Abraham Krol

Abram (Abraham) Krol (Polish, 1919-2001) was a School of Paris artist known for his painting and fine prints depicting still lifes, landscapes, portraits, and city scenes, in a style that balanced juxtaposition of forms and objects found in everyday life, reminiscent of Cubism. Originally from Poland, Kroll moved to France in 1938 to study civil engineering at the University of Caen. At the outbreak of WWII, he joined the Foreign Legion. Upon demobilization, he worked in Avignon as a mechanic in a garage also while taking courses in sculpture at the city's School of Fine Arts. Although Jewish, he was able to survive the war by using false identities. In 1944, he settled in Paris and took up the study of engraving under fellow ex-patriot and master print maker Joseph Hecht. Hecht at that time was recognized internationally for his groundbreaking techniques in intaglio. He would go on to teach and pass on these innovations to many important artists of the day, including British Surrelist painter and printmaker, Stanley William Hayter. In 1946, Krol held his first major exhibition at the renown Katia Granoff Gallery, in Paris. Krol also designed and engraved medals for the Paris mint, painted murals for various schools throughout France, created tapestries, and produced over 200 works in enamel. His work is held in major private and public collections throughout the world, including Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris; the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; the British Museum; Houghton Library, Harvard; Bodleian Library, Oxford, and the Palace of the legion of Honor in San Francisco, California.

Bring audacious experiments with color and textures to your living room, dining room or home office. Abstract paintings, large or small, will stand out in your space, encouraging conversation and introducing a museum-like atmosphere that’s welcoming and conducive to creating memorable gatherings.

Abstract art has origins in 19th-century Europe, but it came into its own as a significant movement during the 20th century. Early practitioners of abstraction included Wassily Kandinsky, although painters were exploring nonfigurative art prior to the influential Russian artist’s efforts, which were inspired by music and religion. Abstract painters endeavored to create works that didn’t focus on the outside world’s conventional subjects, and even when artists depicted realistic subjects, they worked in an abstract mode to do so.

In 1940s-era New York City, a group of painters working in the abstract mode created radical work that looked to European avant-garde artists as well as to the art of ancient cultures, prioritizing improvisation, immediacy and direct personal expression. While they were never formally affiliated with one another, we know them today as Abstract Expressionists.

The male contingent of the Abstract Expressionists, which includes Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell, is frequently cited in discussing leading figures of this internationally influential postwar art movement. However, the women of Abstract Expressionism, such as Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell and others, were equally involved in the art world of the time. Sexism, family obligations and societal pressures contributed to a long history of their being overlooked, but the female Abstract Expressionists experimented vigorously, developed their own style and produced significant bodies of work.

Draw your guests into abstract oil paintings across different eras and countries of origin. On 1stDibs, you’ll find an expansive range of abstract paintings along with a guide on how to arrange your wonderful new wall art.

If you’re working with a small living space, a colorful, oversize work can create depth in a given room, but there isn’t any need to overwhelm your interior with a sprawling pièce de résistance. Colorful abstractions of any size can pop against a white wall in your living room, but if you’re working with a colored backdrop, you may wish to stick to colors that complement the decor that is already in the space. Alternatively, let your painting make a statement on its own, regardless of its surroundings, or group it, gallery-style, with other works.