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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
Rainy Apartment 2 - Abstract Figurative Cubist Colorful Mixed Media Artwork
Rainy Apartment 2 - Abstract Figurative Cubist Colorful Mixed Media Artwork

Rainy Apartment 2 - Abstract Figurative Cubist Colorful Mixed Media Artwork

By Valerie Etitinwo

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Valerie Etitinwo's unique approach to abstract figurative painting celebrates the unconventional beauty found in imperfection and awkwardness. The Nigerian-Swiss artist uses bold col...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Life - Large Oversized Bold Colorful Abstract Expressive Modern Original Artwork
Life - Large Oversized Bold Colorful Abstract Expressive Modern Original Artwork

Life - Large Oversized Bold Colorful Abstract Expressive Modern Original Artwork

By Amber Goldhammer

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles artist Amber Goldhammer paints dramatic abstract compositions in acrylic on canvas featuring energetic brushstrokes. Goldhammer uses her contemporary paintings to express...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Latex, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Painting on Panel Titled: PDP698  44 x 66
Painting on Panel Titled: PDP698  44 x 66

Painting on Panel Titled: PDP698 44 x 66

By Cecil Touchon

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

Painting on Panel signed verso Cecil Touchon Born 1956 Austin, Texas is a contemporary American collage artist, painter, published poet and theorist living in Pagosa Springs, Colora...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Reconstruction, Abstract Painting
Reconstruction, Abstract Painting

Reconstruction, Abstract Painting

By Dorothy Gaziano

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 ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Abstract 2561
Abstract 2561

Alex SenchenkoAbstract 2561, 2025

$1,634Sale Price|20% Off

Abstract 2561

By Alex Senchenko

Located in Zofingen, AG

This piece is a celebration of contrasts—the intense dance between light and shadow, order and chaos. Using acrylic, I layered textured strokes and splashes of gold to evoke emotion ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Hidden Portraits I, Abstract Acrylic on Canvas, Framed, Circa 1980s
Hidden Portraits I, Abstract Acrylic on Canvas, Framed, Circa 1980s

Hidden Portraits I, Abstract Acrylic on Canvas, Framed, Circa 1980s

Located in London, GB

'Hidden Portraits I', acrylic on canvas mounted on board, Florentine School (circa 1980s-90s). This gallery has acquired a number of paintings through an intermediary of an ageing ar...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Wallpaper 2: Abstract Green Encaustic Painting of Yellow Flower Petals on Panel
Wallpaper 2: Abstract Green Encaustic Painting of Yellow Flower Petals on Panel

Wallpaper 2: Abstract Green Encaustic Painting of Yellow Flower Petals on Panel

By Allyson Levy

Located in Hudson, NY

Abstract painting with green encaustic and light yellow flower petals on wood panel "Wallpaper 2" made by Allyson Levy in 2020 encaustic and flower petals on wood panel, 24 x 24 x 2 ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Organic Material, Mixed Media, Encaustic, Wood Panel, Pigment

"Hear"
"Hear"

"Hear"

By Iryna Rets

Located in Zofingen, AG

This work is about a state of openness and attentiveness to oneself and to the world. About the ability to listen — to stay in contact with one’s own feelings and with what is happen...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

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

20th Century French Expressionist Wacky Figures In Blue and Green Abstract
20th Century French Expressionist Wacky Figures In Blue and Green Abstract

20th Century French Expressionist Wacky Figures In Blue and Green Abstract

By Akos Biro

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Wacky Abstract by Akos Biro (Hungarian 1911-2002) pastel painting on card, unframed painting: 8.5 x 7 inches provenance: the artists estate, France condition: good and fai...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Pastel

R. Poch 88 portrait original acrylic painting. framed
R. Poch 88 portrait original acrylic painting. framed

R. Poch 88 portrait original acrylic painting. framed

By Ramon Poch

Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL

original acrylic painting Born in Badalona (Barcelona). Photographer and advertising film director. Founding partner of the advertising production company La Cosa de las Peliculas: ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Abstract 2559
Abstract 2559

Alex SenchenkoAbstract 2559, 2025

$1,852Sale Price|20% Off

Abstract 2559

By Alex Senchenko

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this piece, I poured my emotions through textured acrylic strokes, blending soft pastels with bold contrasts. It captures the delicate balance between chaos and calm, inviting a c...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Source of Renewal
Source of Renewal

Source of Renewal

By Olena Kishkurno

Located in Zofingen, AG

This work captures a moment of absolute tranquility-a private paradise bathed in light and hidden behind a dense veil of emerald greenery. Horses gathered at the water's edge in the ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Tone Overtone, Abstract Painting
Tone Overtone, Abstract Painting

