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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
Puppet Man, E. A
Puppet Man, E. A

Puppet Man, E. A

By Alexander Calder

Located in Miami Beach, FL

"Puppet Man, 1960. By Alexander Calder. "E.A" Written in pencil by the artist The "E.A." designation on the print likely indicates it's an artist's proof, o...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Lithograph

Blooming Horizon
Blooming Horizon

Blooming Horizon

Located in Zofingen, AG

In Blooming Horizon, the artist captures the vibrant essence of a blooming meadow beneath a radiant sky. This abstract landscape is characterized by dynamic textures and luminous col...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"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

Exploded City

Exploded City

Located in Dallas, TX

oil on canvas signed on the back

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Autumn Biogram of the Nelson
Autumn Biogram of the Nelson

Autumn Biogram of the Nelson

By Kory Twaddle

Located in Kansas City, MO

Artist : Kory Twaddle "Autumn Biogram of the Nelson" Newsprint, graphite, conté crayon pastel, charcoal, beeswax, cardboard, paper, gingko leaves, stickers, and Mixed Media on drawi...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Paint, Paper, Conté, Charcoal, India Ink, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, ...

What is the sea?
What is the sea?

What is the sea?

By Katarina Joys

Located in London, London

All the custom charges are included in the final price agreed. Corals, water, Blue, turquoise, pink, beige, ochre, ocean, sea, current, fluid, yellow. Title: "Sunrise Corals" Arti...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Siesta in Santa Fe
Siesta in Santa Fe

Siesta in Santa Fe

Located in Santa Fe, NM

Lynn Sanders is an artist excited by beauty: architecture, foliage, landscapes, seascapes, interiors. She finds palettes and shapes in her environment and propels them into her work,...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Acrylic

Large French Abstract Oil Painting Autumnal Colors
Large French Abstract Oil Painting Autumnal Colors

Large French Abstract Oil Painting Autumnal Colors

By Andre Copin

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Superb large scale French abstract oil painting by the popular 20th century French painter, Andre Copin (1911-1998). The painting is signed to the lower corner and dates to circa 198...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Ruz   Gray and Black Diptych  Very Big  original abstract canvas  acrylic
Ruz   Gray and Black Diptych  Very Big  original abstract canvas  acrylic

Ruz Gray and Black Diptych Very Big original abstract canvas acrylic

By Rafael Ruz

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

El brote- original abstract canvas diptic acrylic painting. virtual frame , Rafael (Barcelona 1956) While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are inclined to talk about real ‘psyc...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Pure Joy
Pure Joy

Pure Joy

By Amy Van Winkle

Located in Santa Fe, NM

Encaustic on panel. It's simple; I create art because it makes me happy. I try not to overthink the process of what I’m painting and let my intuition be my guide. I love laying do...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Encaustic

The Painted Lady - Large Impasto Thick Paint Colorful Abstract Painting
The Painted Lady - Large Impasto Thick Paint Colorful Abstract Painting

The Painted Lady - Large 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

Under the Moonlight
Under the Moonlight

Under the Moonlight

Located in Zofingen, AG

On the painting, the Goddess eembraces the lamb. Her appearance reveals an underlying bond between the divine, the human, and the natural, suggesting that these realms arise from a c...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

20th Century Original French Expressionist Oil Painting Abstract Face
20th Century Original French Expressionist Oil Painting Abstract Face

20th Century Original French Expressionist Oil Painting Abstract Face

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Original oil painting by P. Valetti (French, second half 20th century) oil on canvas, unframed size: 24 x 19.75 inches condition: very good provenance: from the artists estate, Franc...

Category

20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Original Lithograph I

Original Lithograph I

By Joan Miró

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1972 at the Mourlot atelier and published for the "Miro Lithograph I" catalogue raisonne. Size: 12 1/2 x 9 5/8 inches (320 x 245 mm). Not sign...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Lithograph

Abstract impressionist portrait of Frida Kahlo "Dreaming with Frida" on canvas
Abstract impressionist portrait of Frida Kahlo "Dreaming with Frida" on canvas

Abstract impressionist portrait of Frida Kahlo "Dreaming with Frida" on canvas

Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR

"Dreaming with Frida" is a contemporary, faceless abstract portrait of Frida Kahlo by French artist Natalya Mougenot. Blending elements of impressionism and expressionism, the work reimagines one of the most iconic female figures in art with bold color, emotional depth, and symbolic detail. Frida is depicted with orange flowers in her hair and matching orange earrings...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Alexander Calder

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This is one of the Alexander Calder lithographs from his "Stabiles" series, printed in 1963 for the art revue Derriere le Miroir (issue number 141) and p...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Lithograph

Beige Dream.Heat-haze vision
Beige Dream.Heat-haze vision

Beige Dream.Heat-haze vision

Located in Zofingen, AG

This work is a contemplative abstract landscape, it is painted in oil on linen canvas using the lessirovka technique - this is when layers of paint let light through, and the lower l...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Original-Once in a Sturgeon Moon-Brit Awarded Artist-plein-air with gold-leaf
Original-Once in a Sturgeon Moon-Brit Awarded Artist-plein-air with gold-leaf

