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.
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Style: Abstract
#161, 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
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
Purple Haze Two- Super Natural Series- Limited Edition of 10
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
In the Super Natural Series, I want to evoke a mysterious, lyrical world through the interplay of color and light. Fusing the natural world with my inner world, I create visuals tha...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
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
Thomas Struth, Wall Detail, James Simon Galerie, Signed Photograph, Architecture
Located in Hamburg, DE
Thomas Struth (German, born 1954)
Wall Detail, James Simon Galerie, Berlin, 2019
Medium: Inkjet print back-mounted on Alu-Dibond, set in archival cardboard (as issued)
Print dimensio...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Cardboard, Inkjet
#67, 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
#396, The Self Representation of Light, Unique Luminogram, Drawn by Light
Located in London, GB
#396, 2016
Silver Gelatin Luminogram Print, Framed (classic museum style white book mount board and black frame)
Image size: 40.6 x 30.5 cm
Framed: 58 x 49 cm
Unique
Series: The Self Representation of Light
Signed and dated in pen on verso
© Michael Jackson
The Luminograms are made from the most simple of procedures - directing light onto silver gelatin photo paper. However, it is that simplicity that allows Jackson to adapt his own way of thinking into the making of the finished piece. As he says, it's as close as he can get in photography to painting.
After moving to Wales in 2007, Michael Jackson spent the next eight years creating an extensive study of a single local beach - Poppit Sands. After years of examining the beach, he realised that in effect he was studying himself and his reaction to the beach - rather than the physical landscape. He then started looking at the beach as simply a way of dividing up the camera frame - the lines and curves and focal points. It was during the long period of producing Poppit Sands prints in the darkroom that he discovered how to start making luminograms.
"I feel strongly that the luminograms represent a form of moulded light. You use your process to direct and mould the light and the paper receives it in its own magical way and translates that into a form that seems fantastical but also it has one foot in reality. The piece itself so often seems like a photograph of a sculpture, when it fact it is neither. I imagine that I am taking something that you cannot feel and I am making it appear in a seemingly three dimensional form that is balanced and controlled. Just like sculpting clay." Michael G Jackson...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Black and White, Photogram, Silver Gelatin
#176, 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-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
EM-78 Vajra 3 (Abstract new media)
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
EM-78 Vajra 3 (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
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
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
Remedy (June School)
By Wendy Small
Located in New York, NY
40"x32" photogram
Wendy Small’s “Remedy” photograms are made by collecting leaves, weeds, or flowers from a specific place (indicated in the title) and placing those leaves directly ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photogram
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
Wolfgang Tillmans, Texte zur Kunst Edition 2018: Photography, Signed Print
Located in Hamburg, DE
Wolfgang Tillmans (German, born 1968)
Texte zur Kunst Edition 2018, 2018
Medium: Inkjet print on paper
Dimensions: 29.5 × 21 cm (11 3/5 × 8 3/10 in)
Edition of 100: Hand-signed and n...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Inkjet
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
EM-117 Asanga 6 (Abstract Painting)
By Bill Kane
Located in London, GB
EM-117 Asanga 6 (Abstract Painting)
Pigment on canvas - Unframed.
Edition of 3.
The Emanations series is an attempt to express the spiritual potential of the most essential aspect...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Canvas, Pigment
#175, 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
I Got Your Back 03 and Healing 03. Abstract color photographs, Diptych.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The artist's computer-generated paintings merge craftsmanship and technology, creating an eclectic and unique style. Through her art, she aims to illuminate the world.
Tcherassi's w...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
#170, 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
#165, 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
(Depth of) field 2
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
Enamel
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
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
EMDL-1
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 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
$8,635
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
$1,028
Fern No.2 - black and white landscape photography Limited edition of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
Fern No.2
London, United Kingdom 2024.
Created using a large format camera and traditional black-and-white film, this photograph exemplifies Ugne’s skill in capturing the beauty of...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Film, Photographic Film, Giclée
#237, 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
#162, 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
#157, 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
Ecstasy
Located in Storrs, CT
"Ecstasy" is a classic example of my abstract PhotoLuminism technique. When light travels, the human eye cannot see its trails, but the camera can and does. Capturing images this way...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Metal
$1,720 Sale Price
20% Off
#25, 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
#153, 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
#150, 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
#147, 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
#135, 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
#128, 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
#127, 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 Black and White Luminogram Print of Central Park in New York City
Located in London, GB
Central Park is part of a group of prints based on a visit to New York City, Because I live and work in quiet isolation and often don't meet anyone apa...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photogram, Silver Gelatin, Archival Paper, Black and White, Photographic...
#109, 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 Dancers, Dark Blue 1 by Giles Revell - Figurative, Abstract Photography
By Giles Revell
Located in Brighton, GB
Abstract Dancers, Dark Blue 1, 2019
Archival Pigment Print in this size of 50cm x 50cm in an edition of 15
Please contact the gallery for further details on the oversize print of 1...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Gaia 127 - Black and White Photographic Diptych Birds Murmuration Skyline
Located in Brighton, GB
Gaia 127 - Black and White Photographic Diptych Birds Murmuration Skyline by Jaume Llorens Bach
Gaia 127 is a 18cm x 24cm Black and White print on Premio Kozo 180gsm White Paper by ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Black and White, Digital
Red Boat - Still life colour photography, limited edition of 5
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Red boat'
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 ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
#124, 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
#123, 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
#122, 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
#115, 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
#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
#108, 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
#105, 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
#104, 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
#103, 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
#101, 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
#98, 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
#97, 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
#93, 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
#91, 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.