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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
Returnable Items Only
Cumulus - Mixed Media Abstract Sculptural Artwork
Cumulus - Mixed Media Abstract Sculptural Artwork

Cumulus - Mixed Media Abstract 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. She has garnered recognition with exhibitio...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Steel

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

Floral  - Viktoria Ganhao Abstract Contemporary Painting
Floral  - Viktoria Ganhao Abstract Contemporary Painting

Floral - Viktoria Ganhao Abstract Contemporary Painting

Located in DE

This ethereal abstract painting captivates with its delicate interplay of colors and textures. Soft, swirling strokes of pastel greens and blues establish a serene, dreamlike atmosph...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Linen, Acrylic

Guy Harloff Signed and Dated Large Abstract Painting
Guy Harloff Signed and Dated Large Abstract Painting

Guy Harloff Signed and Dated Large Abstract Painting

By Guy Harloff

Located in Roma, IT

Guy Harloff Signed and Dated Large Abstract Painting Wonderful Guy Harloff large abstract painting Titled “Composition” 1954 Mixed media on paper applied to masonite. Inscription G...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Watercolor

“Accept”
“Accept”

“Accept”

Located in Zofingen, AG

“Gather Yourself” Series “From Simple to…” This work is about inner composure and focus that emerge from simplicity and silence. About the ability to stay in contact with oneself, to...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Hui Sheng Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Outside III"
Hui Sheng Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Outside III"

Hui Sheng Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Outside III"

Located in New York, NY

Title: Outside III Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 23 x 31 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This painting is u...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Obvious things
Obvious things

Obvious things

Located in Zofingen, AG

"Obvious Things" is an exploration of what we usually take for granted. The project addresses the theme of personal values, which may seem ordinary to each individual, yet in fact fo...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Floral painting "Summer Blooming Flowers in a Blue Vase" Mixed Media on Paper
Floral painting "Summer Blooming Flowers in a Blue Vase" Mixed Media on Paper

Floral painting "Summer Blooming Flowers in a Blue Vase" Mixed Media on Paper

Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR

Contemporary Floral Artwork – "Summer Blooming Flowers in a Blue Vase" – Mixed Media on Heavy-Weight Acid-Free Paper (21 × 29.5 cm / 8.3 × 11.6 in), Unframed “Summer Blooming Flowers in a Blue Vase” is a contemporary floral artwork by French artist Natalya Mougenot, created with a vibrant mix of watercolor and acrylic paints on heavy-weight professional acid-free paper. Measuring 21 × 29.5 cm (8.3 × 11.6 in), this one-of-a-kind original painting is sold unframed, giving you the freedom to frame it according to your taste and interior. The composition captures a lively bouquet bursting with color and texture. Flowers in shades of pink, purple, and luminous white are rendered with bold, gestural brushstrokes, creating movement, depth, and vibrancy. The blue-checkered vase...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Paper

'Abstract, Ebony & Rust', San Francisco Bay Area Abstraction, Large Oil
'Abstract, Ebony & Rust', San Francisco Bay Area Abstraction, Large Oil

'Abstract, Ebony & Rust', San Francisco Bay Area Abstraction, Large Oil

By Eral Leek

Located in Santa Cruz, CA

Signed lower right, "Eral" for Eral Leek (American, 20th century) and dated 1962. A substantial, mid-century oil abstract comprising bold, overlapping rectangular compositional elem...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled
Untitled

