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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
The magic of Jasmines.  Foliage Original oil painting on canvas
The magic of Jasmines.  Foliage Original oil painting on canvas

The magic of Jasmines. Foliage Original oil painting on canvas

Located in Zofingen, AG

This original painting from collection «Unity with Nature» in which the theme of herbal spirits helping us to remain in harmony with nature speaks on a symbolic level about the re...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ray of Light 1
Ray of Light 1

Ray of Light 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

"Resonance" Raku metallic glazed ceramic abstract stoneware sculpture
"Resonance" Raku metallic glazed ceramic abstract stoneware sculpture

"Resonance" Raku metallic glazed ceramic abstract stoneware sculpture

Located in East Quogue, NY

Stunning hand-pitched Raku metallic glazed, speckled stoneware ceramic sculpture by Jessamyn Go. Jessamyn Go's work is deeply rooted in the visceral, meditative experience of workin...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze

Layers of Silence: Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas, 100x100 cm
Layers of Silence: Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas, 100x100 cm

Layers of Silence: Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas, 100x100 cm

Located in Zofingen, AG

Elevate your interior with "Layers of Silence," a stunning original abstract painting by renowned contemporary artist Alex Senchenko. This piece is a masterclass in texture and depth...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

ARCHANGEL (XL Size)
ARCHANGEL (XL Size)

ARCHANGEL (XL Size)

Located in FITZROY, VIC

Nick Thomm ARCHANGEL (XL SIZE 36" x 48"). Limited Edition #22 of 25. Hand Signed & Numbered. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW - Unopene...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment

Nick Thomm - GHOSTS (BLUE)

Nick Thomm - GHOSTS (BLUE)

Located in FITZROY, VIC

Nick Thomm 'GHOSTS' (Blue) 69cm x 92cm (27"×36″) Limited Edition of 199 Hand Signed and Numbered #113 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW. Wo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment

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

Street After Rain (Santiago de Chile) Dominican Artist
Street After Rain (Santiago de Chile) Dominican Artist

Street After Rain (Santiago de Chile) Dominican Artist

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Alberto Ulloa Burgos (1 January 1950 – 1 October 2011). Street After Rain (Santiago de Chile), 1970. Oil on masonite panel measuring 20 x 24 inches; 26 x 30 inches framed. Signed and dated lower right. Original frame with export label stamp. Alberto Ulloa Burgos was a painter, sculptor, and poet from Altamira, Dominican Republic. He was a student of the distinguished Latin American painter Jaime Colson...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Eternal Sakura - Original Textured Neon Pink Landscape Artwork
Eternal Sakura - Original Textured Neon Pink Landscape Artwork

Eternal Sakura - Original Textured Neon Pink Landscape Artwork

By Frederic Paul

Located in Los Angeles, CA

The delicate and poetic artworks of painter Frederic Paul reference his Asian roots in expressive and elaborate compositions. Inspired by the bold colors, spices, flora, and landscap...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Rice Paper

New York Misses You Too, Oil Painting
New York Misses You Too, Oil Painting

New York Misses You Too, Oil Painting

By Onelio Marrero

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
"The source of inspiration for this painting came as I was walking in Manhattan in the rain," says artist Onelio Marrero. "This street is based on 8th Avenue ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Donald Judd

Located in New York, NY

Created by Donald Judd as an aquatint on wove paper, Untitled, 1978-79 is hand-signed and numbered "28/175" in pencil, measuring 40 x 29 ½ (101.6 x 74.9 cm.), unframed, and is from t...

Category

20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Aquatint

Creation Myth Ceramic Vase Sculpture, Abstract Expressionist
Creation Myth Ceramic Vase Sculpture, Abstract Expressionist

Creation Myth Ceramic Vase Sculpture, Abstract Expressionist

Located in Miami Beach, FL

This vessel was built using the traditional and ancient methods of coil building. Through this meditative process, ancestral connections are drawn. The composition wraps around the f...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Porcelain, Paint

Summer Rain 14

Summer Rain 14

By Liz Barber

Located in Napa, CA

Liz Barber pursued painting while obtaining her degree from the Massachusetts College of Art and Moore College of Art. She currently resides in Marietta, Georgia. Barber’s paintings ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Paint, Ink, Acrylic, Graphite

Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist Beach Scene Painting
Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist Beach Scene Painting

Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist Beach Scene Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage abstract beach scene oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a wood molding. Excellent condition, ready to han...

