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.
Diversions 1970 Signed Limited Edition Screen Print
By Ian Tyson
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Ian Tyson Diversions XI - 1970 Screen Print 16'' x 15'' inches Edition: signed in pencil and marked 23/150 Ian Tyson, British painter, printmaker and book artist, was born in Wallas...
Screen
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
Personatge I Estels II, 1979
By Joan Miró
Located in Beachwood, OH
Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983) "Personatge I Estels II," 1979 Etching, aquatint in colors with embossing on Arches wove paper Signed in pencil lower right, numbered 26/50 lower left ...
Etching, Aquatint
Soaring Through the Dream. Oversized abstract painting, purple, violet
Located in Oslo, NO
Soaring Through the Dreams invites the viewer into a realm where imagination and reality flow together in vibrant motion. Layers of translucent color — from deep turquoise and violet...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,052
Original-Impasto-Moonlit Dahlias-Jardin d'Hiver-British Awarded Artist-Gold leaf
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
Treasure Trove: Colorful, Still-Life, Flowers in Orange Vase, Acrylic, 2010+
By Karnish Art
Located in Pretoria, Gauteng
Title: Treasure Trove in Bloom Still-life Painting Floral Vase Colorful Flower Original Contemporary Investment One-of-a-kind Original Artwork You can buy yourself flowers! This ...
Acrylic, Canvas, Wood, Stretcher Bars
Lake Dream, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A tranquil lake stretches across the foreground, painted in deep teal, green, and blue tones that ripple with soft movement. Above the water, warm landforms ris...
Oil
$5,625Sale Price|25% Off
Sleep of the mind , 200x72 cm, oil on canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
Sleep of the mind , 200x72 cm, oil on canvas
Canvas, Oil
PULSATION OF TIME
Located in Zofingen, AG
In Pulsation of Time, the artist turns to the technique of impulsive gesture, intertwining it with delicate, translucent glazing. The multilayered texture forms a space that seems to...
Canvas, Oil
Family IV - Elegant Figurative Bronze Sculpture of Two People
Located in Los Angeles, CA
German sculptor Nando Kallweit produces figurative bronze sculptures and reliefs with aquiline and a graceful modern appeal. Kallweit is inspired by seemingly disparate cultures; the strength of ancient Egyptian sculptures...
Metal, Bronze
$2,235
Point d'equilibre, Abstract Library, oil paint, Expressionism, Contemporary art
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Point d’Équilibre Oil on canvas 50 x 50 cm (19.7 x 19.7 in) Framed dimensions available upon request Floater frame in natural wood (also available in black) Signed on the front Born...
Oil
$13,700
Cloudstack - Large Oversized Red Contemporary Geometric Metal Steel 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
$5,000
"The Botanist's Table" Porcelain White Vase with Colorful Flowers Oil Painting
Located in New York, NY
An impressionistic depiction of a white porcelain vase with a burst of white, pink, orange, yellow and light red flowers exploding with color and bold marks. Alfaro bridges the Baroq...
Oil, Canvas
$3,562
Remembering This Side Of You - Original Minimalist Abstract Painting on Canvas
Located in Manchester, GB
Henry Woolway, Remembering This Side of You, 2025 Overlapping acrylic dyed canvas with frayed edges 68 x 57.5 cm Artwork is hand-framed in a tray frame Hand-signed by Artist on reve...
Canvas, Acrylic
$4,118
Christina Gschwantner Love Dots Vivid Contemporary Abstract Painting
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...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$3,883
Contemporary Minimalist Earth Tones Abstract Painting Canvas Tete Alurralde
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...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Pigment
Small abstract expressive nature painting wood frame "Vibrant essence of spring"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This contemporary abstract expressive nature painting, created by French artist Natalya Mougenot, bursts with color and emotion. Titled "The Vibrant Essence of Spring", it captures ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Écru Oil Painting on Canvas, Textured Abstract Library Scene, Signed
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Écru Oil on canvas 19.7 × 19.7 in — unframed 22.4 × 22.4 in — framed American-style floating frame, available in natural wood or black In Écru, Sophie Dumont presents a pared-down ...
