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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
Panier-maison II, Stéphanie Jacques
Panier-maison II, Stéphanie Jacques

Panier-maison II, Stéphanie Jacques

By Stéphanie Jacques

Located in Wilton, CT

Panier-maison II, Stéphanie Jacques, wood, willow, raw clay coated and limewash, 17" x 20" x 15", 2010. This contemporary abstract mixed media sculpture was done by Belgian artist, ...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Clay, Wood

Light-Glyph (Trilateral Gold)
Light-Glyph (Trilateral Gold)

Light-Glyph (Trilateral 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

Torque
Torque

Torque

By Tom Waldron

Located in Phoenix, AZ

Excerpts from William Peterson, Tom Waldron, 1985 They cut through space like beautiful and efficient tools. No bases or pedestals are required. They sit ...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Skate

Skate

By Tom Waldron

Located in Phoenix, AZ

Excerpts from William Peterson, Tom Waldron, 1985 They cut through space like beautiful and efficient tools. No bases or pedestals are required. They sit ...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Steel

"I am your Sun, you are my Earth"
"I am your Sun, you are my Earth"

"I am your Sun, you are my Earth"

By Vasyl Demkiv

Located in Edinburgh, GB

He and She reach for manifestation. He opens the way, She holds the foundation, grounds. He is spirit, She is matter. He is gold, She is silver. They are in the harmony of Creativity...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Silver, Iron

"Element"
"Element"

"Element"

By Vasyl Demkiv

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Element, landscape, sunset, mountains, aerial perspective. It is like hills that disappear into the distance illuminated by the morning sun. Made by hand molding of living metal, fra...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Iron

"Sisyphean Circle (tefillin)", Industrial Abstract Sculpture in Stone & Metal
"Sisyphean Circle (tefillin)", Industrial Abstract Sculpture in Stone & Metal

"Sisyphean Circle (tefillin)", Industrial Abstract Sculpture in Stone & Metal

By John Van Alstine

Located in New York, NY

"Sisyphean Circle (tefillin)" by John Van Alstine Slate and Powder-Coated, Galvanized Steel Stone, Metal, Sculpture, Abstract, Contemporary, Outdoor, Industrial, Industry, Nature, R...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Slate, Metal, Steel

Untitled Kernel

Untitled Kernel

By Eric Johnson

Located in Santa Monica, CA

Inspired by both art and science, Eric Johnson creates composite works of pigment, wood and resin that reference a kinship with other artists: to the sensuality of Brancusi, the arch...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Resin

SISYPHEAN CIRCLE 12-18, Slate, Steel Industrial Abstract Sculpture, Metal, Stone
SISYPHEAN CIRCLE 12-18, Slate, Steel Industrial Abstract Sculpture, Metal, Stone

SISYPHEAN CIRCLE 12-18, Slate, Steel Industrial Abstract Sculpture, Metal, Stone

By John Van Alstine

Located in New York, NY

"SISYPHEAN CIRCLE 12-18" by John Van Alstine Slate, Pigmented & Sealed Steel Stone, Metal, Sculpture, Abstract, Contemporary, Outdoor, Industrial, Industry, Nature, Orange, Red, Cir...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Slate, Stone, Steel, Metal

"Bouquet, " Mixed Media Sculpture
"Bouquet, " Mixed Media Sculpture

"Bouquet, " Mixed Media Sculpture

By Michael Thompson

Located in Chicago, IL

Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. In his ongoing series of memory jugs, Thompson adorns stoneware vessels with a kaleidoscope of ceramic shards, found objects, and pocket-sized trinkets he collected over the course of his life. Also known as forget-me-not jugs or spirit jars, memory jugs are African American folk art objects that honor a loved one who has recently passed. Small tokens and mementos of the deceased are gathered and affixed to the exterior of a jug or vase, an abundance of memories that celebrates a life lived to the fullest. Michael Thompson applies this tradition to his own practice, creating tactile assemblages of this and that. Formed in the manner of collage, each jug honors the lost memories of generations past and his own memories of personally discovering each item. With varied sources for materials including Kyoto, Turkey, and Mexico, a great number of the found shards are 18th and 19th century ceramics...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stone

POINTER (K Back), Industrial Abstract Sculpture, Slate Stone Bronze Steel Metal
POINTER (K Back), Industrial Abstract Sculpture, Slate Stone Bronze Steel Metal

POINTER (K Back), Industrial Abstract Sculpture, Slate Stone Bronze Steel Metal

By John Van Alstine

Located in New York, NY

"POINTER (K Back)" by John Van Alstine Slate, Bronze, Pigmented Steel Stone, Metal, Sculpture, Abstract, Contemporary, Outdoor, Industrial, Industry, Nature, Orange, Red The sculpt...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Slate, Metal, Steel, Bronze

Abstract culpture  by Dorothy Thorpe
Abstract culpture  by Dorothy Thorpe

Abstract culpture by Dorothy Thorpe

By Dorothy Thorpe 1

Located in Pasadena, CA

Dorothy Thorpe This wonderful piece was designed by Dorothy Thorpe in America during the 1960s Born in Salt Lake City in 1901, Dorothy Thorpe was a mid-century American artist who de...

