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Abstract Sculptures

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
Wall Stack IV : contemporary modern geometric sculpture

Wall Stack IV : contemporary modern geometric sculpture

By Greg Chann

Located in New York, NY

Greg Chann creates contemporary modern abstract geometric sculptures. His constructions are complex interwoven systems of physical elements varying in size, material, and color. Thes...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Acrylic

Ceramic #2010

Ceramic #2010

By Alice Federico

Located in Fairfield, CT

Alice Federico was born in Selma, Alabama in 1945. She received a BA degree in history from Hollins University (1967), an MFA in ceramics from East Carolina University (1977), as wel...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Look
Look

David L. BullisLook, 2001/2023

$920Sale Price|20% Off

Look

Located in New York, NY

Stainless Steel TIG Welding Rod, Aluminum, Fishing Accessories, Wire, Paint Jeremy Bullis after David L. Bullis Edition 1/5

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Steel, Wire

Tempest
Tempest

David L. BullisTempest, 1996/2023

$1,120Sale Price|20% Off

Tempest

Located in New York, NY

Stainless Steel TIG Welding Rod, Aluminum, Fishing Accessories, Wire, Paint Jeremy Bullis after David L. Bullis

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Steel, Wire

Tempest
Tempest

David L. BullisTempest, 1996/2023

$1,120Sale Price|20% Off

Tempest

Located in New York, NY

Stainless Steel TIG Welding Rod, Aluminum, Fishing Accessories, Wire, Paint Jeremy Bullis after David L. Bullis Edition 1/5

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Homecoming for Matt
Homecoming for Matt

Homecoming for Matt

Located in New York, NY

Stainless Steel TIG Welding Rod, Aluminum, Fishing Accessories, Wire, Paint Jeremy Bullis after David L. Bullis

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stainless Steel, Wire

The Face
The Face

Michael ManningThe Face, 2022

$1,920Sale Price|20% Off

The Face

By Michael Manning

Located in New York, NY

Michael Manning The Face 2022 76 x 22 in Sculpture Michael Manning is a studio artist working primarily as a painter with additional work focused on ...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Enamel

"Circle 48"
"Circle 48"

"Circle 48"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Circle 48 is a hand-carved wood relief that brings the energy of the city indoors. The abstract, geometric pattern is made up of many carefully shaped indentations that create a surf...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood, Mixed Media

"Corrugation in White"

"Corrugation in White"

By David Brown 3

Located in Toronto, ON

Encaustic painting is an ancient art form and was practiced by artists as far back as the 5th century B.C. The word encaustic comes from Greek and means “to burn in”, which refers to...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Encaustic, Cardboard

Space and Time I : small interior sculpture out of clay

Space and Time I : small interior sculpture out of clay

By Katie Yang

Located in New York, NY

Katie Yang's abstract ceramic sculptures delve into the unknowable nature of our world, exploring the interplay between control and chance. Influenced by artistic traditions from bot...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain

Untitled
Untitled

Neil TetkowskiUntitled, 1980's

$2,240Sale Price|20% Off

Untitled

By Neil Tetkowski

Located in Buffalo, NY

An original clay wall sculpture by American artist Neil Tetkowski.

Category

1980s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Clay

Four Wooden Sculptures 1990 German Artist Rolf Hans "Four Abstract Birds"
Four Wooden Sculptures 1990 German Artist Rolf Hans "Four Abstract Birds"

Four Wooden Sculptures 1990 German Artist Rolf Hans "Four Abstract Birds"