Category

1950s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Ensign No. 3

Ensign No. 3

Located in Columbia, MO

A native of Upstate New York, Matt Ballou was educated at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (BFA 2001) and Indiana University ( MFA 2005) before coming to The University of ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Plastic, Mixed Media, Permanent Marker

French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance
French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance

French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Jacques COULAIS (1955-2011) gouache painting on paper/ card unframed: 12.75 x 9.75 inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

"Night Views" Silkscreen Print by The Skyscape Artist, 25/100
"Night Views" Silkscreen Print by The Skyscape Artist, 25/100

"Night Views" Silkscreen Print by The Skyscape Artist, 25/100

Located in Soquel, CA

"Night Views" Silkscreen Print by The Skyscape Artist, 25/100. By Tetsuro Sawada ( Japanese, 1933-1998) This raven black geometric abstraction focuses on hard-edged horizontal lines, color, and light, giving the impression of dusk through the "bokashi," or shading, technique, which is most difficult in the silkscreen medium, a good example of Sawada's theme of the infinite beyond, the silent emptiness of the universe. Signature in the bottom right corner reads, "T. Sawada '87," titled in the bottom center, "Night Views," and numbered, "25/100," in the bottom left corner. Presented in a new white mat. Paper size: 34"H x 22"W, Mat size: 39"H x 27"W Born in Hokkaido, Tetsuro Sawada (1933-1998, Japanese) graduated from Musashimo Art University where he majored in Western painting. In 1960, he began painting abstract oils...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

After the Rain, Tennessee Tobacco Farm, Oil Painting
After the Rain, Tennessee Tobacco Farm, Oil Painting

After the Rain, Tennessee Tobacco Farm, Oil Painting

By Doug Cosbie

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
In this painting, artist Doug Cosbie features small-scale American tobacco farms with their fields. Each has a curing shed that is attached to the main structure. "The atmosphere is humid after the rain, and the air has an overwhelming but delightfully sweet and pungent smell."


About the Artist
Artist Doug Cosbie presents the vibrancy found in nature with his impressionist, rural architecture centered artwork. Longing to create something that connects with people, Cosbie spent countless years perfecting how he portrays the world on canvas. Within his journey, he studied as an apprentice in the studios of Sam Black and Jack Shadbolt. As a plein air artist, Doug's studio is a portable pochade box...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Between Black and White - Original 1972 Oil on Paper
Between Black and White - Original 1972 Oil on Paper

Between Black and White - Original 1972 Oil on Paper

By Louis Nadalini

Located in Soquel, CA

Between Black and White - Original 1972 Oil on Paper Original black and white oil painting on paper by Louis Nadalini (American, 1927-1995). Black and white lines take up the paper...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Laid Paper

Ebb and Flow 3
Ebb and Flow 3

Ebb and Flow 3

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

Vintage American Cloudy Pastel-Colored Abstract Oil Painting
Vintage American Cloudy Pastel-Colored Abstract Oil Painting

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...

Category

20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Sedona Red Bluffs and Seguaro Cactus Abstract
Sedona Red Bluffs and Seguaro Cactus Abstract

Sedona Red Bluffs and Seguaro Cactus Abstract

Located in Soquel, CA

Stunning and bright mid-century abstracted Sedona desert landscape of red bluffs and Seguaro cactus by unknown artist, 1957. Signed lower left illegibly and dated "June 1957" on vers...

Category

1950s Abstract Art

Materials

Masonite, Oil

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

"Floral Alchemy"
"Floral Alchemy"

"Floral Alchemy"

Located in Zofingen, AG

Abstract textured acrylic painting on canvas 90x90x2 cm (35,4 x 35,4 x0,8inches). Mixed Media on gallery wrapped canvas. The work is ready to hang. No framing required. The sides of ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Evanescence: Painting, Large, Abstract, Acrylic, Bold, Blue, Figurative, Blues
Evanescence: Painting, Large, Abstract, Acrylic, Bold, Blue, Figurative, Blues

Evanescence: Painting, Large, Abstract, Acrylic, Bold, Blue, Figurative, Blues

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Evanescence of Time Evanescence Painting Large Contemporary Bold Blue Statement Figurative Modern Texture Stories In this vibrant acrylic painting, I've infused the essence ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Dark & Atmospheric Abstract Expressionist Art by Contemporary British Painter
Dark & Atmospheric Abstract Expressionist Art by Contemporary British Painter

Dark & Atmospheric Abstract Expressionist Art by Contemporary British Painter

By Angela Wakefield

Located in Preston, GB

Dark & Atmospheric Abstract Expressionist Painting by Contemporary British Painter Angela Wakefield - a rare early work. Entitled 'Accrington ...

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, ...

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.