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.
Cuerpos Magnéticos Spring. Wall sculpture
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Cuerpos Magnéticos was born searching for the relationship between nature and our bodies: we see rocks, bones, structures, flexibility, attractions, spaces, movement, stillness. Cuer...
Epoxy Resin, Pigment
Encounters at Dawn: Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
"Encounters at Dawn" – Contemporary Abstract Painting on Canvas in Violet Tones with Figuration is an abstract oil painting that explores color field and abstract expressionism. The ...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$473
Contemporary abstract expressionist woman's portrait painting "Light Reborn"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This contemporary abstract expressionist woman's portrait was created by French artist Natalya Mougenot, and is part of her ongoing series dedicated to women — a powerful exploration...
Acrylic, Paper
"Connection Points"
Located in Zofingen, AG
Series “Following the Movements” “Connection Points” is an abstract wall painting created as an accent piece for spaces where focus and presence are essential. This red and black pai...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Whispers of Willingness
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work echoes the theme of a quiet inner decision — that moment when a willingness to open up to the light is born from within. White blossoms appear as a language of softness tha...
Canvas, Acrylic
Original Spring Triptych-British Awarded Artist-Abstract British Contemporary
Located in London, GB
Spring Triptych belongs to two interconnected projects begun in 2024 — Spring Duet and The Weaver Series — where Shizico Yi explores abstraction through the expanded formats of diptych and triptych. 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. In Spring Triptych, 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. -Artist's Lifetime Warranty for the original artwork. -Guarantee End to end tracking Delivery Worldwide by Royal Mail Worldwide at lowest Rate £19-28 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
$3,077
"Pearl Roses in Blue Silence" large impressionistic painting on linen canvas
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let your awareness rest upon it. How still they are, how deeply rooted in Being. Allow nature to teach you stillness." – Eckhart Tolle This origi...
Canvas, Cotton, Linen, Acrylic
$769
Contemporary figurative expressive still-life painting "Quiet Observation"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Quiet Observation" is a contemporary still life painting by French artist Natalya Mougenot, depicting a serene interior scene with a yellow table, a striped lamp, a blue vase of red...
Paper, Acrylic
$378Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary abstract expressionist woman's portrait painting "Inner light"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This contemporary abstract expressionist portrait was created by French artist Natalya Mougenot as part of her ongoing exploration of emotional identity, inner truth, and the human s...
Acrylic, Paper
$11,125
Untitled LX by Ferle - Large abstract painting, vivid tones, spiritual, green
By Elvire Ferle
Located in Paris, FR
Untitled LX is a unique oil on free-standing canvas painting by contemporary artist Ferle, dimensions are 200 cm × 140 cm (78.7 × 55.1 in). The artwork is signed, sold unframed and c...
Canvas, Oil
First Light, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Soft tones, texture, and linework shape this abstract painting. Warm oranges, creams, and yellows contrast with deep blacks, greys, and teals. Artist Dorothy Ga...
Oil
$7,500
Sol Lewitt - Unique drawing Geometric Abstraction on franked card, hand signed
By Sol LeWitt
Located in New York, NY
Sol LeWitt Unique Geometric Abstraction on Postcard, 1982 Original drawing done on postcard from the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam), mailed, stamped and postmarked (franked) from Spolet...
Ink, Mixed Media, Postcard, Offset
Las Mascaras XIV. From Las Mascaras (The masks) Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
This series draws inspiration from Hatillo’s Fiesta de los Santos Inocentes, translating the festival’s vibrant movement and collective energy into a refined abstract vocabulary. Thr...
Paper, Oil Crayon, Pastel
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Geometic Composition Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 39.5 x 29 inches condition: the work is in overall very sound and good c...
Canvas, Oil
$775
Black And White - Impasto Inspired Textural Thick Acrylic Paint Abstract Artwork
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
Las Máscaras V and VI. From Las Mascaras (The masks) Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
This series draws inspiration from Hatillo’s Fiesta de los Santos Inocentes, translating the festival’s vibrant movement and collective energy into a refined abstract vocabulary. Thr...
Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Promises and Lies 12 - Abstract Glass Sculpture, Mixed Media, 2010+
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary table top white glass sculpture is by Cheryl Wilson Smith. Cheryl Wilson Smith’s award-winning, distinctive glass work is both inspired by and deeply rooted in her...
Glass, Mixed Media
$15,000
Sam Francis, Karel Appel & Walasse Ting, lithographs, hand signed, 85/100 Framed
By Sam Francis
Located in New York, NY
From the rare, fully signed edition of One Cent Life - only 100 examples were hand signed by the artists. Exceptional provenance from Robert Indiana's estate. Sam Francis, Karel App...
Lithograph
$400
Flower in Bowl - Abstract Cool Tone Botanical Mixed Media Painting on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Krisanne Souter weaves together elements of nature and ancient feminine archetypes, such as the Mother and the Mystic. Botanical themes, playful elements, and unexpected surprises ar...
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil
Landscape 1, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Shades of blue, rust, and cream shape this abstract landscape. Splashes of grey and black dots scatter across the surface. Scratched and scraped paint introdu...
Oil
"Ambient Resonance" - Organic hand-built ceramic bowl sculpture
Located in East Quogue, NY
"Ambient Resonance" Hand-coiled and pinched wide ceramic sculpture vessel by Jessamyn Go. Iron Speckled Brown Stoneware, White Crawl Glaze, White Glaze Interior Size: 11.5 x 11.5 x...
Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze
$796Sale Price|20% Off
Ellsworth Kelly, Lotus, from Derriere le Miroir, 1982
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015), titled Lotus, originates from the historic 1982 folio Derriere le Miroir, No. 250, Hommage a Aime et Marguerite Maeght (Trib...
Lithograph
Falling Reef. From the series Polyculture
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These works explore our relationship with the incredible biodiversity of our planet Earth. Visual representations of flowing colours, smells, sounds and the feeling of our life sourc...
Canvas, Acrylic
$17,500
Sam Francis, Blue-Violet, Lithograph, Stanford University Museum, Signed, Framed
By Sam Francis
Located in New York, NY
Sam Francis Blue-Violet (Lembark, L, 32), exhibited at Stanford University Art Museum, 1963 Color lithograph on Rives BFK paper with deckled edges Lithograph in blue-violet on Rives ...
Lithograph
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Futurist Fantasy Scene
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 51 x 38 inches inscribed verso condition: the work is in overall very so...
Canvas, Oil
"umbrella girl series" RK69DE7, Abstract, Painting, 21st Century, Acrylic
By Roger König
Located in Dessau-Rosslau, Sachsen Anhalt
Art measures 31.49 x 23,62 inches Frame measures 36.22 x 28.34 x 2.36 inches Framed in a high-quality contemporary wooden moulding. Color: antique gold Artist: Roger König b. De...
Clay, Acrylic
Pastel Grid (Spice) - contemporary, minimalist, abstract, pastel on paper
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This colourful contemporary pastel on paper in grid form is by Milly Ristvedt. The classic grid pattern becomes more than a ‘container’ for colour in the hands of master colourist M...
Paper, Pastel
$378Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary abstract expressive floral painting on paper "Blooming petals"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
In "Blooming Petals", French artist Natalya Mougenot expands the tradition of floral painting into a powerful exploration of color, emotion, and authenticity. Part of her ongoing ser...
Paper, Acrylic
Original-Landscape Memory-British Awarded Artist-Gold Leaf, oil on canvas
Located in London, GB
With strokes of Gold, Oil, Gesso and Acrylic, Shizico painted a visual symphony of abstract expression in this on-going series [Landscape Memories]; it's a part of her [Sunlit Series...
