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.
"Cheek to Cheek 2" Stoneware Clay Abstract Ceramic Sculpture in white
Located in New York, NY
Cheek to Cheek 2 by John Born Stoneware clay, terra sigillata, black wash John Born's work primarily involves creating functional and sculptural ceramics. His pieces often reflect t...
Ceramic, Clay
$20,000
Temps Zero Red 7/10 - red, geometric, contemporary, outdoor steel sculpture
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This red, geometric, contemporary, outdoor steel sculpture is by French-Canadian artist Phillipe Pallafray. Available on commission, please allow 4-6 weeks for completion. Four sta...
Stainless Steel
Squeeze by Peter Brooke-Ball - Abstract Marble Sculpture
Located in Paris, FR
Squeeze is a sculpture by the contemporary British artist Peter Brooke-Ball, made of carved marble wrapped in string and rope. The smooth, rounded stone appears to be tightly compres...
Marble
$1,250
Maze Mesa Bloom Abstract Sculpture, Powder Coated Steel, 2010- 27x6x6"
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...
Steel
Reclining Figure Alabaster - smooth, stone, figurative, tabletop sculpture
By Jeremy Guy
Located in Bloomfield, ON
From a single piece of silver cloud alabaster, the artist has carved a poetic and modern depiction of a reclining figure. The composition of negative and positive spaces changes as t...
Alabaster
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
Art in motion n°6 by Gilbert Pauli - Concrete sculpture 64x96 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
"Art in motion" is a series that offers artworks working with matter; concrete, cement, plaster, mortar, and natural pigments. These works are intended to be exhibited in several way...
Concrete
1974 Ugo La Pietra Ad Arte Red Bronze Abstract Sculpture
Located in Brescia, IT
This artwork is a multiples limited not numbered specimens created by the Italian artist Ugo La Pietra, a well known Internationally artist. Ugo La Pietra was born in Bussi Sul Tir...
Bronze
$500Sale Price|23% Off
Colorful portrait, mid 20th Century original lithograph signed and numbered.
Located in Belgrade, MT
This lithograph is a piece of my private collection from artists of the 20th Century. It is original, signed by artist and numbered 217/220. It is vibrant in color and in very good...
Plate Glass, Oil, Lithograph, Watercolor
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
Art in motion n°16 by Gilbert Pauli - Sculpture concrete 64x96 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
"Art in motion" is a series that offers artworks working with matter; concrete, cement, plaster, mortar, and natural pigments. These works are intended to be exhibited in several way...
Concrete
High Schwerelos by Kuno Vollet - Tall Contemporary Black bronze sculpture
By Kuno Vollet
Located in DE
Artist: Kuno Vollet Title: High Schwerelos Materials: Bronze sculpture with a dark patina on black granite base Size: 90 cm height, base, 6 x 17 x 14 cm Edition of 15
Granite, Bronze
Rapunzel
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Inspired by the famous line from Grimm’s fairy tale; “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair”, Thomas Piekunka reimagines the story through a contemporary lens. Rather than depicting...
Acrylic
$3,136Sale Price|21% Off
Art in motion n°7 by Gilbert Pauli - Concrete sculpture 96x64 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
"Art in motion" is a series that offers artworks working with matter; concrete, cement, plaster, mortar, and natural pigments. These works are intended to be exhibited in several way...
Concrete
Friedrich Gräsel, Geometric Composition 1968, Plastic Relief, Signed
Located in Eltville am Rhein, DE
Friedrich Gräsel Bochum 1927 - 2013 Osnabrück Untitled, 1968 PVC Monogrammed and dated "68" on the reverse 68 x 59 cm Catalogue raisonné 534 Authenticity guaranteed in writing. The ...
Plastic, PVC
Cream String - Porcelain Vase Sculpture
By Mary Jaffe
Located in East Quogue, NY
"Cream String" round porcelain vase sculpture with cream and white satin glaze. Size: 7 x 8 x 8 inches Porcelain, ceramic, ceramic sculpture, functional sculpture, functional vessel...
Porcelain, Glaze
$9,000
"Silver Surf" by Kevin Barrett, Abstract, Silver Metal Sculpture, Tabletop Size
Located in New York, NY
"Silver Surf" Abstract Metal Sculpture by Kevin Barrett Nickel-plated bronze Barrett is noted for creating unique, rhythmic, abstract indoor and outdoor sculpture and wall reliefs. ...
Metal, Bronze
$10,316
Steel Orbit by Kuno Vollet -Contemporary brushed steel sculpture for In/Outdoors
By Kuno Vollet
Located in DE
Contemporary brushed steel sculpture for inside or garden outdoor spaces. Beautiful circle - sign for infinity. Stunning large artwork. Possible to put on a pedestal or directly on ...
