Abstract Art
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.
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Ceramic, Clay
2010s Abstract Art
Digital
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Art
India Ink, Handmade Paper
Artist Comments
Various materials and textures create depth in this modern abstract composition. Fabric, impasto, and corrugated cardboard form a layered, tactile surface. Co...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Watercolor, Rag Paper, Monoprint
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Gesso, Charcoal, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Panel
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Engraving
1970s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Ink
1980s Abstract Art
Wood
1990s Abstract Art
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
1990s Abstract Art
Granite, Bronze, Steel
1960s Abstract Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Gouache, Permanent Marker
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Etching
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Color Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Found Objects, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Glass, Wood
2010s Abstract Art
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Art
Linen, Oil, Epoxy Resin
Artist Comments
Soft blues and purples create a soothing blend of hues in this abstract painting. The black, gray, pops of orange, and line work guide the eye through the com...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Abstract Art
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Paper, Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Offset
1950s Abstract Art
Stainless Steel
2010s Abstract Art
Monotype
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil