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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.

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Style: Abstract
This Week's Listings Only
Lake Dream, Abstract Oil Painting
Lake Dream, Abstract Oil Painting

Lake Dream, Abstract Oil Painting

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

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

Lithographie Originale I
Lithographie Originale I

Lithographie Originale I

By Joan Miró

Located in Kansas City, MO

Joan Miró Lithographie Originale I Color Lithograph Year: 1981 Size: 12.5 × 9.6 inches Catalogue Raisonné: Cramer 177, Der Lithograph IV, 1969-1972 Publisher: Maeght Editeur, Paris, ...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Rhythmic Sanctuary" Abstract metallic glaze stoneware ceramic sculpture
"Rhythmic Sanctuary" Abstract metallic glaze stoneware ceramic sculpture

"Rhythmic Sanctuary" Abstract metallic glaze stoneware ceramic sculpture

Located in East Quogue, NY

Hand-pitched speckled stoneware ceramic sculpture with metallic glaze by Jessamyn Go. Jessamyn Go's work is deeply rooted in the visceral, meditative experience of working with clay...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze

Quiet Beauty in Nature, Abstract Oil Painting
Quiet Beauty in Nature, Abstract Oil Painting

Quiet Beauty in Nature, Abstract Oil Painting

By Ronda Waiksnis

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This abstract painting invites quiet reflection, evoking the stillness of a misty landscape mirrored in calm waters. A gentle palette of greens and blues wash...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

#38 After the Rains
#38 After the Rains

#38 After the Rains

By Douglas M. Olsen

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.

Category

20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Watercolor, Rag Paper

Mid Century Don Quixote Portrait Spanish Catalan Expressionist Oil
Mid Century Don Quixote Portrait Spanish Catalan Expressionist Oil

Mid Century Don Quixote Portrait Spanish Catalan Expressionist Oil

By Jaume Muxart Domenech

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Mid Century Don Quixote Portrait Spanish Catalan Expressionist Oil TECHNICAL SHEET Oil on canvas Mid-20th century 55 × 33 cm (21.7 × 13 in) Frame: 58 × 36 cm (22.8 × 14.2 in) Signed lower right Metal frame with matte finish Very good overall condition DESCRIPTION Striking Mid-Century modernist interpretation of Don Quixote by Jaume Muxart, executed in a strong Catalan Neo-Figurative Expressionist language characteristic of Spanish post-war painting. The elongated vertical figure is constructed through palette-knife structure and dense impasto, reducing Cervantes’ legendary knight to a symbolic psychological presence rather than a literal portrait. The helmet-like white head emerging from a deep burgundy background creates a dramatic apparition typical of Muxart’s mature figurative period. The figure represents Don Quixote as an existential literary archetype frequently explored in Spanish modern painting and particularly within the renewal of Catalan modern art associated with artists connected to the Grupo Taüll, one of the key movements in the evolution of post-war avant-garde painting in Barcelona. Compact in scale but visually intense, the painting combines strong decorative presence with the intellectual depth characteristic of Muxart’s Quixote interpretations. ARTIST BIO Jaume Muxart (1922–2019) was a major Catalan painter and founding member of the influential Grupo Taüll, alongside Antoni Tàpies, Modest Cuixart, Josep Guinovart and Joan-Josep Tharrats. After early exhibitions in Barcelona in the late 1940s he travelled to Paris on scholarship, where he encountered the international avant-garde that shaped his expressive language. He later represented Spain at the São Paulo Biennial and exhibited widely across Europe and the Americas. Muxart served as professor and later dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona and became a member of the Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi. His work is held in numerous institutional and private collections. ARTISTIC CONTEXT / INSPIRATION This painting belongs to the expressive Neo-Figurative tradition developed in post-war Spain and Catalonia, where literary archetypes such as Don Quixote became vehicles for psychological and symbolic exploration. Comparable resonances can be found in the structural figuration of Bernard Buffet, the expressive intensity of Antonio Saura, and the material experimentation associated with Antoni Tàpies, Modest Cuixart and Josep Guinovart within the post-war Catalan avant-garde. don quixote painting...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Framed Original Oil Painting
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Framed Original Oil Painting

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Framed Original Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 25 by 19 inches overall and 24 x 18 painting alone. Framed in ...

Category

20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Love Conquers All - Extra Large Abstract Painting, Bold Colors, New, Maximalism
Love Conquers All - Extra Large Abstract Painting, Bold Colors, New, Maximalism

Love Conquers All - Extra Large Abstract Painting, Bold Colors, New, Maximalism

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Love Conquers All - Omnia Vincit Amor Extra Large Abstract Investment Bold Color Large rendition in the Unchained Expressions series. It attempts to map the road to freedom...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Spray Paint, Color Pencil

The Lady maquette, replica of Chicago Picasso sculpture, American Bridge Company
The Lady maquette, replica of Chicago Picasso sculpture, American Bridge Company

The Lady maquette, replica of Chicago Picasso sculpture, American Bridge Company

By Pablo Picasso

Located in New York, NY

(After) Pablo Picasso The Lady (Maquette), ca. 1967 Mixed Media Sculpture edition Cor-ten Steel This maquette is based upon the original Chicago Picasso-a monumental sculpture by Pablo Picasso in Chicago, Illinois. The sculpture, dedicated on August 15, 1967, in Daley Plaza in the Chicago Loop...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Stone, Steel

Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Painting in Antique Italian Frame
Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Painting in Antique Italian Frame

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...

Category

20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Gouache, Board

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

Burst II - large scale abstract photograph of caleidoscopic color explosions
Burst II - large scale abstract photograph of caleidoscopic color explosions

Burst II - large scale abstract photograph of caleidoscopic color explosions

By Christian Stoll

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée

French 20th Century Dual Bright Abstract Kitchen Scene Large Painting
French 20th Century Dual Bright Abstract Kitchen Scene Large Painting

French 20th Century Dual Bright Abstract Kitchen Scene Large Painting

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Gilbert Pelissier (French born 1924) signed oil painting on canvas, unframed inscribed verso canvas size: 35 x 46 inches condition: overall very...

Category

Late 20th Century 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

"Wild White Horses" Contemporary Outsider Urban Expressionism Painting Framed
"Wild White Horses" Contemporary Outsider Urban Expressionism Painting Framed

"Wild White Horses" Contemporary Outsider Urban Expressionism Painting Framed

By Purvis Young

Located in New York, NY

The painting is an expressive, abstract work by Purvis Young with a strong emphasis on dynamic brushwork and a limited color palette dominated by deep reds, off-whites, and subtle ac...

Category

20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Found Objects, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Cardboard

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

Belond time, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Belond time, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Belond time, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Emily STARCK

Located in Yardley, PA

Large work of abstraction. Worked in several layers with raw emotions expressed by colors and gesture. Edges are painted in the continuity of the work. Dimensions are for stretched...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Original Modern Contemporary painting on canvas, Abstract, Fantasy style, Framed
Original Modern Contemporary painting on canvas, Abstract, Fantasy style, Framed

Original Modern Contemporary painting on canvas, Abstract, Fantasy style, Framed

Located in Palm Coast, FL

Up for sale Original Abstract Acrylic Painting on canvas in a fantasy abstract style. A unique technique, very colorful. An unusual combination of colors, a flow from sharp to soft s...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

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

vertical abstract painting Flowers Haiku
vertical abstract painting Flowers Haiku

vertical abstract painting Flowers Haiku

By Katarina Joys

Located in London, London

All custom charges are included in the final price agreed. large scale abstract painting interior design flowers, pink, violet, yellow, gold, red, orange, ochre, modern, contemporar...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Souvenir, Howard Hodgkin: large scale black white gray abstract interior scene
Souvenir, Howard Hodgkin: large scale black white gray abstract interior scene