Steel
$4,785
Sheer
Located in Belgravia, London, London
"Sheer" by Michael Thacker British, 21st Century Rose Aurora Marble Sculpture size (HxWxD): 13.75 x 10.5 x 5 inches
Marble
$400Sale Price|20% Off
Indigo 2 (dark indigo blue thick textile linen fold monochrome design)
By Chloe Hedden
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Indigo 2 is a meditation on depth, movement, and the quiet drama of form. Created with hand-dyed linen on linen, this work embodies the physicality and elegance of Hedden’s Fold Seri...
Textile, Linen, Canvas
Untitled (0399) Colorful Abstract Fabric Sculpture, Acrylic, 2010-
Located in New York, NY
Linda Schmidt’s fabric sculptures intertwine public and private, luxury and common. There is a sense of egalitarianism present in both the way Schmidt sources and arranges her fabric...
Fabric, Acrylic
"Layers of Sweetness" Abstract Painting
Located in Westport, CT
This textured abstract painting by Teodora Guererra features a warm orange and red palette with subtle white accents. The artist applies paint in thick layers and wide, energetic str...
Canvas, Oil
Diane Englander, White Form on Red Wood, 2018, scrapwood and acrylic, 12 x 13 in
Located in Darien, CT
Diane Englander uses formal means to create a place between discord and tranquility, a zone with a charged harmony that energizes as it also provides refuge. That often requires that the prettiness of an initial surface is made ugly, or there’s a conscious choice to avoid balance in the composition. Hers is a largely intuitive process, the materials entice her. Inspiration from the world that we don't call “art” is where she finds her muse: a wall, a landscape, a window shade transfused with light, a stretch of sand and shadow. Most influential are predecessors like Burri, Vicente, Tapies, Motherwell, Rauschenberg, medieval cloisonné, Vermeer, Breughel, and many, many more. A native New Yorker, Diane had an earlier career including 17 years as a management consultant to local nonprofits concerned with poverty or disenfranchisement; work in NYC government; and several years as a lawyer at a large NYC law firm. “I was brought up going to galleries and museums, a sometimes reluctant attendant to my parents’ passion for looking and for collecting. My own expressive energy must have simmered internally for years, occasionally emerging in photography, in quilt-making, in other tentative explorations, and certainly in providing opportunity and materials for my children to create. Not until those children were nearly grown did I come unequivocally to the need to make art myself.” In late 2006 Diane began making collages that started her on her current path; in late 2007 she left her consulting job to focus on her artwork full-time. She has studied with Bruce Dorfman at the Art Students League in New York, and has had solo exhibits at the Alexey von Schlippe...
Acrylic, Wood
$5,400
Relic
Located in Phoenix, AZ
glass and bronze Keith Cummings is a celebrated artist, as well as an educator and author. He specializes in casting sculptures from glass, often combined with metal. Cummings is cr...
Bronze
"Portal", Hand Cut, Laser Cut Paper Wall Relief Sculpture
By Rogan Brown
Located in New York, NY
"Portal" by Rogan Brown Laser and hand cut paper, framed in plexiglass shadowbox Available by commission. Please allow 8-12 weeks production time. Rogan Brown creates abstract and ...
Paper
Zig Zag / ceramic wall sculpture - cream, white, neutral 36 x 36 in
Located in Burlingame, CA
Minimal Abstract Ceramic 36 x 36 inch wall sculpture in glossy and matte white ceramic tiles that create a zig-zag motif. Tiles are mounted to a white wood panel. A neutral work of a...
Ceramic, Wood, Paint
Happy Wave by Kuno Vollet - Contemporary Rigid Foam sculpture
By Kuno Vollet
Located in DE
Artist: Kuno Vollet Title: Happy Wave Born in 1951 in Petersaurach, located in Upper Franconia, artist Kuno Vollet attended the University of Kassel from 1969 to 1973, where he st...
Steel
Algas 45-IV. From the series Mareas. Cyanotype photograhs Mounted
By Paola Davila
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Water is constant in the artist's visual investigation, for her water is no longer the stage in which the body's memory bursts, but rather the environment and protagonist, constant o...
Archival Pigment, Plexiglass
Abstract Sculpture, Mixed Media on Paper, 2010s, Unframed
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Ukrainian conceptual artist Dunja Jankovic focuses her work on screen printing, which serves as her primary method of production. She begins with paper that has been treated with wax...
