Skip to main content

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.

to
7,053
11,827
10,086
12,457
10,044
18,877
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
15
49
15,054
48,181
9
21
53
104
226
899
2,168
3,951
2,446
1,815
2
115,830
63,304
57,587
27,723
14,621
9,417
6,667
5,779
4,334
3,114
2,481
2,354
2,135
608
27,354
20,147
12,036
3,408
2,899
1,848
938
811
713
668
619
570
527
424
393
368
365
359
310
300
270
268
213
39,944
23,053
22,937
18,022
16,589
705
585
561
360
318
10,842
10,765
35,704
21,647
Style: Abstract
This Week's Listings Only
School of Fish, Baitball, Oil on Canvas, 90x90 cm
School of Fish, Baitball, Oil on Canvas, 90x90 cm

School of Fish, Baitball, Oil on Canvas, 90x90 cm

Located in Zofingen, AG

This dynamic 90 × 90 cm original oil painting captures the mesmerizing energy of a sardine bait ball, inspired by the world-renowned Sardine Run along the wild coastline of South Afr...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cotton Canvas

Memory of blooming
Memory of blooming

Memory of blooming

Located in Zofingen, AG

This work appears as a fragment of a future archive, where not events are preserved, but states — tenderness, tension, and the fragility of life. The tulip petals unfold like layers ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract Geometric Painting by Dave Braden
Abstract Geometric Painting by Dave Braden

Abstract Geometric Painting by Dave Braden

Located in San Francisco, CA

No two shapes are alike. Yet they work together as a harmonious whole. Painter David Braden has described his vision overall in abstract terms. Inspired by individuality, he especial...

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Finding Balance v2, Abstract Painting
Finding Balance v2, Abstract Painting

Finding Balance v2, Abstract Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Terri Bell demonstrates abstract geometric figures in organized patterns. She balances distinct sections of circles and close linear work. “It organi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Mixed Media

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

Autumn impressions
Autumn impressions

Autumn impressions

Located in Zofingen, AG

Autumn impressions. In this piece, I poured my passion for vibrant color and movement into every brushstroke. The rich reds and purples evoke the fiery heart of autumn, while the su...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, 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

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Large Oil Painting on Canvas
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Large Oil Painting on Canvas

Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Large Oil Painting on Canvas

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 24 by 36 inches overall. Excellent condition, ready to hang ...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Evidence " ( contemporary semi& abstract nature landscape)
"Evidence " ( contemporary semi& abstract nature landscape)

"Evidence " ( contemporary semi& abstract nature landscape)

Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR

In this semi-abstract expressive artwork named "Evidence" I experience the world of nature through various colors such as purple, green, blue, red. While painting, I sought to capt...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

"Fifteen on the Farm", Abstract Collage painting
"Fifteen on the Farm", Abstract Collage painting

"Fifteen on the Farm", Abstract Collage painting

Located in Westport, CT

In Fifteen on the Farm, Jill Haas arranges florals into a richly layered composition alive with warmth, movement, and graphic clarity. Creamy white blossoms, soft pink forms, and dee...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Canvas

Le Secret
Le Secret

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...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil Crayon, 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

Birds-Eye View at 7.17 PM
Birds-Eye View at 7.17 PM

Birds-Eye View at 7.17 PM

Located in Zofingen, AG

This work is a meditation on the bird’s-eye view as a rare gift of our time. The ability to observe landscapes from above reshapes not only scale, but perception itself. What for tho...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Large Vintage American Modernist Abstract Naturescape Lake View  Oil Painting
Large Vintage American Modernist Abstract Naturescape Lake View  Oil Painting

Large Vintage American Modernist Abstract Naturescape Lake View Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Measuring: 26 by 30 inches overall, and 22 by 25 painting alone.. In excellent original condition. Handsomel...

Category

1950s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract 2523
Abstract 2523

Alex SenchenkoAbstract 2523, 2025

$2,094Sale Price|20% Off

Abstract 2523

Located in Zofingen, AG

In my artwork, I channel joyful serenity through a dance of pastel gestures on canvas. Using acrylics, I melded pinks, blues, and creams, evoking a gentle dawn. This painting, textur...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

20th century Belgium, Black and White Abstract pencil drawing, Etude
20th century Belgium, Black and White Abstract pencil drawing, Etude

20th century Belgium, Black and White Abstract pencil drawing, Etude

By Marcel Dumont

Located in Woodbury, CT

Outstanding pencil on paper Abstract drawing. Marcel Dumont was a Liège artist who painted in oils and gouache, also produced collages and was an illustrator and engraver, doing so in a number of different styles. Early on in his career, he tended to produce paintings displaying a poetic realism but this changed over time until, in 1957, he was employing geometric abstraction and later still, the influence of pop art could be discerned. His geometric style has strong linear structure which occasionally veers to expressionism and the effect of this is an interesting sense of detachment that the viewer of the work can feel and one engages with the subject on a different level than one would normally expect. A critic wrote of him," Sometimes expressionist, sometimes linear, the abstraction forms itself willingly, in Marcel Dumont's world, to leave the rectangular structure to connect to carefully prepared tones. He retains also, in his abundant output, a few poetic pop-art collages together with a number of drawings and engravings illustrating Stefan Zweig...

