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
#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
#223, 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
Agave - monochrome abstraction, from limited edition of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
Black and white fine art photograph capturing the sculptural elegance of an agave plant. The interplay of light and shadow emphasizes the organic geometry of the plant’s serrated edg...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Giclée
#207, 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
We Are Ghosts - Abstract Expressionist Art Photography
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Color
$2,043 Sale Price
20% Off
#185, 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
"Chinatown" Light of New York, Giclee Print, Abstract Photography, Limited Ed.
By Hatice Besun
Located in Brooklyn, NY
China Town / From the series of Lights of New York / Photograph
Creator: Hatice Besun
Creation year: 2021
Dimension: 48 x 32"
External Dimension( with white border) Height: 48.8 in...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
Red Pause and Artificial Blast, Diptych. From The While You Are Sleeping Series
By Arslan Sükan
Located in Miami Beach, FL
‘While you are sleeping’ (Seascape Series) In his seascape works, Sukan manipulates his imagery connected to the constant tensions between the mental grasp of the specificity and rep...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Color
Brake, unique photograph on silk with sumi ink brushwork
By Chaco Terada
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Brake, unique photograph on silk with sumi ink brushwork
Chaco Terada's relationship with photo-eye dates back about 15 years. Over this period I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Silk, Archival Ink, Sumi Ink
Untitled 7 and 11, Diptych. From The While You Are Surfing Series
By Arslan Sükan
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The physical gestures that make up our interactions with touch-screen personal devices are intensely intimate, yet abstract signatures of our everyday browsing and messaging patterns...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Inkjet, Archival Pigment
Land IV - Landscape Art Photography
Located in Zürich, CH
Hailing from the picturesque city of Zaragoza, nestled near the Pyrenees, Carlos Blanchard's journey into the realm of photography was influenced by the rich tapestry of his upbringi...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Color
$1,284 Sale Price
20% Off
Human Alien - Abstract Expressionist Art Photography
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Black and White
Echnops Ritro Veitch's Blue by Giles Revell - Color Photography, Geometric
By Giles Revell
Located in Brighton, GB
Echinops Ritro Veitch's Blue by Giles Revell is a dynamic, abstract archival pigment print.
Available in this size of 50cm x 50cm in an edition of 25. Larger prints are available, p...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Color, Archival Pigment
#164, 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 16 and 17, Diptych. From The While You Are Surfing Series
By Arslan Sükan
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The physical gestures that make up our interactions with touch-screen personal devices are intensely intimate, yet abstract signatures of our everyday browsing and messaging patterns...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Inkjet, Archival Pigment
#257, 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
Murmuration - Unique Abstract Colour Print, Custom Framed
Located in London, GB
Murmuration, 2024
Hand printed C-Type Print, Float mounted in custom made frame, finished with antireflective art glass
Print size: 20 x 25 cm, Framed: 35.5 x 37.5 cm (as seen on 1st...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Color, Photographic Paper, C Print, Archival Paper
Crystal - Still life colour photography, limited edition of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Crystal'
Printed on archival paper with museum-grade precision, this limited edition work balances mystery and simplicity.
A photograph is carefully placed in a secure cardboard p...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
Chrysler Building in Colorful Multiple Exposure - A Triumph of Color and Design
Located in Miami, FL
Pioneering Color Photographer Mitchell Funk experiments with multiple in-camera exposures of the Chrysler Building, producing a triumph of color and design in motion. No less than t...
Category
1990s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
#114, 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
#231, 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
"Rothko Series 3: ND2-2-2" (2015) Archival Abstracted Texture Photo Print
Located in Denver, CO
"Rothko Series 3:ND2-2-2" Is a beautiful original edited photography print, done on archival photo canvas.
Daniel J. Kaufman (b. New York City, May 4th, 1949) Childhood in Great Nec...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Canvas
Paris Rue
Located in Sag Harbor, NY
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN
Paris Rue
1991
Ektacolor Professional print taken with Wide Lux camera
Unsigned
AP 1/1 apart from an edition of 9
24” x 20”
Chamberlain began to explore photogr...
Category
1990s Abstract Photography
Materials
C Print
Holding Light In Darkness #10
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
#22, 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
#107, 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
Fields of the Sun 167 (Abstract photography)
Located in London, GB
Fields of the Sun, 29 (Abstract photography)
Film photograph, archival print on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper — Unframed.
This artwork is exclusive to IdeelArt.
Limited edition of 10 + ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Paper, Archival Pigment
#208, 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
Florist, Mandala - collage of dead flowers
Located in London, GB
‘Florist’ originally called ‘dead flowers’, was created using the flowers from my girlfriends ‘Zoom’ backgrounds over the space of several months. Usually scanned the moment she considered them to be wilted.
About the series:
" 'Detritus' series was born from the twin frustrations of lockdown halting all planned projects, yet litter still somehow being dropped in abundance on my street.
