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.
Nick Thomm - HEMISPHERE (ORANGE) XL
By Nick Thomm
Located in FITZROY, VIC
Nick Thomm - 'HEMISPHERE' - (Blue) XL SIZE 92cm x 122cm 36" x 48" Limited Edition of #44 Hand Signed & Numbered. Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle 308gsm Fine Art Paper. Condit...
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Don't Let Them Burst your Bubble: Clear 81425 - Blown Glass Sculpture, 35x15 IN
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary wall sculpture features bubbles of clear glass. Each work is individually hand-formed in glass, so slight variations in colour, shape, and texture from the images ...
Metal
Ellsworth Kelly, Lotus, from Derriere le Miroir, 1982
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite lithograph by Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015), titled Lotus, originates from the historic 1982 folio Derriere le Miroir, No. 250, Hommage a Aime et Marguerite Maeght (Trib...
Lithograph
White Ruffles & Gold
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting “White Ruffles & Gold” is created on canvas using a mixed-media technique. The sculptural ruffles, formed from clay, create an expressive relief that evokes movement, so...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$5,655Sale Price|20% Off
KInko
Located in London, London
Chocolate Brown, Burgundy, and Earthy All custom charges are included in the final price agreed. large scale painting colourful flowers still-life. Artist: Katarina Joys 98x198c...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$7,500
"The Last Waltz", Abstract Expressionist, Figures, White, Yellow, Oil Painting
By Sorin Bica
Located in Franklin, MA
Sorin Bica's "The Last Waltz", a 41 x 82 inch oil painting, shows an abstract, highly stylized composition filled with clustered human figures rendered in a bold, graphic manner. The...
Canvas, Oil
$3,522
Zone de rencontre - Modern Abstract painting, Geometric, Original Oil on Canvas
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
French contemporary painter Sophie Dumont is known for her abstracted library compositions and layered oil technique. Working from her studio in Normandy, she builds each canvas thr...
Oil
$1,037
Original-Moon Lit Dahlias-British Awarded Artist-Gold Leaf on oil canvas Board
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Moonlit Dahlia is a large gold-leaf painting created by Shizico Yi in early autumn, when dahlias reach their fullest bloom and the first turning leaves colour the garden. Painted on ...
Gold Leaf
Quiet Horizon, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Layered palette knife strokes form a rhythmic horizon where a soft, light-filled sky meets deep, shifting water. The textured surface suggests the quiet movemen...
Oil
$4,712
Contours of Community by Gaetan de Seguin - Figurative contemporary Painting
Located in DE
Contemporary figurative painting with lots of details and movement. Beautiful statement piece for any art collection. Combining a lot of different colors in any interiors and setting...
Canvas, Acrylic
$4,520
Twilight - Muted Color Atmospheric Abstract Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas
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 ...
Canvas, Oil
$400
Flower in Bowl - Abstract Cool Tone Botanical Mixed Media 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...
Paper, Ink, Acrylic, Watercolor, Color Pencil
Early Morning
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work is part of the Inner Landscapes series, in which the landscape becomes part of a memory, a lived state, or emotions that cannot be expressed in words and can only be felt. ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Macrocosm - Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Abstract, 48in x 60in
By Mario Angel
Located in Mississauga, CA
This large-format acrylic on canvas masterpiece, titled "Macrocosm", stands as a monumental achievement in contemporary surreal figurative abstraction. Rejecting traditional represen...
Canvas, Acrylic
Red fish
By Irina Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
The red fish is a symbol of confidence, stable good fortune, and abundance. It represents moving in one’s own rhythm, trusting intuition, and inner stability. The red color emphasize...
Watercolor, Archival Paper
$824
Contemporary abstract expressionist woman's portrait on paper "Rising Self"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
Contemporary expressive female portrait inspired by Matisse, bold Fauvist color modern art painting celebrating feminine strength, authenticity, and inner transformation. In Rising ...
