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.
$716Sale Price|20% Off
Personalities (Limited Edition Print)
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
**FALL SUPER SALE UNTIL OCT. 13TH - TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT** Limited edition of 30 museum quality prints on CANVAS, signed and numbered by the artist. The print look like as the PRI...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas
$42,000
Brush
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Joan Mitchell (1925-1992) was a leading abstract artist whose prolific career spanned more than four decades. Working in a variety of mediums, including oil, pastel, and printmaking,...
Lithograph
$1,146Sale Price|25% Off
Magic Space - Bruno Cantais - Oil on canvas - Modern art - 21 th century
Located in Sint-Truiden, BE
Oil on canvas mounted on stretcher. Signed. Varnished. 80 x 80 x 2.5 cm. Bruno Cantais is a painter from Lyon (1966), France, who uses different techniques, ranging from abstrac...
Oil
Invitation, Abstract Expressionist Lithograph by Antoni Tapies
Located in Long Island City, NY
Antoni Tapies, Spanish (1923 - 2012) - Invitation, Medium: Lithograph, signed in the plate, Size: 9 x 17 in. (22.86 x 43.18 cm), Frame Size: 16.25 x 24.25 inches, Description: An...
Lithograph
Adjusted Light (Orange DPP / Red Violet) (Abstract Painting)
By Andy Harwood
Located in London, GB
Andy Harwood (b. 1983) is a prominent Australian abstract artist whose work explores the intersection of mathematical precision and the sensory mechanics of perception. A significant...
Canvas, Acrylic
$4,200
Leonardo Nierman Abstract Oil on Board 'Biblical Fire' in Antique Gold Frame
Located in Dallas, TX
A brooding and atmospheric 1960s abstract oil painting on board titled "Biblical Fire" by celebrated Mexican artist Leonardo Nierman, renowned for his lyrical explorations of light, ...
Oil
Orange Spray
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Jules Olitski (1922-2007) is one of the most collected and accomplished artists associated with the color-field movement, if not 20th century American abstraction. Olitski came to ...
Lithograph, Screen
$472Sale Price|20% Off
Double Blue Painting, Abstract Acrylic on Paper, Framed, 21st Century
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
The painting is acrylic on cartoon, according to my opinion evoking a good illusion of depth and imagination. Delivered in an easy frame - recommendation -leave it as it is and put t...
Paper, Acrylic
1949 Mid Century Finnish Abstract Impressionist Landscape
Located in Soquel, CA
Wonderful watercolor landscape of Finland countryside in Winter during WWII by O. Mokolio (indistinct) (American, 19/20th Century), 1949. Signed and dated lower right corner. Conditi...
Canvas, Oil
$384Sale Price|20% Off
Luminous - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Miniature, Emotions, Art Brut
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
I don’t want my relationship with anyone to be defined just by my decline. I wanna do more than just living, and maybe I wanna be Luminous, always radiating my inner light and warmth...
Canvas, Ink, Acrylic
"Untitled" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism, Black, Grey, and White
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall Untitled, 1958 Oil on Canvas 38 H. x 36 W. inches Provenance: The artist's estate Calvert Coggeshall worked as an abstract painter and interior designer primarily in Maine and New York City. From 1951 to 1978, he exhibited regularly with the Betty Parsons Gallery, and later with its successor, the Jack Tilton Gallery. Born in Whitesboro, New York, Coggeshall started his career as an interior designer, working on commissions for clients in the New York City area. He later consulted on the interior designs for Henry Dreyfuss' line of cruise/cargo ships called American Export, popular from the 1940s through the 1960s. In the 1940s, he also worked with inventor Arthur Young to design interiors for the first full-sized scale of Bell helicopter models...
Canvas, Oil
$240Sale Price|20% Off
Original Abstract Painting on Canvas "Volcanic Eruption" , Signed, Framed
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This is an expressive original acrylic painting on canvas in a fantasy abstract style by Alan Nolan (American Artist) Titled "Volcanic Eruption" Bright colors make this painting ver...
Acrylic
$6,080Sale Price|20% Off
Atlas
Located in Three Oaks, MI
Valerie Beller’s abstract paintings encourage visual exploration. Organic forms are both revealed and concealed amidst layers of paint. The streaked and stained surfaces of the canva...
Canvas, Oil
Original Painting on Canvas Titled: PDP441ct10 2010 30 x 40
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Painting on canvas, signed verso Cecil Touchon Born 1956 Austin, Texas is a contemporary American collage artist, painter, published poet and theorist living in Pagosa Springs, Co...
