Abstract Art
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1950s Abstract Art
Crayon
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Mixed Media, Board
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Wood, Ink, Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1950s Abstract Art
Gouache
20th Century Abstract Art
Wood
2010s Abstract Art
Wood Panel, Mixed Media
20th Century Abstract Art
Oil, Board
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Alabaster, Marble
2010s Abstract Art
Alabaster, Marble
2010s Abstract Art
Alabaster, Marble
2010s Abstract Art
Marble
Artist Comments
Artist Ronda Waiksnis paints an abstract representation of nature, capturing its earthy colors and tranquil grace. "The yellow highlights at the top of the stre...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Walnut, Paper, Found Objects, Oil, Photographic Paper
2010s Abstract Art
Walnut, Paper, Found Objects, Oil, Photographic Paper
2010s Abstract Art
Plexiglass, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Art
Resin, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Walnut, Paper, Found Objects, Oil, Photographic Paper
2010s Abstract Art
Watercolor
20th Century Abstract Art
Plexiglass, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Watercolor
1950s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Ink, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Ink, Watercolor
1990s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Ink, Permanent Marker, Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Sandstone
1980s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Stoneware, Wood, Glaze
2010s Abstract Art
Stoneware, Glaze, Wood
20th Century Abstract Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Abstract Art
Stoneware, Wood, Glaze
2010s Abstract Art
Stoneware, Wood, Glaze
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Concrete
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Art
Other Medium
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Shyun Song employs linear geometric forms and a monochromatic color palette to create a bold statement. "In this painting, I captured the blissful sensat...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Stoneware, Wood, Glaze
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Plexiglass, Digital
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic