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.
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Wood
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Leather, Fabric, Textile, Tapestry
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Earthenware
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1960s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1960s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool
1960s Abstract Sculptures
Ink, Pen, Gouache, Watercolor
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Steel
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Thread
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Steel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Silver
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Glass
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic, Glaze, Stoneware
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Linen, Wool
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel, Gold Leaf
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Ceramic
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Steel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Glass, Blown Glass
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1940s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Found Objects
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Thread, Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Cotton
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Resin, Lacquer, Board
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Stone, Bronze
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Wire
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Iron
Mid-20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Metal
20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Copper
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel
20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Marble
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Steel
1950s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Stainless Steel
1990s Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Sculptures
Found Objects
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Metal, Steel
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Metal
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Stone
1980s Abstract Sculptures
Walnut
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Terracotta