Oil
$1,680Sale Price|20% Off
Composicion II, Contemporary Art, Abstract Painting, 21st Century
Located in Mexico City, MX
Contemporary Art, Abstract Painting Acrylic on canvas 100x120cm Signed About the artist Enrique Pichardo (Mexico City, 1973) graduated from Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Pulse of life
Located in Zofingen, AG
There are moments that cannot be named — only felt. A hand lifting toward another face not to possess, but simply to say: I see you. I am here. "The Pulse of Life" was born from that...
Canvas, Oil, Spray Paint
$1,417
Blue Iris. Oil on Canvas, Floral, Iris, Horisontal, Impressionism, Interior
Located in Oslo, NO
Blue Iris. Stillife, Oil on Canvas, Floral, Flowers, Iris, Horisontal, Rectangular, Impressionism, Interior, Blue, Green, Medium. This painting was created in 2025. It's a rectang...
Canvas, Oil
$1,564Sale Price|20% Off
Huge French Contemporary Modernist Abstract Oil Painting Shapes and Forms
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Abstract Composition signed initials by Jacqueline VERDET (French, 1931-2023) oil painting on canvas, unframed stamped verso canvas: 36 x 28.75 inches condition: the work is in overa...
Canvas, Oil
$52,500
Senza Misura - smooth, polished, abstract, contemporary, mahogany sculpture
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This modern indoor sculpture by David Chamberlain was inspired by music and is made out of mahogany wood. The graceful curves of this contemporary solid mahogany sculpture by David Chamberlain appear in one illuminating perspective to emulate the image of a heart. Hand carved from one piece of this rare wood; the abstract form’s surface is such that the insides become the outsides creating a continuous, enigmatic, integrated form. The naturally rich grain is highly finished with a soft lustre that accentuates the form. Chamberlain’s sculptures...
Metal
$28,000Sale Price|20% Off
Cannizaro The Veils, Abstract Glicée Print on Aluminum, Signed, 2018
By Damien Hirst
Located in New York, NY
'Cannizaro', 2018 Damien Hirst Glicée print on aluminum 49.6 x 36.5 in. / 126 x 92 cm. Edition of 75, Signed by the Artist Damien Hirst is a British contemporary master artist and e...
Archival Pigment
Seascape XIII - large scale abstract photograph of monochrome seascape
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mesmerizing large scale photograph from the artist's Seascape series, a body of works capturing the tactile surfaces and monochromatic nature of oceanic water and cloudscapes Seasca...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Archival Pi...
162R13061 1-2-3 (Abstract Print)
Located in London, GB
Unframed. Dimensions (3x): 65 × 50 cm/25.6 x 19.6'' Edition of 11 copies, numbered from 1 to 11/11. Dated, numbered, and signed by the artist in pencil. The copy offered for sale is ...
Paper, Engraving, Ink
Pop of Color For Your Wall - Impasto 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
$1,299
Steps to symphony -Barbara Schaumann - Contemporary Abstract Dance Painting
Located in DE
Barber Schaumann is a contemporary artist known for her vibrant, abstract interpretations of the female form. Her work combines bold colors with modern, geometric shapes, blending el...
Canvas, Oil
Equinox - Abstract Acrylic Painting, Nature-Inspired, 40x36 Inches
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary acrylic abstract painting was inspired by nature. This joyful mélange of colour looks and feels like a moment in early spring has been captured on canvas. Claudia ...
Canvas, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Spring Patchwork, Mixed Media on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
This artwork, through the bright yellows and blues and the dynamic energy of the lines, was trying to convey the feeling of spring; vibrant, new, and lively. :: Mixed Media :: Abstra...
Mixed Media
$3,150Sale Price|40% Off
Paul K. Smith Artist Studio Interior Mid-Century Modern Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
A highly collectible mid-century modern oil painting by Paul Kauvar Smith, this rare studio interior offers an intimate view into the artist’s working environment, transformed throug...
Oil
FT 1 - Pastel color abstract geometric painting on canvas
By Evan Venegas
Located in New York, NY
Evan Venegas studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and earned his BFA in Painting in 1998. Evan Venegas creates artwork that lives at the intersection of geometry and atmosphere...
