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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
Cecil
Cecil

Cecil

By David Hockney

Located in London, GB

1973 Ink on paper 18.4 x 16.8 cm. Signed with the artist's initials 'DH' (lower right); inscribed 'Cecil' (upper right) Provenance: Collection of the Artist. Private Collection, Lon...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

Josette Urso "Tide Line" 2025 watercolor on paper

Josette Urso "Tide Line" 2025 watercolor on paper

By Josette Urso

Located in New York, NY

Josette Urso Tide Line, 2025 watercolor on paper 12 x 16 in. (urso303) Of her recent works, Urso states, "I make exploratory paintings, working in response to my immediate environme...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Watercolor

Leader and Followers
Leader and Followers

Leader and Followers

By Abiodun Nafiu Azeez

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

"Leader and Followers" is a visually striking piece of art that immediately captures the viewer's attention. The artwork, which was created using a combination of oil colors, features a central figure standing tall and confident, representing the "Leader." Surrounding this central figure are several smaller figures, representing the "Followers." Azeez's "Leader and Followers" is a profound allegory that explores the complex dynamics between leaders and their followers in society. The central figure, portrayed as powerful and charismatic, serves as a representation of leadership. This character appears larger than life, evoking a sense of authority and control. The surrounding smaller figures represent the followers, who, in contrast, appear diminutive and fragmented. Their faces are obscured, and their bodies are twisted and contorted, symbolizing the idea that followers may often lose their individuality and autonomy in their pursuit of leadership. Azeez seems to suggest that leaders can exert a significant influence over their followers, shaping their thoughts, behaviors, and even identities. "Leader and Followers" challenges viewers to reconsider their assumptions about leadership and followership. It raises questions about the responsibilities of leaders, the agency of followers, and the potential for both positive and negative outcomes when these roles intersect. Azeez's work invites us to reflect on the role of leadership in shaping society. It prompts us to ask whether leaders should be held accountable for the actions and choices of their followers. It also encourages us to consider the ethical implications of the power that leaders wield over their followers. Abiodun Nafiu...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Wonderland' by Doug Bauer, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
'Wonderland' by Doug Bauer, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

'Wonderland' by Doug Bauer, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Located in Oklahoma City, OK

This 36" x 48" acrylic on canvas painting by artist, Doug Bauer, is a dynamic composition of interlocking geometric and organic forms rendered in a vibrant palette of blues, greens, ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Colorful Vermont
Colorful Vermont

Colorful Vermont

By Andrei Sitsko

Located in Zofingen, AG

Colorful Vermont I created this vivid painting with a symphony of brushstrokes that dance on the canvas, weaving into a tapestry of color and energy. Each stroke is a whisper of emot...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pink Cosmos Monotype Print, Abstract Art, 2023, Hand-Pulled by the Artist
Pink Cosmos Monotype Print, Abstract Art, 2023, Hand-Pulled by the Artist

Pink Cosmos Monotype Print, Abstract Art, 2023, Hand-Pulled by the Artist

By a.muse

Located in New york, NY

In the artist's abstract print series, Cosmos, 2023 by a.muse represents an imaginary cosmos - the universe as a place of longing, dreams, wonder, and ethereal beauty. A 13.75" x 11"...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ink, Rag Paper, Monotype, Gouache

Original Lithograph II

Original Lithograph II

By Joan Miró

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1972 at the Mourlot atelier and published for the "Miro Lithograph I" catalogue raisonne. Size: 12 1/2 x 9 5/8 inches (320 x 245 mm). Not signed.

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Lithograph

Musings, Abstract Painting
Musings, Abstract Painting

Musings, Abstract Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Terri Bell exhibits a series of organic shapes in varying sizes combined to create a double grid. She presents each abstract form as a unique design el...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Landscape - XXI century, Contemporary Oil & Acrylic Painting, Abstraction
Landscape - XXI century, Contemporary Oil & Acrylic Painting, Abstraction

Landscape - XXI century, Contemporary Oil & Acrylic Painting, Abstraction

By Monika Rossa

Located in Warsaw, PL

MONIKA ROSSA studied painting at the University of Arizona, in the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and at the Escuela de Diseno in Barcelona. She practices drawing and easel painting....

