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
Period: 1980s
Mourning
Located in London, GB
111.8 x 140.3 cms (44 x 55.25 ins)
Edition of 50
Impressed with Solo Press stamp and the printer’s stamp. Lithograph (from three plates) with hand colouring in gouache (two greys...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Color, Lithograph
Morocco Series #10, Hard Edge Geometric Silkscreen by Pierre Clerk
By Pierre Clerk
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Pierre Clerk, Canadian (1928 - )
Title: Morocco Series #10
Year: 1980
Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil
Edition: 300, AP 45
Image Size: 21 x 36 inches
Paper S...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Screen
Thomas Downing "Moon", 1985
Located in Washington, DC
Painting by Thomas Downing (1928 - 1985).
"Moon", 1985
Acrylic on paper bag
35" x 15" (framed)
Dedication on reverse to his wife Helen.
Downing’s works are in many collections in...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
Tropic Fruit
Located in London, GB
80 x 94 cms (31.5 x 37 ins)
Edition of 100
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Color, Screen
Derrière Le Miroir No. 250 (page 20, 21) /// Modern Abstract Joan Miro Red Art
By Joan Miró
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983)
Title: "Untitled (page 20, 21)"
Portfolio: Derrière Le Miroir: Hommage à Aimé et Marguerite Maeght (No. 250)
*Issued u...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
Color Grids, All Vertical & Horizontal Combinations of Black, Yellow, Red & Blue
By Sol LeWitt
Located in New York, NY
Sol LeWitt
Color Grids, All Vertical & Horizontal Combinations of Black, Yellow, Red & Blue Straight, Not-Straight & Broken Lines, 1980
Silkscreen on Arches 88 Paper
Hand signed, num...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Screen, Pencil, Graphite
Rope Trap /// Abstract Expressionist Female Nancy Graves Huge Metal Sculpture NY
By Nancy Graves
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Nancy Graves (American, 1939-1995)
Title: "Rope Trap"
*Titled, signed, and dated by Graves (inscribed into the metal) on red cylinder lower right
Year: 1985
Medium: Original ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Bronze, Metal
Mon Jardin Zoologique /// Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Animal Modern Art
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Serge Helenon (French, 1934-)
Title: "Mon Jardin Zoologique"
*Signed by Helenon in pencil lower right
Year: 1989
Medium: Original Carborundum Engrav...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Engraving, Handmade Paper, Intaglio
Pair of Cut Paper Collages
Located in Buffalo, NY
A pair of original cut paper collages by Venezuelan American artist Ricardo Morin.
Each of these works measure 7" x 5" unframed and come housed in a...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Acrylic, Graphite
L.O.F.Q. composition.
Located in Como, IT
Giuseppe Minoretti (Erba, Como - 1938)
L.O.F.Q. composition.
Acrylic on Canvas
1983
Size: 30x30 cm - thickness 3 cm (52 x 52 x 6.5 including frame)
Invisible glass
Giuseppe Minoret...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
Basquiat Annina Nosei Gallery 1982 (Basquiat anatomy announcement)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Annina Nosei Gallery, New York, 1982:
Rare Basquiat announcement card published by Annina Nosei Gallery to advertise the release of ‘Basquiat Anatomy’ (a suite ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Lithograph, Offset
Woman - Offset and Lithograph after Willem De Kooning - 1985
Located in Roma, IT
Woman is an offset and lithograph print realized on Fabriano Paper after a drawing by Willem De Kooning of 1952.
The print suite was realized in 1985 in a limited edition of 2500, a...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph, Offset
Composition, 1985
Located in London, GB
Jette Thyssen
Composition, 1985
Silkscreen
The artists proof
signed and inscribed
70 x 56 cm
Mint condition, newly framed
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Silk, Screen
Composition, 1985
Located in London, GB
Jette Thyssen
Composition, 1985
Silkscreen
The artists proof
signed and inscribed
70 x 56 cm
Mint condition, newly framed
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Silk, Screen
Composition, 1986
Located in London, GB
Jette Thyssen
Composition, 1986
Silkscreen
The artists proof
signed and inscribed
70 x 56 cm
Mint condition, newly framed
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Silk, Screen
Composition, 1986
Located in London, GB
Jette Thyssen
Composition, 1986
Silkscreen
The artists proof
signed and inscribed
70 x 56 cm
Mint condition, newly framed
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Silk, Screen
Composition, 1986
Located in London, GB
Jette Thyssen
Composition, 1986
Silkscreen
The artists proof
signed and inscribed
70 x 56 cm
Mint condition, newly framed
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Silk, Screen
Modernist Abstract Expressionist Mod Day Glo Neon Color Field Acrylic Painting
By Lamar Briggs
Located in Surfside, FL
Large Abstract Expressionist color field painting. Similar in the manner of the colorful abstract works of Paul Jenkins. This one is a very vibrant day glo neon color. This is bein...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Acrylic, Archival Paper
Large Abstract Expressionist New York Modernist Woman Artist Bold Oil Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
This is from her celebrated Drip Series, Titled, "Small Dark Center" Signed and dated verso 1980.