Roland AyersUntitled, 1982

$960Sale Price|20% Off

Untitled

By Roland Ayers

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Roland Ayers (1932-2017). Untitled, 1983. Ink on paper, measures 17 x 23 inches. Unframed and unmounted. Signed and dated lower left. Ayers holds the distinction of having participated in the first important survey of African-Americans, Contemporary Black Artists in America, a 1971 show at The Whitney. Biography: Artist and art educator, Roland Ayers was born on July 2, 1932, the only child of Alice and Lorenzo Ayers, and grew up in the Germantown district of Philadelphia. Ayers served in the US Army (stationed in Germany) before studying at the Philadelphia College of Art (currently University of the Arts). He graduated with a BFA in Art Education, 1954. He traveled Europe 1966-67, spending time in Amsterdam and Greece in particular. During this period, he drifted away from painting to focus on linear figurative drawings of a surreal nature. His return home inaugurated the artist’s most prolific and inspired period (1968-1975). Shorty before his second major trip abroad in 1971-72 to West Africa, Ayers began to focus on African themes, and African American figures populated his work almost exclusively. In spite of Ayers’ travel and exploration of the world, he gravitated back to his beloved Germantown, a place he endowed with mythological qualities in his work and literature. His auto-biographical writing focuses on the importance of place during his childhood. Ayers’ journals meticulously document the ethnic and cultural make-up of Germantown, and tell a compelling story of class marginalization that brought together poor families despite racial differences. The distinctive look and design of Germantown inform Ayers’ visual vocabulary. It is a setting with distinctive Gothic Revival architecture and haunting natural beauty. These characteristics are translated and recur in the artist’s imagery. During his childhood, one of the only books in the Ayers household was an illustrated Bible. The images within had a profound effect on the themes and subjects that would appear in his adult work. Figures in an Ayers’ drawing often seem trapped in a narrative of loss and redemption. Powerful women loom large in the drawings: they suggest the female role models his journals record in early life. The drawings can sometimes convey a strong sense of conflict, and at other times, harmony. Nature and architecture seem to have an antagonistic relationship that is, ironically, symbiotic. A critical turning point in the artist’s career came in 1971 when he was included in the extremely controversial Whitney Museum show, Contemporary Black Artists in America. The exhibition gave Ayers an international audience and served as a calling card for introductions he would soon make in Europe. Ayers is a particularly compelling figure in a period when black artists struggled with the idea of authenticity. A questioned often asked was “Is your work too black, or not black enough?” Abstractionists were considered by some peers to be sell-outs, frauds or worse. Figurative* work was accused of being either sentimental or politically radical depending on the critical source. Ayers made the choice early on to be a figurative artist, but considered his work devoid of political content. Organizations such as Chicago’ s Afri-Cobra in the late 1960‘s asserted that the only true black art of any relevance must depict the black man and woman...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

Original Modern Contemporary painting on canvas, Abstract, Fantasy style, Framed
Original Modern Contemporary painting on canvas, Abstract, Fantasy style, Framed

Original Modern Contemporary painting on canvas, Abstract, Fantasy style, Framed

Located in Palm Coast, FL

Up for sale Original Abstract Acrylic Painting on canvas in a fantasy abstract style. A unique technique, very colorful. An unusual combination of colors, a flow from sharp to soft s...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

White Standing Pod Ceramic Vessel Sculpture
White Standing Pod Ceramic Vessel Sculpture

White Standing Pod Ceramic Vessel Sculpture

By Adrienne Fierman

Located in East Quogue, NY

"White Standing Pod", Ceramic Sculpture Dimensions: 5 H × 5.5 W × 5.5 D Medium: Hand-built ceramic, glazed stoneware Adrienne Fierman’s "White Standing Pod" embodies the meditative ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware

Reclining Figure (woman)
Reclining Figure (woman)

Reclining Figure (woman)

By William King (b.1925)

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

William King (1925-2015). Reclining figure, ca. 1965. Cast and welded bronze, 7 x 9.5 x 5 inches. Unsigned. William King, a sculptor in a variety of materials whose human figures traced social attitudes through the last half of the 20th century, often poking sly and poignant fun at human follies and foibles, died on March 4 at his home in East Hampton, N.Y. He was 90. His death was confirmed by Scott Chaskey, who is married to Mr. King's stepdaughter, Megan Chaskey. Mr. King worked in clay, wood, bronze, vinyl, burlap and aluminum. He worked both big and small, from busts and toylike figures to large public art pieces depicting familiar human poses -- a seated, cross-legged man reading; a Western couple (he in a cowboy hat, she in a long dress) holding hands; a tall man reaching down to tug along a recalcitrant little boy; a crowd of robotic-looking men walking in lock step. But for all its variation, what unified his work was a wry observer's arched eyebrow, the pointed humor and witty rue of a fatalist. His figurative sculptures, often with long, spidery legs and an outlandishly skewed ratio of torso to appendages, use gestures and posture to suggest attitude and illustrate his own amusement with the unwieldiness of human physical equipment. His subjects included tennis players and gymnasts, dancers and musicians, and he managed to show appreciation of their physical gifts and comic delight at their contortions and costumery. His suit-wearing businessmen often appeared haughty or pompous; his other men could seem timid or perplexed or awkward. Oddly, or perhaps tellingly, he tended to depict women more reverentially, though in his portrayals of couples the fragility and tender comedy inherent in couplehood settled equally on both partners. Mr. King's work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, among other places, and he had dozens of solo gallery shows in New York and elsewhere. But the comic element of his work probably caused his reputation to suffer. Reviews of his exhibitions frequently began with the caveat that even though the work was funny, it was also serious, displaying superior technical skills, imaginative vision and the bolstering weight of a range of influences, from the ancient Etruscans to American folk art to 20th-century artists including Giacometti, Calder. and Elie Nadelman. The critic Hilton Kramer, one of Mr. King's most ardent advocates, wrote in a 1970 essay accompanying a New York gallery exhibit that he was, "among other things, an amusing artist, and nowadays this can, at times, be almost as much a liability as an asset." A "preoccupation with gesture is the focus of King's sculptural imagination," Mr. Kramer wrote. "Everything that one admires in his work - the virtuoso carving, the deft handling of a wide variety of materials, the shrewd observation and resourceful invention - all this is secondary to the concentration on gesture. The physical stance of the human animal as it negotiates the social arena, the unconscious gait that the body assumes in making its way in the social medium, the emotion traced by the course of a limb, a torso, a head, the features of a face, a coiffure or a costume - from a keen observation of these materials King has garnered a large stock of sculptural images notable for their wit, empathy, simplicity and psychological precision." William Dickey King...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Bronze

