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.
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Style: Abstract
Period: 1980s
Untitled abstract expressionist oil painting by Cleveland School artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Richard Andres
American, 1927-2013
Untitled, c. 1980
acrylic and ink on paper mounted on canvas
30 x 34 inches
Richard Andres was born in Buffalo, New York in 1927. A graduate of th...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Ink, Acrylic
Mirror, abstract expressionist painting by Cleveland School artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Richard Andres
American, 1927-2013
Mirror, 1984
acrylic and ink on paper mounted on canvas
signed lower right, dated and titled verso
12 x 12 inches
Richard Andres was born in Buff...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Ink, Acrylic
Untitled abstract expressionist oil painting by Cleveland School artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Richard Andres
American, 1927-2013
acrylic and ink on paper mounted on canvas
12 x 10 inches
Richard Andres was born in Buffalo, New York in 1927. A graduate of the Cleveland Instit...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Ink, Acrylic
The Challenge, abstract expressionist painting by Cleveland School artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Richard Andres
American, 1927-2013
The Challenge, c. 1982
acrylic and ink on paper mounted on canvas
signed lower right, signed and titled verso
60 x 41.5 inches
Richard Andres was...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Ink, Acrylic
Untitled abstract expressionist oil painting by Cleveland School artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Richard Andres
American, 1927-2013
Untitled, c. 1980
acrylic and ink on paper mounted on canvas
signed lower right
24 x 20 inches
25 x 21 inches, framed
Richard Andres was born in B...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Ink, Acrylic
Untitled abstract expressionist oil painting by Cleveland School artist
Located in Beachwood, OH
Richard Andres
American, 1927-2013
Untitled, c. 1980
acrylic and ink on paper mounted on canvas
12 x 10 inches
Richard Andres was born in Buffalo, New York in 1927. A graduate of th...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Ink, Acrylic
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...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Ink, Acrylic
BUSTE DE FEMME ASSISE Lithograph, Woman In A Stylish Hat , Pink Face, Red Nails
Located in Union City, NJ
Artist: Pablo Picasso, After, Spanish (1881 - 1973)
Title: BUSTE DE FEMME ASSISE, LES MAINS SOUS LE MENTON , #3-B
Year of Original Artwork: 1938
Medium: Lithograph on Coventry Paper, 100% acid free
Edition of 1000, unnumbered, estate approved printed signature
Print Size: 29.25 x 21.25 in.
BUSTE DE FEMME ASSISE, LES MAINS SOUS LE MENTON( bust of a woman sitting with her hands under her chin) is a limited edition lithograph re-created after an original painting from the estate Collection of Marina Picasso, Picasso's grand-daughter. Printed using hand drawn lithographic plates(not a photo reproduction or digital print) on archival heavy weight Coventry printmaking paper, 100% acid free. Edition was produced in accordance with the Picasso family...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
Abstract Expressionist Color Field Painting Indian Artist Sangeeta Reddy
Located in Surfside, FL
image is 21 X 21 inches; frame: 30 X 30 inches
Born in 1955, Hyderabad, India, painter and writer Sangeeta Reddy migrated to the United States in 1978 and continued her studies in a...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paint, Paper, Mixed Media
Abstract Expressionist Color Field Painting Indian Artist Sangeeta Reddy
Located in Surfside, FL
Born in 1955, Hyderabad, India, painter and writer Sangeeta Reddy migrated to the United States in 1978 and continued her studies in art. Currently she maintains a studio on Santa F...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Paint, Mixed Media
Untitled Floral Still Life
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful floral still life by American artist Jane Piper (1916-1991) . Pastel, oil crayon and pencil on tracing paper. Image measuring 13 x 15.5 inches in original frame measuring 2...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Parchment Paper, Crayon, Pastel, Pencil
Memento, 1989, Oil on canvas, Analytical Painting, Abstract
Located in Milano, IT
In this masterpiece Claudio Olivieri experimented with palette darkening, using a spray gun to distribute the oil and achieve an unprecedented result. In addition, this painting give...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Light by Shinsuke Notomi book and print with poem and Japanese brushwork
Located in New York, NY
This listing includes two works by Shinsuke Notomi: a book and print.