By Rolf Hans

Located in Eltville am Rhein, DE

Rolf Hans Frankfurt 1938 - 1996 Basel Set of 4 bird sculptures, 1990 Wood, paint Each signed on the underside 131/121 x 20 x 11.5cm The sculpture comes with a catalog about the artist. Provenance: Estate of the artist Authenticity confirmed in writing At the beginning of the 1970s, Rolf Hans began designing objects for the first time. These were small sculptures that he assembled from iron pipes with round or square profiles. With these, he sought to create a new, three-dimensional reality of experience, parallel to his paintings, which he was creating at the same time. In 1987, Hans returned to the medium of sculpture. He no longer regarded the working process as conscious construction, but rather as allowing himself to be guided by what was already there. And as with his paintings, his objects now arose from an inner necessity, not to fill an intellectual vacuum. "This compulsion has had a hold on me for decades, and for a few years now I have been trying to appease it with the cycle 'Poesie der Dinge' (Poetry of Things). The intellectual climate was ripe." So Hans concentrated on working on the sculpture cycle in the last decade of his life. And as if in a frenzy, he drew on the new possibilities offered to him by the design of the objects: "The poetry of things grows, it swallows up all my time, many things are neglected, hardly any letters, the diary is largely silent, concert visits are limited to the essentials. A compulsion arises, and yet it began as a game, but experiments were always a serious matter that demanded the whole man. [...] The objects have crept into my rational mind, cautiously and unnoticed, claiming their place, taking it, becoming part of myself." "It's a difficult thing with art. Looking at your predecessors, you try to find your way, the spirit of the times and its aesthetics influence the direction, you know about the dissatisfaction in which you move. Now, in the midst of the 'poetry of things', there is a feeling of freedom, yet closely connected to much that came before. There is no program, only a title that allows each work its freedom." But despite the role models before his eyes, Hans succeeds from the outset in finding his own unique ways of expression with his object cycle. What connects him to Max Ernst, Brancusi, and Duchamp is solely the source material: found objects. These are very mundane things from everyday life—once necessary, useful, and practical items such as tools, utensils, and devices—that have been stripped of their function and now serve as a gateway to the artist's imagination. In this way, Hans strips things of their previous, traditional function or archaic purpose and transports them into a different, new reality in order to breathe new life into them. In doing so, he does not want to deny the found form without aestheticizing it. By making only minor changes to their 'innate' structure, signs of wear, and color, he seeks to emphasize their meaning and purpose as form and to redefine their inherent charisma. The objects are worked on, forced to reveal their unique characteristics in their struggle with the artist and to make new statements in connection with other objects. In this way, Hans presents the abstract symmetries of the wood and metal objects without any artificiality and places them on a pedestal in accordance with artistic tradition. Furthermore, he integrates the pedestal into the work. As the lowest component, the pedestal not only prepares the viewer for the sculpture, but also loosens, loosens, or strengthens its connection to the earth. By raising them up, he gives the sculptures a further life of their own, a second existence, so to speak, and also gives them a new identity with a new name. "They show their personality, some more, some less, as is the case in life, or in art." What they all have in common is their influence from the past into the here and now. In doing so, they reveal their original beauty and the mysticism that fires our imagination. However ambivalent the sculptures and objects by Rolf Hans may appear to us, they never do so in a loud or exalted manner. With their balanced and simple appearance, they quietly and calmly, but decisively, enter into contact with us. In an unsettling way, they repeatedly prompt us to ask questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? They offer us no clues that might help us answer these questions. Instead, they give us all the more scope for associations and imagination. They appeal to our subconscious. They invite us to linger and meditate: it is the familiar beginning and the unconscious departure into the mysteries of creation. Exhibitions (selection) 2023 Kunsthandel Draheim, position berlin art fair 2023 Galerie Jörg Schuhmacher, Frankfurt am Main "Rolf Hans-Farbenspiel" 2022 Galerie Michael Blaszczyk, Bad Homburg, Rolf Hans, "Einblicke Hommage & Reflexion" 2021 Jörg Schumacher Gallery, Frankfurt am Main "Rolf Hans-Farbwelten" 2021 Michael Blaszczyk Gallery, Bad Homburg "Sprache der Farben-Das Baseler Kabinett" 2020 Malte Ueckermann Art Dealers, Berlin, Kanalidarte, Brescia "Che cosa avrebbe detto Hegel_ROLF HANS... e la Poesia della cose," Italy Kunsthandel Draheim "art Karlsruhe," "Poesie der Dinge" 2019 Jörg Schuhmacher Gallery, Frankfurt am Main, Blaszczyk Gallery, Bad Homberg 2018 Art Karlsruhe, Kunsthandel Draheim, Wiesbaden, Color Fields 2018 Galerie Dekker, Baden-Baden, Retrospective Galerie Blaszczyk, Bad Homburg 2017 Gallery Eklektik, Monte Carlo, Monaco 2016 Galerie Schuhmacher, Frankfurt am Main 2016 Galerie Cerny & Partner, Wiesbaden (Language of Colors) Art Karlsruhe, Kunsthandel Draheim, Wiesbaden (Tachist Painting + Iron Sculptures) Galerie Rainer Klimczak, Viersen Galerie Schuhmacher, Frankfurt am Main (Black on White) 2015 Galerie Blaszczyk, Bad Homburg art Karlsruhe, one Artist show (Galerie Cerny und Partner) Gallery Eklektik, Monte Carlo, Monaco 2014 Jörg Schuhmacher Gallery, Frankfurt am Main (A Retrospective-1) Tristan Lorenz Gallery, Frankfurt am Main (A Retrospective-2) Hellhof Gallery, Kronberg im Taunus (Works from 1960–1980) Art Fair, Cologne, Monochrome Painting (Draheim Gallery & Art Dealers, Wiesbaden) 2013 Kunsthandel Thole Rotermund, Hamburg (In the Force Field of Color) + catalog Galerie & Kunsthandel Draheim, Wiesbaden (Painting & Sculpture 1970–1990) 2012 art KARLSRUHE, one Artist show (Galerie & Art Dealers Draheim, Wiesbaden) 2011 Gallery & Art Dealers Draheim, Wiesbaden (In the Rush of Colors – Works from the 1960s) 2009 Ketterer Kunst, Berlin (Rolf Hans – Painting and Sculpture) Art Dealers Michael Draheim, Wiesbaden (Rolf Hans – Poetry of Things) 2008 Galerie Art Mayence, Mainz (Rolf Hans – Language of Colors) Galerie Jörg Schuhmacher, Frankfurt am Main (Rolf Hans) Galerie Winterberg, Munich (Rolf Hans – The Language of Colors) Galerie Jörg Schuhmacher, Frankfurt am Main, Art Karlsruhe (Rolf Hans – One Artist Show) 2007 Galerie Jörg Schuhmacher, Frankfurt am Main ("Rolf Hans in the Field of Tension of the 'Quadriga'") 2001 Kunstraum Aare, Olten ("Rolf Hans – Paintings, Sculptures, Photographs") 1999 'Kunst im Liebrüti', Kaiseraugst ("Martin Frigg and Rolf Hans") 1992 Kommunale Galerie, Schlangenbad ("Gabriele Schmolk-Hieber, Paintings – Rolf Hans, Objects") 1991 Museum Schloß Salder, Salzgitter ("Poetry of Things") 1990 Galerie Brechbühl, Grenchen ("Poetry of Things") 1985 1985 Toni Brechbühl Gallery, Grenchen ("Two Friends, Ho-Kan, Milan – Rolf Hans, Basel") Toni Brechbühl Gallery, Grenchen ("Rolf Hans – Oil...