Paper, Mixed Media
$3,500
Abstract 3D wall sculpture "Wood Work" #1275, layered collage aesthetic w/ green
By Paul Cava
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
This is an abstract 3D wall sculpture in wood, acrylic, rope, and ink. it is from artist Paul Cava's "Wood Work" series, which applies the collage aesthetic he has incorporated into ...
Wood, Archival Ink, Acrylic, Jute
letsgoawayforawhile - playful, blue, abstract, elongated, ceramic wall sculpture
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This intriguing large blue clay piece by Canadian artist Steven Heinemann bridges the divide between sculpture and ceramics. The teardrop-shaped vessel appears deflated and gently cu...
Ceramic
Migrating Peace Duet 3/4- Kevin Box & Robert J. Lang
By Kevin Box
Located in Napa, CA
“It took two years of tireless experimentation for me to develop the process of casting paper into bronze, another seven years to perfect, and it continues to evolve today.” - Kevin...
Bronze
$12,494
Steel Orbit by Kuno Vollet - Contemporary Rusted Steel sculpture for Outdoors
By Kuno Vollet
Located in DE
Artist: Kuno Vollet Title: Orbit Contemporary rusted steel sculpture for inside or garden outdoor spaces. Beautiful circle - sign for infinity. Stunning large artwork. Possible to...
Steel
Abstract Wall Sculpture 'Untitled Wallpaper Abstraction #36'
Located in White Plains, NY
'Untitled Wallpaper Abstraction #36' 2024. Found wallpaper collage on wood form, 48 x 36 x 6 in. is a multicolor, abstract geometric sculpture featuring carefully cut pieces of found...
Archival Ink, Wood Panel
Tijuca #10 - High Relief Aluminum Abstract Painting, 1978
By Frank Stella
Located in Palm Desert, CA
'Tijuca #10' (1978) is an exceptional large-scale relief painting that marks a pivotal moment in Frank Stella’s evolution from Minimalist restraint to the bold, three-dimensional max...
Metal
Balancing Block Votive Sculpture, 2020
Located in Jersey City, NJ
Hydrocal, concrete, paint and polyurethane Hand-signed by artist Frame: Not included This work includes a certificate of authenticity.
Concrete
1978 One on the other one by G.Roland Abstract Sculpture Polished Aluminum
By G. Roland
Located in Brescia, IT
This artwork is composed by two single cubes simply juxtaposed, as the original artist project present in our Gallery Archive. One of a kind piece and it is signet by the Author.
Metal
Untitled I Abstract Mirror Sculpture in Glass and Ink, 2010s, Wall-Mounted
Located in London, GB
Untitled I is a wall-mounted reflective sculpture that investigates the relationship between matter, light, and perception through a fluid, elongated form. Realized as a flat surface...
Glass, Ink
Ugo La Pietra Black Bronze Abstract Ad Arte
Located in Brescia, IT
This artwork is a multiples limited not numbered specimens created by the Italian artist Ugo La Pietra, a well known Internationally artist. Ugo La Pietra was born in Bussi Sul Tiri...
Bronze
"Plum Neutral I & II " A Pair of Textured Abstract Paintings
Located in Westport, CT
This pair of textured abstract paintings by Teodora Guererra features a light, greyscale palette with subtle warm accents throughout the composition. The artist layers thick strokes ...
Acrylic, Board
Seule Italy 1985 Post-Modern Bronze Abstract Sculpture by Annie Lambert
Located in Brescia, IT
This is an interesting and deep multiple artwork by Annie Lambert, a talented artist of 1980’ in Italy. This is a multiple of a numbered edition of 1.00...
Bronze
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
Art in motion n°4 by Gilbert Pauli - Concrete sculpture 64x96 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
"Art in motion" is a series that offers artworks working with matter; concrete, cement, plaster, mortar, and natural pigments. These works are intended to be exhibited in several way...
Concrete
Madame Butterfly Sculpture, Abstract Wood and Polystyrene
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The act of painting becomes a form of meditation. Marino explains that the time and process of creating work are at the core of what the painting wants to mean, declaring: that is ho...
Polystyrene, Wood
$7,565
Aspiring Upwards by Kuno Vollet - Contemporary Red Steel sculpture for Outdoors
By Kuno Vollet
Located in DE
Artist: Kuno Vollet Title: Aspiring Path Contemporary steel sculpture for inside or garden outdoor spaces. Stunning large artwork. Possible to put on a pedestal or directly on to ...
Steel
Abstract Sculpture, Vintage Design, Mixed Media, Circa 20th Century
By Mithé Esplet
Located in PARIS, FR
Mithé Espelt, a French ceramicist born in 1923, grew up in an artistic environment thanks to her sculptor father. After studying sculpture and drawing at the Fine Arts School of Mont...