The book was produced in a limited edition as part of Shinsuke Notomi’s 1982 exhibit “Light”. In 1979 Notomi tr...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
Untitled, Pink, Jute Canvas
Located in Milano, IT
A unique painting by Salvatore Emblema, dating back to the Eighties, Tinted soil on canvas. Signed and dated on verso, with the number of archival at the artist's estate on verso.
E...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Mixed Media
Large Louis Stone Abstract Expressionist Mixed Media
By Louis Stone
Located in Larchmont, NY
Louis K. Stone (1902-1984)
Untitled, 1980
Mixed media on paper
Framed: 52 1/4 x 42 1/4 in.
Signed lower right: Stone 80
An abstract painter, Louis Stone settled in Lambertville, New ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media
Large Abstract Expressionist Papier-mâché Painted Floor Sculpture Vase 1985
Located in Portland, OR
A large abstract Expressionist sculpture floor vase by the celebrated German-American Expressionist artist Peter Robert Keil (b. 1942), signed & dated 1985.
The floor vase is of larg...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Acrylic, Papier Mâché
No title
By Zao Wou-Ki
Located in Paris, FR
Etching and aquatint, 1989
Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 30/99
Publisher : Poligrafia (Barcelone)
Printer : Poligrafia (Barcelone)
Catalog : Agerup 342
76.00 cm. x ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Etching, Aquatint
FEMME AU CHAPEAU Lithograph, Abstract Oval Portrait, Woman Cowboy Hat Black Eyes
Located in Union City, NJ
Artist: Pablo Picasso, After, Spanish (1881 - 1973)
Title: Femme au Chapeau, #J-25
Year of Original Artwork: 1961
Medium: Lithograph on Coventry Paper, 100% acid free
Edition of 1000...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
Large Italian Aquatint Etching Francesco Clemente Neo Expressionist Avant Garde
Located in Surfside, FL
Francesco Clemente (Italian b. 1952),
'This side up / Telemone #2,
1981
Medium: Intaglio hard ground etching, color aquatint, drypoint, and soft-ground etching with chine collé (ha...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio
Homage a Sam Francis, Folded Monoprint Mixed Media Splatter Painting Art Print
Located in Surfside, FL
This is a mixed media monoprint titled Homage a Sam (I first thought it was for Sam Gilliam but the artist told me it was for Sam Francis. He has done a number of these Homages as I ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Mixed Media, Handmade Paper, Monoprint
Antique American Modernist Abstract Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract painting. Oil and encaustic on canvas, circa 1980. Signed on verso. Displayed in a period frame. Imag...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Four Sides of the Tower - Yellow
By Sol LeWitt
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) is an important contributor to the 20th century's most cerebral "isms" notably minimalism and conceptual art.
Many of his works were created from elaborate a...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Screen
Untitled from Atelier International Portfolio, rare signed/n etching by sculptor
Located in New York, NY
Jackie Ferrara
Untitled, from the Atelier International Portfolio, 1986
Hand Colored Etching on paper with deckled edges. Publisher's and Printer's Blind Stamps. Hand Signed. Numbere...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Pencil, Etching
Cteno Drawings set of ten abstract ink drawings by David Knudsvig
Located in New York, NY
David Knudsvig
Cteno Drawings 1989
Set of ten ink drawings
33 x 26 in. / 83.8 x 66 cm
The artist and sculptor David Knudsvig (1947-1993) was a prominent AIDS activist and was the partner of artist David Nelson...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Ink, Archival Paper
Four Sides of the Tower - Blue
By Sol LeWitt
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) is an important contributor to the 20th century's most cerebral "isms" notably minimalism and conceptual art.
Many of his works were created from elaborate a...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Screen
Untitled
By Ray Mead
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Although Ray Mead (1921-1988) was born in the UK, studied at the famed Slade School of Art, and served in the Royal Air Force during the war, his artistic career was established and ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Charcoal, Graphite
Four Sides of the Tower - Red
By Sol LeWitt
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) is an important contributor to the 20th century's most cerebral "isms" notably minimalism and conceptual art.