Original-Once in a Sturgeon Moon-Brit Awarded Artist-plein-air with gold-leaf

Located in London, GB

Painted en plein air beneath the final full moon of summer—the Sturgeon Moon—this work captures a rare moment when the florals in Shizico Yi’s garden glowed under brilliant moonlight...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Easy Over by Murray Duncan, Abstract Mixed Media on Canvas
Easy Over by Murray Duncan, Abstract Mixed Media on Canvas

Easy Over by Murray Duncan, Abstract Mixed Media on Canvas

By Murray Duncan

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Easy Over by Murray Duncan is a striking abstract composition that merges bold gestural lines with an earthy, textured surface. Rendered in a muted, organic palette, the piece evokes...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic

Peek a Color Boo
Peek a Color Boo

Peek a Color Boo

Located in Santa Fe, NM

Lynn Sanders is an artist excited by beauty: architecture, foliage, landscapes, seascapes, interiors. She finds palettes and shapes in her environment and propels them into her work,...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Acrylic

Aleksandar Bezinovic Geometric Abstraction Contemporary Black White Minimalist
Aleksandar Bezinovic Geometric Abstraction Contemporary Black White Minimalist

Aleksandar Bezinovic Geometric Abstraction Contemporary Black White Minimalist

By Aleksandar Bezinovic

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

The piece is signed by the artist on the reverse and includes a Certificate of Authenticity officially stamped by the gallery. At our gallery, we uphold rigorous standards of trust, transparency, and professionalism for every collector. Each artwork is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity that verifies its originality and provenance. We provide secure worldwide shipping to the destination of your choice, ensuring the work arrives safely and in perfect condition. Should you need tailored shipping options or a personalised quote from our network of specialised carriers, our team will be pleased to assist. We are dedicated to offering the most reliable and seamless delivery experience. Aleksandar...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Ebb and Flow 1
Ebb and Flow 1

Ebb and Flow 1

By Amy Van Winkle

Located in Santa Fe, NM

Encaustic on panel. It's simple; I create art because it makes me happy. I try not to overthink the process of what I’m painting and let my intuition be my guide. I love laying do...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Encaustic

Abstract Geometric Composition with Paper, Fibers, and Acrylic on Canvas (Red)
Abstract Geometric Composition with Paper, Fibers, and Acrylic on Canvas (Red)

Abstract Geometric Composition with Paper, Fibers, and Acrylic on Canvas (Red)

Located in Soquel, CA

Abstract Geometric Composition with Handmade Paper, Fibers and Acrylic on Canvas (Red) Whimsical abstract composition by an unknown artist (20th Century). Red acrylic paint makes up...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Jute, Acrylic, Washi Paper

"Viridis, " Limited Edition Giclee Print, 30" x 60"
"Viridis, " Limited Edition Giclee Print, 30" x 60"

"Viridis, " Limited Edition Giclee Print, 30" x 60"

By Elwood Howell

Located in Westport, CT

This abstract landscape limited edition print by Elwood Howell features a cool, green and pale blue palette. The artist's signature high horizon line forms a very slight valley at th...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Digital, Giclée

“Americana 2”
“Americana 2”

“Americana 2”

Located in San Francisco, CA

Native-born Americans rarely experience the remarkable hopefulness and energy that can come with the privilege of U.S. citizenship, especially when it’s granted after birth elsewhere...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Polymer

Small Abstract Graphite Drawing, 2000-2009, Unframed
Small Abstract Graphite Drawing, 2000-2009, Unframed

Small Abstract Graphite Drawing, 2000-2009, Unframed

By George Dannatt

Located in Bournemouth, Dorset

George Dannatt (1915-2009) Small Linear Composition on Graphite 1997 Image: 19.0 x 14.0 cm Mount: 27.6 x 20.5cm Reference number: 1345 George Dannatt’s long career as a painter and...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Art

Materials

Pencil, Graphite

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

Original Diptych-British Awarded Artist-Impasto, oil-Jardin d'Hiver Series
Original Diptych-British Awarded Artist-Impasto, oil-Jardin d'Hiver Series

Original Diptych-British Awarded Artist-Impasto, oil-Jardin d'Hiver Series

Located in London, GB

Jardin d'Hiver Series is Shizico Yi's latest collection, created in her winter studio while longing for the summer left behind. Reflecting on the vibrant days spent painting en plein...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Abstract Turquoise & Red Flowers on Pink Background by British Landscape Artist
Abstract Turquoise & Red Flowers on Pink Background by British Landscape Artist

Abstract Turquoise & Red Flowers on Pink Background by British Landscape Artist

By Angela Wakefield

Located in Preston, GB

Painting of Abstract Turquoise & Red Flowers on a Pink Background by British Landscape Artist, Angela Wakefield. This original is from th...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Art

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Watercolor

Dormant Bloom I, Contemporary, Abstract, Original
Dormant Bloom I, Contemporary, Abstract, Original

Dormant Bloom I, Contemporary, Abstract, Original

Located in Deddington, GB

In deep burgundy, softened pinks and quiet beige, this piece embodies the faded beauty of a winter rose hip. The colours feel hushed, as though they’re holding warmth beneath the sur...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Beginning to shine 2
Beginning to shine 2

Beginning to shine 2

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Beginning to shine 2" continues the story of awakening, where the first rays of the sun gently illuminate the earth. This picture is filled with warmth and light, peace and new poss...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, 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.