Richard Serra Ballast

Minimalist sculptor Richard Serra, who was based between New York City and Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, may be described as the art world’s father of steel. He was particularly renowned for monumental arcs, spirals and ellipses made from massive sheets of oxidized CorTen steel, which occupy large interior and exterior spaces and dwarf visitors who wander through them, like abstract mazes. The most famous of these works is his "Torqued Ellipse" series, begun in 1966 and inspired by a Baroque 17th-century Roman church.

These site-specific sculptures, whose parts are manufactured in Germany, can be found from King City, Ontario, and the Netherlands, to the Storm King Art Center and Dia: Beacon, both in Upstate New York.

Before turning to steel, Serra produced abstract sculptures from nontraditional materials — fiberglass, rubber or molten lead — which he splashed or threw in their liquid states against the walls of studios or exhibition spaces, recording their shapes and angles. He also worked in video and performance art, producing a number of films that address the manufacture and use of his signature material: steel.

Beginning in 1971, Serra produced large-scale drawings that related to or were inspired by completed sculptures. Made with ink, charcoal, lithographic crayon or paintstick on handmade paper or linen, such works as Trajectory #4 or Double Rift II clearly reflect the forms and feeling of his signature steel sculptures.

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Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.

Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.

The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.

Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.

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Explore a vast range of abstract prints on 1stDibs to find a piece to enhance your existing collection or transform a space.

Unlike figurative paintings and other figurative art, which focuses on realism and representational perspectives, abstract art concentrates on visual interpretation. An artist may use a single color or simple geometric forms to create a world of depth. Printmaking has a rich history of abstraction. Through materials like stone, metal, wood and wax, an image can be transferred from one surface to another.

During the 19th century, iconic artists, including Edvard Munch, Paul Cézanne, Georgiana Houghton and others, began exploring works based on shapes and colors. This was a departure from the academic conventions of European painting and would influence the rise of 20th-century abstraction and its pioneers, like Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian.

Some leaders of European abstraction, including Franz Kline, were influenced by the gestural shapes of East Asian calligraphy. Calligraphy interprets poetry, songs, symbols or other means of storytelling into art, from works on paper in Japan to elements of Islamic architecture.

Bold, daring and expressive, abstract art is constantly evolving and dazzling viewers. And entire genres have blossomed from it, such as Color Field painting and Minimalism.

The collection of abstract art prints on 1stDibs includes etchings, lithographs, screen-prints and other works, and you can find prints by artists such as Joan Miró, Alexander Calder and more.