporary abstract 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 ...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Untitled #63 (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
Untitled #63 (Abstract Photography) C-print — Unframed. Edition: 2/5 + 2 A/P This early work from Caldicott's acclaimed Tupperware series exemplifies his ability to breathe life in...
Category

1990s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

#209, 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

Laperouse
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN Laperouse 1993 Ektacolor Professional print taken with Wide Lux camera Unsigned AP 1/1, apart from an edition of 9 20” x 24” Chamberlain began to explore photogr...
Category

1990s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

Dom Pеrignon
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
This exuberant underwater nude photograph captures cascading air bubbles in brilliant aquamarine waters, creating a champagne-like effervescence around a figure in motion. The compos...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

#83, 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

#64, 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

Bleed # 202482 (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
Bleed # 202481 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 3mm Matte Plexiglas — Unframed. Work can be hung with either the WallCleat system (support bar supplied) or the ...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, C Print

#76, 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

Untitled #61 (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
Untitled #61 (Abstract Photography) C-print — Unframed. Edition: 3/5 + 2 A/P This early work from Caldicott's acclaimed Tupperware series exemplifies his ability to breathe life in...
Category

1990s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

#207, 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

#186, 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

#224, Abstract, Photography, Painting, digitally altered photography
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size Signed on front More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request. Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old ...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Eugene 6 - 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 ...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

#180, 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

Golden Girl 2 - Signed limited edition pigment print, Gold light, Ambiance
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Golden Girl 2- Large scale photograph by Michael Banks Limited Editions of 5 , signed + numbered by artist, with certificate of authenticity This print that is being offered is a...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, Pigment, Archival Pi...

#220, 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

Conversation - charcoal and watercolor abstract expression, Editon 2 of 15
Located in London, GB
"Conversation" is an abstract expressionist piece that embodies the tension between spontaneity and structure. Sweeping gestures and delicate washes intertwine in a layered dialogue ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Film, Photographic Film, Charcoal, Watercolor, Giclée

Marine Stadium II and I Diptych. Framed. From the Architecture Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Jill Peters finds her inspiration in the quickly changing architectural landmarks of her youth, like the demolished Miami Herald building, an abandoned roller coaster or a neglected ...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Color, Archival Pigment

Below 02, From the series The Journey. Abstract color photograph
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...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Untitled #72 (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
Untitled #72 (Abstract Photography) C-print — Unframed. Edition: 2/5 + 2 A/P This early work from Caldicott's acclaimed Tupperware series exemplifies his ability to breathe life in...
Category

1990s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

NY # 201801 (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
NY # 201801 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 4.5mm Plexiglas - Unframed. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Available on reques...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, C Print

Vintage Signed SIlver Gelatin Photograph Christo Wrapped Kunsthalle Cugini Photo
Located in Surfside, FL
Christo and Jeanne-Claude Wrapped Kunsthalle, Bern Switzerland (1968) Vintage silver gelatin print signed by Christo lower right Photographed by Thomas Cugini, Swiss (b. 1938) 10 1/...
Category

1960s Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Beach Rock Panorama, Shoreline, France, Seascape, Landscape, Limited Edition
Located in Vienna, Vienna
Black and white fine art long exposure waterscape - landscape photography. Archival pigment ink print as part of a limited edition of 7. All Gerald Berghammer prints are made to orde...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment

Lumina # 202211 (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
Lumina # 202211 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 4.5mm Matte Plexiglas Box - Unframed. Edition: 1/3 Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole op...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, C Print

Gaia 108 - Spanish Landscape Photograph Natural Environment Diptych
Located in Brighton, GB
Gaia 108 - Spanish Landscape Photograph Natural Environment Diptych by Jaume Llorens Bach Gaia Diptych 108 is a 18cm x 24cm Black and White Photographic print on Premio Kozo 180gsm ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Black and White, Digital, Photographic Paper

Untitled 134 (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
Untitled 134 (Abstract Photography) C print - Unframed. Richard Caldicott is most well known for this earlier work series which used Tupperware containers as the subject for his ph...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