With no idea of the final output, or indeed the hygiene implications, I started to collect, scan, and record what I found. When I realised these colourful misshapen objects could be turned into something beautiful, the frustrations left me and I began looking for other sources of Detritus.
Florist, 2020
Series: Detritus
Archival Pigment Print, Mounted on Dibond in custom made Frame;
with Black Stained Oak and antireflective UV protective museum standard Art Glass Print 60 x 60 cm / Framed: 62 x 62 cm/ 24.5 x 24.5 inches approx.
Edition of 8 + 2AP
About the Artist
George McLeod...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, Color, Archival Pigment
#82, 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
EM2020-12 (Abstract Photography)
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
EM2020-12 (Abstract Photography)
Pigment on watercolor paper - Unframed.
Edition of 10.
The Emanations series is an attempt to express the spiritual potential of the most essentia...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Paper, Pigment
Golden Flame. Landscape architectural color limited edition photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The artist's photographs capture the transformation of everyday life into another reality. Images that explore what the future will be like. Industrial, eccentric and progressive, Ca...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color
#168, 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
Large format vintage multiple exposure male nude, signed by Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
16 x 20" vintage silver gelatin photograph, multiple exposure male nude. Titled, numbered, dated, and signed by Jack Mitchell on the recto. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity.
Jack Mitchell's artist’s statement on this project: For five decades in New York City I photographed established and emerging creative and performing artists for major publications. The Numbered Nudes photographs are a development, and expansion, of my dance photography...
Category
1990s Abstract Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
$1,200 Sale Price
20% Off
#170, 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
#205, 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
#203, 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
#202, 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
#200, 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
#199, 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
#192, 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
#191, 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
#190, 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
#184, 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
#182, 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
Soft Geometry # 11C (Abstract Photography)
By Anne Senstad
Located in London, GB
Soft Geometry # 11C (Abstract Photography)
Photographic C Prints, printed on Canson Platinè fiber Rag 310g - Unframed
"Edition of 6 + 2Ap Turnaround time 2-3 weeks, printed on demand...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Paper, C Print
Soft Geometry # 13D (Abstract Photography)
By Anne Senstad
Located in London, GB
Soft Geometry # 13D (Abstract Photography)
Photographic C Prints, printed on Canson Platinè fiber Rag 310g - Unframed
"Edition of 6 + 2Ap Turnaround...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Paper, C Print
Torquidos
Located in Storrs, CT
"Torquidos" is a painting of light 'unseen.' When light travels, the human eye doesn't see its trails, but the camera does. My usual version of light painting involves leaving the li...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Metal
$1,360 Sale Price
20% Off
#257, 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
"Flowering Dogwood, Atlanta, Georgia X 16" Composite Image Photography - Cubism
By Peter Essick
Located in Atlanta, GA
"Flowering Dogwood, Atlanta, Georgia X 16" is an abstract photograph with hues of blue and cream.
Peter Essick is a photographer, author, speaker, instructor, and drone pilot who sp...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Full Sail! - An Abstract Colour Print in custom made frame (options available)
Located in London, GB
Mike G Jackson, 'Full Sail!', 2024
Archival Pigment Fine Art Print mounted on aluminium and custom framed finished with antireflective Art Glass,
35 x 23.5 inches (90 x 60 cm approx....
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Archival Pigment
#127, 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 15 and 3, Diptych. From The While You Are Surfing Series
By Arslan Sükan
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The physical gestures that make up our interactions with touch-screen personal devices are intensely intimate, yet abstract signatures of our everyday browsing and messaging patterns...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Inkjet, Archival Pigment
Chrysler Building with McDonald's Marquee from 42nd Street
Located in Miami, FL
Photographer Mitchell Funk demonstrates the link between minimalism and street photography, which is usually associated with a loose snapshot style.
The present image fuses differen...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Ramunės - abstract analogue black and white floral photography, 3 of 5
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Ramunės'
London, United Kingdom 2022
Limited edition 3 of 5.
Photograph printed on heavyweight Hahnehmule German Etching fine art paper. Signed bottom right corner on extra 4 cm ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Film, Photographic Film, Giclée
$1,699 Sale Price
20% Off
Marine Stadium II. Areal Landscape limited edition color photograph
By Jill Peters
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
The Sight: photograph by Black African American artist, girl w/ gold & cotton
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
This is the first print (#1) in a limited edition of 10 signed, titled, and numbered photographs titled "The Sight," by artist Tokie Rome-Taylor. The photograph itself measures 24" x...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
#150, 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
Contemporary sensual, erotic photograph of a nude female with historical imagery
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
"Alisma Plantago Aquatica" by artist Paul Cava is a one-of-a-kind (unique) Iris print of a nude female figure from a historical glass plate on an 18th-c bota...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment, Engraving
#63, 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
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.