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.
Red Composition - Lithograph by Virgilio Guidi - 1960s
Located in Roma, IT
Lithograph realized by Virgilio Guidi in 1960s. Hand signed on the lower margin. Numbered on the lower left margin Edition of 75 Good conditions except for some lights foxing and...
Lithograph
Mid Century Abstract Geometric Study In Polymerised Macro-Molecular Paint.
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 ...
Canvas, Acrylic, Board
$3,000
"Tattered", Contemporary, Gestural, Ceramic, Green, Cream, Gray, Sculpture
Located in Franklin, MA
Sara Fine-Wilsons “Tattered” is a gestural 17 x 8 x 9 inch ceramic sculpture in pale aqua, green, lavender, cream and gray. In this evocative sculpture individual slab elements are ...
Ceramic, Clay
$1,293
Spring Unfolding Diptych. Large size abstract painting, floral, texured, gestual
Located in Oslo, NO
This diptych explores the sensation of renewal and upward movement associated with early spring. Soft yet dynamic layers of blush pinks, muted greens and luminous light tones interac...
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s "Night Magic" Teal, Pink, Yellow Collage Intaglio Etching NY Artist
Located in Arp, TX
Myril Adler "Night Magic" c.1960s Intaglio etching collage, ink on paper 3"x6" framed Signed and titled in ink Myril Adler, was born on September 22, 1920 in Vitebsk, Russia (now Be...
Paper, Ink, Intaglio
$2,400Sale Price|40% Off
Provincetown Beach Landscape with Lobster Traps
By Sol Wilson
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Sol Wilson (1896-1974). Provincetown Beach Landscape with Lobster Traps, ca. 1950. Oil on Masonite panel, 16 x 20 inches. Measuring 24 x 28 inches fra...
Oil
$599Sale Price|51% Off
First Floor Biogram
By Kory Twaddle
Located in Kansas City, MO
Title : First Floor Biogram Materials : Acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, marker, charcoal, graphite, and conté crayon on paper Date : 2018 Dimensions : 24 x 18 x .1 in. Description : ...
Paint, Paper, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, Graphite, Conté, Oil Pastel,...
$3,400
"Avec Des Épines" (abstract, dark, floral, roses, red, black, antique linen)
Located in Paris, IDF
AVEC DES ÉPINES 2024 Paris, France The French title of the work translates in English to "With Thorns". The painting captures the rose’s mysterious allure, balancing beauty with an...
Linen, Dye
Miracle De La Vie - Green Teal Abstract Floral 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...
Canvas, Acrylic
$4,796Sale Price|20% Off
Jasper Johns, Untitled, from Screenprints, 1977
By Jasper Johns
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite silkscreen by Jasper Johns (born 1930), titled Untitled, from the album Jasper Johns, Screenprints, 1977, originates from the 1977 edition published by Brooke Alexande...
Screen
$796Sale Price|20% Off
Abstract Figurative Composition in Oil on Board
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract Figurative Composition in Oil on Board Boldly colored abstract composition by an unknown Bay area California artist (20th Century)...
Oil, Fiberboard
'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...
Canvas, Oil
Pink Cosmos Monotype Print, Abstract Art, 2023, Hand-Pulled by the Artist
By a.muse
Located in New york, NY
In the artist's abstract print series, Cosmos, 2023 by a.muse represents an imaginary cosmos - the universe as a place of longing, dreams, wonder, and ethereal beauty. A 13.75" x 11"...
Ink, Rag Paper, Monotype, Gouache
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...
Canvas, Oil
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
Number 12 - Painting by Alfredo Pizzi - 2025
Located in Roma, IT
Alfredo Pizzi, “Number 12” Acrylic on Canvas Medium Scale Contemporary Abstract Expressionism Exploding with dynamic energy and vivid emotion, Number 12 is a striking original wor...
Acrylic
$299
Color Balloons and Waves (Les Travestis du Reel) - Lithograph poster - 1979
Located in Paris, IDF
Alexander CALDER Les Travestis du Reel, 1979 Original vintage lithograph poster Printed in Atelier Arts-Litho Printed signature in the plate 82 x 57 cm (c. 32.2 x 22.4 in) Excelle...
Lithograph
$495
Alexander Calder Abstract Geometric Lithograph, 1968, from Derriere Le Miroir
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Alexander Calder Title: Plate 1 Portfolio: Derriere le Miroir #173 Medium: Lithograph Year: 1968 Edition: Unnumbered Frame Size: 21 1/4" x 17 1/4" Sheet Size: 15" x 11" Image...
Lithograph
Support. Diptych
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Support” is a work about inner stability and the quiet strength found within oneself. The painting explores a state in which reliance on external structures dissolves, giving way to...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$1,102Sale Price|50% Off
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...
Board, Watercolor
$14,248
Rose Madone — Large Neutral Abstract Minimal Earth Diptych on Canvas (Set of 2)
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Onirisme organique (Diptych), 146 × 114 cm each panel, Acrylic on raw canvas. Total size of the two panels: 146 × 228 cm. At Escat Gallery, we are committed to maintaining the highe...
Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Pigment
Syros Main Square
By Nell Blaine
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An Ink and marker figurative abstract of the Main Square on the Island of Syros. Signed, titled and dated Aug 1959 lower right. Nell Blaine contracted Polio during her excursion to G...
Ink, Permanent Marker
$1,857Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Canvas, Oil
Sunsets on the Hudson (Abstract Painting in Blue, Pink and Metallic Gold)
By Bruce Murphy
Located in Hudson, NY
Sunsets on the Hudson (Abstract Painting in Blue, Pink and Metallic Gold), 2019 by Bruce Murphy 38 x 42 inches, unframed, enamel paint on archival paper Signed, verso This gestural ...
Enamel
Love and Rage /// Contemporary Female Woman Abstract Expressionist Painting Art
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Margaux Halloran (American, 1999-) Title: "Love and Rage" *Monogram signed by Halloran lower right. It is also signed, dated, and titled on verso Year: 2021 Medium: Original ...
Canvas, Paint, Oil
"Wavelet" Fine Art Mirror
Located in Westport, CT
This abstract fine art mirror by Alina B is made with dichroic film on mirror, and is framed in a champagne-toned frame. The film on the mirror allows for it, and the space it reflec...
Mirror, Film
$1,800
Burst II - large scale abstract photograph of caleidoscopic color explosions
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...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
$1,322Sale Price|20% Off
French Abstract Oil Painting Neutral Tones Jean Briant
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist: Jean Briant (French, 20th Century) Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 24 x 36 inches Signature: Signed lower right; signed verso Condition: Excellent condition Provenance: French sc...
Oil
Birds-eye view at 10.18AM
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting invites the viewer to rise above the noise of everyday life and see the world from a higher perspective. From above, the scene unfolds in serene contrast — the vast, te...
Canvas, Oil
Rhodotorulic Acid. Woodcut in colors. Signed.
By Damien Hirst
Located in Paris, FR
HIRST Damien (1965 - ) Rhodotorulic Acid. Woodcut in colors. Signed. Provenance : DTR Modern Gallery, New York. About Damien Hirst (Artist) British artist Damien Hirst is widely considered the enfant terrible of contemporary art. He is the most prominent of the so-called Young British Artists, or YBAs, a group, largely composed of Hirst’s classmates at Goldsmiths, in London, that began exhibiting together in warehouses and factories after 1988 and is known for the use of unconventional materials and “shock tactics.” In the 1990s, Hirst said, “I can’t wait to get into a position to make really bad art and get away with it.” And indeed, he is notorious for piquing critics and baffling the public with such pieces as his signature glass vitrines containing dead sheep or sharks in formaldehyde, and his diamond-encrusted skull, For the Love of God. Working primarily in sculpture, Hirst takes after French modernist master Marcel Duchamp in his use of ready-made objects and materials, which he combines to ironic effect. He often creates in series, as with The Cure (Violet) and The Cure (Turquoise), both from 2014, which are among several pill paintings...
Paper
$525
The Red Dress 12 - Abstract Flowy Minimalist Figurative Ink Painting on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Bettina Mauel expresses dynamism and sensuality in her paintings: “I paint what I experience,” she articulates. “This includes landscapes, flowers, and people in motion, capturing th...
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media, Graphite
$2,700
FS 215 - Soft pastel color orange, pink, beige abstract geometric watercolor
By Evan Venegas
Located in New York, NY
Evan Venegas studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and earned his BFA in Painting in 1998. Evan Venegas creates artwork that lives at the intersection of geometry and atmosphere...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Colorful Vermont
Located in Zofingen, AG
Colorful Vermont I created this vivid painting with a symphony of brushstrokes that dance on the canvas, weaving into a tapestry of color and energy. Each stroke is a whisper of emot...
Canvas, Oil
$435Sale Price|20% Off
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...
Oil
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 ...
Canvas, Oil
Abstract 5, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Patches of cream, turquoise, and grey fill this abstract painting. Blue and orange accents, along with black lines, create contrast. Scratches and marks bring d...
Oil
Ocean's Jewels, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A layer of emerald green rests atop a base of purple, pale blue, and white, creating a striking contrast of light and dark. Scratches and marks added while the ...
Oil
$454
Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Floral Painting "Summer colorful garden"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
My dear art lover, This semi-abstract vibrant expressive artwork celebrates a summer floral period. This floral artwork named "Summer colorful garden" with its bright vivid colors ...
Acrylic, Watercolor
$2,400
Straight Into the Middle - Lively 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...
Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Untitled 2 . From Ritmos abstractos (Abstract Rhythms) Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
"Abstract Rhythms" 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, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Ruz Red Light Background Landscapes - Abstract Acrylic on canvas Painting
By Rafael Ruz
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Original artwork by Spanish artist Rafael Ruz. Acrylic in perfect condition. While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are inclined to talk about real ‘psychodrama’, in the same...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Assembled Whole. 2
Located in Zofingen, AG
An abstract work from the series “The Assembled Whole.”, continuing the exploration of wholeness emerging from the connection of fragments. The composition is structured through the ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
The jungle of words, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
**** The shipping is free for the rolled canvas. If you would like it ready to hang, please contact me with your zip code for a shipping quote. **** This happy inspirational abst...
