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.
$7,996Sale Price|20% Off
Spanish Elegy (Belknap 354-380; Engberg/Banach 415-441), Three Poems
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on Japon à la main, attached with chine appliqué to vélin d’Arches paper. Paper Size: 21.5 x 17.875 inches. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From th...
Lithograph
$200Sale Price|50% Off
#38 After the Rains
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Douglas M. Olsen (b. 1960). #38, After the Rains, 1980. Watercolor on rag paper, 22 x 22 inches. Signed lower margin and on verso.
Watercolor, Rag Paper
$1,460
Textural Seascape Mixed-Media Wall Sculpture in Modeling Clay and Acrylic Blue
By Vera Vizzi
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Mixed-media wall sculpture in modeling clay and acrylic on wood, a textural seascape in intense blue tones where layered bas-relief waves open a perceptual passage across a circular ...
Enamel
$530
Contemporary abstract impressionist expressive floral painting "Meadow song"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Meadow Song" is a vibrant floral composition by French artist Natalya Mougenot, part of her ongoing series dedicated to flowers — a subject she approaches not as decoration or botan...
Canvas, Acrylic
$39,500
Despairia
By Frank Stella
Located in New York, NY
A masterful work of art created by Frank Stella in 1995 as part of his Imaginary Places series, Despairia is a stunningly beautiful and bold screenprint, aquatint, etching, relief li...
Engraving, Mezzotint, Etching, Aquatint, Lithograph, Screen
$1,530
"Blooming Silence” Contemporary Acrylic Painting on canvas Floral Still life
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Blooming Silence” – Acrylic on Canvas by French Artist Natalya Mougenot Contemporary Floral Still Life (80 × 60 × 1.5 cm / 31.5" × 23.6" × 0.6") "Blooming Silence" captures a mome...
Canvas, Acrylic
$9,303
Contemporary Abstract Painting by Colt Seager, Geometric Color Field, Oil Canvas
By Colt Seager
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...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
"Last Light" (2025) Abstract Figurative Oil and Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
By John McCaw
Located in Denver, CO
John McCaw's (US based) "Still Life" is an abstract oil painting in greens, grey, black and yellow. John McCaw (b. 1967), the eldest son of American expressionist Dan McCaw and bro...
Canvas, Oil
$1,801Sale Price|20% Off
Maurice Vagh Weinmann Floral Bouquet Still Life Oil Painting Framed
By Maurice Vagh-Weinmann
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title Maurice Vagh Weinmann Floral Bouquet Still Life Oil Painting Framed Key Details Artist: Maurice Vagh Weinmann, Hungarian, 1899–1986 Title: Summer Bouquet Medium: Oil painting o...
Oil
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) - Lithograph on Arches paper - 1959
Located in Varese, IT
Lithograph on Arches paper, edited in 1959. Limited edition of 200 copies, numbered as 55/200 in lower left corner. Hand-signed in pencil by artist in lower right corner. Paper size...
Paper, Lithograph
$600Sale Price|20% Off
Abstract Horses and Cow by David Crown, Oil on Canvas Painting, 1985
By David Crown
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
This framed 20" x 24" oil on canvas painting by London-based artist David Crown was created in June of 1985. Three animal figures in the foreground are ren...
Canvas, Oil
$35,328
Marc Chagall (1887–1985) – Sirène au pin – Color lithograph on Arches paper
By Marc Chagall
Located in Varese, IT
Color lithograph on Arches paper, edited in 1967. Limited edition, numbered 66/150 in lower left corner. Hand signed in pencil by artist in lower right corner. Good conditions, not e...
Lithograph
Tuxedo Black
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Tuxedo Black" is an original color serigraph on black paper by American artist Fermin Landin Hernandez, 1949-2015. It is hand signed, titled and numbered 1/65 in...