POWDER
POWDER

POWDER

Located in Zofingen, AG

“This work seems to capture the delicate thread one soul leaves upon another, barely perceptible yet enduring through time.”

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Red Horse Abstract Watercolor on Archival Paper, 2010s, Unframed
Red Horse Abstract Watercolor on Archival Paper, 2010s, Unframed

Red Horse Abstract Watercolor on Archival Paper, 2010s, Unframed

Located in Zofingen, AG

Red Horse A symbol of aggression — not destructive, but productive. A force that exists within each of us, yet one we do not always allow to be released. It is an energy of movement ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Golden tulips on a green background
Golden tulips on a green background

Golden tulips on a green background

Located in Zofingen, AG

This artwork is created with acrylic on canvas and enhanced with gold leaf. On a deep emerald-green background, stylized tulips are depicted. Their petals and leaves are rendered in...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Nocturne

Nocturne

By Marina Stern

Located in Los Angeles, CA

This work is part of our exhibition Marina Stern Luminary, the first retrospective of the artist since 2007. Marina Stern was a multifaceted New York-based artist whose works range...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Love (Peonies)
Love (Peonies)

Love (Peonies)

Located in Zofingen, AG

Two delicate peonies on a deep navy-blue background. It feels as if these two flowers have merged into one — this is love! The painting is created with acrylic on canvas: layered br...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Self-Love is Luxury - Soft Abstract Floral Landscape Painting
Self-Love is Luxury - Soft Abstract Floral Landscape Painting

Self-Love is Luxury - Soft Abstract Floral Landscape Painting

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Drawing inspiration from an immersive and impressionistic interpretation of nature, Canadian artist Vé Boisvert paints textural original artworks that capture the fleeting effects of...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Zachary
Zachary

Zachary

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Prolific and polemic, William Ronald (1926-1998) is one of the most accomplished and collected artists associated with the Painters Eleven group. Frustrated by the lack of represen...

Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

"Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolves and the Woodcutter"
"Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolves and the Woodcutter"

"Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolves and the Woodcutter"

Located in Edinburgh, GB

Sometimes stories change and we decide who to fear and who to keep in our hearts. My story is about an all-encompassing love that is so great that it changes people's stories.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Spring" Floral Art
"Spring" Floral Art

"Spring" Floral Art

Located in Zofingen, AG

Abstract textured acrylic painting on canvas 90x90x2 cm (35,4 x 35,4 x0,8inches). Mixed Media on gallery wrapped canvas. The work is ready to hang. No framing required. The sides of ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Burst II - large scale abstract photograph of caleidoscopic color explosions
Burst II - large scale abstract photograph of caleidoscopic color explosions

Burst II - large scale abstract photograph of caleidoscopic color explosions

By Christian Stoll

Located in San Francisco, CA

From Christian Stoll's body of works BURST (2015), an abstract exploration of high speed photographs capturing mesmerizing explosions of caleidoscopic color 27 x 40 inches (68 x 102...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée

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.