Acrylic
$14,200
A834 - Original Large Scale Minimalist Contemporary Teal Tone Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Swiss-born artist Marco Schmidli creates large-scale minimalist paintings reminiscent of color field studies with a contemporary edge. Placing emphasis on process, he lets the medium...
Canvas, Acrylic
Vintage American Cloudy Pastel-Colored Abstract Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Measuring: 24.5 by 32.5 inches overall and 24 x 32 painting alone. Framed in a wood molding. Excellent condition, read...
Canvas, Oil
$22,000
Nocturne
By Marina Stern
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This work is part of our exhibition Marina Stern Luminary, the first retrospective of the artist since 2007. Marina Stern was a multifaceted New York-based artist whose works range...
Canvas, Oil
"Relaxing at Camarillo" - Abstract Expressionism
Located in Soquel, CA
"Relaxing at Camarillo" - Abstract Expressionism A man relines in a black hat and a green shape emulating the symbol of infinity, accented in bright canary yellow and gray, by Calif...
Paper, Acrylic, Gouache, Pencil
$23,600Sale Price|20% Off
Composition, Basket Series, Dale Chihuly
By Dale Chihuly
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Dale Chihuly (1941) Title: Composition, Basket Series Year: 1985 Medium: Acrylic on Arches Aquarelle paper Size: 42 x 30 inches Inscription: Signed and dated by the artist No...
Acrylic
$1,102Sale Price|20% Off
Impasto Abstract Seascape Landscape Miniature Study Contemporary British Artist
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...
Paint, Acrylic, Board
$5,148
Blanca Nieto Geometric Minimalist Abstract Painting, Black and Beige Composition
By Blanca Nieto
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...
Silk, Cord, Pigment
Three Birds Flying - Original Lithograph (Mourlot #82)
Located in Paris, IDF
Georges BRAQUE (1882-1963) Composition with Birds, 1965 Original lithograph (Mourlot workshop) Signed in the plate On vellum 30 x 24 cm (c. 11.8 x 9.4 in) REFERENCES : - Catalog r...
Lithograph
A Summer's Sunset
Located in San Francisco, CA
In this abstract landscape, artist Geneva Cross conveys the mood of a dreamlike summer evening that might be remembered by any of us in its universality. Blending the basic elements ...
Masonite, Oil
Aura - Chrome metallic glazed ceramic sculpture
Located in East Quogue, NY
Hand-pitched chrome metallic glazed ceramic sculpture vessel by Jessamyn Go. White Stoneware, Bronze Metallic Glaze, 8" x 7 x 3.5 inches Jessamyn Go's work is deeply rooted in the ...
Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze
$304Sale Price|20% Off
Ocean blue - abstract painting, made in blue color
By Mila Akopova
Located in Fort Lee, NJ
Interior design paintings. The work was done with alcohol ink in blue color on Yupo paper. The work is 11 by 14 inches in size, framed (gold or black) with a styrene face on a mat bo...
Paper, Ink
Moonlight, Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting on Board by Leonardo Nierman
Located in Long Island City, NY
Leonardo Nierman, Mexican (1932 - 2023) - Moonlight, Medium: Oil on board, Size: 32 x 24 in. (81.28 x 60.96 cm), Frame Size: 40 x 32 inches
Oil
Large Abstract Expressionist Taiwanese Painting Chihung Yang Chinese Art
Located in Surfside, FL
Chihung Yang American (b. 1947) Untitled (Black and Brown Composition) (1986) Mixed media (acrylic, pastel) on paper Hand signed lower right Sheet 38 x 50 inches, frame dimensions: 4...
Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Life Forces - 1978 Signed Limited Edition Screen Print
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Artist: Kyohei Inukai Title: Life Forces Year: 1978 Print - Silkscreen Size: 30'' x 22½'' in Edition: signed in pencil and marked 70/200 Kyohei Inukai (1913–1985) was a Japanese...
Screen
Vintage American Modernist Signed Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
This mid-century abstract composition employs a dynamic interplay of geometric planes and gestural brushwork, rendered in a vibrant yet balanced palette of pastel pinks, acid yellow...
Canvas, Oil
$7,800
Delta (Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting on Canvas in Teal, Aqua Blue & Green)
By Jenny Nelson
Located in Hudson, NY
Square, abstract expressionist oil painting on canvas in aqua, teal, blue, and green against pale grey with accents of yellow, peach, and mauve 'Delta' by Jenny Nelson Oil on linen, ...
Canvas, Oil
Time Is Your Garden. Large Contemporary Expressionist Oil Painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
Francesca Owen is an award winning contemporary fine art painter and a former Slade graduate where she studied under some influential artists such as Dame Phyllida Barlow RA CBE, And...
Oil