Screen
$4,592
A Touch of Green - contemporary, acrylic painting of gracious creative source
Located in Schierensee, SH
"A Touch of Green", is a unique acrylic on canvas work by German artist Horst Güntheroth. It depicts in wonderful, gentle colors the source of creation. 100 x 120 cm, certificate o...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Pierre Alechinsky Derriere le Miroir original poster lithograph Maeght Editeur
Located in Miami, FL
"Pierre Alechinsky (Belgium, 1927) 'Derriere le Miroir, Maeght Editeur', lithograph on paper 34.7 x 23.7 in. (88 x 60 cm.) Unframed Ref: ALE100-201 Pierre Alechinsky Born in the im...
Lithograph
In the Bag
By Aaron Wexler
Located in New York, NY
Aaron Wexler received his B.F.A. in painting from Tyler School of Art - Philadelphia, PA. & M.F.A in painting from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. He has exhibited his work nationally and internationally - including Josée Bienvenu Gallery, Pavel Zoubok Gallery, Morgan Lehman Gallery, The National Academy Museum, The Katonah Museum of Art, among many others. Works have been acquired by numerous collections such as The Saatchi Collection, The West Collection, Fidelity Investments Art...
Archival Pigment
“Accept”
By Iryna Rets
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Gather Yourself” Series “From Simple to…” This work is about inner composure and focus that emerge from simplicity and silence. About the ability to stay in contact with oneself, to...
Acrylic
$12,000
Color Intersected Series No 6 - contemporary, geometric abstract, oil on panel
By Shayne Dark
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary, geometric abstract, oil-on-panel painting is by Canadian artist Shayne Dark. Dark calls his extraordinary new series of dynamic oil paintings—'calculated chaotic c...
Oil, Wood Panel
$13,700
Cloudstack - Large Oversized Red Contemporary Geometric Metal Steel Sculpture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Inspired by dance and weightlessness, Granville Beals' industrial metal sculptures are primarily about relationships. Concerned with form and abstraction, he does not merely manipula...
Metal, Steel
Original Spring Triptych-British Awarded Artist-Abstract British Contemporary
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Spring Triptych begun in 2024 — Spring Duet Series — where Shizico Yi explores abstraction through the expanded formats of diptych and triptych. In this series, Shizico focuses on a restrained, luminous palette of soft greens, creamy whites, and pink-apricot tones, evoking the fragile early spring light of Northern Europe. The works hold a sense of emergence — of quiet awakening — where colour breathes gently across the canvas. Although abstract in form, all three paintings were created en plein air, in situ, capturing both the landscape surrounding her studio and the interior space itself across the unfolding months of spring. Each canvas functions like an individual musical note. Together, the three form a visual harmony — a quiet concert of rhythm, colour, and movement. This triptych is part of Shizico’s long-running Memory Landscape Project (initiated in 2015), an expansive body of work spanning painting, sculpture, installation, and abstraction. Across this project, she moves fluidly between impressionism, expressionism, and abstract language, allowing memory and presence to shape form. -Artist's Lifetime Warranty for the original artwork. -Guarantee End to end tracking Delivery Worldwide by Royal Mail Worldwide at lowest Rate £28 only. About the artist: Dr. Shizico Yi is a London-based multidisciplinary artist working across painting, installation, and film. Her practice explores themes of loss, repetition, the everyday, and the formation of memory, weaving personal narratives into broader social and human contexts. Drawing on a background in design and film, Yi’s work moves fluidly between mediums, allowing lived experience, place, and time to shape each project. Yi holds a PhD in Fine Art from the University of East London (2017), an MFA, and a BA in Womenswear from the University of the Arts London. Her practice is grounded in both rigorous research and embodied making. Alongside her studio practice, Yi works en plein air from spring through autumn, returning to studio-based work during the winter months. This cyclical approach allows seasonality, landscape, and environment to inform the scale, materiality, and emotional tenor of her work. Her work has been exhibited internationally in the UK, South Korea, and Italy, and is held in private collections across the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. In addition to her visual art practice, Yi is an award-winning filmmaker. She was the Winner of the Women Filmmakers: Best Shorts Competition in Los Angeles (2013) and has served as a guest jury member for the 14th–16th Annual New York City Independent Film Festival (2022–2024). She is also the founder and curator of no barking aRt...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$3,040Sale Price|20% Off
Echoes in Blue - geometric abstract, 65X65, framed
Located in New York, NY
In her work, Noam explores the intersection of geometry, rhythm, and material through a refined visual language. Using repetition and variation, she constructs a structured grid that...