Ceramic
"Embrace" by Kevin Barrett, Abstract Bronze Metal Sculpture
Located in New York, NY
"Embrace" by Kevin Barrett Bronze metal sculpture Kevin Barrett is noted for creating unique, rhythmic, abstract indoor and outdoor sculpture and wall reliefs. Organic Bronze Metal...
Metal, Bronze
$1,719
Abstract Calligraphic Sculpture Vault I. Black Metal Contemporary Alicia Gimeno
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...
Metal
Kasuri Panel 145, Japanese Silk Textile Wall Hanging by Jun Tomita
By Jun Tomita
Located in Wilton, CT
This silk ikat textile wall hanging is by Japanese fiber artist, Jun Tomita.
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Silk
"Presto", Colorful, Abstract Painting on Aluminum Panel by Kevin Barrett
Located in New York, NY
"Presto" by Kevin Barrett Epoxy, acrylic, and urethane on carved aluminum panel Barrett is noted for creating unique, rhythmic, abstract indoor and outdoor sculpture and wall relief...
Metal
Encased by Isabel Ritter - Contemporary wood carved sculpture
Located in DE
Hand carved sculpture by artist Isabel Ritter. Beautiful encased female sculpture. Stunning on a plinth or a shelf. About the Gallery: Folly & Muse was established in 2015 in London...
Wood, Acrylic
CC 102 - Blue green abstract geometric 3D wall circular sculpture
Located in New York, NY
Anna Kruhelska is a visual artist and architect working across fields of art and design. She creates abstract, three-dimensional paper wall reliefs that startle in their intricacy an...
Plywood, Acrylic
"Agate 1025" Standing Agate Modern Organic Sculpture
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Part of The Crystalline Light Collection, this piece features Agate resting on a Plexi base. With its translucent qualities and layered texture, the Agate radiates a quiet luminosity...
Precious Stone
$6,000
"Leaf" Abstract Sculpture in Walnut Wood and Bronze, 2000s One -of -a - kind
Located in Zofingen, AG
Sculpture LEAF is made of wallnut tree and combined with bronze. An abstract form with organic aesthetic. Interior sculpture, that may looks your place fancy and original. One of a...
Bronze
$3,800
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...
Foil
$7,500
Estate of David Hayes_Form Study_carved plaster of paris_1970_abstract sculpture
By David Hayes
Located in Darien, CT
ODETTA is pleased to offer this important sculpture from the Estate of David Hayes. David Vincent Hayes (March 15, 1931 – April 9, 2013) was an American sculptor.. Hayes received a...
Plaster
Don Frost - Devon, Sculpture 2026
By Don Frost
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fiberglass/carbon fiber with a burnished graphite finish on composite base "Don Frost, sculptor, creator of completely unique, innovative and original fine art. ""We can only truly...
Resin, Fiberglass, Polyester, Lacquer, Acrylic Polymer, Graphite
$18,000
Duality R - dynamic, translucent, red, glass, steel, abstract wall sculpture
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Elegantly curved deep red glass pieces in twos are suspended on fine black steel cables in this dramatic new wall sculpture by Canadian artist John Paul Robinson. His glass work is i...
Metal
Pair, Red Woven Abstract Tapestry of Figures, Textile Sculpture
By Lilla Kulka
Located in Wilton, CT
Pair, sisal, wool, stilon, 125" x 77", 1989. This large figurative, abstract tapestry was done by textile artist, Lilla Kulka (b. 1946, Krakow, Poland). Artist Statement: "I creat...
Fabric, Textile, Tapestry, Wool, Thread
"Angel" Unique, Organic, Abstract Metal Sculpture in Stainless Steel
Located in New York, NY
"Angel" by Kevin Barrett Unique stainless steel, metal, abstract, outdoor sculpture Kevin Barrett is noted for creating unique, rhythmic, abstract indoor and outdoor sculpture and w...
Metal, Steel, Stainless Steel
Stack XII : 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...
Acrylic
Close to Nature Cacti by Isabel Ritter - Contemporary wood carved sculpture
Located in DE
Hand carved sculpture by artist Isabel Ritter. Beautiful blue wings are carved perfectly. Stunning on a plinth or a shelf. About the Gallery: Folly & Muse was established in 2015 in...
Wood, Acrylic
Man Smoking Cigar, Indoor/Outdoor Marble Sculpture
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ellen Brenner-Sorensen, American Title: Man Smoking Cigar Medium: White Marble Sculpture Size: 46 in. x 21 in. x 12 in. (116.84 cm x 53.34 cm...
Marble