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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
Untitled Abstract Expressionist painting
Untitled Abstract Expressionist painting

Untitled Abstract Expressionist painting

By Eve Peri

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Watercolor on paper, sheet measures 12 x 17.5 inches. Unframed. Signed and dated lower right. Estate stamp on verso. EVE PERI (1897-1966) Born in Bangor, Maine, Eve Peri worked...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

French 20th Century Abstract Nude Portrait of Lady Picasso Style Work & Period
French 20th Century Abstract Nude Portrait of Lady Picasso Style Work & Period

French 20th Century Abstract Nude Portrait of Lady Picasso Style Work & Period

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Expressionist Portrait of Nude Lady by Gilbert Pelissier (French born 1924) signed, circa 1960's-1970 period oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 20 x 24 inches con...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"The Ballerina" Figure with Chanel Gown French Haute Couture Oil Canvas Painting
"The Ballerina" Figure with Chanel Gown French Haute Couture Oil Canvas Painting

"The Ballerina" Figure with Chanel Gown French Haute Couture Oil Canvas Painting

By Cindy Shaoul

Located in New York, NY

Exploring the purity of the feminine form and the drama of French haute couture, artist Cindy Shaoul creates a dialogue between the figurative and the abstract. Her spirited compositions are both dramatic and invigorating, capturing the fleeting moment of innocence swept up in bold color and seemingly controlled movement. "The Ballerina" demonstrates a whimsical expression of femininity and formality; a stunning display of understated grandeur. It is as if the shape's only purpose is to hold the magnificent pallet. This piece is signed lower left by the artist and is painted oil and on canvas and it comes housed in a contemporary white floater wood...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

THALASSO 6 - Abstract Figurative Green Painting on Canvas, Marine Biomorphic
THALASSO 6 - Abstract Figurative Green Painting on Canvas, Marine Biomorphic

THALASSO 6 - Abstract Figurative Green Painting on Canvas, Marine Biomorphic

By Chloe York

Located in Signal Mountain, TN

"Thalasso 6" is part of an on-going series of paintings by Chloe York centered around marine biology. Chloe’s work is flat and linear and always begins with a human head and shoulder...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Watercolor

Contemporary Abstract The Space We Move Into, Oil on Canvas by Marie-Chloé Duval
Contemporary Abstract The Space We Move Into, Oil on Canvas by Marie-Chloé Duval

Contemporary Abstract The Space We Move Into, Oil on Canvas by Marie-Chloé Duval

By Marie-Chloé Duval

Located in Plainview, NY

In The Space We Move Into, Marie-Chloé Duval explores the invisible architecture shaped by movement, memory, and the transient presence of organic forms. Suspended floral-like fragme...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas

Pipe Dreams: African American collage painting w/ photographs figures, objects
Pipe Dreams: African American collage painting w/ photographs figures, objects

Pipe Dreams: African American collage painting w/ photographs figures, objects

By Richard J. Watson

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

This is an abstract collage / painting created from acrylic and found objects. It is framed in a wide, dark wooden frame with gold accents. It includes several manipulated historic photograph of figures in many guises, arranged as if on stage. It is signed and dated by the artist lower left. PROVENANCE: Exhibited in "Portals + Revelations: Richard J. Watson," the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Oct 2021 - Mar 2022. "Most of my works are supported by memories of the past and suggested realities. Issues of social politics, ancestral references, and astral projections are presented with fragmented elements of 'real life' collaged and collapsed, as dreams are prone to do. If connections are made, all the better. I feel that life should remind us of our dreams." - Richard J. Watson Richard J. Watson is an icon in the Philadelphia art world. Much of his work relates to his experiences as a Black African American man. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1968), has taught at his alma mater, and has served in the Exhibitions Department at the African American Museum in Philadelphia since the 1980s. He has been exhibiting his work for decades, and has an extensive bibliography. His work is held in the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art; the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; the Uniworld Corporation; Sony; the Federal Reserve Bank; the City of Philadelphia; Sprint; the Church of the Advocate; the poet Dr. Sonia Sanchez; and the Woodmere Museum...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Found Objects, Acrylic, Mixed Media

Floating Away - Impasto Thick Paint Colorful Abstract Painting
Floating Away - Impasto Thick Paint Colorful Abstract Painting

Floating Away - Impasto Thick Paint Colorful 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 a...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Big Green Series # 4, Abstract Painting
Big Green Series # 4, Abstract Painting

Big Green Series # 4, Abstract Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Thick black strokes intersect with bright pinks, blues, and yellows, forming an abstract, layered composition. The overlapping shapes and colors give the piec...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Untitled (Edition 7/75)
Untitled (Edition 7/75)

Untitled (Edition 7/75)

By Kyohei Inukai

Located in New York, NY

Kyohei Inukai (aka Earle Goodenow), American (1913 - 1985), "Untitled" Edition 7/75, Abstract / 3D/ Modern Serigraph signed and numbered in pencil, 23.25 x 34.50, Late 20th Century ...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Screen

Las Mascaras VII. From Las Mascaras (The masks) Series
Las Mascaras VII. From Las Mascaras (The masks) Series

Las Mascaras VII. 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...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Impasto Abstract Seascape Landscape Miniature Study Contemporary British Artist
Impasto Abstract Seascape Landscape Miniature Study Contemporary British Artist