Changing Mood Pink 1- Floral still life contemporary abstract contemporary 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 ...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Bleed # 202167 (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
Bleed # 202167 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 3mm Matte Plexiglas - Unframed. Edition: 1/3. Paul Snell combines traditional and digital techniques to explor...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, C Print

Changing Moods 1- Floral landscape apple green contemporary abstract 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 ...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

EM-26 Siddhartha
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 ...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Canvas, Pigment

#179, 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

Cracked Paint
Located in Buffalo, NY
Signed and dated on the front of the mount. Limited edition of 35. Number 17 of 35. From the “Twenty Photographs, 1970-1977” Portfolio.
Category

1970s Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

#174, 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

#171, 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

#219, 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

#164, 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

Vintage Large Format Abstract Unique Color Photo Polaroid Photograph Ellen Carey
Located in Surfside, FL
Untitled, Unique photograph. Center panel from larger scale installation. Shot in the 20X24 format. (this measures about 20X20 inches) Ellen Carey, American artist and photographer. Ellen Carey resides in Hartford, Connecticut, and teaches at the Hartford Art School. She holds a B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute, Missouri, and an M.F.A. from State University of New York at Buffalo. Her photographs have been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums, including the International Center for Photography, New York and the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has received many grants from her home state of Connecticut as well as the Massachusetts Council of the Arts, New Works Grant, New York State Federation for Artists Grant; and a National Endowment for the Arts Award. Her photographs are in the permanent collections of The Art Institute of Chicago; the Baltimore Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum of Arts; Chase Manhattan Bank; Coca Cola Corporation; Fogg Art Museum; George Eastman House; International Center for Photography; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others. Abstract photography, sometimes called non-objective, experimental, conceptual or concrete photography, is a means of depicting a visual image that does not have an immediate association with the object world and that has been created through the use of photographic equipment, processes or materials. Some photographers pushed the boundaries of conventional imagery by incorporating the visions of surrealism or futurism into their work. Man Ray, Maurice Tabard, André Kertész, Curtis Moffat and Filippo Masoero were some of the best known artists who produced startling imagery that questioned both reality and perspective. Both during and after World War II photographers such as Minor White, Aaron Siskind, Henry Holmes Smith and Lotte Jacobi explored compositions of found objects in ways that demonstrated even our natural world has elements of abstraction embedded in it. Beginning in the late 1970s photographers stretched the limits of both scale and surface in what was then traditional photographic media that had to be developed in a darkroom. Inspired by the work of Moholy-Nagy, Susan Rankaitis first began embedding found images from scientific textbooks into large-scale photograms. By the 1990s a new wave of photographers were exploring the possibilities of using computers to create new ways of creating photographs. Photographers such as Thomas Ruff, Barbara Kasten, Tom Friedman, and Carel Balth were creating works that combined photography, sculpture, printmaking and computer-generated images. Any boundaries that remained between pure artists and pure photographers were eliminated by individuals who worked exclusively in photography but produced only computer-generated images. Among the most well-known of the early 21st century generation were Gaston Bertin...
Category

1980s Abstract Photography

Materials

Polaroid

Boat 3 - Signed limited edition abstract pigment print, Large seaside blue photo
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Boat 3 - Large scale photograph by Michael Banks Archival Pigment print on fiber based paper ( Hahnemühle Photo RAG Baryta 315 gsm ) Limited Editions of 5 , signed + numbered by...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, Pigment, Archival Pi...

#158, 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

Mute # 201705
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...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, C Print

Mute # 201705
Mute # 201705
$3,509 Sale Price
20% Off
#163, 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

#131, 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

Wild West Panorama, Monument Valley, USA black and white photography, landscape
Located in Vienna, Vienna
Black and White Fine Art landscape panorama photography - Wild West Panorama, Monument Valley, Utah, USA. Archival pigment ink print, edition of 9. Signed, titled, dated and numbered...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper

#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

#73, 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

Lumina # 202210 (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
Lumina # 202210 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 4.5mm Matte Plexiglas Box - Unframed. Edition: 1/3 Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole op...
Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, C Print

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.

Recently Viewed

View All