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.
20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Wool
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Granite, Bronze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Enamel
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Resin, Foam, Pigment
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Resin, Fiberglass, Lacquer, Acrylic Polymer, Graphite
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Resin, Fiberglass, Polyester, Lacquer, Acrylic Polymer, Graphite
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Polystyrene, Plaster, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Poplar, Plywood, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Dye
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Steel
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Glass
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Plaster
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Plaster, Polystyrene, Acrylic
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Polystyrene, Plaster, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Neon Light, Plaster, Pigment
Early 2000s Abstract Sculptures
Enamel, Steel
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Paper, Acrylic, Digital Pigment
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
Early 2000s Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
Early 2000s Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Acrylic
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Marble
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Clay, Glaze, Raw Linen
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Glaze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Vinyl, ABS
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Paper, Acrylic, Digital Pigment
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
1950s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Enamel
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Paint, Found Objects
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin, Wood
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Thread
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Putty
Early 2000s Abstract Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Fiberglass
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Gouache
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Plexiglass
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Early 2000s Abstract Sculptures
Granite, Bronze