Oil
Garden Party - Mixed Media Sculptural Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Kristina Fjellman, a Minnesota-based visual artist and performer, seamlessly blends sculpture and performance art in her captivating work. With exhib...
Steel, Wire
Portrait 1982 Signed Limited Edition Lithograph
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Guillaume Corneille Portrait - 1982 Print - Lithograph on Arches Archival Paper 30'' x 22'' Edition: signed in pencil and marked 25/300 As a co-founder of the famed experimental art...
Lithograph
Muted Woodland Soft Abstract Landscape Painting Earth Tones by Federica Furbelli
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Federica Furbelli (1988, Varese, Italy) is a visual artist based in Mallorca whose practice centers on psychogeography, exploring drift, movement, and the relationship between nature...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$1,520Sale Price|20% Off
Life to the Full LA Blue 2 - Original Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sarah Johnson infuses passion, heart, and a lifetime of creative experience into each original painting. Her radial series exhibits both uninhibited freedom and methodical technique. Through colors, textures, and movement, Johnson’s acrylic paintings on canvas radiate joy with pleasing repetition and form. This 48-inch high by 30-inch wide one-of-a-kind painting is stretched, wired, and ready to hang. The sides of this original artwork are painted and it does not require framing. It is signed by the artist on the back. Free local Los Angeles area delivery. Affordable Continental U.S. and International shipping are available. A certificate of authenticity issued by the Los Angeles art gallery is included. Johnson says about her work: "I believe things that you bring into your home make a difference in the way you live and feel. My artwork is inspired by joy, purpose, and freedom. I hope my paintings are a source of inspiration for you and everyone who enters your home." Each series has a meaningful message, adding both truth and beauty to your walls. Johnson is based in Dallas, Texas, and has been a professional artist since 2012. Her abstract artworks are collected internationally. REPRESENTATION Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, California, USA EDUCATION 2010 The University of Texas at Austin EXHIBITIONS 2022 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA 2022 The Collective, Dallas, TX 2022 Mecox Gardens, Houston, TX 2022 The Arbors, Round Top, TX 2022 The Walking Man, Whitefish, MT 2022 BayHill Design Studio, Austin, TX 2022 Septemberfest Art Fair, Midland TX - Honorable Mention 2021 Olive & Home, Tyler TX...
Canvas, Acrylic
$611Sale Price|20% Off
Contemporary abstract expressionist woman's portrait on paper "Her eternity"
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
“Her Eternity” is a contemporary abstract portrait by French artist Natalya Mougenot, created as part of her ongoing series honoring women and their inner, timeless worlds. In this w...
Paper, Acrylic
$3,883
Contemporary Minimalist Diptych Blue Abstract Painting Canvas by Tete Alurralde
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
The artwork is conceived as a diptych. The total dimensions of the two pieces together are 80 × 180 cm, with each individual work measuring 80 × 90 cm. The overall dimensions are cal...
Acrylic, Cotton Canvas
Belles de nuit 1969 Signed Limited Edition Etching Abstract Nude
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Artist Name: Barbara Kwasniewska Title: Belles de nuit - ladies of the Night Year: 1969 Medium Type: etching Size-Width Size-Height: 22.5'' x 30" inches Signed Edition Size: Signe...
Etching
Birch Study 2 - Original Abstract Tree Landscape Nature Still Life Oil Painting
By Beth Munro
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beth Munro’s original paintings, whether composed of still life, landscape, or abstract forms, focus on pattern, color and texture. Munro is inspired by everything from the impressio...
Canvas, Oil
$526
Hand-Painted Limited Edition #2/10-Magic Bell & Blue Rose-British Awarded Artist
Located in London, GB
This set of two are hand painted limited edition on Giclee. Each edition is 80% hand-painted with Shizico’s own oil, gesso, and acrylic—every colour hand-mixed, every surface individ...
Metal
Abstract 2, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Layers of colors and gestures define this abstract piece. Soft green, orange, and blue contrast with touches of black. Expressive scratches and marks bring text...
Oil
"Untitled" Calvert Coggeshall, Abstract Expressionism, Subtle Color, Blue-Grey
Located in New York, NY
Calvert Coggeshall Untitled, 1956 Signed and dated twice on the reverse Oil on canvas 26 x 30 inches Calvert Coggeshall worked as an abstract painter and interior designer primaril...
