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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
Zig Zag 16-3-1 - Original Colorful Oil Painting Patterned Stripes with Texture
Zig Zag 16-3-1 - Original Colorful Oil Painting Patterned Stripes with Texture

Zig Zag 16-3-1 - Original Colorful Oil Painting Patterned Stripes with Texture

By Petra Rös-Nickel

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, ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

Quiet Beauty in Nature, Abstract Oil Painting
Quiet Beauty in Nature, Abstract Oil Painting

Quiet Beauty in Nature, Abstract Oil Painting

By Ronda Waiksnis

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This abstract painting invites quiet reflection, evoking the stillness of a misty landscape mirrored in calm waters. A gentle palette of greens and blues wash...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Twilight - Muted Color Atmospheric Abstract Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas
Twilight - Muted Color Atmospheric Abstract Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas

Twilight - Muted Color Atmospheric Abstract Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Mark Acetelli’s oil and mixed media paintings awaken the viewer’s sense of exploration and adventure; they demand a new discovery. His artworks exhibit a chemistry of complexity and ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Warm Days, Abstract Oil Painting
Warm Days, Abstract Oil Painting

Warm Days, Abstract Oil Painting

By Jenn Williamson

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A palpable sense of atmosphere and a soft, dreamy mood evoke memories of long summer afternoons bathed in gentle sunlight. Subtle layers and luminous textures i...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Large Geometric Abstract. 'Traces No.9 Pour une Archéologie du Présent.'
Large Geometric Abstract. 'Traces No.9 Pour une Archéologie du Présent.'

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...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Light Thoughts, 2024 Mixed Media on Artist Board, Abstract Geometric Art
Light Thoughts, 2024 Mixed Media on Artist Board, Abstract Geometric Art

Light Thoughts, 2024 Mixed Media on Artist Board, Abstract Geometric Art

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Light Thoughts, 2024 Mix Media on artist board Size - 72" height x 84" width x 1.75" depth Signed Murray Duncan is a self-taught creative visionary. Know for his large-scale, expres...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic

Senza Misura - smooth, polished, abstract, contemporary, mahogany sculpture
Senza Misura - smooth, polished, abstract, contemporary, mahogany sculpture

Senza Misura - smooth, polished, abstract, contemporary, mahogany sculpture

By David Chamberlain

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...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Metal

Three Totems - Large Oversized Abstract Modern Textural Grey Steel Sculptures
Three Totems - Large Oversized Abstract Modern Textural Grey Steel Sculptures

Three Totems - Large Oversized Abstract Modern Textural Grey Steel Sculptures

By Granville Beals

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Inspired by dance and weightlessness, Granville Beals' industrial metal sculptures are primarily about relationships. His original artworks capture the essence of Abstract Expression...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Metal, Steel

Heartsease - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Pop Culture, People, Peace
Heartsease - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Pop Culture, People, Peace

Heartsease - 21st Century, Contemporary, Abstract, Pop Culture, People, Peace

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Good people close inside when they're broken, but those who look from the outside think they're clever." People will use your prejudice when they can't figure you out. Cause ain't no...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic

Abstract Geometric Painting by Dave Braden
Abstract Geometric Painting by Dave Braden

Abstract Geometric Painting by Dave Braden

Located in San Francisco, CA

No two shapes are alike. Yet they work together as a harmonious whole. Painter David Braden has described his vision overall in abstract terms. Inspired by individuality, he especial...

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Red on Yellow
Red on Yellow

Red on Yellow

By Milly Ristvedt

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This large-scale contemporary painting by Milly Ristvedt explores colour in abstract form. A masterful, award-winning colourist, Milly Ristvedt’s elegant abstract paintings hang on...

Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Magenta abstraction on a gold background. Triptych
Magenta abstraction on a gold background. Triptych

Magenta abstraction on a gold background. Triptych

Located in Zofingen, AG

The triptych is created in fluid acrylic technique and consists of three vertical panels, each measuring 24 × 30 cm. Together they form a unified composition connected by a continuou...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

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 paper/ card unframed: 12.75 x 9.75 inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Untitled #509, Mixed Media on Paper by Murray Duncan - Abstract Geometric Modern
Untitled #509, Mixed Media on Paper by Murray Duncan - Abstract Geometric Modern

Untitled #509, Mixed Media on Paper by Murray Duncan - Abstract Geometric Modern

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Untitled #509 by Murray Duncan, 2024 Mix media on paper Unframed Size: 32" x 40" Murray Duncan Studio: Murray Duncan, born in 1966, is a self-taught creative visionary celebrated f...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Glaze, Oil Crayon, Acrylic

Aura - Chrome metallic glazed ceramic sculpture
Aura - Chrome metallic glazed ceramic sculpture

Aura - Chrome metallic glazed ceramic sculpture

Located in East Quogue, NY

Hand-pitched chrome metallic glazed ceramic sculpture vessel by Jessamyn Go. White Stoneware, Bronze Metallic Glaze, 8" x 7 x 3.5 inches Jessamyn Go's work is deeply rooted in the ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze

Double Blue Painting, Abstract Acrylic on Paper, Framed, 21st Century
Double Blue Painting, Abstract Acrylic on Paper, Framed, 21st Century

Double Blue Painting, Abstract Acrylic on Paper, Framed, 21st Century

By Sandra Salamonová

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Abstract Seascape Painting in Soft Neutrals – Original Oil on Canvas, French Art
Abstract Seascape Painting in Soft Neutrals – Original Oil on Canvas, French Art

Abstract Seascape Painting in Soft Neutrals – Original Oil on Canvas, French Art

By SOPHIE DUMONT

Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR

Sophie Dumont – “Instant Suspendu” Oil on canvas – 19.69 x 19.69 in (50 x 50 cm) Framed dimensions: 22.44 x 22.44 in (57 x 57 cm) – Choice of black or natural wood frame Year: 2026 C...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Abraham Walkowitz (1878-1965) Signed Antique Modernist Abstract Framed Painting
Abraham Walkowitz (1878-1965) Signed Antique Modernist Abstract Framed Painting

Abraham Walkowitz (1878-1965) Signed Antique Modernist Abstract Framed Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist cityscape painting by Abraham Walkowitz (1878 - 1965). Mixed media on paper. Signed. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 20 by...

Category

1910s Abstract Art

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper

House in Snow (Winter Landscape)
House in Snow (Winter Landscape)

House in Snow (Winter Landscape)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Nicholas Maravell. House in Snow, 1989. Ink and watercolor on paper, 10.5 x 13.75 inches; 18 x 21.25 inches framed. Signed with artist monogram lower right. Gallery label affixe...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

Francoise Gilot - Window on Another Dimension signed lithograph Picasso mistress
Francoise Gilot - Window on Another Dimension signed lithograph Picasso mistress