Gold Leaf
Solar Series #2: Bridge at Auver - Abstract Oil on Canvas, 2000s
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This colorful abstract painting was created by the Canadian artist David Sorensen. One of Canada’s finest contemporary artists, David Sorensen actually began his art career as a sc...
Canvas, Oil
“Accept”
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
$4,497Sale Price|24% Off
Floral composition
Located in London, London
Floral tapestry abstract decor Flowers still-life. Vintage red and pink flowers Artist: Katarina Joys Dimensions: 140x212cm full-size canvas Acrylic, oil on canvas, one-of-a-kin...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Untitled III by Antoine Vidal - Vertical abstract sculpture, light gray and gold
Located in Paris, FR
Untitled III is an abstract sculpture by French artist Antoine Vidal. Bronze, 19.3 × 5.9 × 3.5 in (49 × 15 × 9 cm). Limited edition of 8 + 4 Artist's Proofs. Vidal's works in bronz...
Bronze
Valeria - Abstract Mixed Media Sculpture, Modern Flower Design, 2010+
By Benny Katz
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This abstract pop art table top sculpture depicts flowers. The whimsical and playful minimalist sculptures of Benny Katz have attracted international collectors. Katz focuses on fo...
Mixed Media
Large Figural Abstract Late 1960s Painting, Mexican American Artist
By Miguel Conde
Located in Beachwood, OH
Miguel Condé (Mexican/American, b. 1939) Untitled, 1968 Oil on canvas Signed and dated verso 55.25 x 44 inches Miguel Condé is a Mexican figurative painter, draughtsman, and print m...
Oil
#49, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request. Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Pigment
Le Secret
Located in Zofingen, AG
(Series: Le Jardin Privé / Your Private Paradise) “Some doors lead not to rooms, but to states of grace — hidden havens where the soul finally feels at home.” This contemporary paint...
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
$850
Salat, Yellow and White, Abstract Fish Patterns, Modern Seascape on Paper, 2025
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series by Enric Servera explores the relationship of humans to salt and seawater. The intention of these works is to submerge us into the sea, a salty treasure that surrounds us...
Acrylic, Handmade Paper
Hand Painted Proof, One off-Jardin d'Automne-British Awarded Artist-gladiolus
Located in London, GB
This is an One of One artits's Proof, hand painted by the artist Shizico with her hand mixed original paint. Rare Proof only one, highly collectable within an attractive offer. Abo...
Metal
$2,485Sale Price|30% Off
Large Multicolor Relief Wall Sculpture Abstract Mosaic in Clay on Framed Panel
Located in FISTERRA, ES
"Chewing Gum" is a bold and vibrant wall sculpture that captures the sensory joy and visual rhythm of childhood memories through a meticulously crafted arrangement of hand-sculpted c...
Clay, Canvas, Spray Paint
Contemporary Miniature Natural Pigments Painting Cosmic Egg Minimalist orange
Located in Norfolk, GB
Rahul Kumar Untitled Natural Pigment on Paper 35.5cm x 26.5cm Rahul Kumar is from a family of traditional miniature painters working in Jaipur. The atelier where his family learnt t...
Paper, Watercolor
$3,432
Contemporary Minimal Abstract Diptych, Large-Scale Neutral Textured Painting
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, Mixed Media, Pigment
Persian Morning II (Abstract expressionist mid-century Indiana artist painting)
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mary Ann Robertson (1923-1911). Persian Morning II, 1964. Oil and paper on canvas. 25 x 36 1/2 inches. overall frame size 37 1/2 x 26 inches. notes: Nashville, IN woman artist....
Oil, Handmade Paper
$656
Hand-Painted Canvas Proof#2-Purple Misty Alliums-British Awarded Artist-Last One
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
$1,749
Original Triptych-Sunlit Series-British Awarded Artist-Gold Leaf, Oil on canvas
Located in London, GB
This stunning Original Set of 3 paintings by Shizico Yi on Canvas includes: Sunlit-Primary Blue Sunlit-Primary Red Sunlit-Purple with Red these are a part of Shizico Yi's Sunlit proj...
