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Abstract Art

ABSTRACT STYLE

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.

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Style: Abstract
This Week's Listings Only
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Multi Colors
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Multi Colors

Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Multi Colors

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Composition signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 45 x 35 inches condition: the work is in overall very sound and good con...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Floral Fantasy: Nature Abstract Bold Statement Colorful Invest Striking Delight
Floral Fantasy: Nature Abstract Bold Statement Colorful Invest Striking Delight

Floral Fantasy: Nature Abstract Bold Statement Colorful Invest Striking Delight

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Floral Fantasy Nature, Abstract, Bold, Statement, Colorful, Invest, Striking, Delight, Modern, Landscape. In this work, I've poured my heart into a vivid garden of dreams, u...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Stretcher Bars

Interior, large, colorful figural abstract red, orange, blue acrylic of couple
Interior, large, colorful figural abstract red, orange, blue acrylic of couple

Interior, large, colorful figural abstract red, orange, blue acrylic of couple

By Richard Andres

Located in Beachwood, OH

Richard Andres (American, 1927-2013) Interior, 1976 acrylic on canvas signed lower right, signed and titled verso 50 x 59.5 inches Richard Andres was born in Buffalo, New York in 1927. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1950, he was immediately drafted and served for two years in the army as a mural painter. He received his Master of Arts from Kent State in 1961. A frequent exhibitor at galleries and museums and winner of multiple May Show prizes, Andres taught art in the Cleveland Public Schools for 28 years, as well as teaching the University of Buffalo, the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Western Reserve University. Very little in Richard Andres’ childhood would have predicted his love of classical music, mid-century-modern architecture and certainly not his lifelong passion for art and in particular abstract art. Richard’s father, Raymond, had no more than a third-grade education, and his mother, Clara, was one of thirteen children – only three of whom lived into adulthood and none of whom attended high school. They lived, when Richard was a boy, in a dingy area of Buffalo, NY in a walk-up apartment situated above a tavern. Raymond and Clara supplemented the income from their factory jobs in the bar downstairs with Raymond playing ragtime on the piano and Clara serving drinks. This often left Richard and his two older brothers at home alone to fend for themselves. The two older boys, Raymond and Russell, were - unlike Richard- rather rough and tumble and entertained themselves with stickball, boxing and the like. Richard, on the other hand, from a very young age liked to draw, or better yet even, to paint with the small set of watercolors he received for Christmas one year. Paper, however, at the height of the depression, was hard to come by. Luckily, Clara used paper doilies as decoration for the apartment and Richard would contentedly paint and then cut up doilies, gluing the pieces together to create collages. At eight-years-old, he discovered the Albright-Knox Museum (then known as the Albright Art Gallery) and spent several hours a week there studying the paintings. He was particularly fond of Charles Burchfield‘s landscapes, enamored with their ‘messiness’ and thinking that they somehow captured more ‘feeling’ than works he was previously familiar with. For his tenth Christmas, he asked for and received a ‘how-to’ paint book by Elliot O’Hare. Through this self-teaching, he assembled the portfolio needed for acceptance to Buffalo Technical High School where he studied Advertising Arts. In his Junior year, he was encouraged to enter a watercolor painting, “Two Barns,” in the national 1944-45 Ingersoll Art Award Contest and was one of twelve grand prize winners – each one winning one hundred dollars. More importantly the painting was exhibited at the Carnegie Institute Galleries, which resulted in his winning a national scholarship to the Cleveland School of Art (The Cleveland Art Institute). He flourished at the art school under the tutelage of faculty members such as Carl Gaertner, as well as that of visiting artists such as William Sommer and Henry George Keller. He would say in later years that Gaertner, in particular, influenced his attitude toward life as well as art. “Gaertner,” Andres said, “believed that there was no need to be a ‘tortured artist’, that an artist should rather enjoy beauty, family, and life in general.” Free to spend his days as he chose, he wandered the Cleveland Art Museum for most of the hours he was not attending classes or painting; the remaining time was spent drinking coffee at a local hangout with art school friends – which is where he met fellow Henry Keller scholarship winner, Avis Johnson. Richard was immediately smitten with Avis, but being rather shy, it took him the entire summer of 1948 to build up his courage to ask her out. Over that summer he ‘thought about Avis’ and worked in a diner to save money. He also used the hundred-dollar prize money won in High School to visit the first Max Beckmann retrospective in the United States at the City Art Museum in St. Louis. Over a half century later he spoke of that exhibit with a reverence usually reserved for spiritual matters, “I walked in and it was like nothing I had ever seen before... the color...It just glowed.” Returning to campus in the Fall, the first thing he did was go to the coffee shop in hopes of finding Avis. He did, and she, upon seeing him, realized that she was also smitten with him. They quickly became known as ‘the couple’ on campus, and a year later, with Richard being drafted for the Korean war, they were quickly married by a Justice of the Peace, celebrating after with family at Avis’s Cleveland home. As a gift, faculty member John Paul Miller...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

"After the performance"
"After the performance"

