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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
Pooltrees
Pooltrees

Pooltrees

Located in New York, NY

Lambda digital-c print on Ilford Ilfoflex Archival Super Gloss, 2003. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered 5/6 on verso. In the series ‘Weights & Measures’ (2003) Andrew George turns...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, Lambda

LA Story
LA Story

LA Story

Located in New York, NY

Lambda digital-c print on Ilford Ilfoflex Archival Super Gloss, 2003. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered 1/1 on verso. This is a unique print. In the series ‘Weights & Measures’ (2...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, Lambda

Greenhills
Greenhills

Greenhills

Located in New York, NY

Lambda digital-c print on Ilford Ilfoflex Archival Super Gloss, 2003. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered 2/2 on verso. In the series ‘Weights & Measures’ (2003) Andrew George turns...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, Lambda

Avuncular
Avuncular

Avuncular

Located in New York, NY

Lambda digital-c print on Ilford Ilfoflex Archival Super Gloss, 2003. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered 1/1 on verso. This is a unique print. In the series ‘Weights & Measures’ (2...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, Lambda

76
76

76

Located in New York, NY

Lambda digital-c print on Ilford Ilfoflex Archival Super Gloss, 2003. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered 2/2 on verso. In the series ‘Weights & Measures’ (2003) Andrew George turns...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, Lambda

3rd St. Shadows
3rd St. Shadows

3rd St. Shadows

Located in New York, NY

Lambda digital-c print on Ilford Ilfoflex Archival Super Gloss, 2003. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered 1/1 on verso. This is a unique print. In the series ‘Weights & Measures’ (2...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital, Lambda

Retina #13, 2022, digitally handmade print, edition of 3, signed
Retina #13, 2022, digitally handmade print, edition of 3, signed

Retina #13, 2022, digitally handmade print, edition of 3, signed

By Gary Cruz

Located in New York, NY

In this work from At the Center of Seeing, a dark, six-pointed star anchors the center, radiating outward in pulses of amber, peach, and glowing white. The form is sharp yet dissolvi...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Retina #6, 2022, digitally handmade print, edition of 3, signed
Retina #6, 2022, digitally handmade print, edition of 3, signed

Retina #6, 2022, digitally handmade print, edition of 3, signed

By Gary Cruz

Located in New York, NY

Retina #6, an edition of 3, is part of the artist's "At The Center of Seeing" Series. This archival pigment print is printed on Epson Enhanced Matte paper. Image size is 22" x 16" ...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Iris Eye #11, 2022, digitally made abstract print, edition of 3, signed
Iris Eye #11, 2022, digitally made abstract print, edition of 3, signed

Iris Eye #11, 2022, digitally made abstract print, edition of 3, signed

By Gary Cruz

Located in New York, NY

Iris Eye #11, feels lighter and more architectural than some of the others in the Iris Eye series. The central pale star, with its softened hexagonal geometry, radiates outward like ...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Pupil #5, 2022, digitally made abstract print, edition of 3, signed
Pupil #5, 2022, digitally made abstract print, edition of 3, signed

Pupil #5, 2022, digitally made abstract print, edition of 3, signed

By Gary Cruz

Located in New York, NY

In Pupil #5, this composition feels more iconographic and symbolic, almost altar-like. The eye has become less about perception and more about presence—an emblem or vessel holding meaning. At the center-bottom, a pale, egg-shaped form rises above a deep violet structure that resembles both a heart and a pair of unfurling scrolls. This motif carries associations of birth, fertility, and transformation, as if the pupil has turned inward to reveal a seed of becoming. Above it, faint concentric rings form a flower-like pattern, encircled by delicate white marks that suggest both orbiting satellites and the notches of a clock. Time, in this work, feels suspended, it hovers in a state of expectancy, like the pause before emergence. The muted palette—lavender, rose, smoky brown—further emphasizes the contemplative quality. Pupil #5 reads like an inner diagram of potential, a moment of quiet before transformation. In the language of the series, it occupies the space between measurement and blossoming: the seed of sight itself, holding within it both time and vision yet to unfold. This archival pigment print is printed on Epson Enhanced Matte paper. Image size is 28" x 16" with a 1" white border...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

"Divided" Contemporary Abstract Landscape Photograph

"Divided" Contemporary Abstract Landscape Photograph

By Zoe Wetherall

Located in New York, NY

40"x60" limited edition of 5, signed and editioned by the artist. This photograph by Zoe Wetherall is an impressively composed to capture a view of composed geometry in nature. Hori...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