Souvenir, Howard Hodgkin: large scale black white gray abstract interior scene

By Howard Hodgkin

Located in New York, NY

Very large scale black and white abstract interior scene with dots, lines, brushstrokes, paint daubs, fingerprints, squares and rectangles. Striking print to hang in contemporary, modern and minimalist spaces. While British pop artists such as David Hockney and Patrick Caulfield numbered amongst Howard Hodgkin's circle of friends, Hodgkin's work is more painterly, expressionist, and abstract. Paper 45 x 55 in. / 114.3 x 139.7 cm. Souvenir by Howard Hodgkin. Screenprint on Arches aquarelle mould-made paper. Signed by the artist with initials and dated 80 in pencil lower center, numbered in pencil lower left. This bold Howard Hodgkin print layers five shades of black, with a wide variety of marks including some from the artist’s fingerprints and hand. Scribbles and lines of grey loosely define what could be an interior space with furniture. As is typical of his prints, there is a sense of space, and of the passage of time, expressed through shapes that seem to recede through the picture, deep black shades and, unusually for Hodgkin’s work, the white of the paper showing through. The last photograph displays these rich surface textures on the sheet at an angle. Catalogue reference: Elizabeth Knowles...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Screen

"Ocean Waves #09" Mixed Media Painting

"Ocean Waves #09" Mixed Media Painting

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Resin, Wood, Mixed Media

Still Life Interior
Still Life Interior

Still Life Interior

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Frederick Serger (1889-1965). Still Life, ca. 1950. Oil on gessoed paper mounted to illustration board. Image measures 16 x 17 inches. Framed measurement: 25.5 x 25.5 inches. ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Oil

1960's French Cubist Abstract Oil Painting - Monogrammed
1960's French Cubist Abstract Oil Painting - Monogrammed

1960's French Cubist Abstract Oil Painting - Monogrammed

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Artist/ School: French School, signed with initials, dated 1960's Title: Cubist abstract Medium: oil painting on board, unframed board: 13.75 x 10.5 inches Provenance: private co...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

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

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed MCM Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 15 by 19 inches overall. Handsomely framed in...

Category

1940s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Abstract 2273
Abstract 2273

Alex SenchenkoAbstract 2273, 2022

$1,745Sale Price|20% Off

Abstract 2273

Located in Zofingen, AG

Abstract 2273 - painting is a powerful vision of Love’s vibration, Compassion’s strength, and Hope’s vitality. Woosh away your worries! Feel the exhilarating and mighty presence of W...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

In the Bag
In the Bag

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Almond Blossom Watercolor on Board, Kashmir Landscape, Signed, 1960
Almond Blossom Watercolor on Board, Kashmir Landscape, Signed, 1960

Almond Blossom Watercolor on Board, Kashmir Landscape, Signed, 1960

Located in Norfolk, GB

Dina Nath Walli (1908–2006) Almond Blossom, Kashmir Watercolour on Board c 1960 Framed size: 42.8cm x 52.8cm Image size: 27.5cm x 38cm Signed and dated 1970 on the verso, gifted fro...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Board, Watercolor

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

1980's French Expressionist Painting Rolling Hills and Valleys Verdant Landscape
1980's French Expressionist Painting Rolling Hills and Valleys Verdant Landscape

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...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract 2544
Abstract 2544

Alex SenchenkoAbstract 2544, 2025

$2,086Sale 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

High-Rise, Abstract Painting
High-Rise, Abstract Painting

High-Rise, Abstract Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This abstract composition features blocks and shapes in shades of blue, teal, gray, black, and white, forming a towering, building-like structure. A light blue ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Fantastic Zoology I.
Fantastic Zoology I.

Fantastic Zoology I.

Located in Slovak Republic, SK

Lovely etching, framed, with fine art glass. Signed, E/A.

Category

20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Etching

Ruz Blues Soft Upright. acrylic canvas painting
Ruz Blues Soft Upright. acrylic canvas painting

Ruz Blues Soft Upright. acrylic canvas painting

By Rafael Ruz

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

blues soft upright acrylic canvas painting Original artwork by Spanish artist Rafael Ruz. Acrylic on canvas in perfect condition. While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are in...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

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.