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.
$3,600Sale Price|20% Off
Brainiac VII Abstract
Located in Soquel, CA
Large-scale abstract with multi-colored brains layered on a neutral background by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b.1957). Unsigned, but was acquired with a collection of h...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$1,000
"Reflections 12", Abstract Landscape, Blue, Green, Pink, Gray, Oil Painting
Located in Franklin, MA
In Patricia Crotty’s abstract painting “Reflections 12,” colorful shapes and lines create an abstract landscape of blues, greens, pinks, and grays. The reflective surface of a lake i...
Canvas, Oil
Voulkos, Ceramic Sculptural bowl hand signed by renowned sculptor and ceramicist
Located in New York, NY
Peter Voulkos Ceramic Sculptural Dish, ca. 1985 Sculpted ceramic Hand-signed by artist, Incised signature on the base. 1.5 x 11.5 inches This charger plate by Voulkos features a Gree...
Ceramic, Glaze, Mixed Media
Micmac I, Abstract Expressionist Screenprint by Dan Christensen
Located in Long Island City, NY
Dan Christensen, American (1942 - 2007) - Micmac I, Year: circa 1981, Medium: Screenprint, signed, titled and numbered in pencil, Edition: 43/100, Image Size: 38.25 x 27 inches, ...
Screen
$800
Blue and White Abstract Overlapping Shapes Fish Scribble Gestures, Mediterranean
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series by Enric Servera explores the relationship of humans to salt and seawater. The intention of these works is to submerge us into the sea, a salty treasure that surrounds us and reminds us of its natural beauty and the importance of its preservation. Details: Title: Marina N31 Medium: Acrylic on Paper Size: 106 x 70 cm ( 41.7 x 28 inches) Year: 2024 * Frame is for illustrative purposes only. Artwork shipped carefully rolled and packaged in a tube. * Certificate of Authenticity provided. Enric Servera (Ciutadella de Menorca, 1970) lives and works between Barcelona and Menorca, Spain. His works explores the colors and forms of the ocean, inspired by the fauna and flora of the Mediterranean Sea. His work has shown in galleries across Spain, and is part of several public and private collections. Words that may describe this series of artworks are: Mediterranean-inspired art, abstract sea...
Acrylic, Watercolor
Raventos 20 Vertical Big original abstract mixed media painting
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
El dia que es va crema el Liceo original abstract mixed media painting RAVENTÓS Mª Assumpció – (San Sadurní d’Anoia, Barcelona 1930). Raventos trained at the elite Sant Jordi School ...
Canvas, Mixed Media
$330Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary Abstract Still-life Figurative Small Art Painting "Three lemons"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
Original Contemporary Abstract Figurative Still-life Painting – Small Format Art “Three Lemons” is a vibrant contemporary abstract still life where color becomes the main storytelle...
Canvas, Acrylic
Peonies on black gold graphic
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Elegance in Black and Gold" is a striking acrylic painting that captures the essence of timeless beauty through its intricate use of graphic lines and a rich palette of golden hues....
Canvas, Acrylic
$680Sale Price|20% Off
In The Making 1 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Abstract, Colour Africa
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
By and by Too many thoughts rooted in my soul So many memories, the good and the bad They all shaped me. Colourful in a wink, darkness looted. But when it's all going grey, it shine...
Canvas, Oil
Original Collage on Paper (Framed) Titled: Fs 2819 ct09
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Final Framed dimension: 18 x 22.5 collage art only: 9 x 12 full paper size: 15 x 19 Cecil Touchon Born 1956 Austin, Texas is a contemporary American collage artist, painter, publish...
Acrylic, Laid Paper, Magazine Paper
#63, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request. Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Pigment
Metope
Located in New York, NY
“Metope” was painted in 1996 with acrylic on canvas. The stretched canvas size is 56.25 x 46.25 inches. The artist's initials “M. D. C.” are in the lower left. Unframed. Between the...
Canvas, Acrylic
$5,986Sale Price|20% Off
Abstract Valley - Welsh 1963 art abstract landscape oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
This superb Welsh abstract oil painting is by noted artist Thomas John Nash, better known as Tom Nash. It was painted in 1963 and is entitled on a gallery lab...