Paper, Acrylic
$3,180
Modern abstract expressionist floral painting on linen canvas "Flower Light"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Flower Light” is a contemporary floral still life by French artist Natalya Mougenot, where vibrant color and instinctive gesture transform a simple bouquet into a celebration of lig...
Canvas, Linen, Acrylic
Strates en suspens, Large Abstract Landscape, Oil painting, Contemporary
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Oil on canvas Unframed: 100 × 100 cm (39.4 × 39.4 in) Framed: 107 × 107 cm (42.1 × 42.1 in) Framed in a black or natural wood floater frame (collector’s choice) Sophie Dumont is a F...
Oil
$20,146
Untitled XLII by Ferle - Large abstract painting, grey and black, dark tones
By Elvire Ferle
Located in Paris, FR
Untitled XLII is a unique oil on free-standing canvas painting by contemporary artist Ferle, dimensions are 280 × 200 cm (110.2 × 78.7 in). The artwork is signed, sold unframed and c...
Canvas, Oil
Inner Order: Abstract Expressionism Oil Painting, Geometric, Library
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Title: Inner Order, grey books Artist: Sophie Dumont Year: 2022 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions (unframed): 60 × 73 cm (23.62 x 28.74 in) Dimensions (framed): 67 x 80 cm (26.37 x 3...
Oil
Homage to the Square - P1, F5, I1, Geometric Screenprint by Josef Albers
By Josef Albers
Located in Long Island City, NY
"Homage to the Square - Portfolio 2, Folder 5, Image 1" from the portfolio “Formulation: Articulation” created by Josef Albers in 1972. This monumental series consists of 127 origina...
Screen
Mediterranean Garden (Under the Mandarin Trees)
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work emerges at the intersection of a personal journey through Italy and the universal image of the garden as a space of harmony and inner order. The Mediterranean garden here i...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,015Sale Price|20% Off
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Multi Colors
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 45 x 35 inches condition: the work is in overall very sound and good con...
Canvas, Oil
$1,300Sale Price|35% Off
1950's Mid-Century Abstract Expressionist painting
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Stunning abstract expressionist painting, ca. 1955. Oil on Canvas, measuring 36 x 40 inches. Some natural cracking and paint loss due to heavy impasto technique. Unsigned. Art su...
Canvas, Oil
London Sakura-Hand painted Limited Edition-British Awarded Artist-Edition #6/10
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This painting captures the early spring in Shizico Yi’s garden, where the Cherry Prunus stands as the season’s first joyful announcement. Painted en plein air, it reflects the raw fr...
Metal
Plate #4 from Album 19
By Joan Miró
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Plate #4 from Album 19" 1961, is an original color lithograph on watermarked BFK Rives paper by renown artist Joan Miro 1893-1983. It is hand signed (monogramed...
Lithograph
$850
A Lively, Abstract 1950s Mid-Century Modern Sporting Themed Painting, "Swimmers"
Located in Chicago, IL
A Lively 1950s Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Sporting- Themed Abstract Painting, "Swimmers", by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Oil on Masonite, dating from 1...
Masonite, Oil
Tides Out (Abstract Painting in Blue, Orange & Metallic Gold)
By Bruce Murphy
Located in Hudson, NY
Gestural abstract expressionist painting on canvas in colorful hues green, blue, and orange on a gold and silver background "Untitled Green", 2022 by Bruce Murphy 40.5 x 40.5 inches...
Enamel
"Summer Storm" Small Abstract Colorful Landscape, Oil and Acrylic on Wood
Located in Sofia, BG
"Summer Storm" is a colorful abstract landscape painting created with oil, acrylic and pastel on wood panel. Inspired by the atmosphere of a summer storm moving across a blooming la...
Wood, Oil Pastel, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Noteworthy - Original Contemporary Expressive Geometric Abstract Metal Sculpture
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
$1,178
Liberty
By Oksana Reva
Located in Zofingen, AG
Liberty is an oil abstract painting and minimalist abstract landscape shaped by the quiet meeting of a sky-blue horizon and warm ochre earth tones, creating a subtle dialogue between...
