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
271
373
570
323
319
1,642
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
2
201
3,023
2
1
3
5
15
68
26
63
43,338
15,517
3,227
2,817
1,299
829
711
283
219
122
117
98
44
26
1,463
1,244
481
256
248
226
123
116
95
92
80
78
76
73
69
68
64
60
52
51
48
41
38
1,538
1,291
984
661
660
434
317
127
96
89
234
445
1,696
1,267
Style: Abstract
Intertwined, The Alignment series. Nudes. Limited Edition Color Photograph
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
From the series “The Alignment” which is materialized from video footage shot with two ballet dancers underwater; he is carrying on the theme of water as a source of rebirth and flow...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Color, Archival Pigment
#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
Navel of the dream - still life abstract floral photogrpahy, limited edition 10
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
Navel of the Dream presents a suspended field of sensation, lines converge into shadow, textures ripple softly outward, and light hovers without seeking to define. There is no fixed ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
Visible, Disappearance and Destiny, Triptych
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, Black and White, Archival 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
Blue Bird - abstract landscape Photography, Limited edition of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
Blue Bird is a quiet study in reflection, shadow, and stillness. A mountain ridge dissolves into deep black, its form mirrored in a soft, spectral blue. The image, flipped and near a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
#240, 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
Parliament in autumn No.2 -abstract photography, London, Limited edition 2 of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
Reimagining the iconic silhouette of the Westminster Parliament through the lens of abstraction and atmosphere. Cloaked in an autumnal haze, the architectural presence dissolves into...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
Crosshatch
Located in Storrs, CT
" "Crosshatch" is a classic example of my abstract PhotoLuminism technique. When light travels, the human eye cannot see its trails, but the camera can. Capturing images that are int...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Black and White
$880 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
Foliage, Abstract Photograph, 2016
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary:
extension from the un·i·den·ti·fi·a·ble series – process was to go into the file's data and alter the dimensions of the picture, causing it to distort differently ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Colors (Abstract Photography)
Located in London, GB
Colors (Abstract Photography)
Photography/painting, mixed media - Unframed.
Artwork exclusive to IdeelArt.
Artworks are of the highest archival standards. Wood supports are sealed...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Paint, Mixed Media, Wood Panel
#33, 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
#249, 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
#95, 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
Stage of Life, 2025. Cyanotype photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The photos from the series Let Me Tell You a Story show, each one individually, certain themes through strongly narrative visual units. Each photograph is dedicated to a specific rep...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
"Abstract Composition I" in Red Orange Yellow and Black Modern Art Spots
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Abstract Composition I" by James Chadwick is from his series that takes from vintage patterning, zooming in to see the abstraction of the detail which ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, Photographic Paper
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
The Coalas. Limited edition color photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The exploration of the concept of play as an artistic impulse presents playful, almost "baroque-written"photographs that are the result of a repeated (recycled) notion of play. Start...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Lumina # 202204 (Abstract Photography)
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Lumina # 202204 (Abstract Photography)
Chromogenic Print Face-mounted 4.5mm Matte Plexiglas Box - Unframed.
Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option.
Editi...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, C Print
Lichtblick
Located in Fairfield, CT
Christine Matthäi was born in Germany. She lives and works between Shelter Island, New York, Germany and the Bahamas.
Her LIGHT and SEA series, and all other water related series, ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
C Print
#21, 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
EM-46 Ratnasambhava (Abstract Photography)
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
EM-46 Ratnasambhava (Abstract Photography)
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 the series began its evolution as a scanned image of a Buddhist thangka—a spiritual painting...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Canvas, Pigment
#242, 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
Navel of the dream - still life abstract floral photogrpahy, limited edition 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
Navel of the Dream presents a suspended field of sensation, lines converge into shadow, textures ripple softly outward, and light hovers without seeking to define. There is no fixed ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
EM-3 Vajrayogini (Abstract Photography)
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
EM-3 Vajrayogini (Abstract Photography)
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 the series began its evolution as a scanned image of a Buddhist thangka—a spiritual painting...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Canvas, Pigment
EM-117 Asanga 6 (Abstract Photography)
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
EM-117 Asanga 6 (Abstract Photography)
Pigment on canvas - Unframed.
Edition of 3.
The Emanations series is an attempt to express the spiritual potential of the most essential asp...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Canvas, 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
EM-104 Geshe (Abstract Photography)
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
EM-104 Geshe (Abstract Photography)
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 the series began its evolution as a scanned image of a Buddhist thangka—a spiritual painting of a Buddhist deity—which was then blurred and stretched until all that remained was a distilled image of color and form. These reduced images were then printed onto canvases, resulting in what Kane refers to as elemental “representations of the light bodies of the Buddhas.”