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Board

Teal Lace Collotype Lithograph
Teal Lace Collotype Lithograph

Teal Lace Collotype Lithograph

By Patricia A. Pearce

Located in Soquel, CA

Delicate layered collotype on heavy bond paper by Patricia A. Pearce (American, b. 1948). This piece is unsigned, but was acquired with a collection of other Pearce work. No frame. I...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Lithograph

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

Located in Barcelona, CT

The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Lithograph

A Quiet Place #2
A Quiet Place #2

A Quiet Place #2

By Lucy Moore

Located in Deddington, GB

A Quite Place #2 By Lucy Moore [2021] original Acrylic on canvas Image size: H:76 cm x W:61 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:76 cm x W:61 cm x D:1.5cm Sold Unframed Please note ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Piero Dorazio

Located in Summit, NJ

Gorgeous aquatint in reds and oranges by Piero Dorazio (Italian 1927-2005). This aquatint is on heavy "Umbria" Fabriano paper. It is signed and dated 1964 in the lower margin in penc...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Aquatint

Phenomenon East of the River, Acrylic on Canvas Painting by Paul Jenkins
Phenomenon East of the River, Acrylic on Canvas Painting by Paul Jenkins

Phenomenon East of the River, Acrylic on Canvas Painting by Paul Jenkins

By Paul Jenkins

Located in London, GB

*PLEASE NOTE UK BUYERS WILL ONLY PAY 5% VAT ON THIS PURCHASE. Once an order is placed we will arrange the VAT of 20% to be reduced to 5% Phenomenon East of the River by Paul Jenkins (1923 - 2012) Acrylic on canvas 97.2 x 130.2 cm (38 ¹/₄ x 51 ¹/₄ inches) Signed lower right, Paul Jenkins Signed, titled and dated 1993 on the reverse Provenance Private collection, New York, acquired directly from the artist Artist's Biography Born at Kansas City in Missouri (USA), the multi-media artist, poet and playwright Paul Jenkins studied at the Kansas City Art Institute and the Art Students League in New York City. After his discharge from military service at the end of February 1946, he briefly studied playwriting with dramatist George McCalmon at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. Thereafter, Jenkins spent four years studying with Japanese American artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi in New York City. His first solo exhibitions were held at Studio Paul Facchetti in Paris in 1954 and the Martha Graham Gallery in New York City in 1956. Over the past thirty years, numerous retrospectives have been curated across the globe and Jenkins’ work can found in national collections from Europe and the United States to Israel, Australia and Japan. The diversity of his work springs from Jenkins’ wealth of eclectic influences. Some of his earliest works included what he called "interior landscapes" influenced by ancient natural forms like the caves he visited in the Ozark Mountains in his native-Missouri. Frequent student visits to the Frick Collection in New York fostered a love of the great masters: Bellini, Holbein, Vermeer, Rembrandt, de la Tour, Turner and Goya. In compliment, lingering student visits to the renowned Eastern collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City evoked powerful sympathy for a monumental Chinese fresco...