Many of his works were created from elaborate a...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Screen
Yea II
By Sam Francis
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Sam Francis (1923-1994) is one of the most distinctive and collected 20th century abstract artists.
After serving in the air force in WW II, Francis returned to his native Californ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paint
Neo Expressionism: On The Corner Sheridan Square
By Sax Berlin
Located in Brecon, Powys
East Village Art:
From 1978 for 8 years Berlin worked frenetically,at street level, his finger on the pulse of this great city creating The Manhattan Collection. Living & moving in...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Ink
Baum
Located in New York, NY
Baum, 1986
Lithograph in colors, on wove paper
31 1/8 x 22 7/8 in. (79 x 58 cm)
Edition of 12 (in Roman numerals)
Signed and numbered in pencil, lower margin
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Lithograph
Epigastric torso
Located in Paris, FR
Sculpture, 1989
Publisher : Artcurial
Gilded bronze
11 x 7 cm
Signed and numbered 1111
Certificate of authenticity
LCD6358
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Bronze
Paulo en Costume d'Arlequin, Lithograph, Abstract Faces, African Mask, Stripes
Located in Union City, NJ
Artist: Pablo Picasso, After, Spanish (1881 - 1973)
Title: Paulo en Costume d'Arlequin (Paulo in Harlequin Costume)
Year of Original Artwork: 1926
Medium: Lithograph on Coventry Pape...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
Geometric Abstract #8, multi colored, Philadelphia artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Geometric Abstract #8" is a 60 x 40 inches oil on board work by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The painting is estate stamped on ver...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Oil, Board
Two Dogs Pass, Large Four Part Abstract Painting by Donald Sultan 1988
Located in Long Island City, NY
A monumental unique painting in four 48 x 48 inch panels by Donald Sultan.
Artist: Donald Sultan, American (1951 - )
Title: Two Dog Pass
Year: January 12th, 1988
Medium: Tar and L...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Latex, Wood, Tar
Set of three woodcuts by Victor Mira colorful abstract forms
Located in New York, NY
These lively, colorful works are full of movement and Mira's characteristic mysterious, mythical figures and shapes.
Victor Mira
Set of three woodcuts on buff, textured paper, 1983...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Woodcut
Colorful Abstract Expressionist Silkscreen by Raymond Parker
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Raymond Parker, American (1922 - 1990)
Title: Untitled 11 (The Butterfly)
Year: 1980
Medium: Silkscreen, signed in pencil
Image Size: 19 x 27 inches
Size: 22 x 30 in. (55.88 ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Screen
Large Black Abstract Screenprint by Raymond Parker
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Raymond Parker, American (1922 - 1990)
Title: Untitled 16
Year: 1980
Medium: Silkscreen, signed and numbered in pencil
Edition: 70
Image Size: 31 x 36 inches
Size: 32 x 37.5 ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Screen
Geometric Abstract #7, multi colored, Philadelphia artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Geometric Abstract #7" is a 30 x 48 inches oil on board work by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The painting is signed and dated "MLB...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Oil, Board
Beach at Malcesine
By Nell Blaine
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Provenance: Corporate Art Collection
Nell Blaine, painter of still lifes and landscapes in brilliant colors, created abstract work that gives the appearance of being done in a caref...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Pastel, Watercolor
Geometric Abstract #3, multi colored, Philadelphia artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Geometric Abstract #3" is a 59.5 x 40 inches oil on board work by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The painting is estate stamped on v...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Oil, Board
Geometric Abstract #4, multi colored, Philadelphia artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Geometric Abstract #4" is a 30.5 x 48 inches oil on board work by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The painting is signed and dated "M...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Oil, Board
Geometric Abstract #2, multi colored, Philadelphia artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Geometric Abstract #2" is a 30 x 48 inches oil on board work by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The painting is signed and dated "MLB...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Oil, Board
Geometric Abstract #1, multi colored, Philadelphia artist
Located in Doylestown, PA
"Geometric Abstract #1" is a 60 x 40 inches oil on board work by Philadelphia artist Morris Lewis Blackman. The painting is estate stamped on ver...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Oil, Board