"Crops" Contemporary Abstract Landscape Photograph

"Crops" Contemporary Abstract Landscape Photograph

By Zoe Wetherall

Located in New York, NY

28"x40" signed on reverse, edition of 5. Vertical stripes of earth alternate with rows of verdant green foliage in this abstract landscape photograph. Wetherall presents a unique vi...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Trimmings

Trimmings

By Stephen Mallon

Located in New York, NY

40"x 60" unframed photograph, edition of 5 (signature and edition on reverse) This is from Stephen Mallon's series, "American Reclamation" which captures the abstract beauty withi...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print

Nothing Has Changed (framed)
Nothing Has Changed (framed)

Nothing Has Changed (framed)

By Stephen Mallon

Located in New York, NY

40"x 60" framed photograph, edition of 5 This photograph is from Stephen Mallon's series, "American Reclamation" and depicts bails of recycled metal. It is presented framed and m...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

Aluminum Siding
Aluminum Siding

Aluminum Siding

By Stephen Mallon

Located in New York, NY

40"x 60" unframed photograph, edition of 5 This photograph is from Stephen Mallon's series, "American Reclamation" and depicts a painterly composition of bailed ...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print

Aluminum Siding Bale
Aluminum Siding Bale

Aluminum Siding Bale

By Stephen Mallon

Located in New York, NY

60"x40" framed photograph This photograph is from Stephen Mallon's series, "American Reclamation" and depicts bailed Aluminum Siding. The recycling industry in America and its va...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print

Urban Landscapes - Serie Reglisse N° I, Abstract C Print, 2010+
Urban Landscapes - Serie Reglisse N° I, Abstract C Print, 2010+

Urban Landscapes - Serie Reglisse N° I, Abstract C Print, 2010+

Located in Miami, FL

Born 1959, Geneva, Switzerland Vanna Karamaounas aka Iseult Labote – Lives and works in Geneva and Berlin. Born in Geneva of mixed Greek and Swiss heritage, Labote studied art his...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print, Digital

Urban Landscapes - Serie Bouquet N° I, Abstract C Print, 2010+
Urban Landscapes - Serie Bouquet N° I, Abstract C Print, 2010+

Urban Landscapes - Serie Bouquet N° I, Abstract C Print, 2010+

Located in Miami, FL

Born 1959, Geneva, Switzerland Vanna Karamaounas aka Iseult Labote – Lives and works in Geneva and Berlin. Born in Geneva of mixed Greek and Swiss heritage, Labote studied art his...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print, Digital

Wall Scratches

Wall Scratches

By Stephen Mallon

Located in New York, NY

C Print Photograph, signed on reverse available as 30"x45" edition of 5 This is from Stephen Mallon's series, "American Reclamation" which captures the abstract beauty within d...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

Trimmings

Trimmings

By Stephen Mallon

Located in New York, NY

C Print Photograph, signed on reverse available as 30"x45" edition of 5 This is from Stephen Mallon's series, "American Reclamation" which captures the abstract beauty within d...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

Urban Landscapes - Serie Voile N° VI, Abstract C Print, Unframed
Urban Landscapes - Serie Voile N° VI, Abstract C Print, Unframed

Urban Landscapes - Serie Voile N° VI, Abstract C Print, Unframed

Located in Miami, FL

Born 1959, Geneva, Switzerland Vanna Karamaounas aka Iseult Labote – Lives and works in Geneva and Berlin. Born in Geneva of mixed Greek and Swiss heritage, Labote studied art his...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print, Digital

After Leonardo Da Vinci: Mona Lisa 1 1503, 2017
After Leonardo Da Vinci: Mona Lisa 1 1503, 2017

After Leonardo Da Vinci: Mona Lisa 1 1503, 2017

By Carol Inez Charney

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

After Henri Matisse: The Goldfish 2 1912, 2017
After Henri Matisse: The Goldfish 2 1912, 2017

After Henri Matisse: The Goldfish 2 1912, 2017

By Carol Inez Charney

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

CB4
CB4

CB4

By Carol Inez Charney

Located in Fairfield, CT

​Represented by George Billis Gallery, NYC & LA -- Charney writes of her process: “For many years, I'd been trying to combine painting and photography with very contrived results...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Aluminum

Chrysler Building Spire from Grand Central Station
Chrysler Building Spire from Grand Central Station

Chrysler Building Spire from Grand Central Station

By Mitchell Funk

Located in Miami, FL

The Chrysler Building is one of the most photographed buildings in the world, with millions of images of it taken from various perspectives. Yet, it has never been captured quite li...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Abstract photograph, Susan Wides The Bubble (Park Avenue 9)

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...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

C Print

Untitled

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Chrysler Building Looking Up on a Sharp Pristine New York City Day
Chrysler Building Looking Up on a Sharp Pristine New York City Day