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Free Space - Blue
Free Space - Blue

Free Space - Blue

By Lee Krasner

Located in Toronto, Ontario

The essence of Lee Krasner's (1908-1984) biography is familiar to anyone who has studied women's role in 20th century art history: An accomplished artist whose own output gets eclips...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Screen

Ariel, Original Contemporary Abstract Painting
Ariel, Original Contemporary Abstract Painting

Ariel, Original Contemporary Abstract Painting

Located in Boston, MA

Ariel 36.0 x 48.0 x 2.0, 2.0 lbs Mixed Media Hand signed by artist Artist's Commentary: "I wanted to create something that produced the same sense of awe I have when I see the beau...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Gold in magenta. Abstraction
Gold in magenta. Abstraction

Gold in magenta. Abstraction

By Svetlana Saratova

Located in Zofingen, AG

The work is created in the fluid art technique using acrylic on canvas. The composition is built on the intense interaction of saturated pink, coral, and crimson tones, complemented ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Unfolding
Unfolding

Unfolding

By Kseniia Ivanova

Located in Zofingen, AG

This work embodies the state of opening oneself to new experience. “Unfolding” is the moment of meeting your own strength and vulnerability at once — where chaos transforms into harm...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Fifteen on the Farm", Abstract Collage painting
"Fifteen on the Farm", Abstract Collage painting

"Fifteen on the Farm", Abstract Collage painting

By Jill Haas

Located in Westport, CT

In Fifteen on the Farm, Jill Haas arranges florals into a richly layered composition alive with warmth, movement, and graphic clarity. Creamy white blossoms, soft pink forms, and dee...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Canvas

New Beginning - original painting acrylic on canvas
New Beginning - original painting acrylic on canvas

New Beginning - original painting acrylic on canvas

By Christel Haag

Located in London, GB

New Beginning - 2017 by Christel Haag Large vividly colorful abstract piece by award winning German artist Christel Haag. original painting acrylic on canvas - stretched ready to hang. Ships securely from London. About the artist : « A life without color is unthinkable. I dedicate myself to my late love, colorful abstract painting, with all the more passion...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Still Life / abstract expressionistic geometry in soft yellow
Still Life / abstract expressionistic geometry in soft yellow

Still Life / abstract expressionistic geometry in soft yellow

By Javier Arizmendi-Kalb

Located in Burlingame, CA

Soft yellow abstract shapes with curves and lines, 'Still Life' from Mexican-American contemporary visual artist and celebrated architect Javier Arizmendi-Kalb, who creates autobiographical paintings that are comprised of both abstract and representational elements that consider the natural world as it intersects with utilitarian and architectural design. 'Still Life' — 3 x 4 feet (36 x 48 inches), — is from a series of paintings that characterize sacred spaces such as Mexican chapels...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Even The Heart Skips A Beat Print, Signed, Limited Edition, 2010+
Even The Heart Skips A Beat Print, Signed, Limited Edition, 2010+

Even The Heart Skips A Beat Print, Signed, Limited Edition, 2010+

By RETNA

Located in New York, NY

'EVEN THE HEART SKIPS A BEAT' (Black on Black) is a signature stylistic print by RETNA. The large-scale glittering artwork is a silkscreen print with layers of genuine diamond dust. ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Screen

Large British Abstract Expressionist Painting Green Colors
Large British Abstract Expressionist Painting Green Colors

Large British Abstract Expressionist Painting Green Colors

By Sally Bradshaw

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Artist/ School: Sally Bradshaw, British contemporary Title: abstract expressionist composition Medium: oil on board, framed Framed: 33 x 25 inches Board : 31 x 23 inches Provenan...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Gaia 117 - Black and White Diptych of Clouds and Waves Catalonia Spanish Sea

Gaia 117 - Black and White Diptych of Clouds and Waves Catalonia Spanish Sea

By Jaume Llorens

Located in Brighton, GB

Gaia 117 - Black and White Diptych of Clouds and Waves Catalonia Spanish Sea by Jaume Llorens Bach Gaia 117 is a 18cm x 24cm Black-and-White print on Premio Kozo 180gsm White Paper ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Black and White, Digital, Photographic Paper

NYC Night, Oil Painting
NYC Night, Oil Painting

NYC Night, Oil Painting

By Yangzi Xu

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Artist Yangzi Xu depicts a lively nighttime scene of New York City. She fills the composition with recognizable aspects such as tower...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

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.