Gold Leaf
$8,639
Contemporary Minimal Abstract, Large-Scale Neutral Earth Tones Painting
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, Mixed Media, Pigment
#269, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request. Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Pigment
Plate #4 from Album 19
By Joan Miró
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Plate #4 from Album 19" 1961, is an original color lithograph on watermarked BFK Rives paper by renown artist Joan Miro 1893-1983. It is hand signed (monogramed...
Lithograph
Original-Rosarian-La Vie en Rose: Summer Bloom Serie-British Awarded Artist
Located in London, GB
Rosarian — La Vie en Rose is part of Shizico Yi’s ongoing Summer Bloom Series, a body of work in which she explores the magical qualities of roses and the complex challenge of painti...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Original-Primary Blue-Sunlit Series-Gold Leaf-British Awarded Artist
Located in London, GB
Primary Colour Series- Blue is Shizico Yi's on going project, inspired by Japanese woodblock Print and the a nod to calligraphy tradition. The series is a continuation of her "Sunli...
Gold Leaf
$556Sale Price|20% Off
Pumpkin, Red/White, Yayoi Kusama 草間 彌生
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Yayoi Kusama (1929) Title: Pumpkin, Red/White Year: 2016 Medium: Painted cast resin sculpture with decorative box, as issued Sculpture Size: 4 × 3.5 x 3.5 inches Inscription:...
Epoxy Resin
$500
Untitled 3. From La materialidad del tiempo (The Materiality of Time) Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
La Materialidad del Tiempo, Juan Carlos Amador grounds his recent work in two essential elements: cellulose and time. Using reclaimed wooden moldings from the 1980s and ’90s-original...
Paper, Oil Crayon
Composite #6, Abstract Geometric Shapes, Mid-20th Century
Located in Beachwood, OH
Charles Fodor (American, 20th Century) Composite #6, 1969 Oil on canvas Signed, dated and titled verso 27.5 x 20 inches 29 x 21.5 inches, framed
Oil
THE MILKY WAY CIRCLE (Limited Edition of Only 30 Prints)
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
**STORE CLOSURE - UP TO 80% OFF - TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT** ***EVERYTHING MUST GO BY DECEMBER 31ST!*** >>The artist is moving to a new full time venture in 2026<< _________...
Canvas
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Ellsworth Kelly, Red Form, from Revue Cahiers d'Art, 2012
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015), titled Formulaire rouge (Red Form), originates from the 2012 publication Revue Cahiers d'Art, 2012, no. 1, Ellsworth Kelly. ...
Lithograph
Untitled 8. From Ritmos abstractos (Abstract Rhythms) Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
"Ritmos Abstratos" invites us to explore the visual universe of the artist Juan Carlos Amador, who, through his unique perspective, translates the pulsations of space and the invisi...
Canvas, Oil
Hidden Portraits I
Located in London, GB
'Hidden Portraits I', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing ar...
Canvas, Acrylic
Treasure Trove: Colorful, Still-Life, Flowers in Orange Vase, Acrylic, 2010+
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Treasure Trove in Bloom Still-life Painting Floral Vase Colorful Flower Original Contemporary Investment One-of-a-kind Original Artwork You can buy yourself flowers! This ...
Stretcher Bars, Wood, Canvas, Acrylic
$911
Flowers and Shadows. Floral still life, blue flowers, sunlight, impressionism
Located in Oslo, NO
Hawaii, tropical flowers, Plumbago, blue flower painting, floral art, garden still life, plein air, American art Painted from life in Hawaii, th...
Canvas, Oil
$307
Abstract impressionist floral acrylic painting on paper "Morning's rose bloom"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This contemporary expressive impressionist floral piece with a touch of abstract and art brut, Morning’s Rose Bloom, was created by French artist Natalya Mougenot in her Lyon studio ...
Paper, Acrylic