Canvas, Oil
$1,350
"Once Verdant" (flora, abstract, roses, blush, pink, green, dye, antique linen)
Located in Paris, IDF
ONCE VERDANT 2024 Paris, France This enchanting painting portrays the artist's vision of an abstracted, organic floral pattern. The floral shapes and shadows allude to traces of a ...
Linen, Dye, Oil
Abstract 1, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Green, blue, and orange with black accents create a dynamic abstract composition. Scratches and marks add texture and energy. Artist Dorothy Gaziano used oil pa...
Oil
$1,760Sale Price|20% Off
Zig Zag 16-3-1 - Original Colorful Oil Painting Patterned Stripes with Texture
Located in Los Angeles, CA
In Petra Rös-Nickel’s oil paintings playful, free forms along with compositional constructions develop into textures, referencing popular European design of the fifties and sixties, ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Fountain of Life // Interior Water Abstract / blue ocean / sea, waves.
Located in Zofingen, AG
Water is a symbol of the fundamental principle of everything, it is the element from which everything on the Earth was born. Using the ThetaHealing technique The painting is fi...
Acrylic
My Joyful Heart - Lively Colorful Abstract 3-D Painted Weaving
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...
Wire
$1,176
Liberty
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
$10,150
Mid-Hudson Inscape - Large Abstract Landscape Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The paintings of Bruce Rubenstein seamlessly marry sophistication with affordability. His expressive abstract landscape artwork 'Mid-Hudson Inscape' features whimsical details and vi...
Enamel
$1,318Sale Price|30% Off
Large Geometric Abstract. 'Traces No.9 Pour une Archéologie du Présent.'
Located in Cotignac, FR
Large 1970s abstract geometric acrylic and oil on plywood panel signed Rivel and dated 1977 to the bottom left. The painting is titled to the rear of the panel. Numbers of colour fields in muted shades jostle against one another. It is the shapes and the space between them which give energy to the painting whilst the colour palette restrains. The painting is highly textured as the artist has applied the paint thickly and energetically with both palette knife and large brushstrokes. At times layers of paint reveal underlying colours. This painting fits perfectly into the abstract genre with its focus on its formal qualities over and above its subject matter. Furthermore the artist experiments with reconstructing shapes and rejecting three dimensional perspective. A fine example of non objective art...
Acrylic, Board
$1,080Sale Price|20% Off
Pumpkins, Yellow/Black, Red/White (Two Sculptures), Yayoi Kusama 草間 彌生
By Yayoi Kusama
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Yayoi Kusama (1929) Title: Pumpkins, Yellow/Black, Red/White (Two Sculptures) Year: 2016 Medium: Painted cast resin sculptures with decorative boxes, as issued Sculpture Size...
Epoxy Resin
$200Sale Price|20% Off
Achille Perilli Lithograph Poster, Abstract Geometric Art, 1973
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This is an original lithograph poster created for Achille Perilli’s 1973 exhibition Works on Paper at Marlborough Galerie in Zürich. A leading figure in postwar Italian abstraction, ...
Lithograph
Vintage American Framed Abstract Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American abstract painting. Gouache on board. Measuring: 18 by 22 inches overall and 12 by 16 artwork alone. Framed in antique gilt wood frame. Excellent condition, ready to...
Board, Gouache
$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
Vintage American Modernist Abstract Expressionist Large Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 24 by 36 inches overall. Excellent condition, ready to hang ...
Oil, Canvas
$1,153
Neutral X - Large 63X31.5 inches Modern Art Gold and Silver Effect Signed(2026)
Located in Zofingen, AG
This is an original, unique, fluid, hand-painted abstract artwork with many shades of pink gold, yellow gold and red gold acomplished by gray, white, silver and black. Also you can f...
Acrylic
Still Life Interior
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Frederick Serger (1889-1965). Still Life, ca. 1950. Oil on gessoed paper mounted to illustration board. Image measures 16 x 17 inches. Framed measurement: 25.5 x 25.5 inches. ...