Berenice Dvorzon was an extraordinary artist who began as an active young painter d...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Blue & Yellow Abstract Watercolor
By Les Anderson
Located in Soquel, CA
Blue & yellow abstract watercolor by Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009). From the estate of Les Anderson in Monterey, California. Signed on verso and unframed. Image...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Composition, 1989
By Nelly Rudin
Located in London, GB
Nelly Rudin
COMPOSITION
1989
etching
signed and inscribed
EA = edition of 12
30 x 60 cm
printed by : Editions Fanal, Bale
in excellent condition
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Etching
Yang, 1986
Located in London, GB
Ying, 1986
seriagraph
signed, numbered and dated
an edition of 150
42 x 62 cm
These works are in pristine condition and newly framed
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Screen
Ying, 1986
Located in London, GB
Ying, 1986
seriagraph
signed, numbered and dated
an edition of 150
42 x 62 cm
These works are in pristine condition and newly framed
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Screen
Genovart. 8 Vertical Colors original abstract acrylic painting.
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Colors original abstract acrylic painting.
GENOVART LLOPIS, Jaume (Barcelona, 1941-1994).
Basically self - taught painter, was released in 1972. Grandson of typesetter and booksell...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Wood, Acrylic
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, ES
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Engraving
Judy Pfaff Original abstract hand Signed mixed media 3D collage, Unique, Framed
By Judy Pfaff
Located in New York, NY
Judy Pfaff
original signed paper and mixed media 3D collage, ca. 1986
Mixed media 3:D paper collage with vinyl
signed and inscribed "To Connie Love Judy Pfaff" in marker on the front...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media, Vinyl, Laid Paper, Permanent Marker
Large Abstract Modernist Monterey Series Mixed Media Monotype Colorful Painting
Located in Surfside, FL
Terence La Noue was born in Hammond, Indiana in 1941. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1964. After going to Berlin as a Fulbright Meister Student ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paint, Mixed Media, Monotype
Composition Ionau, Op Art print by Victor Vasarely 1987
Located in Pasadena, CA
Composition Ionau, Op Art print by Victor Vasarely
1987 .This bright and psychedelic lithograph by Vasarely .It features a signature and dedication in pencil by the artist Screenprin...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
Composition Ionau, Op Art print by Victor Vasarely 1987
Located in Pasadena, CA
Composition Ionau, Op Art print by Victor Vasarely
1987 .This bright and psychedelic lithograph by Vasarely .It features a signature and dedication in pencil by the artist Screenprin...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
Vintage Signed Abstract Expressionist Framed Minimalist New York Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Nicely painted mid century abstract painting. Signed. Framed.
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
L.O.F.L.Q. composition.
Located in Como, IT
Giuseppe Minoretti (Erba, Como - 1938)
L.O.F.L.Q. composition.
Acrylic on Canvas
1983
Size: 30x30 cm - thickness 3 cm (52 x 52 x 6.5 including frame)
Invisible glass
Giuseppe Minor...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
Abstract Composition in Blue - Paint by Émile Marze - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Composition in Blue is a painting in tempera and watercolor on ivory-colored paper, realized in the 1980s by French artist Émile Marze (1930-2009).
Good conditions.
The ar...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Tempera, Watercolor
L.O.F.Q. composition.
Located in Como, IT
Giuseppe Minoretti (Erba, Como - 1938)
L.O.F.Q. composition.
Acrylic on Canvas
1987
Size: 30x30 cm - thickness 3 cm (52 x 52 x 6.5 including frame)
Invisible glass
Giuseppe Minoret...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
Unique signed pastel & graphite work Geometric Abstraction Minimalist painting
Located in New York, NY
Charles Hinman
Untitled Geometric Abstraction (Hand Signed), 1980
Pastel & Graphite painting on Paper
Signed and dedicated to "Michael and Rene" in graphite by the artist on the fron...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Pastel, Pencil, Graphite
Shards IVA (Axsom 151) exhibited at the Whitney with Museum & Richard Gray label
By Frank Stella
Located in New York, NY
Frank Stella
(Whitney Museum Exhibited) Shards IVA (Axsom 151), 1982
Lithograph & Silkscreen on Arches Cover Paper (Whitney Museum exhibition label verso of frame)
45 1/2 × 39 1/4 in...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Mixed Media, Pencil, Lithograph, Screen
Abstract Composition in Red - Paint by Émile Marze - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Composition in Red is a painting in tempera and watercolor on ivory-colored paper, realized in the 1980s by French artist Émile Marze (1930-2009).
Good conditions.
The art...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Tempera, Watercolor
Floral Still Life
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Stefanos Sideris (1921-2014).
Floral Still Life, ca. 1980.
Oil on panel measuring 11 x 14 inches; 19 x 22 inches framed.
Signed lower left.
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Oil, Fiberboard
Abstract Composition in Yellow and Green - Paint by Émile Marze - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Abstract Composition in Yellow and Green. It is a painting in tempera and watercolor on ivory-colored paper, realized in the 1980s by French artist Émile Marze (1930-2009).