Tone Overtone, Abstract Painting

By Terri Bell

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
Pale, neutral tones blend with darker, earthy hues, creating a subtle tone-on-tone effect. A loosely defined grid anchors circles of varying sizes, allowing the...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Julia Martins Miranda Large Abstract Oil Painting Warm Ochre Terracotta Tones
Julia Martins Miranda Large Abstract Oil Painting Warm Ochre Terracotta Tones

Julia Martins Miranda Large Abstract Oil Painting Warm Ochre Terracotta Tones

By Julia Martins Miranda

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

This work is presented in a scroll-like (parchment-style) format, with the painting executed on a flexible support and suspended using metal rods at the top and bottom, allowing the ...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Abstract 1, Abstract Oil Painting
Abstract 1, Abstract Oil Painting

Abstract 1, Abstract Oil Painting

By Dorothy Gaziano

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Architecture of Chaos
Architecture of Chaos

Architecture of Chaos

Located in Zofingen, AG

From the series “Between States” Before you is a space where familiar reference points dissolve. The work does not depict a specific place; instead, it captures a moment of transfor...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Straight Into the Middle - Lively Impasto Thick Paint Colorful Abstract Painting
Straight Into the Middle - Lively Impasto Thick Paint Colorful Abstract Painting

Straight Into the Middle - Lively Impasto Thick Paint Colorful Abstract Painting

By Shiri Phillips

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 a...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Glitter, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Composition, Basket Series, Dale Chihuly
Composition, Basket Series, Dale Chihuly

Composition, Basket Series, Dale Chihuly

By Dale Chihuly

Located in Fairfield, CT

Artist: Dale Chihuly (1941) Title: Composition, Basket Series Year: 1985 Medium: Acrylic on Arches Aquarelle paper Size: 42 x 30 inches Inscription: Signed and dated by the artist No...

Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Dreams no. 10

Dreams no. 10

By Stephen Henriques

Located in Burlingame, CA

‘Dreams no. 10’ is a vibrant oil on canvas painted in 2025 by mid-career California artist Stephen Henriques. Measuring 37 x 35 inches, the piece pulses with rhythmic color and joyfu...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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: 8.5 x 5.75inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we hav...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Untitled #I
Untitled #I

Untitled #I

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "Untitled #1" is a watercolor on paper by California abstract expressionist artist R. Anthony (Tony) Askew, b.1939. It is signed at the lower right corner by the artist....

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Watercolor

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) oil painting on board unframed: 11 x 7.5 inches condition: excellent provenance: all the paintings we have for sale ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

The Fondest Memories
The Fondest Memories

The Fondest Memories

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 20 x 20 x 1.5 2025 Edges painted white, back wired, ready to hang. Sarah Trundle is a Charlottesville, Va. painter who, after beginnings in repres...

Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Acrylic

Traces No.9 Pour une Archéologie du Présent, 1970s Acrylic on Plywood
Traces No.9 Pour une Archéologie du Présent, 1970s Acrylic on Plywood

Traces No.9 Pour une Archéologie du Présent, 1970s Acrylic on Plywood

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

Grid. No 6 (Contemporary Framed Gestural Lattice Motif Painting in Neutral tone)
Grid. No 6 (Contemporary Framed Gestural Lattice Motif Painting in Neutral tone)

Grid. No 6 (Contemporary Framed Gestural Lattice Motif Painting in Neutral tone)