Paper, Oil
$12,500
"Pond With Lotus Flowers" Monet's Water Garden in Giverny Painting on Canvas
Located in New York, NY
From Monet's sanctuary in Giverny, we are transported effortlessly through bold brushwork and impasto paint. Alfaro diligently layers the canvas with acrylic paint creating a truly b...
Canvas, Acrylic
Pablo Picasso Abstract Etching, Unsigned, 1971, Series 156
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Pablo Picasso Title: Femme au Fauteuil et Homme Accoude Medium: Etching Portfolio: Series 156 Date: 1971 Edition: 1/50 Frame Size: 19 1/8" x 16 7/8" Sheet Size: 12 7/8" x 9 7...
Etching
$3,100
Suluk/Wanderings No 48 - gestural, abstract, acrylic and pigment on canvas
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This gestural, abstract, acrylic and pigment on canvas is by Montreal-based artist Shireen Kamran. Early in her career, Shireen Kamran’s enigmatic artwork was influenced by famed ab...
Acrylic, Pigment
Abstract 5, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Patches of cream, turquoise, and grey fill this abstract painting. Blue and orange accents, along with black lines, create contrast. Scratches and marks bring d...
Oil
$2,729Sale Price|20% Off
l'Atelier en suspens, Abstract, Textured, Geometric, Contemporary, French art
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
In The Studio in Suspension, Sophie Dumont reimagines the atmosphere of a working artist’s studio, where canvases, color fields, and subtle objects appear to hover in a poised, quiet...
Oil
Red Cascade - Cypress Gardens
Located in Bloomfield, ON
The kaleidoscope of colours and the dynamic form of nature are expressed in this joyful celebration of nature. Rendered in right red, yellow, blue, green, orange and yellow—the colou...
Acrylic
Reconstruction, Abstract Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Several shades of blue sweep across a lightly textured background. Bits of orange highlight the focal point, adding warmth to the composition. Sections of gray ...
Acrylic
Mid Century French Geometric Abstract in Black White and Navy Signed SG
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: Mid Century French Geometric Abstract in Black White and Navy Signed SG by Serge Guerin (b. 1916), French signed lower right “SG”, name stamped verso Acrylic and gouache on ar...
Ink, Acrylic, Gouache
Memory of blooming
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work appears as a fragment of a future archive, where not events are preserved, but states — tenderness, tension, and the fragility of life. The tulip petals unfold like layers ...
Canvas, Oil
$6,700
Inscape 1 - Original Expressionist Mixed Media Cool Tone Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The paintings of Bruce Rubenstein seamlessly marry sophistication with affordability. His expressive abstract landscape artwork 'Inscape 1' features whimsical details and vibrant org...
Enamel
First Light, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Soft tones, texture, and linework shape this abstract painting. Warm oranges, creams, and yellows contrast with deep blacks, greys, and teals. Artist Dorothy Ga...
Oil
Mid-century Abstract Expressionist painting
By Hoi Lebadang
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful ca. 1960-70 abstract painting in the style of Vietnamese artist, Hoi Lebadang (1921-2015) Oil on canvas measures 22 x 28 inches. Framed measurement 29.5 x 33.5 inches. Un...
Oil
Valeria - Abstract Mixed Media Sculpture, Modern Flower Design, 2010+
By Benny Katz
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This abstract pop art table top sculpture depicts flowers. The whimsical and playful minimalist sculptures of Benny Katz have attracted international collectors. Katz focuses on fo...
Mixed Media
Large Abstract Expressionist Taiwanese Painting Chihung Yang Chinese Art
Located in Surfside, FL
Chihung Yang American (b. 1947) Untitled (Black and Brown Composition) (1986) Mixed media (acrylic, pastel) on paper Hand signed lower right Sheet 38 x 50 inches, frame dimensions: 4...
Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Original-Jardin d'Hiver-Cloud Dahlias in Blue-British Awarded Artist-Impasto
Located in London, GB
Jardin d'Hiver Series is Shizico Yi's latest collection, created in her winter studio with an expensive window view to the winter clouds while longing for the summer left behind. Ref...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Ocean's Jewels, Abstract Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A layer of emerald green rests atop a base of purple, pale blue, and white, creating a striking contrast of light and dark. Scratches and marks added while the ...
Oil