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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
154 Squares V.3 - Modern Colorful Abstract Geometric Squares Acrylic Painting
154 Squares V.3 - Modern Colorful Abstract Geometric Squares Acrylic Painting

154 Squares V.3 - Modern Colorful Abstract Geometric Squares Acrylic Painting

By Brandon Neher

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Brandon Neher is a California artist whose original paintings embody a profound exploration of space, structure, and balance, infused with a touch of modern minimalism. Drawing inspi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Sergio Nates

Located in San Francisco, CA

Sergio Nates Untitled, 2015 Acrylic on canvas Unframed dimensions: 21.75 x 23 inches Framed dimensions: 22.75 x 24 x 1.875 inches This one-of-a-kind acrylic painting on canvas inclu...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mark TOBEY : Spring Garden, Original signed screenprint
Mark TOBEY : Spring Garden, Original signed screenprint

Mark TOBEY : Spring Garden, Original signed screenprint

By Mark Tobey

Located in Paris, IDF

Mark TOBEY (1890-1976) Spring Garden, 1976 Original color screenprint Signed with the artist's stamp Numbered / 77 copies On Auvergne vellum 64.5 x 50.5 cm INFORMATION: Authenticat...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Screen

Ross Bleckner Abstract Oil Painting
Ross Bleckner Abstract Oil Painting

Ross Bleckner Abstract Oil Painting

By Ross Bleckner

Located in New York, NY

Ross Bleckner (American, b. 1949) Untitled, c. 20th century Oil on board 18 x 20 in. Ross Bleckner grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, New York; drawing all the time without being aware that other artists existed. He was the middle child between two sisters; his father manufactures electronic parts He attended New York University where Sol Lewitt, Chuck Close and others were his teachers. He graduated in 1972, then spent a year at the California Institute of Arts. His contacts in the next few years were very fortuitous; Sol Lewitt and Chuck Close, Carl Andre, David Salle, Julian Schnabel, etc. Bleckner is on the nervous side, beset by self-doubt, insomnia, and gloom. He is unpretentious, although he is bluntly handsome, with olive complexion, and a compact build. He is "10 percent that is superficial and 90 percent that has to do with the depths and that is threatened by living. He is a very complicated individual. He is a very, very morose, deeply feeling, hardworking artist- he takes a lot from within himself - but always, no matter how successful he is, he feels he is going to fall into those depths." 1 Bleckner first exhibited his work in New York in 1974. The following year he was given his first one-man show; he was included in the 1975 Whitney Biennial.. Since about 1985 has addressed many of his paintings to the subject of AIDS- both documenting it as a historical phenomenon and commemorating specific individuals who have died. Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher from Laguna Woods, California. Bio sourced from the Archives of askArt. Sources include: Ross Bleckner's Mood Indigo...

Category

20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Lilac green fantasy.
Lilac green fantasy.

Lilac green fantasy.

By Svetlana Saratova

Located in Zofingen, AG

This abstract composition is inspired by the quiet rhythm of geological formations and the fluid movement of natural landscapes. Flowing layers of muted olive green, warm taupe, soft...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ink, Synthetic Paper

The Foundation
The Foundation

The Foundation

Located in Zofingen, AG

Size: 110×97 cm (overall size with stretching 120×107 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled the series "The Inviolable Reserve" Painting "The Foundation" is ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Fragrance of Memory, Abstract Painting
Fragrance of Memory, Abstract Painting

Fragrance of Memory, Abstract Painting

By Sheila Grabarsky

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Sheila Grabarsky demonstrates an abstraction of interlacing colors with hints of green, blue, and white peeping from the predominantly maroon, black, and mustard yellow background. A whimsical portrayal of ever-changing moods. Sheila incorporates dried acrylic skins within the multilayered composition, creating textures, depth, and history. The expressive gestural strokes depict a sense of sinuous motion.


About the Artist
Sheila Grabarsky is known for her bold, gestural nature scenes. Her fluid paintings have been compared to those of Vasily Kandinsky...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

"Easter Lily & Spring Dancers" - Figurative Floral Abstract
"Easter Lily & Spring Dancers" - Figurative Floral Abstract