Retrouvailles
By Paul Guiragossian
Located in PARIS, FR
Unique artwork by Paul Guragossian
Signed lower left
Born to Armenian parents, who were survivors of the Armenian genocide, Paul Guiragossian experienced the consequences of exile f...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Oil
Untitled
By Larry Zox
Located in New York, NY
DIMENSIONS
Unframed: 41 x 29 inches
Framed: 45 x 33 inches
MEDIUM
Acrylic on paper
SIGNATURE
Signed bottom right "Zox"
PROVENANCE
1981 Gift of the artist to Katherine Witt (Actres...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
Current Split - colorful, contemporary, geometric abstract, acrylic on board
Located in Bloomfield, ON
The graphic, colourful imagery in this powerful abstract painting is by Yvonne Lammerich. The Canadian artist has garnered an international reputation...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Acrylic, Board
Contour Detour No. 4 - colorful, abstract, pigmented plaster on board
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Yvonne Lammerich has used a dynamic pattern, bold colours and geometric form to create this visually stunning contemporary piece. The ‘building block ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Mixed Media, Plaster, Board, Pigment
original woodcut
By Joan Miró
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original color woodcut. Reference: Dupin 1291. Published for the Jacques Dupin catalogue raisonne "Miro Graveur II" in 1989. Size: 12 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches (320 x 247 mm). A ric...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Woodcut
Hungarian Surrealism Pop Art Hebrew Silkscreen Judaica Print Jewish Serigraph
Located in Surfside, FL
Abstract Hebrew Prints on heavy mould made paper from small edition of 15. there is a facing page of text in Hungarian folded over. Hard edged geometric abstract prints in color base...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Archival Paper, Screen
Hungarian Surrealist Abstract Hebrew Silkscreen Judaica Print Jewish Serigraph
Located in Surfside, FL
Abstract Hebrew Prints on heavy mould made paper from small edition of 15. there is a facing page of text in Hungarian folded over. Hard edged geometric abstract prints in color base...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Archival Paper, Screen
Basquiat Annina Nosei Gallery 1982 (Basquiat anatomy announcement)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, 1982:
Rare Basquiat announcement card published by Annina Nosei Gallery to advertise the release of ‘Basquiat Anatomy’ (a suite ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Lithograph, Offset
The City at Twilight: Twin Towers II, signed painting, Gruenebaum Gallery label
Located in New York, NY
Sonia Gechtoff
The City at Twilight: Twin Towers II, 1985
Acrylic and pencil on paper (held in original frame with Gruenebaum Gallery, NY label)
Signed and dated on the front; also b...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Acrylic, Pencil, Graphite
"Down in the Valley" - Vintage Abstract Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
Dramatic and vibrant mixed media abstract by California artist Doris Sherwyn (American, 1927-2015).
Signed lower right "Doris Sherwyn"
Artist's card affixed to verso.
Unframed.
Can...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Rag Paper, Stretcher Bars
Untitled from the portfolio “Poems dans le ciel”
By Sam Francis
Located in Ljubljana, SI
Poems dans le ciel (eng. Poems in the sky). Original lithograph, 1986. Edition of 100 signed and numbered impressions on Arches paper.
Samuel Lewis Francis was an American artist, we...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
Currents#9 - bold, colorful, contemporary, geometric abstract, acrylic on board
Located in Bloomfield, ON
For decades, Yvonne Lammerich has produced evocative contemporary artwork that has been exhibited internationally. This series of colourful graphic ac...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Acrylic, Board
QED Gravity #2 - large, colorful, contemporary, abstract, acrylic on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This intriguing colourful contemporary painting so impressively large in scale and architectural in form is by Canada’s Yvonne Lammerich. Recognized both nationally and international...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Currents#11 - bold, colorful, contemporary, geometric abstract, acrylic on board
Located in Bloomfield, ON
For decades, Yvonne Lammerich has produced evocative contemporary artwork that has been exhibited internationally This series of colourful graphic acr...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Acrylic, Board
QED Gravity #1 - large, colorful, contemporary, abstract, acrylic on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This intriguing colourful contemporary painting so impressively large in scale and architectural in form is by Canada’s Yvonne Lammerich. Recognized both nationally and international...
Category
1980s 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.