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
298
373
594
289
312
1,771
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
225
3,113
2
5
14
4
15
70
36
62
43,383
18,256
2,809
1,350
879
703
287
229
117
105
87
37
13
1,560
1,247
513
273
239
219
142
113
109
97
87
83
76
72
66
65
63
63
58
55
48
45
43
1,738
1,357
1,101
722
674
561
333
131
100
89
242
441
1,690
1,405
Style: Abstract
Dahlia on Ink - floral film photography on cotton canvas, Limited edition of 5
Dahlia on Ink - floral film photography on cotton canvas, Limited edition of 5

Dahlia on Ink - floral film photography on cotton canvas, Limited edition of 5

By Ugne Pouwell

Located in London, GB

'Dahlia on Ink' 2024 Cotton canvas print from limited edition of 5. (Does not come with streatch bars, only canvas print) Black and white floral film photography combination with...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Ink, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, Cotton Canvas,...

Dahlia on Ink No.3 - floral film photography in composition with ink abstraction

Dahlia on Ink No.3 - floral film photography in composition with ink abstraction

By Ugne Pouwell

Located in London, GB

'Dahlia on Ink #3' 2023 Black and white floral film photography combination with ink painting. Made using a large format 4x5 film camera, developed in the studio by the artist. P...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

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

'Baltic freeze' - black and white analogue landscape photography 100 x 67 cm

'Baltic freeze' - black and white analogue landscape photography 100 x 67 cm

By Ugne Pouwell

Located in London, GB

'Baltic freeze' 2022 A photograph captured with a 35mm camera showcases the winter landscape of Lithuania in black and white. Printed on the finest archival paper, these limited ed...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

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

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

Wind stretched daydream - linen pigment canvas print, limited edition 5.
Wind stretched daydream - linen pigment canvas print, limited edition 5.

Wind stretched daydream - linen pigment canvas print, limited edition 5.

By Ugne Pouwell

Located in London, GB

'Wind stretched daydream' 2022 Photographed in Richmond, London using a 4x5 large format camera. 100×130 cm printed on organic linen canvas, limited edition of 5 + 1AP. Photograph...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Fabric, Canvas, Linen, Organic Material, Archival Pigment, Pigment

Holding Light In Darkness #3

Holding Light In Darkness #3

By Susan Isaacson

Located in Los Angeles, CA

THE COLOR OF WATER Lake Michigan blue sits at the pastel confluence of green, grey and cyan on the nearby shoreline. In truth, the color of the lake is as transitory as Chicago weather. The shade of blue is widely determined by the reflection of the sky above and the organic material and sediment carried below. I recently learned that invasive mussel species have slowly transformed the lake from green to bluer over the past two decades. I often return to the water’s edge to document the color of a given day. Susan Isaacson...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper

Untitled (W.O.F 15-2)

Untitled (W.O.F 15-2)

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

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

Wave I - large format abstract liquidscape in azur and lapis blue color palette
Wave I - large format abstract liquidscape in azur and lapis blue color palette

Wave I - large format abstract liquidscape in azur and lapis blue color palette

By Christian Stoll

Located in San Francisco, CA

mesmerizing large scale photographic capture of strikingly abstract water surface shimmering in soothing tones of cobalt, admiral, azur and lapis blue Wave I (Abstract) by Christian...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée

Waves. From the Trama series
Waves. From the Trama series

Waves. 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

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 2-16)

Untitled (W.O.F 2-16)

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

Untitled (W.O.F 15-41)

Untitled (W.O.F 15-41)

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

Downtown Miami. Black and White Architectural landscape Photograph
Downtown Miami. Black and White Architectural landscape Photograph

Downtown Miami. Black and White Architectural landscape Photograph

By Luca Artioli

Located in Miami Beach, FL

The 'Miami Skin Series' it’s not a traditional collection of photos about the architecture of Miami and Miami Beach. It’s rather a quick journey between its own skin from the Art Dec...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

28° 14' 34.127’’N, 114° 6' 44.679’’W-14. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves
28° 14' 34.127’’N, 114° 6' 44.679’’W-14. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves

28° 14' 34.127’’N, 114° 6' 44.679’’W-14. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves

By Paola Davila

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Water is constant in the artist's visual investigation, for her water is no longer the stage in which the body's memory bursts, but rather the environment and protagonist, constant o...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Cotton, 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

28° 14' 34.127’’N, 114° 6' 44.679’’W-12. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves
28° 14' 34.127’’N, 114° 6' 44.679’’W-12. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves

28° 14' 34.127’’N, 114° 6' 44.679’’W-12. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves

By Paola Davila

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Water is constant in the artist's visual investigation, for her water is no longer the stage in which the body's memory bursts, but rather the environment and protagonist, constant o...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Cotton, Archival Pigment

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

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

Blanco 8, 2010 - Limited Edition Digital Photographic Print on Cotton paper

Blanco 8, 2010 - Limited Edition Digital Photographic Print on Cotton paper

By Rosa Basurto

Located in Brighton, GB

Blanco 8 is a 30cm x 30cm digital print on 50cm x 50cm cotton paper in a limited edition of 9 + 2 Artist Proofs. Rosa Basurto is a self-taught photographer from Spain who, within ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Digital

Black Mountains, long exposure, black and white photography, limited edition
Black Mountains, long exposure, black and white photography, limited edition

Black Mountains, long exposure, black and white photography, limited edition

By Gerald Berghammer

Located in Vienna, Vienna

Black and white fine art long exposure waterscape - landscape photography. Wild Atlantic coast of Scotland with the big mountains in the background. Archival pigment ink print, editi...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital Pigment

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

Enlighten 1 - Signed limited edition abstract pigment print, Large Format black
Enlighten 1 - Signed limited edition abstract pigment print, Large Format black

Enlighten 1 - Signed limited edition abstract pigment print, Large Format black

By Michael Banks

Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona

Enlighten 1 - Large scale photograph by Michael Banks -Archival Pigment print on fiber based paper ( Hahnemühle Photo RAG Baryta 315 gsm ) Limited Editions of 5 , signed + number...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Di...

Photographs 1960–2024. Book & signed Gelatin silver print ‘Untitled, Elba, 1980'
Photographs 1960–2024. Book & signed Gelatin silver print ‘Untitled, Elba, 1980'

Photographs 1960–2024. Book & signed Gelatin silver print ‘Untitled, Elba, 1980'

By Ralph Gibson

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Limited Art Edition (No. 1–100), with the gelatin silver print Untitled (Elba, 1980), numbered and signed by Ralph Gibson. Edition of 100. Gelatin silver print, 11 x 14 in., in portf...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Close to the Sea. From The Lavori in Corso series
Close to the Sea. From The Lavori in Corso series

Close to the Sea. From The Lavori in Corso series

By Eduardo Rezende

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Eduardo Rezende’s 2024 series Lavori in Corso revisits one of the artist’s most enduring themes: the urban and architectural landscape — this time focused on construction sites, scaf...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Canvas, Archival Pigment

Abstract Persian calligraphy limited edition photogravure ink print, black/white
Abstract Persian calligraphy limited edition photogravure ink print, black/white

Abstract Persian calligraphy limited edition photogravure ink print, black/white

By Nazanin Moghbeli

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Nazanin Moghbeli is a Persian American artist with training in Persian calligraphy, miniature painting, and music. The abstracted calligraphy text in her "Words from My Mother" seri...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Ink, Photogravure

Cypress Tree Avenue, Panorama, Tuscany, black and white photography, landscape
Cypress Tree Avenue, Panorama, Tuscany, black and white photography, landscape

Cypress Tree Avenue, Panorama, Tuscany, black and white photography, landscape

By Gerald Berghammer

Located in Vienna, Vienna

Black and white fine art landscape panorama photography. Cypress tree avenue along a path in stormy weather in Tuscany, Italy. Archival pigment ink print, edition of 9. Signed, title...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital Pigment

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

Looking Glass

Susie LoucksLooking Glass, 2012

$300Sale Price|20% Off

Looking Glass

By Susie Loucks

Located in Santa Monica, CA

Time lapse photograph

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink

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 (W.O.F 04-11-14)

Untitled (W.O.F 04-11-14)

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

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

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

Breathe # 202206 (Abstract Photography)
Breathe # 202206 (Abstract Photography)

Breathe # 202206 (Abstract Photography)

By Paul Snell

Located in London, GB

Breathe # 202206 (Abstract Photography) Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 3mm Matte Plexiglas - Unframed. Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option. Available...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, C Print

Framed Impression Abstract Photography on Paper, 21st Century Art
Framed Impression Abstract Photography on Paper, 21st Century Art

Framed Impression Abstract Photography on Paper, 21st Century Art

By Sandra Salamonová

Located in Slovak Republic, SK

The photo was taken by me in an abandoned house. I like the colors and the impression from the picture. Will be signed, framed in a simple black frame, which can be hanged on the wal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

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.