Bill Kane...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Canvas, Pigment
EM-54 Palden Lhamo 2 (Abstract new media)
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
EM-54 Palden Lhamo 2 (Abstract new media)
Pigment on canvas - Unframed.
Edition of 3.
The Emanations series is an attempt to express the spiritual pote...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Canvas, Pigment
Trace # 201901 (Abstract photography)
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Trace # 201901 (Abstract photography)
Chromogenic Print face-mounted 3mm matt plexiglas - Unframed.
Backed with Dibond and C-channel hanging system + keyhole option.
Available on ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, 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
EM-57 White Tara (Abstract new media)
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
EM-57 White Tara (Abstract new media)
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 the series began its evolution as a scanned image of a Buddhist thangka—a spiritual painting of a Buddhist deity—which was then blurred and stretched until all that remained was a distilled image of color and form. These reduced images were then printed onto canvases, resulting in what Kane refers to as elemental “representations of the light bodies of the Buddhas.”
Bill Kane...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Canvas, Pigment
Eugene 4- 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
Gaia 90 - Black and White Diptych View of Clouds and Skyscape above Valley
Located in Brighton, GB
Gaia 90 - Black and White Diptych View of Clouds and Skyscape above Valley by Jaume Llorens Bach
Gaia 90 is a 18cm x 24cm Black and White Photographic print on Premio Kozo 180gsm Wh...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Black and White, Digital, Photographic Paper
Blanket 7, Abstract Photograph, 2015
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary:
Your purchase through TurningArt can be displayed as either a high quality print, or it's true original form as a woven blanket. Please contact TurningArt for more information.
The process consisted of creating a very small image and having the computer attempt to fill the rest of the art space, resulting in stretched and distorted shapes.
In Dan DeRosato...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Fabric
#189, 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
EM-54 Palden Lhamo 2 (Abstract new media)
By Bill Kane
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
#185, 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
#238, 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
#74, 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
EM-3 Vajrayogini
By Bill Kane
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
Retaining Wall II, Rockingham - Abstract Blue Color Photograph
Located in Cambridge, GB
Blue abstract photograph from Richard Heeps' series Trading Paint.
Richard Heeps has a history of photographing Drag Racing in the UK, America and Europe. Trading Paint is a term tha...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
EM2020-59
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
Pigment on watercolor paper - Unframed.
Edition of 10.
The Emanations series is an attempt to express the spiritual potential of the most essential aspect of photography: light. Ea...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Paper, Pigment
$1,023
Eiffel Tower in Jackson Pollock Drip Lighting - Paris France
Located in Miami, FL
When the Eiffel Tower was conceived in 1886, it was to be a symbol of aesthetic avant-garde thinking. In 1994, Photographer Mitchell Funk pays homage to Gustave Eiffel's spirit of ...
Category
1990s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Purple Sunrise, Space Age Giclée Print, Limited Edition, Pink Tones Diptych 2024
Located in Barcelona, ES
Cyd Fontaine (Lausanne, 1992) is a contemporary artist renowned for her captivating use of dreamy atmospheric gradients, which has helped her carve a distinctive niche in the world o...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, C Print, Digital, G...
Chrysler Building Art Deco Skyscraper
Located in Miami, FL
Architecture becomes an abstract design statement as seen thru the lens of Mithcell Funk
Striking graphic design with found elements is a signature style of Mitchell Funk. He brings ...
Category
1980s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper
Cosmica #94, 4 Elements
Located in New York City, NY
Orlando Azevedo
Cosmica #115, 4 Elements,
Archival Pigment Print
Unframed
Ask us for framing options.
40 x 40 inches
Edition of 13
Archival Pigment Print
...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Metal
Untitled 5 and 9, 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
#231, 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
#173, 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
Summer Waters in Cannes, Abstract Nautical Cyanotype in Blue, Seascape Triptych
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype.
This beautiful triptych is called "Summer Waters in Cannes" and it shows the water reflection of one of the most iconic ci...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Watercolor, Lithograph, Monotype, Rag Paper
#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
#255, 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 Spire With Abstract Architectural Patterns
Located in Miami, FL
Seen through two surrounding buildings, the Chrysler Building's spire emerges as a cool blue Art Deco statement. Photographer Mitchell Funk selects a precise angle so that the photog...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
#228, 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
#229, 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
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.