Paper, Spray Paint
"Just human " Contemporary abstract expressionist man's portrait painting
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Just human" is an original contemporary portrait painting by Natalya Mougenot, featuring an expressive portrait of a human figure created with acrylics and pens on heavyweight, acid...
Paper, Acrylic
Vintage Cactus Will James Ranch Saddle
Located in Dallas, TX
Colored pencil & graphite on paper
Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite
Nick Thomm - HEMISPHERE (BLUE) XL
By Nick Thomm
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm - 'HEMISPHERE' - (Blue) XL SIZE 92cm x 122cm 36" x 48" Limited Edition of #46 Hand Signed & Numbered. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Co...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$838Sale Price|20% Off
Complementary Patterns 8, Large Abstract Painting, Acrylic on Canvas 2025
By SOOS TIBERIU
Located in Zofingen, AG
In crafting this piece, I poured my soul into an exuberant celebration of color and monochromy, using the brushes and palette knife's bold strokes to invite a dance of joy and freedo...
Acrylic
HARTUNG original abstract lithograph- Limited editionsigned painting
By Hans Hartung
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
HARTUNG - original abstract lithograph- Limited editionsigned painting Hans Hartung is commonly presented as a standard-bearer for the "Ecole de Paris" and the "lyrical abstraction"...
Paper, Lithograph
Modern Abstract Black White Nature Oil Painting on Paper "Under the Maltese sun"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This painting "Under the Maltese sun" , created by French artist Natalya Mougenot, is part of her Nature series. Completed in the summer of 2023, it reflects the artist’s desire to c...
Oil, Paper
$700
Abstract Painting (Limited edition print; authorized promotional reproduction)
Located in New York, NY
Gerhard Richter Untitled Abstract Picture, 2002 Offset lithographic reproduction on GardaMatt Art 250 GSM paper with full margins (Artist Authorized) Not signed, edition of 3433 12 1...
Lithograph, Offset
Lake Dream, Abstract Oil Painting
By Lisa Crosby
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A tranquil lake stretches across the foreground, painted in deep teal, green, and blue tones that ripple with soft movement. Above the water, warm landforms ris...
Oil
$1,800
Burst II - large scale abstract photograph of caleidoscopic color explosions
Located in San Francisco, CA
From Christian Stoll's body of works BURST (2015), an abstract exploration of high speed photographs capturing mesmerizing explosions of caleidoscopic color 27 x 40 inches (68 x 102...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
Embrasement V - Abstract Steel Sculpture, Contemporary
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary metal floor sculpture is geometric in form. Claude Millette is internationally recognized for his distinctive, contemporary sculptures. The Quebec artist’s provoc...
Steel
$150Sale Price|31% Off
"Ocean Waves #09" Mixed Media Painting
By Ana Hefco
Located in Denver, CO
Ana Hefco's (US based) "Ocean Waves #09" is an original, hand made mixed media painting that depicts an abstracted color field of blue, teal and beige, that is reminiscent of an aerial/satellite image of a coastal beach where the waves crash on shore. Artist Bio and Statement: Born and raised in Bucharest Romania, I am a self-taught dreamer and artist. To dream is my path and to paint is my dream. Lack of control is not my strong suit, but in the painting process things are different. The resin (also known as liquid glass) has a mind of its own and I learn to mindfully let go every time I paint. I allow those liquid color induced emotions I feel to drive me and take lead of my hands and at the end of the process, it’s just music and bliss. My inspiration is always nature's force, balance, perfection in purpose and beauty. It can be a place I travelled or sailed to or just a feeling floating on our boat docked in a Turkish marina or just on anchor nearby a Greek taverna on a remote tiny island in the Mediterranean or Aegean Sea. It can be this artist as a little girl reading...
Resin, Wood, Mixed Media
No.080925 by Thierry Martenon - vertical wood sculpture, totem
Located in Paris, FR
No.080925 is an abstract sculpture in wood by French sculptor Thierry Martenon. Maple wood, India ink patina, 161 × 60 × 22 cm. This large sculpture elegantly combines different text...
India Ink, Maple
The Villagers - Abstract Figurative Syrian Middle Eastern Oil Portraits Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
* No US duty or taxes to pay on works of art * A beautiful Syrian abstract oil on canvas depicting female villagers, by Jumaah Nazhan. The artist is very interesting as was the onl...
Canvas, Oil
$7,800
Set Adrift - Large Moody Atmospheric Abstract Alluring Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mark Acetelli’s oil and mixed media paintings awaken the viewer’s sense of exploration and adventure; they demand a new discovery. His artworks exhibit a chemistry of complexity and ...
Canvas, Oil
"Finishing Touch", Abstract Collage painting
By Jill Haas
Located in Westport, CT
This contemporary abstract painting by Jill haas features a contemporary style, often exploring themes of introspection and emotion through abstract forms and thoughtful color palett...
Mixed Media, Wood Panel
Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Painting in Antique Italian Frame
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist painting. Gouache on board. Signed. Framed. Measuring: 20 by 15 inches overall. Handsomely framed in an antique Italian frame. Excellent condition, read...
Oil, Gouache, Board
$14,013
Rose Madone — Large Neutral Abstract Minimal Earth Diptych on Canvas (Set of 2)
By Rose Madone
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Onirisme organique (Diptych), 146 × 114 cm each panel, Acrylic on raw canvas. Total size of the two panels: 146 × 228 cm. At Escat Gallery, we are committed to maintaining the highe...
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Pigment
$66,500
Eroica A.P. 1 - smooth, polished, abstract, contemporary, bronze sculpture
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This modern bronze sculpture was inspired by music and made by David Chamberlain. As graceful as a dancer’s form, this contemporary bronze sculpture in a striking deep turquoise patina is by David Chamberlain. Created from one luminous piece the lustre accentuates the spiralling form and reflects light. Chamberlain’s sculptures...
Metal, Bronze
$178Sale Price|40% Off
Gestural Abstraction (Modern, Mid-Century, Hypnotic, 40% OFF & $5 U.S. SHIPPING)
Located in Kansas City, MO
Hannes Grosse Title: Gestural Abstraction Medium: Color silkscreen Size: 23 × 16 inches Year: 1969 Signed and dates by the artist COA provided Condition: Overall good vintage condit...
Lithograph
Pablo Picasso Abstract Etching, Unsigned, Series 156
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Pablo Picasso (posthumously) Title: Peintre et Modele en Robe Tricotee Medium: Etching Portfolio: Series 156 Date: 1978 Edition: 1/50 Stamped signature Frame Size: 16 7/8" x ...
Etching
$2,600
Wallpaper 2: Abstract Green Encaustic Painting of Yellow Flower Petals on Panel
By Allyson Levy
Located in Hudson, NY
Abstract painting with green encaustic and light yellow flower petals on wood panel "Wallpaper 2" made by Allyson Levy in 2020 encaustic and flower petals on wood panel, 24 x 24 x 2 ...
Organic Material, Mixed Media, Encaustic, Wood Panel, Pigment
Original Diptych-Sunset Song-British Awarded Artist-Abstract impression-oil
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Sunset Song Series was created entirely en plein air, painted directly under the dimming light of late-summer and autumn sunsets. This body of work is a meditation on seeing without...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$2,708
Monochrome Ultramarine Blue Abstract Painting on Canvas by Gabriela Meunie
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...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Pigment
$1,840Sale Price|20% Off
1980's French Expressionist Painting Rolling Hills and Valleys Verdant Landscape
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Expressionist Composition by Gilbert Pelissier (French born 1924) signed oil painting on canvas, unframed inscribed verso dated 85' canvas size: 35 x 46 inches condition: ov...
Canvas, Oil
Good Run - modern, contemporary, abstract, acrylic on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This colorful contemporary abstract painting was created by Milly Ristvedt. Canadian artist Milly Ristvedt has been exploring the creative and emotive possibilities of color express...
Canvas, Acrylic
Homage to the Square, P2, F33, I2 - Geometric Screenprint by Josef Albers
By Josef Albers
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Homage to the Square - P2, F33, I2" from the portfolio “Formulation: Articulation” created by Josef Albers in 1972. This monumental series consists of 127 original screenprints that...
Screen
Minimal Geometric Abstract Composition in Blue and Neutrals by Blanca Nieto
By Blanca Nieto
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...
Silk, Cord, Pigment
Ruz Gray and Black Diptych Very Big original abstract canvas acrylic
By Rafael Ruz
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
El brote- original abstract canvas diptic acrylic painting. virtual frame , Rafael (Barcelona 1956) While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are inclined to talk about real ‘psyc...
Canvas, Acrylic
$500
"Eve Of Parting" (contemporary, abstract, original, dark, warm, oil, black, red)
Located in Paris, IDF
EVE OF PARTING 2025 Paris, France This painting captures a fleeting moment of emergence and disappearance, a pale, flame-like form rising from a field of deep shadow and crimson. Th...
Linen, Dye, Oil
$655
Hand-Painted Canvas Proof#2-Purple Misty Alliums-British Awarded Artist-Last One
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This Artist’s Proof is approximately 90% hand-painted with original oil paint and gesso by Shizico Yi, applied directly onto a premium Giclée canvas made from her original oil painti...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Giclée
Storm - Blue Cool Tone Abstract Dramatic Landscape Textural Impasto Painting
By Dana Cowie
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Using an impasto, painterly technique Dana Cowie creates cubist-inspired farm and rural landscapes. Working within controlled color schemes, her artworks appear abstract up close and...
Canvas, Oil
$2,100
Flowing Creativity - Large Abstract Romantic Textural Acrylic Painting on Canvas
By Vè Boisvert
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Drawing inspiration from an immersive and impressionistic interpretation of nature, Canadian artist Vé Boisvert paints textural original artworks that capture the fleeting effects of...
Canvas, Acrylic
$555
Moody - Color Drenched Impasto Inspired Textural Thick Paint Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,413
Partition coloree, Abstract Library, oil paint, Expressionism, Contemporary art
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Partition colorée Oil on canvas, 2026 Unframed: 40 x 40 cm (15.7 x 15.7 in) Framed: 47 x 47 cm (18.5 x 18.5 in) Floater frame available in natural wood or oak or black Signed lower ...
Oil
Motherwell, Sans titre, In Memory of My Feelings (after)
Located in Southampton, NY
Lithograph on vélin Mohawk Superfine Smooth paper. Paper Size: 11.937 x 8.96 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the folio, In Memory of M...
Lithograph
$765
Water Lilies Original Painting Abstract Flowers Lotus Pond Art Kuwshinka Floral
Located in Zofingen, AG
Water Lilies Original Painting Abstract Flowers Lotus Pond Art Kuvshinka Floral Artwork” is a vibrant and expressive Original Painting that captures the poetic beauty of a blooming l...
Canvas, Oil
"Sky Drama 1" By Brian O'Neill, Original Acrylic Painting with 24K Gold Leaf
Located in Denver, CO
Brian O'Neill's "Sky Drama 1" is a captivating original artwork created in 2024. This piece measures 12 x 12 x 1.50 inches (30.48 x 30.48 x 3.81 cm) and features a sophisticated comb...
Gold Leaf
Pull Out All Flags, iconic Abstract Expressionist etching aquatint, SIgned 33/50
Located in New York, NY
Robert Motherwell Pull Out All Flags (Engberg, Banach 263), 1980 Aquatint and etching in colors, on German Etching paper, with full margins Hand-signed by artist, Pencil signed and n...
Etching, Aquatint
State of Blue
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Encaustic on panel. blue teal aqua white yellow orange navy Red green chartreuse It's simple; I create art because it makes me happy. I try not to overthink the process of what I...
Encaustic