"After the performance"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

The painting depicts two ballerinas, both tired and happy, each experiencing their performance in their own way, with their own emotional reactions

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract 2288
Abstract 2288

Alex SenchenkoAbstract 2288, 2022

$3,622Sale Price|20% Off

Abstract 2288

Located in Zofingen, AG

There’s something ethereal, almost magical, about contemporary paintings. The incredible Expressionism bleeds through the canvas, transforming any room into an entirely new experienc...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Abstract Oilpainting on canvas for sale -  unique by Frank Vaders
Abstract Oilpainting on canvas for sale -  unique by Frank Vaders

Abstract Oilpainting on canvas for sale - unique by Frank Vaders

Located in Winterswijk, NL

This painting by Frank Vaders is a unique piece from the 1990s, made in oil on canvas with the dimensions 251 × 200 cm. It is in good condition but with 2 paint abrasion within the i...

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Energetic Essence. Abstract square painting in the wood gold frame
Energetic Essence. Abstract square painting in the wood gold frame

Energetic Essence. Abstract square painting in the wood gold frame

Located in Zofingen, AG

-The painting was created alongside my tropical series and does not depict a specific scene, but rather abstract forms and shades of nature. Contemplating these natural motifs always...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Golden branch on a mint green background. 3D textured.
Golden branch on a mint green background. 3D textured.

Golden branch on a mint green background. 3D textured.

Located in Zofingen, AG

The painting, created on a round plywood canvas, is a unique combination of sculpture and painting. The upper part of the artwork is adorned with a hand-painted botanical pattern usi...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Wood Panel

Line of silence No.5
Line of silence No.5

Line of silence No.5

Located in Zofingen, AG

“Line of silence” is an ongoing painting cycle that explores the fragile boundary between presence and dissolution. Through a restrained color palette, layered surfaces, and a soften...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Abstract Geometric Composition with Paper, Fibers, and Acrylic on Canvas (Green)
Abstract Geometric Composition with Paper, Fibers, and Acrylic on Canvas (Green)

Abstract Geometric Composition with Paper, Fibers, and Acrylic on Canvas (Green)

Located in Soquel, CA

Abstract Geometric Composition with Handmade Paper, Fibers and Acrylic on Canvas Whimsical abstract composition by an unknown artist (20th Century). Lime green acrylic paint makes u...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Jute, Acrylic, Washi Paper

Interesting Abstract Painting Original Frame ca' 1950's
Interesting Abstract Painting Original Frame ca' 1950's

Interesting Abstract Painting Original Frame ca' 1950's

Located in Saint Petersburg, FL

A really interesting Abstract Expressionist painting ca' 1950's. Beautiful colors, the frame is shaped, original.

Category

1950s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

"Yellow" (2022) by Jennifer Bobola, Mixed Media Abstract Painting
"Yellow" (2022) by Jennifer Bobola, Mixed Media Abstract Painting

"Yellow" (2022) by Jennifer Bobola, Mixed Media Abstract Painting

Located in Denver, CO

"Yellow" is an original, handmade mixed media painting, by Jennifer Bobola, that presents colorful abstract expressionism. Artist Statement: Let’s be honest, understanding abstract ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Hui Sheng Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Outside III"
Hui Sheng Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Outside III"

Hui Sheng Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Outside III"

Located in New York, NY

Title: Outside III Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 23 x 31 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This painting is u...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Arts for Act poster
Arts for Act poster

Arts for Act poster

By Robert Rauschenberg

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008). "Arts for Act (1994)." Original offset lithograph poster created for the "Arts for Act." 1994. Signed in the plate (Bold Yellow), Additionally si...

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Offset

Temporary Stillness, Abstract Oil Painting
Temporary Stillness, Abstract Oil Painting

Temporary Stillness, Abstract Oil Painting

By Heidi Hybl

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A white circle floats against a softly textured greenish-blue background. It suggests a moon, a sun, or a symbol of calm and completion. The composition feels b...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

The Assembled Whole. 3
The Assembled Whole. 3

The Assembled Whole. 3

Located in Zofingen, AG

This painting is done in an abstract style on canvas using various textures and geometric shapes. The composition features predominantly gray and lilac tones with touches of beige, c...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Self-Love is Luxury - Soft Abstract Floral Landscape Painting
Self-Love is Luxury - Soft Abstract Floral Landscape Painting

Self-Love is Luxury - Soft Abstract Floral Landscape Painting

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mid Century French Figurative Painting Boys in Blue Oil on Board Signed
Mid Century French Figurative Painting Boys in Blue Oil on Board Signed

Mid Century French Figurative Painting Boys in Blue Oil on Board Signed

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Artist: French School, mid 20th century Medium: Oil on board Size (framed): 34.5 x 23 inches Frame: Framed Signature: Signed lower right (indistinct) Condition: Good condition Descr...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

A young girl's dream

A young girl's dream

By Niki de Saint Phalle

Located in Paris, FR

Lithograph, 1972 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 187/300 Publisher : Galerie Putman Printer : Clot, Bramsen & Georges (Paris) Catalog : Chenivesse n°9 Arches Paper W...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Lithograph