Category

1990s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

Trois mandolines
Trois mandolines

Trois mandolines

By Arman

Located in PARIS, FR

This exceptional bronze table by Arman transforms musical instruments into functional sculpture. Composed of three mandolins cast in bronze and fused into the structure, the piece ex...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Light-Glyph (Rose Gold)

Light-Glyph (Rose Gold)

By Casper Brindle

Located in Santa Monica, CA

Brindle’s Light Glyph’s, are luminescent and mercurial sculptures, constantly shifting in hue as the viewer moves around them. Absorbing and reflecting light, they have a meditative ...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Acrylic Polymer, Automotive Paint, Acrylic

Gold Topaz Parabola 6954
Gold Topaz Parabola 6954

Gold Topaz Parabola 6954

By David Patchen

Located in Napa, CA

David Patchen creates vivid and luminous glass works using the time-honored techniques of cane and murrine glass blowing, originally discovered in the glass blowing studios of Venic...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Blown Glass

Abstract Head Sculpture: 'Untitled'
Abstract Head Sculpture: 'Untitled'

Abstract Head Sculpture: 'Untitled'

By Kelly Bugden + Van Wifvat

Located in New York, NY

The artistic collaboration of Kelly Bugden + Van Wifvat has produced a thought-provoking body of sculptures, paintings, and constructions. Nature, childhood memories, and everyday archetypes take shape in unexpected combinations of materials. The works emerged as the tactile and visual senses channeled the ritualistic power and materiality of selected artifacts. The resulting objects exist in a space between what they were originally and what they could become. A wheel, for example, is distorted as if seen through a prism. Their collaboration grew out of years of shaping materials into one-of-a-kind objects. Intuitively, the process of creating with their hands took an inward turn. Prism is a travelogue through memories and dreams, yielding abstract forms that capture moments of transformation. Van Wifvat grew up with eight siblings and studied sculpture and environmental design in Minneapolis at MCAD. In 1979, he opened a storefront art gallery to promote the work of local artists. The space featured printed materials—art books, periodicals, fanzines, and postcard’s. Wifvat moved to New York in 1983 to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons. In 1987, he co-founded Van Gregory & Norton design studio, specializing in convex mirrors and curtain hardware...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Linen, Wood, Glue

