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.
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Steel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Acrylic
1950s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Wire
1960s Abstract Sculptures
Plaster, Wood Panel
1960s Abstract Sculptures
Brass, Steel
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Tapestry, Thread, Cotton
20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Canvas, Wood, Oil
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Organic Material, Wood, Found Objects
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Canvas
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Plywood, Acrylic, Board
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Dye
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Dye
1960s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Tapestry, Thread, Dye, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1950s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Fiberglass, Acrylic
1950s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool
1960s Abstract Sculptures
Resin, Lacquer, Board
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Rice Paper
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Wood
20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Bronze
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Enamel, Metal, Copper
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Dye
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Brass, Steel
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool
1960s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Copper
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Organic Material, Wood, Found Objects
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Bronze, Iron
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Thread
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Porcelain
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Alabaster, Marble
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Copper
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Glass
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Linen, Thread, Fabric
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Paint
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Organic Material, Wood, Found Objects
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel