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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
Spirit - Abstract Geometric Form, Hand Painted, Welded Steel Sculpture
Spirit - Abstract Geometric Form, Hand Painted, Welded Steel Sculpture

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Steel

Figure Sur Rouge (Figure on Red) /// Contemporary French Painting Minimalism Art
Figure Sur Rouge (Figure on Red) /// Contemporary French Painting Minimalism Art

Figure Sur Rouge (Figure on Red) /// Contemporary French Painting Minimalism Art

By Pierre Marie Brisson

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Pierre Marie Brisson (French, 1955-) Title: "Figure Sur Rouge (Figure on Red)" *Signed by Brisson lower right. It is also signed and dated on verso Year: 1983 Medium: Origina...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Paint, Oil, Handmade Paper, Rag Paper, Mixed Media

1970 Signed Limited Edition Large Screen Print II
1970 Signed Limited Edition Large Screen Print II

1970 Signed Limited Edition Large Screen Print II

By Jimmy Ernst

Located in Rochester Hills, MI

Jimmy Ernst  Plate II - 1970 Print - Screen Print on Heavy Paper 28'' x 37'' inches Edition: Signed in pencil and numbered 24/125 Jimmy Ernst’s artwork was influenced by a number of powerful talents and vital currents in the art of his time. Son of Max Ernst, Jimmy drew upon the biomorphic and surreal compositions of his father, as well as Arp, Klee, André Breton, and Lyonel Feininger. His mature oil paintings, which emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, reflect the Atomic Age aesthetic of the period. Often, they resemble crystals or webs; many look like vast labyrinths and are interpreted as symbols of the unconscious mind. Ernst was always interested in spirituality and drew inspiration from indigenous American art...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Screen

Aspen Study I - large scale photograph of Indian summer autumnal color palette
Aspen Study I - large scale photograph of Indian summer autumnal color palette

Aspen Study I - large scale photograph of Indian summer autumnal color palette

By Frank Schott

Located in San Francisco, CA

Aspen Study I by Frank Schott a series of images capturing the yellow golden Indian summer foliage palette of aspen trees in California's Sierra Nevada ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée

Stanley Boxer - Finale, from Carnival of Animals (Tyler Graphics, 119:SB31) S/N
Stanley Boxer - Finale, from Carnival of Animals (Tyler Graphics, 119:SB31) S/N

Stanley Boxer - Finale, from Carnival of Animals (Tyler Graphics, 119:SB31) S/N

By Stanley Boxer

Located in New York, NY

Stanley Boxer Finale, from Carnival of Animals (Tyler Graphics, 119:SB31), 1979 Etching, aquatint, engraving and drypoint on hand colored TGL handmade paper Edition 16/20 Pencil sign...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Pencil, Graphite, Engraving, Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint

French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance
French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance

French Expressionist Abstract Original Painting Artists Studio Provenance

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Jacques COULAIS (1955-2011) gouache painting on thick board unframed: 8 x 8 inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we have fo...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Plant-like
Plant-like

James BrooksPlant-like, c.1945

$12,000Sale Price|20% Off

Plant-like

By James Brooks

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

James Brooks (1906-1992). Plantlike, c.1945. Oil on canvas measures 18 x 24 inches; 24 x 30 inches in a painted wood frame of the period. Signed "J. David Brooks" lower right, Signed...

Category

1940s Abstract Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Black lacqured foldes
Black lacqured foldes

Black lacqured foldes

By Svetlana Saratova

Located in Zofingen, AG

An original textured artwork, handcrafted on canvas using clay, acrylic, and a high-gloss finish. The flowing sculptural forms and deep black tones create a sense of movement and ele...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Clay

Untitled (2)
Untitled (2)

Untitled (2)

By John von Wicht

Located in Columbia, MO

Signed and dated '52 recto. John von Wicht (German-American, 1888 - 1970) was a painter and printmaker whose abstract works evolved from European modernism to dynamic, expressionisti...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Oil

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Ed Moses

Located in Santa Monica, CA

Moses often referred to himself as a “mutator,” driven less by self-expression than by an insatiable curiosity to discover. Never content to remain within a singular visual language,...

Category

1950s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Geo #2, Original Contemporary Abstract Painting
Geo #2, Original Contemporary Abstract Painting

Geo #2, Original Contemporary Abstract Painting

Located in Boston, MA

Geo #2 36 x 36 x 1.38, 4.0 lbs Acrylic on canvas Hand signed by the artist Artist's Commentary: "This abstract expressionist painting signifies the quiet nights in the Southwest high desert. It is painted with a brush using a wash technique...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Peter Halley at Sonnabend Gallery poster, New York (Hand Signed by Peter Halley)
Peter Halley at Sonnabend Gallery poster, New York (Hand Signed by Peter Halley)

Peter Halley at Sonnabend Gallery poster, New York (Hand Signed by Peter Halley)

By Peter Halley

Located in New York, NY

Peter Halley Peter Halley, Sonnabend Gallery, New York (Hand Signed by Peter Halley), 1989 Offset lithograph poster (hand signed by Peter Halley) 28 × 26 inches Unframed Alpha 137 Gallery is honored to offer this historic offset lithograph of American artist Peter Halley's 1989 exhibition at the legendary Sonnabend Gallery in New York which the artist hand signed in black marker. Scroll down for a photograph of our director Nadine Witkin with the artist. Below is Peter Halley's official biography. What it doesn't mention is that Andy Warhol famously painted his portrait in 1986! Peter Halley is that legendary. According to Halley, he didn't realize until after Warhol's death that the polaroids Warhol took of him with his famous "big shot" camera were made into an original painting. Warhol's painting of Peter Halley was included in the recent Andy Warhol retrospective "Andy Warhol - from A to B and Back Again" at the Whitney. PETER HALLEY BIOGRAPHY Peter Halley, born 1953, New York City, is an American artist who came to prominence as a central figure of the Neo-Conceptualist movement of the 1980s. His paintings redeploy the language of geometric abstraction to explore the organization of social space in the digital era. Since the 1980s, Halley’s lexicon has included three elements: “prisons” and “cells,” connected by “conduits,” which are used in his paintings to explore the technologically determined space and pathways that regulate daily life. Using fluorescent color and Roll-a-Tex, a commercial paint additive that provides readymade texture, Halley embraces materials that are anti-naturalistic and commercially manufactured. In the mid 1990s Halley pioneered the use of wall-sized digital prints in his site-specific installations. He has executed installations at Museo Nivola, Orani, Sardinia (2021); Greene Naftali...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Offset, Lithograph

Autumn impressions
Autumn impressions

Autumn impressions

By Andrei Sitsko

Located in Zofingen, AG

Autumn impressions. In this piece, I poured my passion for vibrant color and movement into every brushstroke. The rich reds and purples evoke the fiery heart of autumn, while the su...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Whichcup  1979
Whichcup  1979

Whichcup 1979

By Michael Challenger

Located in Rochester Hills, MI

Challenger's work is a powerful interplay of op-art and constructivism. His graphic work evokes the counter- play of shapes, forms and color of his predecessors, including Albers an...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Screen

Contemporary Interior Scene Oil Painting "Sara's Salon" by Amy Dixon

Contemporary Interior Scene Oil Painting "Sara's Salon" by Amy Dixon

By Amy Dixon

Located in Atlanta, GA

Rich with atmosphere and painterly charm, Sara's Salon captures an intimate interior bathed in shifting light. Amy Dixon's expressive brushwork and nuanced palette transform an every...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Abstract Composition XVII, Painting by Jenik Cook
Abstract Composition XVII, Painting by Jenik Cook

Abstract Composition XVII, Painting by Jenik Cook

By Jenik Cook

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Jenik Cook, American (1940 - ) Title: Untitled XVII Year: 2010 Medium: Acrylic on Paper, signed and dated Size: 22 in. x 28 in. (55.88 cm x 71.12 cm)

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Huge French 20th Century Abstract Expression Painting
Huge French 20th Century Abstract Expression Painting

Huge French 20th Century Abstract Expression Painting

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Marie Deloume (French born 1942) signed on back oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 24 x 20 inches condition: overall very good, a few...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Oil

"Untitled Abstract" Oil on Board, Abstract Expressionist, Signed by the Artist
"Untitled Abstract" Oil on Board, Abstract Expressionist, Signed by the Artist

"Untitled Abstract" Oil on Board, Abstract Expressionist, Signed by the Artist

Located in Detroit, MI

SALE ONE WEEK ONLY The energy and gusto of the applied paint in "Untitled Abstract" appears close to violent except for the calming influence of the circle in the middle. The red circle tempers the movement a little and brings all the strokes and wild directions into a harmony that is bursting with life. This is an extraordinarily expressive painting by Simpson. Simpson became the first African American to receive a prestigious five-year fellowship from the Charleston Scientific and Cultural Education fund and left South Carolina in 1949 for New York City after he finished high school. He attended New York University and Cooper Union while working in the frame shop of Herbert Benevy. Many well-known artists came to the frame shop and in time critiqued Simpson's work and developed a relationship with him. At NYU Simpson became acquainted with Hale Woodruff...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Sun Composition
Sun Composition

Sun Composition

By Caio Fonseca

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Caio Fonseca (b. 1959) is an American artist whose practice is rooted in lyrical abstraction. Known for creating balanced compositions with tonal harmonies, Fonseca is an artist dee...