Impasto Abstract Seascape Landscape Miniature Study Contemporary British Artist

By Angela Wakefield

Located in Preston, GB

Impasto Abstract Seascape Landscape Miniature Study by Contemporary British Artist Angela Wakefield Art measures 5 x 5 inches Frame measures 11 x 11 inches Framed in a high qualit...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Paint, Acrylic, Board

Vintage Mid-Century Modernist Cityscape Oil Painting - Geometric Neighbourhood
Vintage Mid-Century Modernist Cityscape Oil Painting - Geometric Neighbourhood

Vintage Mid-Century Modernist Cityscape Oil Painting - Geometric Neighbourhood

Located in Bristol, GB

GEOMETRIC NEIGHBOURHOOD Size: 40 x 72.5 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas A playful and brilliantly executed mid-century composition of a neighbourhood, painted in oil onto canvas ...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'O.D. 1' by Brian Bosworth, Ceramic, Underglazes, Lava Glaze
'O.D. 1' by Brian Bosworth, Ceramic, Underglazes, Lava Glaze

'O.D. 1' by Brian Bosworth, Ceramic, Underglazes, Lava Glaze

Located in Oklahoma City, OK

This 5.5" x 8.5" ceramic wall sculpture was created by Brian Bosworth. This is a contemporary piece that demonstrates sophisticated glazing techniques and compositional balance. The ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ceramic, Underglaze

Banana skin yellow pill (minimaliste grid round painting on wood dopamine)
Banana skin yellow pill (minimaliste grid round painting on wood dopamine)

Banana skin yellow pill (minimaliste grid round painting on wood dopamine)

By Melisa Taylor Metzger

Located in Quebec, Quebec

"Banana skin yellow pill" is one of the 30 small tondo paintings on wood comprising the Dopamine mosaic. This 30-piece ensemble was created between January and April 2024 by the arti...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Spray Paint

Painting on paper, lyrical abstraction, contemporary, music score
Painting on paper, lyrical abstraction, contemporary, music score

Painting on paper, lyrical abstraction, contemporary, music score

Located in Carballo, ES

Blue Minimal Painting. This is an original artwork realized by TUSET in 2019. We can frame it in natural wood or black on request. The dimensions of the painting are 41 x 29,5 cm. W...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Ink, Handmade Paper

Provence #7 (Provence France Landscape)
Provence #7 (Provence France Landscape)

Provence #7 (Provence France Landscape)

By Roger Mühl

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Roger Muhl (1929-2008) Provence #7, 1986. Signed and numbered in pencil by the artist, lower margins. Artwork is in excellent condition with no damage or conservation. Frame shows ...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Lithograph

Desert Colors Abstract
Desert Colors Abstract

Desert Colors Abstract

Located in Houston, TX

Striking abstract on board utilizing fiery colors by Berlin artist Michael S. Keifers, circa 1980. Signed lower left. Archival plastic sleeve and Certifica...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Love
Love

Love

Located in Zofingen, AG

“Love” Love is the meeting of two shadows and two lights. It is a path through fears and silent barriers, where tenderness becomes strength. It reveals the self, lays bare vulnerabil...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mountain Quest // Original impasto painting, impressionism /
Mountain Quest // Original impasto painting, impressionism /

Mountain Quest // Original impasto painting, impressionism /

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Mountain Quest" is not just a landscape image, but an emotional invitation to reflect on the power and beauty of the surrounding world, on the desire to achieve a goal and learn so...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Tempera

"Love for Meadow VII" - Colorful Rainbow Textured Impasto Contemporary Abstract
"Love for Meadow VII" - Colorful Rainbow Textured Impasto Contemporary Abstract

"Love for Meadow VII" - Colorful Rainbow Textured Impasto Contemporary Abstract

By Sveta Hessler

Located in Carmel, CA

Sveta Hessler (Russian, born 1973) "Love for Meadow VII" 2025 Acrylic paint, Gel, Mixed Media, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the back of the painting. The artist notes th...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars, Mixed Media

No title

No title

Located in Paris, FR

Lithograph, 1953 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 27/100 Printer : Jean Pons (Paris) LCD5358

Category

1950s Abstract Art

Materials

Lithograph

French 20th Century Abstract Composition Oil Painting on Canvas
French 20th Century Abstract Composition Oil Painting on Canvas

French 20th Century Abstract Composition Oil Painting on Canvas

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Gilbert Pelissier (French born 1924) signed and dated verso oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 20 x 20 inches condition: overall very...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Landscape Sculpture
Landscape Sculpture

Landscape Sculpture

By Barbara Hepworth

Located in Columbia, MO

Framed silk scarf/screenprint by Ascher after an original work by Barbara Hepworth. With printed signature "Barabara Hepworth" lower left, and "by Ascher" in bottom right. Handwritte...

Category

20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Screen

ID No. 13 The Startled. Limited edition photograph
ID No. 13 The Startled. Limited edition photograph

ID No. 13 The Startled. Limited edition photograph

Located in Miami Beach, FL

In this early photographic series, Dubravka Lazić turns her lens toward a subject rarely treated with such a quiet dignity: domestic cats. Shot in 2005, these portraits mimic the fo...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Lines And Dots

Lines And Dots

Located in Dallas, TX

ink & graphite on mulberry paper

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ink, Mulberry Paper, Graphite

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.