By Birgit Blyth

Located in Hudson, NY

Grid No.6, 2009 (Contemporary Framed Abstract Grid in Neutral Shades Black & Coffee) by Birgit Blyth 40" X 25" paper vertical chromoskedesic monoprint 44 x 29 inches framed, custom frame with black wood molding and anti-reflective glass This contemporary, abstract style chromoskedasic monoprint was created by experimental photographer, Birgit Blyth. Without the use of a camera, the artist produced this chromoskedasic image by applying the photographic chemicals to black and white photo pager and exposing it to light. The variety of caramel, toffee, brown and black tones is determined by the different chemicals used and the amount of time they are exposed to light. Here, the artist paints with the photographic materials in a gestural, linear motion. Beautiful hues of coffee, caramel, brown, grey, and black intersect to create unique abstract, intersecting grid patterns that resembles a basket weave motif. The photograph is complimented with a black metal frame with non-glare glass. It is equipped with sturdy wire on the back for instant and professional quality hanging. About the artist and work: Birgit Blyth is one of our most innovative and prolific photographers who works in a darkroom yet uses no camera! Blyth has been experimenting with a technique known as Chromoskedasic painting since the early ‘90s and variations on this concept have been shown at the gallery for the last 20 years. The unusual process involves the use of silver particles in black and white photographic paper to scatter light at different wavelengths when exposed. A chemist of sorts, Blyth demonstrates a thorough knowledge of how the various photographic chemicals will react when applied to paper and exposed. Each work is unique with palettes that resonate brilliant tonalities of brown, green, black, and purple. Using this technique, Blyth creates abstract crosshatching grids and most recently has developed a more gestural series of 20 x 16 inch chromoskedasic paintings that explores the ethereal qualities made possible by the unconventional material. Birgit Blyth succeeds at keeping her work fresh and cutting-edge using analog methods that are being quickly replaced elsewhere with digital technology. Though Birgit Blyth began her photographic career using conventional photographic methods, she quickly became more interested in alternative processes. In the mid 1990’s a colleague showed her an article in Scientific American and it was here that she first discovered the technique called “chromoskedasic” painting, which would eventually lead her to fully finding her voice as a photographer. Blyth had always aligned herself with and been moved by abstract expressionist painting. The series of veil paintings by post-abstract expressionist, Morris Louis, was especially inspiring to her and caused her to ask herself how she could do similar interpretations photographically. In “chromoskedasic” painting, she found the answers and would begin on a new path in her artwork. The term “chromoskedasic” is derived from Greek roots meaning color by light scattering. Developed by a photographer named Dr. Dominic Man-Kit Lam, this process exploits the capability of silver particles in black and white photographic paper to “scatter” light at different wavelengths when exposed to light and chemicals. In her mastery of this photochemical drawing process, Blyth has painted lush washes of color into her own “Veil Series;” she has envisioned landscapes, both rural and urban, with melting swirls and marbled colors into rich palettes of toffee and lead. She has used this essentially experimental process to help her “see” the world around her. Blyth says she continues to be fascinated by the process because it requires “a combination of discipline, experimentation, and imagination, making possible a wonderful balance between control and surprise.” Because the chromoskedasic work is all analog, Blyth spends much of her studio time in the darkroom, which has become a rarity in the current world of digital photography. She does however, continue her preference for experimentation in numerous directions, even employing aspects of the digital age – this exhibit will also feature a new series of pieces created with the now defunct but much loved SX-70 polaroid camera, scanned and archivally printed on 24” x 24” fine cotton rag paper. Whatever the process, Blyth’s work is, as the painter and poet, Peter Sacks noted, a blend of “precision and mystery, of articulation and atmosphere.” Her images leave us with the feeling of ongoing action despite the apparent stillness; of qualities both dreamy and stark as light hits a stand of birch trees in a valley or a group of buildings in New York City. As Morris Louis evolved a style of painting that produced a complete integration of paint and canvas, so too has Blyth, with photo paper and chemicals, created a perfect integration of method and content. Artist CV: Born: Kousted, Denmark Resident in U.S.A. since 1963 Education: Denmark and U.S.A. Project, Inc., Cambridge MA (Photography) DeCordova Museum School, Lincoln MA (Printmaking) Maine Photography...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, Monoprint

Maurice Vagh Weinmann Floral Bouquet Still Life Oil Painting Framed
Maurice Vagh Weinmann Floral Bouquet Still Life Oil Painting Framed

Maurice Vagh Weinmann Floral Bouquet Still Life Oil Painting Framed

By Maurice Vagh-Weinmann

Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire

Title Maurice Vagh Weinmann Floral Bouquet Still Life Oil Painting Framed Key Details Artist: Maurice Vagh Weinmann, Hungarian, 1899–1986 Title: Summer Bouquet Medium: Oil painting o...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Oil

Mid Century Abstract Geometric Painting, Signed 1963, Textured Layers
Mid Century Abstract Geometric Painting, Signed 1963, Textured Layers

Mid Century Abstract Geometric Painting, Signed 1963, Textured Layers

Located in Cotignac, FR

Mid Century Abstract in polymerised macro-molecular paint on canvas applied to a painted wooden board by Belgian artist Paul H Saffre. Signed and dated {1963) on the board below the ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Board

The Lady maquette, replica of Chicago Picasso sculpture, American Bridge Company
The Lady maquette, replica of Chicago Picasso sculpture, American Bridge Company

The Lady maquette, replica of Chicago Picasso sculpture, American Bridge Company

By Pablo Picasso

Located in New York, NY

(After) Pablo Picasso The Lady (Maquette), ca. 1967 Mixed Media Sculpture edition Cor-ten Steel This maquette is based upon the original Chicago Picasso-a monumental sculpture by Pablo Picasso in Chicago, Illinois. The sculpture, dedicated on August 15, 1967, in Daley Plaza in the Chicago Loop...

Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Stone, Steel

Love In Bloom - Color Drenched Figurative Abstract Textured Impasto Oil Painting
Love In Bloom - Color Drenched Figurative Abstract Textured Impasto Oil Painting

Love In Bloom - Color Drenched Figurative Abstract Textured Impasto Oil Painting

By Ekaterina Ermilkina

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Ekaterina Ermilkina’s original, abstract fine art paintings are created using a skillful combination of applying and removing oil paint with a palette knife on canvas. Her inspiratio...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary 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.