Abstract Sculptures
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.
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Epoxy Resin
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1960s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Clay, Canvas, Spray Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Marble
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Precious Stone
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Rosewood
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Clay, Canvas, Spray Paint
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Lucite
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Clay, Canvas, Spray Paint
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Spray Paint, Canvas, Clay
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Clay, Canvas, Spray Paint
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Brass
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Spray Paint, Canvas, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Gold
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Fiberboard, Bamboo Paper
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Iron
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Enamel
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Porcelain, Glaze
1960s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Glaze
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Acrylic
1940s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Canvas, Plaster
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Canvas, Plaster
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Luster, Stoneware, Glaze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Wood
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Canvas, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Resin, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Canvas, Plaster
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Gold
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Canvas, Plaster
20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Steel