Donald Sills
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Vinyl, Acrylic Polymer
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Vinyl, Acrylic Polymer
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
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20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
Watercolor
2010s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
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Artist Comments
A yellow rose blooms atop a bush, its petals shining brilliantly under the sun. Through light and color, Hilary captures the inspiring beauty of her garden. For...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Paintings
Oil
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Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Paintings
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"Being a single father and working a full-time job limits the time I have to paint," shares artist Christopher Garvey. "This painting is an allegory that repres...
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Artist Comments
A woman emerges from abstract strokes of colors in this modern contemporary portrait by artist Gary Leonard. Light falls on her delicate figure as she poses wit...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Inspired by a walk along the beaches of Long Island, artist Olena Nabilsky presents an idyllic scene where the ocean meets the sky. The air and water dance toge...
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Landscape Paintings
Oil
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"This piece illustrates an inner dialogue which we frequently go through by exchanging and interchanging our thoughts, ideas, knowledge, and views," explains ar...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
Artist Comments
Dark nights in Big Sur reveal skies containing scores of stars, sometimes with the full moon. Artist Heidi Hybl, able to see the display from her porch, paints ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings
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"When we rise above ourselves, our souls also rise and begin an arduous venture which leads to the fulfillment of our innate potential," states artist Shyun Son...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Oil
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Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Paper, Graphite
2010s Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Resin, Sumi Ink, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Recent Sales
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Acrylic Polymer, Vinyl
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A Close Look at abstract Art
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.
Finding the Right abstract-paintings for You
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.