Oil
Vintage American Modernist Signed Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Oil on canvas, 28 x 31 inches overall, 25 x 30 inches image size. A dynamic abstract expressionist composition with an energetic interplay of saturated primaries and gestural impasto...
Canvas, Oil
#130, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request. Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Pigment
Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) – Return, O Shulamite – Etching on paper - 1971
Located in Varese, IT
Etching with stencil and gilding on paper, edited in 1971. Limited edition, numbered in lower left corner 80/250 Signed in pencil by artist in lower right corner. Paper size: 55.5 x...
Etching
Sincroplastia. Mixed media Abstract painting on Canvas
By Alec Franco
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The paintings resists framing in concepts, it overflows the contours and borders of rationality. It is through the presence of color, combined with an abstraction at times with expre...
Canvas, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$1,000
Alexander Calder - Artists Rights Today, Rare vintage offset lithograph poster
Located in New York, NY
Artists Rights Today Ethel Scull's Place Scarce mid 1970s Offset lithograph poster Ethel Scull (and her husband Robert) who inherited and made their money as taxicab magnates, was on...
Lithograph, Offset
Whisper
Located in Zofingen, AG
shipped in roll size of artwork 150x120 + 10 cm This work is about tenderness and strength, about the path, choice and movement. The river gently unfolds its flow through fields o...
Canvas, Acrylic
#131, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request. Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Pigment
Md Tokon - From My Garden 1, Painting 2022
By Md Tokon
Located in Stamford, CT
Collection: Beyond the Horizon Acrylic on canvas Md Tokon's style has reflected the art of American Abstract Expressionists. Md Tokon spent his early years in Jhenidah and Dhaka. Th...
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$2,500
Variant III /// Bauhaus Abstract Geometric Minimalism Josef Albers Screenprint
By Josef Albers
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Josef Albers (German-American, 1888-1976) Title: "Variant III" Portfolio: Ten Variants *Unsigned edition Year: 1967 Medium: Original Screenprint on Rives BFK paper Limited ed...
Screen
Pool at 4.25 PM
Located in Zofingen, AG
shipped in roll In many cultures, blue and cyan colours are associated with water, the source of life and purification. In this context, they symbolise energy flows, the flow of ti...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Rosso agli angoli
Located in Paris, FR
Lithograph, 1971 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and annotated "Epreuve artiste" Artist proof Printer : Erker Presse, St Gallen 76.00 cm. x 56.00 cm. 29.92 in. x 22.05 in. (pape...
Lithograph
Hi-Beam 1 - Modern Steel Geometric Sculpture, Abstract, Signed Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Inspired by dance and weightlessness, Granville Beals' industrial metal sculptures are primarily about relationships. Concerned with form and abstraction, he does not merely manipula...
Metal, Steel
Slender Thing (Abstract, Modernist Brancusi Inspired Minimalist Grey Sculpture)
By Dai Ban
Located in Hudson, NY
Abstract modernist, minimal, Brancusi inspired three dimensional wall sculpture in light grey. Made of carved high-density foam, epoxy resin, pigment and gypsum cement. Despite it's ...
Plaster, Board, Pigment
Grassy Meadows, Abstract Painting
By Lisa Carney
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The artwork captures the essence of a blooming rural landscape, bringing the charm of a meadow garden to life. Dark green foliage and soft sky highlight the pur...
Acrylic
Silver Skull. Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Painting
By Sax Berlin
Located in Brecon, Powys
Sax Berlin's Skull series form part of his Neo-Expressionist works. Berlin works with speed on these pieces, gives them a sense of urgency. In "person" they are electric and magnetic...
Silver
$3,200Sale Price|20% Off
Untitled abstract expressionist oil painting by Cleveland School artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Richard Andres American, 1927-2013 Untitled, c. 1984 acrylic and ink on paper mounted on canvas signed lower right 19 x 16 inches Richard Andres was born in Buffalo, New York in 192...
Ink, Acrylic
$5,909
Aspiring Path by Kuno Vollet - Contemporary Rusted Steel sculpture for Outdoors
By Kuno Vollet
Located in DE
Artist: Kuno Vollet Title: Aspiring Path Contemporary rusted steel sculpture for inside or garden outdoor spaces. Stunning large artwork. Possible to put on a pedestal or directly...