Francoise Gilot - Window on Another Dimension signed lithograph Picasso mistress

By Françoise Gilot

Located in New York, NY

Françoise Gilot Window on Another Dimension, 1981 Lithograph on Arches mould made Johannot paper Signed and numbered in graphite pencil; also bears artist's monogram with date, edition of 60 Unframed 27.25 inches by 19.75 inches Francoise Gilot was not just Picasso's muse; she was an accomplished artist in her own right, and at age 100, the New York Times dubbed her the art world's latest "It Girl".! Signed and numbered in graphite pencil; also bears artist's personal monograph with date. Held in original vintage frame under plexiglass. Charmingly, there is a sticker label on the back of the frame, from the "Picasso Gallery Custom Framing" in D.C. This silkscreen is based upon Gilot's eponymous painting, also done in 1981 Excerpt from Alan Riding's 2023 New York Times obituary on Gilot: " Françoise Gilot, an accomplished painter whose art was eclipsed by her long and stormy romantic relationship with a much older Pablo Picasso, and who alone among his many mistresses walked out on him, died on Tuesday at a hospital in Manhattan. She was 101...But unlike his two wives and other mistresses, Ms. Gilot rebuilt her life after she ended the relationship, in 1953, almost a decade after it had begun despite an age difference of 40 years. She continued painting and exhibiting her work and wrote books. In 1970, she married Jonas Salk, the American medical researcher who developed the first safe polio vaccine, and lived part of the time in California. Still, it was for her romance with Picasso that the public knew her best, particularly after her memoir, “Life with Picasso,” written with Carlton Lake, was published in 1964. It became an international best seller, and so infuriated Picasso that he broke off all contact with Ms. Gilot and their two children, Claude and Paloma Picasso. Ms. Gilot’s frank and often-sympathetic account of their relationship — she dedicated the book “to Pablo” — provided much of the material for the 1996 Merchant-Ivory movie, “Surviving Picasso,” in which she was played by Natascha McElhone, with Anthony Hopkins as Picasso. If Ms. Gilot’s book sold well, so has her art. With her work in more than a dozen museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, her paintings fetched increasingly higher prices well into her later years. As recently as June 2021, her painting “Paloma à la Guitare” (1965), a blue-toned portrait of her daughter, sold for $1.3 million in an online auction by Sotheby’s. That surpassed her previous record price, $695,000, paid for “Étude bleue,” a 1953 portrait of a seated woman, at a Sotheby’s auction in 2014.. And in November 2021, her abstract 1977 canvas “Living Forest” sold for $1.3 million as part of a retrospective of her work at Christie’s in Hong Kong. Lisa Stevenson, the head of curated sales for Sotheby’s in London, told ARTnews after the 2021 auction, “It isn’t commonly known that Gilot’s commitment to art was present long before her relationship with Pablo Picasso, and she was sadly often left in his shadow.”.. Marie Françoise Gilot was born into a prosperous family on Nov. 26, 1921, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris, the only child of Emile Gilot, an agronomist and chemical manufacturer, and Madeleine Renoult-Gilot. Her 19th-century ancestors had owned a couturier house of fashion whose clientele included Eugenia, the wife of Emperor Napoleon III. Marie Françoise was drawn to art from an early age, tutored by her mother, who had studied art history, ceramics and watercolor painting. Her father, however — recalled by Ms. Gilot as an authoritarian who had forced her to write with her right hand, though she was left-handed — had other ideas. Envisioning a career in science or the law for his daughter, he persuaded her to enroll at the University of Paris, where she received her bachelor’s degree in 1938 at age 17. She went on to study at the Sorbonne and the British Institute in Paris and receive a degree in English literature from Cambridge University. As war crept closer to France in 1939, her father sent her to the city of Rennes, northwest of Paris, to enroll in law school. All the while she continued working on her paintings. Then came the German occupation of Paris, in June 1940, and she joined other students in an anti-German protest march at the Arc de Triomphe. In a clash with the French and German authorities, Ms. Gilot was arrested, briefly detained and put under watch. “From day one, we were not the kind of people who would become collaborators,” she said of her family. She continued her law studies at the University of Paris, but after taking her second-year examinations, in June 1941, she lost interest and abandoned the field, deciding to devote herself to art. She began private lessons with a fugitive Hungarian Jewish painter, Endre Rozsda...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Lithograph

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 paper/ card unframed: 19.5 x 13 inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we hav...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Untitled (hard-edge abstract painting)
Untitled (hard-edge abstract painting)

Untitled (hard-edge abstract painting)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Budd Hopkins (1931-2011). Abstract, 1968. Oil on canvas, 30 x 52 inches; 31 x 53 inches framed. Signed and dated lower margin. Provenance: Timothy Collins (1940-2017), Palo Alto, CA...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, 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.