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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
Original World Cup USA 94 - Coca Cola Soccer poster
Original World Cup USA 94 - Coca Cola Soccer poster

Original World Cup USA 94 - Coca Cola Soccer poster

Located in Spokane, WA

Original World Cup USA ’94, Coca Cola sponsored vintage poster. Archival linen backed in A- condition, ready to frame. This World Cup ’94 poster is very rarely seen or available....

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Offset

Moon Flower Potted Plant - Lively Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper
Moon Flower Potted Plant - Lively Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper

Moon Flower Potted Plant - Lively Abstract Colorful Botanical Painting on Paper

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Krisanne Souter weaves together elements of nature and ancient feminine archetypes, such as the Mother and the Mystic. Botanical themes, playful elements, and unexpected surprises ar...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil

Sagrada Dualidad I. Oil on canvas
Sagrada Dualidad I. Oil on canvas

Sagrada Dualidad I. Oil on canvas

Located in Miami Beach, FL

The works produced under the name Sacred Duality are inspired by recognizing the impermanent nature of all things and being aware that nothing is static. Appreciating that continuous...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

Three Sisters: large abstract expressionist figural painting & breast feeding
Three Sisters: large abstract expressionist figural painting & breast feeding

Three Sisters: large abstract expressionist figural painting & breast feeding

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

FREE DELIVERY to certain areas along the Mid-Atlantic corridor between NJ and VA -- contact me to ask if your area qualifies. Ellen Powell Tiberino, matriarch of the Tiberino artist dynasty that includes her artist-husband Joseph and three artist-children (Raphael, Gabriel, and Ellen), often looked to Black women and girls as subjects, in the contexts of motherhood, pregnancy, and childhood, as well as subjects drawn from her neighborhood communities. Her work is expressionistic and passionate with dramatic gestures and dark colorism in her figures, but it is also intimate and highly personal. At this point in her career, Tiberino had been struggling with cancer, and as a result, her palette became brighter and more colorful than her former dark palette. "Three Sisters" includes Ellen Powell Tiberino’s self-portrait in the front of the composition, nursing an infant. Tiberino’s two sisters, Joyce and Anne, sit behind her. Tiberino likely paints from memory or imagination here, since her four children were well beyond nursing age when she created this painting. "Three Sisters" is likely among the last large-scale canvases Tiberino completed, opting to work on a smaller scale and while seated as her illness progressed. Tiberino ultimately lost her battle in 1992. "Three Sisters" comes from a private Main Line, PA collection, acquired directly from the artist immediately upon its completion. Framed in original wood strip frame. It is in excellent condition. Tiberino graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1959, where she was awarded a prestigious Cresson scholarship to study in Europe. After returning to the US, she lived and worked in New York until she married fellow artist (Joseph) and returned to her hometown of Philadelphia where she continued to create oil paintings, oil pastels drawings, sculptures, murals, and mosaics. In Philadelphia, she was part of social and professional circles that included Moe Brooker, Barbara Bullock, Walter Edmonds, Charles Pridgen, Leroy Johnson, John Simpson, James Dupree...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Hush of Winter, Abstract Oil Painting
The Hush of Winter, Abstract Oil Painting

The Hush of Winter, Abstract Oil Painting

By Jenn Williamson

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A quiet, enveloping atmosphere emerges. The abstract scene evokes the stillness of winter days when hushed sound and landscape rest within a veil of calm. Subtl...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

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

Untitled #202 by Murray Duncan – Original Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper
Untitled #202 by Murray Duncan – Original Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper

Untitled #202 by Murray Duncan – Original Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Untitled #202 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

Acrylic, Oil Pastel, Glaze

Abstract Expressionist Still Life Oil Painting
Abstract Expressionist Still Life Oil Painting

Abstract Expressionist Still Life Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Mid Century Modern abstract expressionist oil painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1960. Unsigned. Unframed.

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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

Opium
Opium

Opium

By Damien Hirst

Located in London, GB

Damien Hirst Opium, 2000 Lambda C-Type print on Gloss Fuji Archive paper. Signed by the artist, lower right on recto Numbered on verso 48 x 43.7 cm 52 x 48 cm (framed) Edition 391 of...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Art

Materials

C Print, Lambda

Untitled #537 by Murray Duncan – Original Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper
Untitled #537 by Murray Duncan – Original Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper

Untitled #537 by Murray Duncan – Original Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Untitled #537 by Murray Duncan – Contemporary Mixed Media on Paper Size: 32" x 40" Unframed, signed on the back A striking exploration of form and movement, Untitled #527 by Murray ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Pencil

Composition - Woodcut by Luigi Spacal - 1970s

Composition - Woodcut by Luigi Spacal - 1970s

Located in Roma, IT

Composition is a contemporary artwork realized by Luigi Spacal (Trieste, 1907 - Trieste, 2000) in the 1970s. Original Colored woodcut print on cardboard. Image Dimensions: 18 x 14 cm Good conditions. Lojze Spacal...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Woodcut

Two Lovers - Abstract Figurative Oil Painting on Canvas, 21st Century
Two Lovers - Abstract Figurative Oil Painting on Canvas, 21st Century

Two Lovers - Abstract Figurative Oil Painting on Canvas, 21st Century

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Mark Acetelli’s oil and mixed media paintings awaken the viewer’s sense of exploration and adventure; they demand a new discovery. His artworks exhibit a chemistry of complexity and ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Garden
Garden