"Easter Lily & Spring Dancers" - Figurative Floral Abstract

By Patricia Gren Hayes

Located in Soquel, CA

Vivid Berkeley school figurative abstract titled "Easter Lily and Spring Dancers" by Patricia Gren Hayes (American, 20th Century), 1976 with wash and varnish added 1983. Signed "Gren Hayes", titled and dated "1976 washes, 1983 washes/demo" on verso. Presented in a new bronze colored frame. Image size: 23.5"H x 29.5"W. Bay Area Figurative / Bay Area Feminist Art Movement artist, Patricia Gren-Hayes, studied at Winnipeg Public Art School in 1950. She received early recognition in Museum and Gallery competitions and exhibitions and was awarded a Special Education in Art recognition by the Winnipeg Museum of Fine Art, and was awarded a scholarship to the Banff College of Fine Art. Further studies were at The University of Manitoba. She was a Member of Winnipeg Free Press Sketch Club and was a Cartoonist and paste-up for a French-English bi-weekly, in Eastern Canada; She studied outdoor impressionism in New York in 1960; in 1962, attended The California College of Arts and Crafts, and in 1976 B.A., U.C. Berkeley where she studied under Elmer Bischoff, David Simpson, Joan Brown, Felix Ruvolo, Yolanda Lopez and Vincent Perez...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Queen Victoria: Wall Sculpture & Found Objects, signed, 13", Black History Month
Queen Victoria: Wall Sculpture & Found Objects, signed, 13", Black History Month

Queen Victoria: Wall Sculpture & Found Objects, signed, 13", Black History Month

By Richard J. Watson

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

"QUEEN VICTORIA" is created and from acrylic and found objects on thick, round panel by renowned Black African American artist Richard J. Watson. It includes a photograph of a figure...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Art

Materials

Found Objects, Acrylic, Panel

Gaia 31, Black and White Print of Daisies and Sparrows, Limited Edition

Gaia 31, Black and White Print of Daisies and Sparrows, Limited Edition

By Jaume Llorens

Located in Brighton, GB

Gaia 31 by Jaume Llorens Bach Gaia 31 is a 18cm x 24cm Black-and-White print on Premio Kozo 180gsm White Paper by Awagami Factory This size in a Limited Edition of 10 + 2 Artist's ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Black and White, Digital

Untitled (Abstract Expressionist)
Untitled (Abstract Expressionist)

Untitled (Abstract Expressionist)

By Murray Hantman

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Murray Hantman (1904-1999). Untitled, ca. 1950-55. Oil on canvas measures 20 x 26 inches, 26 x 32 inches in silver leaf vintage frame.. Signed lower right. Excellent condition with ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Composition, Float Series, Dale Chihuly
Composition, Float Series, Dale Chihuly

Composition, Float Series, Dale Chihuly

By Dale Chihuly

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Dale Chihuly (1941) Title: Composition, Float Series Year: 2010 Medium: Lithograph and acrylic on Waterford paper Edition: 8/175 Size: 37 x 25 inches Inscription: Signed and ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Lithograph

Abstract Expressionist Painting American Late 1960's Mid Century New York Brown
Abstract Expressionist Painting American Late 1960's Mid Century New York Brown

Abstract Expressionist Painting American Late 1960's Mid Century New York Brown

Located in Buffalo, NY

Mid Century Modern, American Abstract Expressionist Painting on Masonite. This wonderful work in hues of blue comes house in a contemporary natural wood frame presentation.. The ar...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

Savor
Savor

Savor

By Iryna Rets

Located in Zofingen, AG

Savor” is a work from the series From Simple to… about simple things that help a person maintain inner balance. A sheep savoring a small flower within a green landscape conveys a sen...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Three Totems - Large Oversized Abstract Modern Textural Grey Steel Sculptures
Three Totems - Large Oversized Abstract Modern Textural Grey Steel Sculptures

Three Totems - Large Oversized Abstract Modern Textural Grey Steel Sculptures

By Granville Beals

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Inspired by dance and weightlessness, Granville Beals' industrial metal sculptures are primarily about relationships. His original artworks capture the essence of Abstract Expression...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Metal, Steel

ABSTRACT Contemporary Artist French Rose Madone New Artwork Nature earth colors
ABSTRACT Contemporary Artist French Rose Madone New Artwork Nature earth colors

ABSTRACT Contemporary Artist French Rose Madone New Artwork Nature earth colors

By Rose Madone

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 A...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media

Day on the Horizon
Day on the Horizon

Day on the Horizon

By Yury Darashkevich

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting has only been shown in a gallery setting. All images have light and shadow reflections due to the reflective nature of the resin finish. Yury was born in Belarus and...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Resin, Acrylic, Panel

Crustacean Green Ceramic Bowl Sculpture
Crustacean Green Ceramic Bowl Sculpture

Crustacean Green Ceramic Bowl Sculpture

By Adrienne Fierman

Located in East Quogue, NY

"Green Crustacean Seapod", Ceramic Bowl Sculpture Dimensions: 8 H × 8 W × 5 D Medium: Hand-built ceramic, glazed stoneware Hand-built ceramic sculpture finished in a green glaze. Ad...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware

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.