Steel
$6,000
Red and White Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting by Nicolas Ionesco, 1958
By Nicolas Ionesco
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Nicolas Ionesco, Romanian (1919 - ) Title: Untitled Year: 1956 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed and dated l.r. and verso Size: 23.5 x 28.5 inches (59.7 x 72.4 cm) Frame: 24.75 x...
Oil
Diptych: Registros XVII and Registros XVIII. From The Series Registros
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Impressions of past lives, perceptions of future lives. The Records series carries that mystery. Simple and profound since its deed does not happen on the surface. Although it manif...
Canvas, Lacquer, India Ink, Acrylic, Pigment
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...
Canvas, Oil
$1,196Sale Price|20% Off
Clarification #2 (abstract, black and white, geometric acrylic painting)
Located in New York, NY
Acrylic on canvas Ted Dixon is a Black painter working primarily in abstraction. He writes: "How do we learn to see what we cannot yet see? What are the things that influence our ab...
Canvas, Acrylic
Oed de Chat, Abstract Geometric Etching with Aquatint by Jacqueline De Butler
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jacqueline De Butler, French (1928 - ) - Oed de Chat, Year: circa 1968, Medium: Etching with Aquatint on Arches, signed and numbered in pencil, ...
Etching, Aquatint
$898Sale Price|20% Off
"Lotus or Movement to the Light". Abstract Uniqueness expressionism painting.
Located in Zofingen, AG
"All living beings strive towards the light" - so the great German poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe once said. Plants strive for light in order to grow taller and stronger. And the people...
Resin, Acrylic
No title
Located in Paris, FR
Lithograph, 1966 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 31/80 Printer : Fratelli Pozzo Catalog : Mason-Putman 36 94.00 cm. x 62.50 cm. 37.01 in. x 24.61 in. (paper) 66.50 c...
Lithograph
$4,491
Abstract Calligraphic Sculpture Vault II Black Metal, Contemporary Alicia Gimeno
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...
Metal
Summer Showers, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Shades of blue and turquoise create an impression of pelting rain and splashing puddles on a summer's day. Subtle accents of orange add warmth to the scene, whi...
Oil
"The Dancer 2" Fauvist Abstract Original Oil Painting
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract Expressionist painting by Southern California artist Chris Hamamoto (American, 20th century). Image, 40"H x 30"W. Unframed. Chris, a native of Southern California, has en...
Canvas, Oil
$1,800
Intimate Lighting: Blue, Abstract Expressionist Screenprint by Robert Natkin
Located in Long Island City, NY
Robert Natkin, American (1930 - 2010) - Intimate Lighting: Blue, Year: 1974, Medium: Screenprint on Arches, signed, numbered and dated in pencil lower left, Edition: 59/100, Image...
Screen
#205, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request. Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Pigment
Antique American School Abstract Expressionist Forest Interior Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American abstract expressionist oil painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1950. No signature found. Image size, 24L x 18H. Framing available.
Canvas, Oil
#267 Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request. Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Pigment
$425Sale Price|20% Off
Tranquil 23 XL 80x80x2 cm Big Colorful Painting, Large Vivid Abstract Painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
A stunning ready to hang vibrating bold painting. READY TO HANG with the edges painted. Dimensions: 80x80X2 cm, 31.5x31.5x0.8 inches. The technique I used: gallery stretched canva...
Acrylic
Aura IV /// Abstract Geometric Contemporary Painting Circles Pattern Striped Art
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Jack Graves III (American, 1988-) Title: "Aura IV" Series: Aura *Signed by Graves lower left. It is also signed, dated, and titled on verso Year: 2022 Medium: Original Acryli...
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic
Systems #3 - modern, contemporary, abstract, acrylic on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary abstract painting by Milly Ristvedt is expressed in geometric form. The power of pure colour and minimal form is masterfully displayed in this abstract painting by...
Canvas, Acrylic
$15,305
Light’n’Lines No.36 (Blue in Green) by Doris Marten - large abstract painting
By Doris Marten
Located in Paris, FR
Light’n’Lines No.36 (Blue in Green) is an abstract painting by contemporary German artist Doris Marten. Oil on Alu-Dibond, 31.5 x 78.7 inches (80 x 200 cm). Doris Marten’s work exp...