Acrylic
Untitled
Located in New York, NY
Artist Unidentified /Unknown, "Untitled" Edition 19/100, 19.75 x 25.50, Late 20th Century Colors: Grey, Blue, Red, Turquoise Note* Unidentified Artist signature on bottom ...
Lithograph
People - Vintage Lithograph by Alexander Calder - 1966
Located in Roma, IT
People is an original artwork realized by Alexander Calder in 1966. Original mix colored lithograph on double page. The artwork was the cover design for the art review "Derriere Le...
Lithograph
Abstract Composition, Abstract Etching by Stanley William Hayter
Located in Long Island City, NY
Stanley William Hayter, British (1901 - 1988) - Abstract Composition, Year: 1967, Medium: Etching, signed and dated in pencil, Image Size: 8.25 x 6.5 inches, Size: 15 x 13.5 in. ...
Etching
$920Sale Price|20% Off
Tuscan Sunset, Acrylic Painting on Canvas, 24x24 Abstract Art
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
'Tuscan Sunset' is a captivating explosion of bright, vivid colors, reminiscent of the vibrant hues of a Tuscan sunset. This 24x24 painting is perfect f...
Canvas, Acrylic
$649
Pink Mood II - rose impasto colorful painting on linen canvas with 3d flowers
Located in Zofingen, AG
In Japan, pink has never needed translation. It belongs to cherry blossoms — sakura — and to a specific, aching kind of beauty: not despite its shortness, but because of it. The blos...
Canvas, Linen, Acrylic
$1,322Sale Price|40% Off
Abstract 2479
Located in Zofingen, AG
In my painting, I've danced with colors on the canvas, letting acrylics flow and merge to depict the emotions of renewal and growth. This abstract expression allows the viewer to fee...
Acrylic
Assemblées, Abstract Impressionist Oil on Paper on Board, Signed, 1996
Located in Cotignac, FR
Abstract impressionist oil on paper on board by French artist Chantal Payet. Signed and dated April '96 to the reverse. An interesting and challenging Abstract Impressionist work in...
Paper, Oil, Board
Abstract Sea - The Deep, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Yardley, PA
Contemporary abstract oil painting on canvas board. I painted this abstract as an organic emotional response to the ocean. Signed on the front and accompanied by a certificate ...
Oil
Abstract expressive floral painting on canvas "Floral symphony in color""
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Floral Symphony in Color" is a vivid, expressive contemporary painting created by French artist Natalya Mougenot, and it forms part of her Floral series. In this series, Natalya ble...
Canvas, Acrylic
$231Sale Price|20% Off
Untitled Abstract Painting, Mixed Media on Paper, 1992, Unframed
Located in Bournemouth, Dorset
George Dannatt (1915-2009) Untitled 1992 Medium: Mixed media on paper Image: 14.9 x 10.9 cm Mount: 29.8 x 24.8 cm George Dannatt’s long career as a painter and sculptor ended w...
Oil Crayon, Pencil, Graphite
Seated Figure, 20th century figural abstract expressionist ink drawing
Located in Beachwood, OH
Joseph Glasco (American, 1925-1996) Seated Figure 1970 India ink on paper Signed and dated lower right 16 x 11.5 inches 19.5 x 15 inches, framed Joseph Glasco was born in Paul’s Val...
India Ink
ID No. 14 The Furious. Limited edition photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
In this early photographic series, Dubravka Lazić turns her lens toward a subject rarely treated with such a quiet dignity: domestic cats. Shot in 2005, these portraits mimic the fo...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
$1,950
“So Plant, So Animal” (Animalia, Fuana, Bold Graphic, Abstract, Neutral, Framed)
Located in Paris, IDF
Bold yet delicately portrayed, "So Plant, So Animal I" is an abstract piece framed to perfection, offering a timeless neutral color palette. The central theme captures the essence of...
Acrylic, Linen, Wood, India Ink
$18,000
"Knickfaltung (Folded)" Herbert Zangs, Modernist, Folded Fabric, Textural Work
By Herbert Zangs
Located in New York, NY
Herbert Zangs Knickfaltung (Folded), 1955 Signed and dated lower left Cotton cloth folded and painted with dispersion 42 x 32 inches Provenance Private Collection, Krefeld, Germany ...