Good con...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Tempera, Watercolor
Archipainting
By Paolo Minoli
Located in Como, IT
Paolo Minoli (1942-2004)
Archipainting
1988
Acrylic paints on canvas
Size 60x60 cm - thickness 3 cm
Bibliography:
Pirovano, Paolo Minoli, General Catalog, volume 2, 1959-1979
Paolo...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
Untitled
Located in Barcelona, ES
The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
..On Stage...
By Paolo Minoli
Located in Como, IT
Paolo Minoli (1942-2004)
...On Stage...
1987
Acrylic on Canvas
Size 70x70 cm - thickness 3 cm
Bibliography:
Pirovano, Paolo Minoli, General Catalog, volume 2, 1959-1979
Paolo Minol...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic Polymer
5745, for the Jewish Museum original signed/n abstract expressionist screenprint
By Nancy Graves
Located in New York, NY
Nancy Graves
5745, for the Jewish Museum, 1984
Silkscreen on paper
Signed, numbered 5/90 and dated in graphite pencil on the front; bears publishers' blind stamp front left corner
3...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Graphite, Screen
Free More, original Zabriskie Gallery & Reader's Digest Collection labels signed
By Pat Adams
Located in New York, NY
Pat Adams
Free More, 1989
Acrylic and encaustic painting with varnish on paper laid down on canvas
Hand signed and dated on the upper left front
Original artist's frame included
This...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Varnish, Encaustic, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Pencil, Graphite
Color Explosion - Original lithograph (Maeght 1983)
By Sam Francis
Located in Paris, FR
Sam FRANCIS
Color Explosion (c. 1983)
Original lithograph
Unsigned as issued
On heavy paper 89.5 x 54 cm (c. 36 x 21 inch)
Original lithographic exhibition poster for the artist Ret...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
Pink & Purple Abstract Watercolor
By Les Anderson
Located in Soquel, CA
Pink & purple abstract watercolor by Les (Leslie Luverne) Anderson (American, 1928-2009). From the estate of Les Anderson in Monterey, California. Sign...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Ariadne, Poem, Mixed Media Abstract Modernist Colorful Collage Lithograph Print
Located in Surfside, FL
Color lithograph with color paper collage, 1987. Pencil signed lower right and dated, and numbered lower left 5/24. Litho depicts a poem titled "Ariadne" by T. Weiss. Published by ...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Mixed Media, Tissue Paper, Lithograph
Taos Series
By Harry Nadler
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Taos Series
Mixed media on handmade paper
Signed and dated by the artist lower right
Archival framing with Conversation Glass
Frame size: 29 3/4 x 34 inches
Image size: 19 1/2 x 19 1...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Mixed Media
A Book of Silkscreen Prints 1973-76 (2nd Edition)
Located in New York, NY
Associated with the Minimalist art movement of the 1960s, Mangold developed a reductive vocabulary based on geometric forms, monochromatic color, and an emphasis on the flatness of t...
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Screen
1980s "Yellow and Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
D. Tongen
"Yellow and Black"
1980s
19.75"x12.5"
Soft pastel and pencil on paper
Initialed in pencil lower right
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Pencil
Abstract Expressionist Lithograph from Bill T. Jones Portfolio by James Brown
By James Brown
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: James Brown, American (1951 - )
Title: untitled from Bill T. Jones Portfolio
Year: 1986
Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil
Edition: 85
Size: 22 x 29.5 in. (55....
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Lithograph
1980's Cubist "Orange, Brown, Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
D. Tongen
"Orange, Brown, Black"
1980s
11.75"x10"
Soft pastel and pencil on paper
Signed in pencil lower right
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Pencil
1980's "Mint, Orange, Yellow, Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
D. Tongen
Mint, Orange, Yellow, Black
1980s
11.75"x10.5"
Soft pastel and pencil on paper
Signed in pencil lower right
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Pencil
1980's Cubist "Yellow, Blue, Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
D. Tongen
"Yellow,Blue, Black"
1980s
12.75"x10"
Soft pastel and pencil on paper
Initialed in pencil lower right
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Pencil
1980s "Rust and Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
D. Tongen
"Rust and Black"
1980s
18.5"x 13"
Soft pastel and pencil on paper
Initialed in pencil lower right
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Pencil
1980s "Olive Green and Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
D. Tongen
"Olive Green and Black"
1980s
19.75"x12.5"
Soft pastel and pencil on paper
Initialed in pencil lower right
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Pencil
1980's Cubist "Pink, Blue, Mint, Black" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
D. Tongen
Pink, Blue, Mint, Black
1980s
12.75"x9.75"
Soft pastel and pencil on paper
Initialed in pencil lower right
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Pencil
1981 "Orange and Blue" Soft Pastel Abstract Drawing
Located in Arp, TX
D. Tongen
"Orange and Blue"
1980s
11.75"x9.75"
Soft pastel and pencil on paper
Initialed and dated in pencil lower right
Category
1980s Abstract Art
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Pencil
Antique American Modernist Abstract Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique American modernist abstract painting. Oil and encaustic on canvas, circa 1980. Signed on verso. Displayed in a period frame. Imag...
Category
1980s 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.
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