Garden

Located in Zofingen, AG

Oil painting on Belgian linen canvas, created using a multilayered glazing technique in which translucent layers of paint are delicately built upon one another, allowing the color to...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Adagio in Burnt Umber" Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Brown Hue Abstract 72"x60"
"Adagio in Burnt Umber" Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Brown Hue Abstract 72"x60"

"Adagio in Burnt Umber" Acrylic, Oil Pastels, Pencils Brown Hue Abstract 72"x60"

By Karina Gentinetta

Located in New York, NY

"Adagio in Burnt Umber" 2025, 72" H x 60" W. Abstract, mixed media painting consisting of acrylic, pencils, and oil pastels on canvas by Argentine-born artist Karina Gentinetta (feat...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil

Abstract Figures in Purple and Green - Original Mixed Media Piece
Abstract Figures in Purple and Green - Original Mixed Media Piece

Abstract Figures in Purple and Green - Original Mixed Media Piece

Located in Soquel, CA

Abstract Figures in Purple and Green - Original Mixed Media Piece Bright and colorful abstract by Jennie T. Rafton (American, b. 1925). Two figurative shapes stand in front of a blu...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Oil, Mixed Media

Hand-Painted Large Artist Proof-Summer Night-British Awarded Artist-One Off
Hand-Painted Large Artist Proof-Summer Night-British Awarded Artist-One Off

Hand-Painted Large Artist Proof-Summer Night-British Awarded Artist-One Off

Located in London, GB

This stunning Artist's Proof is an one-off, oil hand-painted, signed at front and on the back label too; each proof is 80% hand painted by Shizico Yi, because the nature of hand mixe...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Gesso, Archival Ink, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Giclée

ONYX - Amber (XL)

ONYX - Amber (XL)

Located in FITZROY, VIC

Nick Thomm - ONYX - Amber (XL SIZE 36" x 48"). Limited Edition #15 of 25. Hand Signed & Numbered. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condition: NEW - Unopen...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment

Tropical Coral Reef Painting, Textured 3D Oil on Canvas, Signed
Tropical Coral Reef Painting, Textured 3D Oil on Canvas, Signed

Tropical Coral Reef Painting, Textured 3D Oil on Canvas, Signed

Located in Zofingen, AG

Hawaii Painting Coral Reef Original Art Textured 3D * Materials: oil, stretched canvas, mixed media * Shipping: gallery standards packaging, express shipping with tracking number ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Paste, Cotton Canvas, Oil

CC 100 - Blue red abstract geometric 3D wall circular sculpture
CC 100 - Blue red abstract geometric 3D wall circular sculpture

CC 100 - Blue red abstract geometric 3D wall circular sculpture

Located in New York, NY

Anna Kruhelska is a visual artist and architect working across fields of art and design. She creates abstract, three-dimensional paper wall reliefs that startle in their intricacy an...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Plywood, Acrylic

Code Green Blue II - Textured Geometric Abstract Painting
Code Green Blue II - Textured Geometric Abstract Painting

Code Green Blue II - Textured Geometric Abstract Painting

By Petra Rös-Nickel

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Petra Rös-Nickel’s original paintings merge playful forms, bright colors, and architectural compositions in oil and mixed media on canvas. Her contemporary artworks contain rich textures and patterns, referencing popular European textile designs of the fifties and sixties. Rös-Nickel’s work translates the geometric and organic elements of an era that hoisted the flags of modernism and which, due to a trend to return to a rather retro style, has become topical once more. This 66-inch high by 39-inch wide contemporary oil painting on canvas is wired and ready to hang. This artwork is double wired and may be installed vertically or horizontally. The sides of this artwork are painted and it does not require framing. Free local Los Angeles area delivery. Affordable U.S. and global shipping are available. A certificate of authenticity issued by the art gallery is included. Petra was born 1963 in Wathlingen near Celle, Germany, and breaks completely new ground with her abstract forms of painting and expression. After studying fashion design at the professional school for clothing in Bremen, 1980, Petra Rös-Nickel changed her field of study to architecture in Eckernförde, 1982. She now lives in Hamburg, Germany. Preferring the creative aspects of the studies to the technical ones, the artist developed the basics of her painting, never denying the roots of applied design and soon ending in a refreshing, distinctive style. Petra Rös-Nickel experiments with form, along with the use of a technique that draws attention to the processes used in creating a painting. Essential is the color space presented in multiple layers that offers the beholder access to more profound color planes. These details, scratchings, and rubbings lead to various elements of tension, such as “patchwork” or harmonious-contemplative forms (“windows”) and “oscillating lines”. Rös-Nickel's modernist paintings develop an energetic impact on the space they‘re displayed in, conveying her joy of life and self-confidence. Her abstract geometric textured...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Mixed Media

White Path - 3D small contemporary abstract round mural sculpture
White Path - 3D small contemporary abstract round mural sculpture

White Path - 3D small contemporary abstract round mural sculpture

Located in New York, NY

Erin Vincent is a Toronto based-artist whose work draws on a variety of repetitive and labor intensive processes and materials. Things and common objects have always fascinated Vinc...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel, Archival Paper

Golden Lace
Golden Lace

Golden Lace

Located in Zofingen, AG

picture with 3d effect, changes color depending on the lighting, the work is done in the style of antique wall fresco. This artwork merges the de...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Varnish, 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.