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.
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Gouache, Panel
2010s Abstract Art
Archival Paper, Wax, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic Polymer, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Polyester, Mixed Media, Encaustic, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Polyester, Mixed Media, Encaustic, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Permanent Marker
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Fabric, Digital
Artist Comments
Artist Patrick O'Boyle abstractly paints a dreamy mist of hot pink, mustard yellow, and violet with gentle strokes of emerald. He applies several coats of color...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
1770s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Plexiglass, C Print
2010s Abstract Art
Fabric, Digital
2010s Abstract Art
Fabric, Digital
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Abstract Art
Giclée
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Panel
1980s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Artist Comments
Artist Shyun Song brings an emphasis on symmetry in her conceptual abstract piece. She illustrates minimalist geometric figures with sleek linear forms. The two...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel, Oil, Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Oil, Acrylic
20th Century Abstract Art
Cotton, Paper, Oil, Pigment
Artist Comments
Artist John Jaster paints an introspective skyscape in brilliant colors. The blazing tones of a sunset explode on the fiery horizon. ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Pastel, Acrylic, Graphite
2010s Abstract Art
Color, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Giclée, Paper
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel, Graphite
2010s Abstract Art
Ink, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Ink, Archival Pigment
2010s Abstract Art
Ink, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic, Watercolor, Panel, Pencil
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic Polymer, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Color, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media
1970s Abstract Art
Screen