Abstract 2544
Abstract 2544

Alex SenchenkoAbstract 2544, 2025

$2,085Sale Price|20% Off

Abstract 2544

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this piece, I poured my emotions through bold acrylic strokes, capturing the interplay of light and shadow with soft pastels and deep blues. The textured layers express a dynamic ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Savor
Savor

Savor

Located in Zofingen, AG

Savor” is a work from the series From Simple to… about simple things that help a person maintain inner balance. A sheep savoring a small flower within a green landscape conveys a sen...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Round Multicolor Relief Wall Sculpture in Clay Fake Gum Abstract Candy Mosaic
Round Multicolor Relief Wall Sculpture in Clay Fake Gum Abstract Candy Mosaic

Round Multicolor Relief Wall Sculpture in Clay Fake Gum Abstract Candy Mosaic

By Elizabeth Art Candy

Located in FISTERRA, ES

"Fake Gum" is a captivating circular wall sculpture by Elizabeth Art Candy that explores the seductive tension between softness and artifice. Composed of hundreds of hand-molded clay...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Clay, Spray Paint, Board

Metope
Metope

Metope

By Michael Di Cerbo

Located in New York, NY

“Metope” was painted in 1996 with acrylic on canvas. The stretched canvas size is 56.25 x 46.25 inches. The artist's initials “M. D. C.” are in the lower left. Unframed. Between the...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Meccanismi  Mechanisms 1960 Italy by Gualtiero Nativi
Meccanismi  Mechanisms 1960 Italy by Gualtiero Nativi

Meccanismi Mechanisms 1960 Italy by Gualtiero Nativi

Located in Brescia, IT

This engaging artwork is a print on paper create by the Italian artist Gualtiero Nativi. It is a multiple of 250 specimens and it is numbered n. 2. Gualtiero Nativi is a well known ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Paper

Archaic Fluxations: Abstract Oil Painting on Linen, 2010s, New, 40x30
Archaic Fluxations: Abstract Oil Painting on Linen, 2010s, New, 40x30

Archaic Fluxations: Abstract Oil Painting on Linen, 2010s, New, 40x30

Located in SEATTLE, WA

"Archaic Fluxations" by Rya Wu carries a playful yet tentative energy, alive with motion and curiosity. It draws on a sense of whimsy and quiet structure, where intuitive forms feel ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Large Oil Painting
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Large Oil Painting

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Large Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Unsigned. Measuring: 46 by 58 inches overall, and 45 by 57 painting alone.. In excellent original condition...

Category

1950s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Mid Century Abstract Geometric Painting, Signed 1963, Textured Layers
Mid Century Abstract Geometric Painting, Signed 1963, Textured Layers

Mid Century Abstract Geometric Painting, Signed 1963, Textured Layers

Located in Cotignac, FR

Mid Century Abstract in polymerised macro-molecular paint on canvas applied to a painted wooden board by Belgian artist Paul H Saffre. Signed and dated {1963) on the board below the ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Board

The bird in love
The bird in love

The bird in love

By Niki de Saint Phalle

Located in Paris, FR

Silkscreen, 1994 Edition : 150 ex. 64.50 cm. x 50.00 cm. 25.39 in. x 19.69 in. (paper) 64.50 cm. x 50.00 cm. 25.39 in. x 19.69 in. (image) Handsigned by the artist in pencil Cer...

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Silk

Warm Days, Abstract Oil Painting
Warm Days, Abstract Oil Painting

Warm Days, Abstract Oil Painting

By Jenn Williamson

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A palpable sense of atmosphere and a soft, dreamy mood evoke memories of long summer afternoons bathed in gentle sunlight. Subtle layers and luminous textures i...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Trees in Bloom Along the River Landscape in oil on Heavy Cardstock
Trees in Bloom Along the River Landscape in oil on Heavy Cardstock

Trees in Bloom Along the River Landscape in oil on Heavy Cardstock

By Honora Berg

Located in Soquel, CA

Trees in Bloom Along the River Landscape in Oil on Heavy Cardstock Bold oil landscape by Honora Berg (American, 1897-1985). Trees with pink and white blooms line the bank of a river. The river is shown in streaks of pink, green, and yellow, reflecting the surrounding landscape. At the far edge of the river, bright green mountains sharply rise from the bank. Acquired with a collection of the artist's work. Stamp from the Larry Miller Fine Art on verso. Unframed. Board size: 14.75"H x 22"W Honora Berg (American, 1897-1985) was an Abstract Expressionist and Bay Area Figurative School artist who studied at the San Francisco Art Institute with David Park, Elmer Bischoff and James Budd Dixon...

Category

1950s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Illustration Board

Abstract art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Sumit Mehndiratta, Giorgio Lo Fermo, Francisco Nicolás, and Dadodu . Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Synthetic Resin Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Abstract art, so small editions measuring 0.02 inches across are also available.