Canvas, Oil
Mémoire du Rivage Contemporary Coastal Abstract Painting by Sophie Dumont
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
French contemporary artist Sophie Dumont is known for her textured oil paintings exploring memory, landscape, and the passage of time through layered abstract compositions. Born in P...
Oil
Night Rain 1
By Lynn Sanders
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,...
Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Acrylic
Summer at the beach - abstract painting, landscape painting
Located in New York, NY
Dimensions: 90 × 80 cm Technique: Acrylic on canvas Year: 2015 An expressive and abstract interpretation of a hot summer day by the sea, this painting captures the atmosphere of the ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$3,400
"I'm Sorry Too" (contemporary, abstract, dark, flora, green, rose floral, linen)
Located in Paris, IDF
I'M SORRY TOO 2024 Paris, France This abstract flora painting portrays two roses seemingly merging in harmonious synchronization, evoking a sense of beauty intertwined with a poigna...
Linen, Dye
Haven of Silence
Located in Zofingen, AG
Haven of Silence Size: 120×97 cm (overall size with stretching 130×107 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled This painting explores the profound phenomenon of...
Acrylic, Canvas
Roy Lichtenstein - 1987 Modern painting with Clef poster, Hand Signed, inscribed
Located in New York, NY
Offset lithograph poster Signed exhibiton poster for the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Hand signed, dated '88 and inscribed 'To Osc...
Lithograph, Offset
Support. Diptych
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Support” is a work about inner stability and the quiet strength found within oneself. The painting explores a state in which reliance on external structures dissolves, giving way to...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Blue White Sails Wind
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition of Blue/ White Sailing Boats in the Wind signed by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 45.5 x 35 inches condition: the...
Canvas, Oil
Daydreaming - Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Abstract, 36in x 36in
By Mario Angel
Located in Mississauga, CA
This striking acrylic on canvas by Mario Angel, titled "Daydreaming," presents a fascinating immersion into figurative abstraction. The composition centers around a labyrinth of inte...
Canvas, Acrylic
$306
Abstract impressionist floral acrylic painting on paper "Morning's rose bloom"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This contemporary expressive impressionist floral piece with a touch of abstract and art brut, Morning’s Rose Bloom, was created by French artist Natalya Mougenot in her Lyon studio ...
Paper, Acrylic
"Ambient Resonance" - Organic hand-built ceramic bowl sculpture
By Jessamyn Go
Located in East Quogue, NY
"Ambient Resonance" Hand-coiled and pinched wide ceramic sculpture vessel by Jessamyn Go. Iron Speckled Brown Stoneware, White Crawl Glaze, White Glaze Interior Size: 11.5 x 11.5 x...
Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze
Contemporary abstract expressionist floral painting on canvas "Red Bloom"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Red Bloom” is a vibrant contemporary floral still life by French artist Natalya Mougenot, part of her ongoing series dedicated to flowers. In this painting, roses gather in a genero...
Canvas, Linen, Acrylic
Palette 6 - Huge Large XXXL Abstract Colorful Painting Signed 2026
By SOOS TIBERIU
Located in Zofingen, AG
FREE SHIPPING - This artwork is shipping UNMOUNTED and ROLLED UP in a tube and you can stretch it very easy to your local framer. In this very beautiful large colorful, bold, vivid a...
Canvas, Acrylic
$155Sale Price|50% Off
Untitled Composition (British Modernism, Geometric, Abstract, 50% OFF - MUST GO)
By Jim Bird
Located in Kansas City, MO
Jim Bird Untitled Composition from "Ediciones Poligrafa, Barcelona at Redfern Gallery, London" Original Color Lithograph Year: 1979 Edition: 100 Size: 10 x 7.325 inches (25.4 × 18.6...