Oil
$800Sale Price|46% Off
Reclining Nude
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Edwin Kosarek (b.1929). Reclining Nude, 1952. Oil on wood panel, 17 x 48 inches. Signed and dated on verso. Edwin Kosarek Born: 1929 Studied: The Cit...
Masonite, Oil
Abstract Composition G1, 1955-60 - oil paint, 93x73 cm, framed
By Émile Gérard
Located in Nice, FR
Oil on canvas, signed lower left
Oil
$6,850
"Untitled" Acrylics, Pencils, Oil Pastels on Paper in Neutral Hues of Taupe
Located in New York, NY
"Untitled" 2019, 25" x 31" horizontal drawing on paper by Argentine-born artist Karina Gentinetta (featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, the...
Glaze, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil
Spirit - Abstract Geometric Form, Hand Painted, Welded Steel Sculpture
By Chris Hill
Located in Chicago, IL
This dynamic table sized sculpture is created from sheets of steel, welded together in an abstract geometric pattern and then painted with an acrylic paint to enhance the surface. While the work adheres to a rigid, rational geometry, this sculptures suggest lyrical movement, apparent weightlessness and improvisation as the title suggests. Chris Hill Spirit welded steel, acrylic paint 16.50h x 11.50w x 7d in 41.91h x 29.21w x 17.78d cm CHI021 Chris Hill is a Santa Fe based sculptor. Chris was born in Port Arthur, Texas but grew up in small town North Mississippi. He began welding at age 18 at the Tennessee Valley Authority...
Steel
$16,500
Winter Berry Diptych: Abstract Encaustic Painting, Dark Red on Beige Background
By Allyson Levy
Located in Hudson, NY
Abstract encaustic painting with brown branches with dark red berries against a light beige background "Winter Berry Diptych" made by Hudson Valley based artist, Allyson Levy, in 201...
Organic Material, Mixed Media, Encaustic, Wood Panel
$12,000Sale Price|52% Off
Civilisation Explained Print, Abstract Style, Archival Ink, 2010+
By Damien Hirst
Located in New York, NY
Damien Hirst is a British contemporary master artist and entrepreneur recognized for his iconic artworks that have defined the contemporary art world for over a decade. He is one of ...
Archival Ink
Guy Harloff Signed and Dated Large Abstract Painting
By Guy Harloff
Located in Roma, IT
Guy Harloff Signed and Dated Large Abstract Painting Wonderful Guy Harloff large abstract painting Titled “Composition” 1954 Mixed media on paper applied to masonite. Inscription G...
Paper, Pastel, Watercolor
Desert Light No. 1
Located in Columbia, MO
Using cold wax medium with oil paint, powdered pigments, and pigment stick, Rebecca Crowell builds up layered surfaces as she also scratches, scrapes, and dissolves her layers, selec...
Wax, Pigment
$432Sale Price|40% Off
Primary Colors on Gray Terrazzo, Squared Painting on Watercolor Paper, Minimal
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series of hand painted acrylic paintings by Natalia Roman are inspired by the colors and textures of Italian terrazzo tiling. The patterns created combine a variety of vivid col...
Acrylic, Rag Paper
$6,160Sale Price|20% Off
La Reina, Contemporary Art, Abstract Painting, 21st Century
Located in Mexico City, MX
Contemporary Art, Abstract Painting Acrylic on canvas 185x270cm Signed FREE SHIPPING ROLLED UP About the artist Enrique Pichardo (Mexico City, 1973) graduated from Escuela Nacio...
Canvas, Acrylic
$350
Infanta XLVIII (Abstract Figurative Graphite Drawing in Antique Pewter Frame)
Located in Hudson, NY
Abstract graphite drawing on paper in vintage pewter frame 5.75 x 4.5 inches This abstract figurative graphite drawing on paper was inspired by academic...
Paper, Graphite
Tapies Vertical original lithography lithograph
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Tapies Litografia original Work reproduced in the catalogue raisonné, image 286. Edited in 1971 TAPIES was the maximum representative of Spanish abstract art of the 20th century. ...
Paper, Lithograph