Category

1970s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Lucite

Large, sculptural studio pottery vessel by Robert Sperry
Large, sculptural studio pottery vessel by Robert Sperry

Large, sculptural studio pottery vessel by Robert Sperry

By Robert Sperry

Located in Colfax, CA

A large bulbous horned vase formed studio pottery vessel by American ceramicist Robert Sperry. Sperry is an important figure in the American studio craft movement. He was born in Bu...

Category

1960s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware

Wall Sculpture: "Amalgam #4"
Wall Sculpture: "Amalgam #4"

Wall Sculpture: "Amalgam #4"

By Megan Klim

Located in New York, NY

Megan Klim's mixed media work juxtaposes several materials on one picture plane.  She highlights their inherent qualities to create surface tension which sparks a conversation and in...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Wire

"what was tonight" - abstract sculpture
"what was tonight" - abstract sculpture

"what was tonight" - abstract sculpture

By Ilanit Vigodsky

Located in New York, NY

This beautiful Laser cut sculpture is part of Ilanit`s Calligraphy series. It is made of laser cut aluminium covered with automotive paint. As all of Ilanit`s works, this work is ba...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Abstract wood Sculpture: "Untitled"
Abstract wood Sculpture: "Untitled"

Abstract wood 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

Gold Leaf

Chrome Double Diamond Meander

Chrome Double Diamond Meander

By Christopher Thomson

Located in Santa Fe, NM

It was the tumult of the sixties that compelled me to drop out of Swarthmore College, move “back to the land” and become an intuitive artist. I believed that if we were to survive a...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Emerge

Emerge

By Christopher Thomson

Located in Santa Fe, NM

It was the tumult of the sixties that compelled me to drop out of Swarthmore College, move “back to the land” and become an intuitive artist. I believed that if we were to survive a...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Steel

Furiosa II - textured contemporary painting, colorful, magenta strokes, abstract
Furiosa II - textured contemporary painting, colorful, magenta strokes, abstract

Furiosa II - textured contemporary painting, colorful, magenta strokes, abstract

By Tim Nikiforuk

Located in Dallas, TX

This beautiful contemporary high textured abstract painting is great for a classic and contemporary setting. The variation of colors and rich texture would greatly bring a space to life. Tim Nikiforuk...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Acrylic, Vinyl, Wood Panel

CHROMORITMO
CHROMORITMO

CHROMORITMO

By Mariana Copello

Located in New York, NY

This wall installation is made up of 7 painted aluminum pieces, 4 are 24"x5"x4" and the other 3 pieces are 18"x 5"x4". Each piece is made of painted aluminum and hung individually. ...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Aluminum

Rah-Rah
Rah-Rah

Rah-Rah

By Ben Watkins

Located in Lincoln, RI

Rah-Rah is made by casting Hydrocal FGR95 (a very hard plaster) on top of an oil clay pattern. The oil clay is extruded to take on a "noodle form". The composition is laid out on pl...

Category

2010s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Foil

Column

Column

By Ilya Bolotowsky

Located in New York, NY

Plexiglass and color screenprint multiple, circa 1970. With the artist's signature incised and numbered 85/125 at the base.

Category

1970s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Plexiglass, Color, Screen

"Column Swarm", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Gray, Stoneware, Sculpture
"Column Swarm", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Gray, Stoneware, Sculpture

"Column Swarm", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Gray, Stoneware, Sculpture

By Sara Fine-Wilson

Located in Franklin, MA

Sara Fine-Wilson's “Column Swarm" is a gestural 22 x 9 x 8 inch ceramic sculpture in white and gray. It is hand built and wheel constructed in white stoneware. Individual hand formed details are layered over the entire surface creating a graceful and fluid form. The surface is coated in a cool white matte glaze that becomes darker gray and glossy along the edges that have been caught during the soda firing process. The glaze emphasizes the contrast between surfaces and edges. Fine Wilson’s ceramic work contains elements of both raw and refined surfaces including cracks, ruptures and pooling of glaze. Sara Fine-Wilson is a contemporary sculptor based in the Boston area...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze, Ceramic

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.