Lithograph
Pastel Grid (Spice) - contemporary, minimalist, abstract, pastel on paper
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This colourful contemporary pastel on paper in grid form is by Milly Ristvedt. The classic grid pattern becomes more than a ‘container’ for colour in the hands of master colourist M...
Paper, Pastel
$2,020
Earth to Sky - Tall Impasto Inspired Colorful Thick Paint Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Acrylic, Glitter
Guardians of Movement: Maximalism Abstract Bold Figurative Unique Small-scale
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Guardians of Movement Maximalism Abstract Bold Contemporary Figurative Unique Small-scale This work is part of a series. It is part of my story... It portrays my truth, ab...
Gesso, Canvas, Acrylic
Spring. Awakening
Located in Zofingen, AG
shipped in roll “Spring. Awakening” reflects the first quiet shift of the season — a moment when light, color, and space begin to open. Soft layers of pale tones, subtle pinks, and g...
Canvas, Acrylic
#21, 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
$22,500
Saturday on Wednesday, Large Abstract Expressionist Acrylic Painting, 20th C.
Located in Beachwood, OH
Richard Andres (American, 1927–2013) Saturday on Wednesday, c. 1975 acrylic on canvas signed lower right, signed and titled verso 48.5 x 62.5 inches Richard Andres was born in Buff...
Acrylic
$437Sale Price|20% Off
Gates No.1 Abstract Painting, Oil & Crayon on Paper, 1976, Unframed
Located in Bournemouth, Dorset
George Dannatt (1915-2009) 'Gates' No 1 1976 Medium: Oil & crayon on oil wash Image: 21.0 x 33.0 cm Reference no: 0450 George Dannatt’s long career as a painter and sculptor ended ...
Paper, Oil Crayon, Mixed Media, Oil
Blooming Ether Abstract Painting
Located in London, London
All custom charges are included in the final price agreed. Red flowers, blue sky, space, stars, passion, pink, crimson, blossom, love. Abstract RED flowers expressionist extra larg...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$1,092
Original-Dahlias Field-Jardin d'Hiver-British Awarded Artist-Gold leaf + Impasto
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Jardin d'Hiver Series is Shizico Yi's latest collection, created in her winter studio while longing for the summer left behind. Reflecting on the vibrant days spent painting en plein...
Gold Leaf
#204, 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
White Harmony. Diptych, abstraction.
Located in Zofingen, AG
This diptych is created within the language of minimalism, exploring geometry, rhythm, and the material presence of the surface. Both works are made on canvas using modeling paste, c...
Acrylic, Paste, Canvas
$10,650
"umbrella girl in the rain " RK5D, Abstract, Painting, 21st Century, Acrylic
By Roger König
Located in Dessau-Rosslau, Sachsen Anhalt
Artist: Roger König b. Dessau, Germany (1968) Master student of Kurt Schönburg, HWK Halle, Germany. König combines modern painting with acrylic with old techniques and in this way, h...
Clay, Acrylic
Large Figural Abstract Late 1960s Painting, Mexican American Artist
By Miguel Conde
Located in Beachwood, OH
Miguel Condé (Mexican/American, b. 1939) Untitled, 1968 Oil on canvas Signed and dated verso 55.25 x 44 inches Miguel Condé is a Mexican figurative painter, draughtsman, and print m...
Oil
Gerhard Richter -Abstract Picture, limited edition authorized reproduction print
Located in New York, NY
Gerhard Richter Untitled Abstract Picture, 2002 Offset lithograph on GardaMatt Art 250 GSM paper Not signed, edition of 3433 12 1/2 × 16 3.5 inches Unframed Printed on GardaMatt Art...
Lithograph, Offset
$1,090
Festival of Joy - Abstract Expressionism Maximalis Delight Joy Texture Statement
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Festival of Joy Abstract Expressionism Colorful Delight Joy Movement Texture Statement Vibrant Festivitas Laetitiae - Festival of Joy This vibrant artwork, set on a deep cr...
Oil, Acrylic