Chrysler Building Looking Up on a Sharp Pristine New York City Day

By Mitchell Funk

Located in Miami, FL

The selection of a perfect day with crisp light and a deep cobalt blue sky provides the ideal setting for Photographer Mitchell Funk to create a precisely designed photograph of East...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Wherever You Look You See The Chrysler Building: United Nations 2
Wherever You Look You See The Chrysler Building: United Nations 2

Wherever You Look You See The Chrysler Building: United Nations 2

By Mitchell Funk

Located in Miami, FL

Taken from Long Island City, this tightly cropped composition emphasizes bold silhouettes while revealing the interplay of two of New York City's most iconic buildings. The horizonta...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Chrysler Building:  Abstract Expressionist Photography
Chrysler Building:  Abstract Expressionist Photography

Chrysler Building: Abstract Expressionist Photography

By Mitchell Funk

Located in Miami, FL

A 1930s Art Deco icon is interpreted in the frenetic technique that recalls the Abstract Expressionist painters of the 1950s. As if he were painting with light, visionary photographe...

Category

1970s Abstract Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Kaizen IX

Kaizen IX

By Mario Arroyave

Located in Miami, FL

Mario Arroyave Kaizen IX, 2016 C Print on Plexiglass 35.50h x 35.50w in 90.17h x 90.17w cm Edition 2/5 + 2 A.P.

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, C Print

Errant Days Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, 2010s, Unframed
Errant Days Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, 2010s, Unframed

Errant Days Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, 2010s, Unframed

By Henri Venne

Located in Montreal, Quebec

In the digital age, we collectively photograph everything all of the time. But how much does anyone remember from a scene or a moment when looking at a digital photo? Someone could g...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Paper

Elevation 2 Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, 2010s, Unframed
Elevation 2 Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, 2010s, Unframed

Elevation 2 Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, 2010s, Unframed

By Henri Venne

Located in Montreal, Quebec

In the digital age, we collectively photograph everything all of the time. But how much does anyone remember from a scene or a moment when looking at a digital photo? Someone could g...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Paper

Transitions Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, 2010s, Unframed

Transitions Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, 2010s, Unframed

By Henri Venne

Located in Montreal, Quebec

Episodic / Épisodique consists of the continuation of my most recent photographic production, which explores the possibilities of representing the abstract contemplative sensation wi...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Paper

Elevation 1 Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, Unframed, 38x48\"
Elevation 1 Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, Unframed, 38x48\"

Elevation 1 Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, Unframed, 38x48\"

By Henri Venne

Located in Montreal, Quebec

Episodic / Épisodique consists of the continuation of my most recent photographic production, which explores the possibilities of representing the abstract contemplative sensation wi...

Category

2010s Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Paper

Seems the Sun Has Gone Too Soon, Abstract Print on Plexiglass
Seems the Sun Has Gone Too Soon, Abstract Print on Plexiglass

Seems the Sun Has Gone Too Soon, Abstract Print on Plexiglass

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Digital

Golden Haze Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, 21st Century Art

Golden Haze Abstract Photography on Plexiglass, 21st Century Art

By Henri Venne

Located in Montreal, Quebec

A viewer standing in front of the work of Henri Venne might feel simultaneously at home and confused. A seamless merging of photographic and painterly elements, Venne's images at onc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Digital

Paysages Approximatifs Diptych: Abstract Digital Print on Plexiglass
Paysages Approximatifs Diptych: Abstract Digital Print on Plexiglass

Paysages Approximatifs Diptych: Abstract Digital Print on Plexiglass

By Henri Venne

Located in Montreal, Quebec

A viewer standing in front of the work of Henri Venne might feel simultaneously at home and confused. A seamless merging of photographic and painterly elements, Venne's images at onc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Digital

Somewhere in Between: Abstract Digital Print on Plexiglass
Somewhere in Between: Abstract Digital Print on Plexiglass

Somewhere in Between: Abstract Digital Print on Plexiglass

By Henri Venne

Located in Montreal, Quebec

A viewer standing in front of the work of Henri Venne might feel simultaneously at home and confused. A seamless merging of photographic and painterly elements, Venne's images at onc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Digital

Waiting for the Colour of Spring: Abstract Digital Print on Plexiglass
Waiting for the Colour of Spring: Abstract Digital Print on Plexiglass

Waiting for the Colour of Spring: Abstract Digital Print on Plexiglass

By Henri Venne

Located in Montreal, Quebec

A viewer standing in front of the work of Henri Venne might feel simultaneously at home and confused. A seamless merging of photographic and painterly elements, Venne's images at onc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Digital

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.