Category

1940s Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Pencil

White Standing Pod Ceramic Vessel Sculpture
White Standing Pod Ceramic Vessel Sculpture

White Standing Pod Ceramic Vessel Sculpture

By Adrienne Fierman

Located in East Quogue, NY

"White Standing Pod", Ceramic Sculpture Dimensions: 5 H × 5.5 W × 5.5 D Medium: Hand-built ceramic, glazed stoneware Adrienne Fierman’s "White Standing Pod" embodies the meditative ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware

American Abstract Expressionist Color Pochoir "Capriccio" Signed Numbered 80/200
American Abstract Expressionist Color Pochoir "Capriccio" Signed Numbered 80/200

American Abstract Expressionist Color Pochoir "Capriccio" Signed Numbered 80/200

By Robert Motherwell

Located in Portland, OR

Important American Abstract Expressionist artwork by Robert Motherwell (1915-1991), titled "Capriccio", dated 1961. This very striking image was created by Robert Motherwell in 1961...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Lithograph, Watercolor, Gouache

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

'Abstract, Ebony & Rust', San Francisco Bay Area Abstraction, Large Oil
'Abstract, Ebony & Rust', San Francisco Bay Area Abstraction, Large Oil

'Abstract, Ebony & Rust', San Francisco Bay Area Abstraction, Large Oil

By Eral Leek

Located in Santa Cruz, CA

Signed lower right, "Eral" for Eral Leek (American, 20th century) and dated 1962. A substantial, mid-century oil abstract comprising bold, overlapping rectangular compositional elem...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Two Untitled Compositions
Two Untitled Compositions

Two Untitled Compositions

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Fumio Otani (Japanese, 1929-1995). Untitled and Untitled, ca, 1965. Cast and polished steel. Smaller composition measures 14.75 x 7.75 x 1.5 inches. Larger composition measures 16...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Steel

Large Antique American Abstract Expressionist Flower Still Life Oil Painting
Large Antique American Abstract Expressionist Flower Still Life Oil Painting

Large Antique American Abstract Expressionist Flower Still Life Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Antique American modernist abstract still life painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed verso. Measuring: 48 by 56 inches overall, and 46 by 54 painting alone. In excellent origina...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

American Abstract Painting
American Abstract Painting

American Abstract Painting

By Kismine Varner

Located in Houston, TX

Eye catching abstract mixed media painting blending vivid jewel tone colors by American artist Kismine Varner, 1990. Signed and dated lower right. Original artwork on paper displa...

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper

Untitled #542 by Murray Duncan - Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper
Untitled #542 by Murray Duncan - Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper

Untitled #542 by Murray Duncan - Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Untitled #542 by Murray Duncan Mixed media on paper Size: 32" x 40” Unframed, signed A bold mixed-media work with dynamic lines and textures. This captivating piece by Murray Dunc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Glaze, Oil Pastel, Acrylic

Untitled
Untitled

Roland AyersUntitled, 1982

$960Sale Price|20% Off

Untitled

By Roland Ayers

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Roland Ayers (1932-2017). Untitled, 1983. Ink on paper, measures 17 x 23 inches. Unframed and unmounted. Signed and dated lower left. Ayers holds the distinction of having participated in the first important survey of African-Americans, Contemporary Black Artists in America, a 1971 show at The Whitney. Biography: Artist and art educator, Roland Ayers was born on July 2, 1932, the only child of Alice and Lorenzo Ayers, and grew up in the Germantown district of Philadelphia. Ayers served in the US Army (stationed in Germany) before studying at the Philadelphia College of Art (currently University of the Arts). He graduated with a BFA in Art Education, 1954. He traveled Europe 1966-67, spending time in Amsterdam and Greece in particular. During this period, he drifted away from painting to focus on linear figurative drawings of a surreal nature. His return home inaugurated the artist’s most prolific and inspired period (1968-1975). Shorty before his second major trip abroad in 1971-72 to West Africa, Ayers began to focus on African themes, and African American figures populated his work almost exclusively. In spite of Ayers’ travel and exploration of the world, he gravitated back to his beloved Germantown, a place he endowed with mythological qualities in his work and literature. His auto-biographical writing focuses on the importance of place during his childhood. Ayers’ journals meticulously document the ethnic and cultural make-up of Germantown, and tell a compelling story of class marginalization that brought together poor families despite racial differences. The distinctive look and design of Germantown inform Ayers’ visual vocabulary. It is a setting with distinctive Gothic Revival architecture and haunting natural beauty. These characteristics are translated and recur in the artist’s imagery. During his childhood, one of the only books in the Ayers household was an illustrated Bible. The images within had a profound effect on the themes and subjects that would appear in his adult work. Figures in an Ayers’ drawing often seem trapped in a narrative of loss and redemption. Powerful women loom large in the drawings: they suggest the female role models his journals record in early life. The drawings can sometimes convey a strong sense of conflict, and at other times, harmony. Nature and architecture seem to have an antagonistic relationship that is, ironically, symbiotic. A critical turning point in the artist’s career came in 1971 when he was included in the extremely controversial Whitney Museum show, Contemporary Black Artists in America. The exhibition gave Ayers an international audience and served as a calling card for introductions he would soon make in Europe. Ayers is a particularly compelling figure in a period when black artists struggled with the idea of authenticity. A questioned often asked was “Is your work too black, or not black enough?” Abstractionists were considered by some peers to be sell-outs, frauds or worse. Figurative* work was accused of being either sentimental or politically radical depending on the critical source. Ayers made the choice early on to be a figurative artist, but considered his work devoid of political content. Organizations such as Chicago’ s Afri-Cobra in the late 1960‘s asserted that the only true black art of any relevance must depict the black man and woman...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

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.