Cotton, Paint
Red abstract acrylic on canvas work by mid 20th Century Claire Pichaud
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Claire Pichaud (French 1935 – 2017) Red abstract Acrylic on canvas Squares and diamond lozenge Signed ‘Claire Pichaud’ (on the stretcher) 31.1/2 x 31.1/2 in. (80 x 80 cm.) Further ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$5,200
Demetra's Sickle - gestural abstract, acrylic on canvas
By Angela Letizia Renzi & Richard Tosczak
Located in Bloomfield, ON
At once lyrical and colourful, this large acrylic painting by Canadian visual artist Richard Tosczak was inspired by Ancient Greek mythology. Rendered in vivid sea blues, turquoise, ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$245
Pastel Study 2 - Original City Train Still Life Oil Pastel Artwork on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Kathleen Keifer's original artworks represent one of the most significant expressions of New California Realism. Keifer brings a fresh perspective to her colorful scenes of everyday ...
Paper, Oil Pastel
$1,873Sale Price|20% Off
Abstract 2305
Located in Zofingen, AG
Abstract 2305 - is original, authentic, and personally signed by the artist. Created using acrylic on canvas, a clear, gloss coating protects your cherished fine art investment from ...
Acrylic
Glacial Reveries
Located in Dallas, TX
encaustic on paper
Paper, Encaustic
Abstract Composition - Etching by Hans Richter - 1970s
By Hans Richter
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract composition is a etching and embossing realized by Hans Richter. Monogrammed in the lower part. 50 x 35 cm. No frame. Numbered. Edition, 48/99
Etching
$531
Contemporary abstract floral acrylic painting on canvas "Blooming in sunshine"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
"Blooming in Sunshine" is a striking, expressive contemporary painting by French artist Natalya Mougenot, and it forms part of her Floral series. In this series, Natalya masterfully ...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Love"
Located in Edinburgh, GB
"Love" in the Digital Age. This acrylic painting on canvas explores the nature of human intimacy in the modern world. Bright, neon streams of color and complex interweaving of lines ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$354
Contemporary abstract expressive floral painting "Vibrant spring flowers "
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Vibrant Spring Flowers” is an abstract floral painting that captures the luminous energy and emotional freshness of spring. In this artwork, French artist Natalya Mougenot explores ...
Paper, Acrylic
Emotional color chart 266 (Abstract Painting)
By Kyong Lee
Located in London, GB
This series, started in 2016 conveys a color and emotional language and is inspired by the series Color as Adjective, a series of drawings and paintings that are visual representatio...
Paper, Acrylic, Pencil
School of Fish Painting Ocean Art
Located in Zofingen, AG
* Title: Fish painting * Size: 28 by 20 inches * Materials: oil, stretched canvas, palette knife * Shipping: Gallery standards packaging. shipped with tracking number, stretched in b...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$476Sale Price|20% Off
Numbers in Color, 1981, Johns
By Jasper Johns
Located in Fairfield, CT
Title: Numbers in Color Year: 1981 Medium: Offset Lithograph exhibition poster on archival paper Edition: 5,000 Size: 39.5 x 27 inches Condition: Excellent Notes: Published by the Al...
Lithograph
Glimpses No. 14 - Green and Gold Geometric Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Alexander Eulert's original mixed media paintings on wood panels are abstract propositions of worlds where divergent forces coalesce into harmonious geometric interactions. He draws ...
Gold Leaf
Sinnliche Komposition 48 (Abstract Painting)
By Kyong Lee
Located in London, GB
This work, part of a series titled The Sensory World-Part Series, is based on a broad interpretation of sense-meaning, reflecting the nature of the present, including human physical ...
Paper, Acrylic
Untitled (1995). Gouache on paper by Sol Lewitt
By Sol LeWitt
Located in Hong Kong, HK
Sol LeWitt (1928-2007) Untitled Gouache on Paper 28.5 x 37.5 cm (11 1/4 x 14 3/4 in) Executed in 1995 Signed and dated 95 lower right Provenance Marco Noire Contemporary Art Turin...
Paper, Gouache
$3,400
576 Circles V3 - Blue Abstract Geometric Pattern Original Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Califonia artist, Brandon Neher captivates with his figurative abstract artworks that seamlessly blend German Expressionism and Pop Abstraction. His original paintings on canvas embo...
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Vintage American Black and White Framed Abstract Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American abstract painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Measuring: 26 by 22 inches overall and 24 by 20 artwork alone. Framed in a wooden floater frame. Excellent condition, read...
Canvas, Oil
French Contemporary Art by Cyrielle Schoorens - Natura
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on canvas
Canvas, Acrylic