My Shell (Abstract Sculpture)
My Shell (Abstract Sculpture)

My Shell (Abstract Sculpture)

By Amaury Maillet

Located in London, GB

Aluminum sheet, metal wire and acrylic - mobile Amaury Maillet is a self-taught artist who explored art in Provence and Saint Martin in his childhood. He honed his drawing, painting...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Monochromatic Variant Navy - sculpture, painted stainless steel
Monochromatic Variant Navy - sculpture, painted stainless steel

Monochromatic Variant Navy - sculpture, painted stainless steel

By Viktor Mitic

Located in Bloomfield, ON

"Inspired by the abstract images of paint splatters on his studio floor, Viktor Mitic created this dynamic tabletop sculpture. Monochromatic Variant’s form was influenced by photos a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stainless Steel

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Cha Jongrye

Located in Boca Raton, FL

Using wood as her chosen medium, Jong Rye constructs seamlessly intricate wooden landscapes through her often wall-mounted sculptures. Sanding and layering hundreds of delicate wood ...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wood

"The Man Without a Rod №3" Bronze Sculpture 26x20x9in Ed. 3/8 by Sergii Shaulis
"The Man Without a Rod №3" Bronze Sculpture 26x20x9in Ed. 3/8 by Sergii Shaulis

"The Man Without a Rod №3" Bronze Sculpture 26x20x9in Ed. 3/8 by Sergii Shaulis

By Sergii Shaulis

Located in Culver City, CA

"The Man Without a Rod №3" Bronze Sculpture 26x20x9in Ed. 3/8 by Sergii Shaulis Limited Edition 3/8 From "The man without a rod" series Approximate weight 77 lbs. The artist spent almost ten years of his life in the making of this eight-piece series. It is an introspective representation of what he calls absolute hopelessness. “It's about the emptiness of the soul, but it's also about starting anew; when you feel nothing but finding the power inside of you to stand up and move.” ABOUT ARTIST Born on 27 May 1985 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. From 2005 to 2011 studied at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, at the Faculty of "Fine Arts" specialty "Easel and monumental sculpture." Now studying postgraduate at Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts. Works are in private collections in Ukraine, Israel, Germany, USA, Australia, Finland, Holland, Spain, Belgium, England. Education 2002‑2005 Faculty of Engineering and Physics (NTU KhPI) 2005‑2011 Easel and monumental sculpture (KSADA) 2012-2016 postgraduate education (KSADA) Exhibitions 2007-15 City exhibition HONSKHU. Kharkiv. 2007-14 Ukrainian Exhibition KONSKHU. Kyiv. 2008-11 "The maestro and his students", KSADA. Kharkiv (Audience Award 2009) 2008 11 International Triennial of sculpture. Kyiv . 2009 “Male portrait”, gallery KSADA. Kharkiv . 2009 "You get SMS ", Kharkiv ( Grand Prix "The best sculpture project "). 2009 “Gogol-fest”, Museum Arsenal. Kyiv. 2016 "Corpus", Come in gallery, Kharkiv. 2016 KSADA "Loft", Kharkiv. 2017 “Art seasons”, M17. Kyiv. 2017 Gallery "Semiradskiy", Kharkiv. 2017 "Mundi contraria", M17. Kyiv. 2018 "More than sculpture", ArtUkraineGallery. Kyiv. 2018 “Auguste Rodin. "Premonition of the future...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Autoportrait" Brass Sculpture
"Autoportrait" Brass Sculpture

"Autoportrait" Brass Sculpture

By Elie Hirsch 1

Located in Paris, FR

Sculpture "Autoportrait", Pièce unique, one of a kind, created in patinated brass (weight 3Kg) About the artist. Graduate in ceramic design and metal sculpture (2001,2003), he worked...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Brass

NAME by Steven John Clark x denHolm
NAME by Steven John Clark x denHolm

NAME by Steven John Clark x denHolm

Located in Paris, FR

'NAME' by Steven John Clark x den Holm Limestone sculpture Hand carved by Steven John Clark Country: Australia Dimensions: H. 80 x W. 125 x D. 125 cm Wh...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Limestone

Abstract sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract sculptures 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 sculptures created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, red, purple, green and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Scott Troxel, John Van Alstine, Marty Mackenzie, and Stephen Walling. Frequently made by artists working with Wood, and Paint 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 sculptures, so small editions measuring 0.38 inches across are also available. Prices for sculptures 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 $11 and tops out at $1,400,000, while the average work sells for $4,500.