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

India Ink

Harmony of Textures. Abstract
Harmony of Textures. Abstract

Harmony of Textures. Abstract

By Svetlana Saratova

Located in Zofingen, AG

The artwork, created on an 8 mm plywood base, captivates with its textures and interplay of materials. The upper part is crafted from high-quality faux leather, resembling soft, flow...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Plywood, Mixed Media, Leather, Acrylic, Panel, Putty

"Forever"
"Forever"

"Forever"

By Nataliia Svitlychna

Located in Edinburgh, GB

In the luminous embrace of gold and shadow, this commanding abstract composition unfolds as a symphony of form and emotion. Bold, sweeping curves intertwine with geometric precision,...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Landscape, Painting, Oil on Canvas
Landscape, Painting, Oil on Canvas

Landscape, Painting, Oil on Canvas

By Marilina Marchica

Located in Yardley, PA

Landscape fragile Landscapes mixed media on canvas 61x46 cm 2021 :: Painting :: Abstract :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Untitled 10.4.25
Untitled 10.4.25

Untitled 10.4.25

By Bryan Ricci

Located in West Hollywood, CA

In Untitled 10.4.25, Bryan Ricci creates small, deliberate strokes that gather across the surface, accumulating into layered fields of blooming color. These marks oscillate between p...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Linen, Emulsion, Pigment, Polymer

Effritement 4

Effritement 4

By Jean-François Provost

Located in Montreal, Quebec

Born in Ottawa in 1976, Jean-François Provost holds a Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts from the Université du Québec en Outaouais. He has received several awards and honours for his ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

"Dawn, " Limited Edition Giclee Print, 48" x 48"
"Dawn, " Limited Edition Giclee Print, 48" x 48"

"Dawn, " Limited Edition Giclee Print, 48" x 48"

By Elwood Howell

Located in Westport, CT

This abstract, limited edition print by Elwood Howell features a predominantly green palette, with a muted yellow area at the top of the composition. Subtle circle shapes and long ve...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Digital, Giclée

Ruz  Vertical  Blue Black   Abstract Acrylic on paper Painting
Ruz  Vertical  Blue Black   Abstract Acrylic on paper Painting

Ruz Vertical Blue Black Abstract Acrylic on paper Painting

By Rafael Ruz

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

Original work of the artist RUZ Ruz. astract. Vertical. blue .black - Abstract Acrylic on paper Painting Perfect state virtual frame While contemplating the painting of Ruz, we are i...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Autumn Colors. Abstract.
Autumn Colors. Abstract.

Autumn Colors. Abstract.

By Svetlana Saratova

Located in Zofingen, AG

An abstract artwork created with alcohol inks on synthetic paper. Warm shades of ochre, amber, golden brown, and olive blend seamlessly with accents of deep blue, violet, and emerald...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ink, Synthetic Paper

1955 Exhibition Poster
1955 Exhibition Poster

1955 Exhibition Poster

By Paul Klee

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Original Exhibition Poster Paul Klee, Berggruen and Cie, Paris 1955. Measuring This poster is an original print, not a reproduction. The poster is in very good vintage condition wi...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Offset

Saltwater 6, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Saltwater 6, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Saltwater 6, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Hilary Winfield

Located in Yardley, PA

Saltwater 6 is an original painting, created with acrylic paint on gallery-wrapped canvas. It has a width of 48 inches and a height of 24 inches with a depth of 1.5 inches (24x48x1.5...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Roy Ahlgren 'Allegro' Signed Limited Edition Serigraph Print
Roy Ahlgren 'Allegro' Signed Limited Edition Serigraph Print

Roy Ahlgren 'Allegro' Signed Limited Edition Serigraph Print

By Roy Ahlgren

Located in San Rafael, CA

Roy Ahlgren Allegro, 1986 Serigraph Signed, title and edition in pencil in lower margin Edition 5/100 Sheet: 22 1/4in H x 29 3/4in L (unframed) Ahlgren came to art relatively late ...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Screen

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.