Abstract Photography
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
#209, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#232, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Gaia 58 - Black and White Lily Pads Lake Catalonia Nature Photographic Print
Located in Brighton, GB
Gaia 58 - Black and White Lily Pads Lake Catalonia Nature Photographic Print by Jaume Llorens Bach
Gaia 58 is a 18cm x 24cm Black-and-White print on Premio Kozo 180gsm White Paper b...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Black and White, Digital
Forest Embers, Giclée Print Diptych Landscape, Warm Tons Abstract Autumn Leaves
Located in Barcelona, ES
Cyd Fontaine (Lausanne, 1992) is a contemporary artist renowned for her captivating use of dreamy atmospheric gradients, which has helped her carve a distinctive niche in the world o...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, C Print, Giclée, Archival Pigment
#145, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Photographs 1960–2024. Book
signed Gelatin silver print ‘Untitled, Elba, 1980
By Ralph Gibson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Limited Art Edition (No. 1–100), with the gelatin silver print Untitled (Elba, 1980), numbered and signed by Ralph Gibson.
Edition of 100.
Gelatin silver print, 11 x 14 in., in portf...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Black and White Photograph, Abstract, Geometric, Framed, 2020
Located in San Francisco, CA
This black and white abstract photograph is unique. Betsy Kenyon works in a darkroom with light and shapes. There is no negative, making each artwork one ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin, Photogram
$3,360 Sale Price
20% Off
Human Alien - Abstract Expressionist Art Photography
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Black and White
$2,042 Sale Price
20% Off
#139, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#235, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Lily in Charcoal No.2 - abstract expressionism photography edition of 10
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Lily in Charcoal No.2' 2023
From raw energy to sublime. 'Lily in Charcoal No.2' is an expression piece combining an abstract charcoal drawing with a live lily emerging from a gash....
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Paper, Photographic Film, Charcoal, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
$1,110 Sale Price
20% Off
Gaia 6 - Monochrome Spanish Landscape Catalonian Nature Photographic Diptych
Located in Brighton, GB
Gaia 6 - Monochrome Spanish Landscape Catalonian Nature Photographic Diptych by Jaume Llorens Bach
Gaia 6 is a 18cm x 24cm Black-and-White print on Premio Kozo 180gsm White Paper by...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Black and White, Digital
Flux # 202517 (Abstract Photography)
By Paul Snell
Located in London, GB
Edition: 1/3
Paul Snell is an Australian artist who blurs the boundaries between photography and painting, creating contemplative works that replace constant image saturation with m...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Concrete, Enamel
Chris Pine - Seen leaving his gym after a workout in Los Angeles, 10/8/20
Located in Atlanta, GA
This largescale work features hues of blue, green, purple and yellow.
This photograph is an archival inkjet print, mounted to Sintra and face mounted to polished acrylic, edition 1 ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
#225, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Hope in My Embrace - Abstract Expressionist Art Photography
Located in Zürich, CH
Der Foto-Künstler, Roger Reist, reflektiert die Welt um uns herum und in seinen Bildern auf zauberhafte Weise: "Die gesellschaftlichen Muster zu erkennen, diese anhand von meinen Bil...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Black and White
$2,042 Sale Price
20% Off
#168, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Red Boat - Still life colour photography, limited edition of 5
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Red boat'
Printed on archival paper with museum-grade precision, this limited edition work balances mystery and simplicity.
A photograph is carefully placed in a secure cardboard ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
$1,224 Sale Price
20% Off
#244, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
A Fairy and Rabbits. Limited edition color photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The exploration of the concept of play as an artistic impulse presents playful, almost "baroque-written"photographs that are the result of a repeated (recycled) notion of play. Start...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Twilight, Kyoto, Japan: Asian Japanese tree landscape photo, Sumi-e tradition
By Yasuomi Hashimura
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
"Twilight, Kyoto, Japan" is a unique (one-of-a kind) photo-based mixed media sepia toned print with hand manipulation on hand-edged Japanese artist's...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Photography
Materials
Mixed Media, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Candy Time
Located in Slovak Republic, SK
Photography, signed. Inspiration was a glass candy from around 1932-1930 probably Czech provenience. I liked the contrast between the heavy wooden ornamental frame and the fragility ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
$408 Sale Price
20% Off
#19, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
The Sun, Golden Colors, Warm Tones Diptych, Space Age, Abstract Geometry Hue
Located in Barcelona, ES
Cyd Fontaine (Lausanne, 1992) is a contemporary artist renowned for her captivating use of dreamy atmospheric gradients, which has helped her carve a distinctive niche in the world o...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, C Print, Giclée, Archival Pigment
#226, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#157, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#49, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#117, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Aspen Study I - large scale photograph of Indian summer autumnal color palette
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
Aspen Study I by Frank Schott
a series of images capturing the yellow golden Indian summer foliage palette of aspen trees in California's Sierra Nevada
...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée
#233, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#179, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#234, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#261, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#148, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Ignited, Nudes. The Alignment series. Limited Edition Color Photograph
By Ricky Cohete
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Ignited, 2017-2108
Archival Color Pigment Print
Small size: 20 H x 36 W in
Edition of 13 + 2AP
Unframed
From the series “The Alignment” which is materialized from video footage shot...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Color, Archival Pigment
Abstract Photograph Post USSR Russian Avant Garde Solarized Photo Non Conformist
By Valentin Samarine
Located in Surfside, FL
Valentin Samarine started doing abstract painting in the 60s, and abstract photography in the 70s. He moved fairly easily from one to the other. It is in a perfectly logical sense: ...
Category
20th Century Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Photographs 1960–2024. Book
signed Gelatin silver print ‘Sardegna, 1980
By Ralph Gibson
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Limited Art Edition (No. 101–200), with the gelatin silver print Untitled (Sardegna, 1980), numbered and signed by Ralph Gibson.
Edition of 100
Gelatin silver print, 11 x 14 in., in ...
Category
Late 20th Century Abstract Photography
Materials
Silver Gelatin
Blanket9, Abstract Photograph, 2015
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary:
Your purchase through TurningArt can be displayed as either a high quality print, or it's true original form as a woven blanket. Please contact TurningArt for more...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Fabric
Gem facet2 - Signed limited edition abstract art print, Large format
Located in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Gem facet 2 - Large scale photograph by Michael Banks
Archival Pigment print on fiber based paper ( Hahnemühle Photo RAG Baryta 315 gsm )
Limited Editions of 5 , signed + numbered...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Color, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment, Photo...
#259, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Infinity Pool Water Reflections, Blue
White Pattern, Handmade Cyanotype Print
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted limited edition cyanotype.
"Infinity Pool" is a sophisticated image that captures the water reflections shimmering over ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Emulsion, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, C Print, Lithograph, Monotype
#124, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Changing Moods 8- Floral landscape pink dominant contemporary abstract photo
Located in New York, NY
Belgian photographer Isabelle Menin creates portraits of flowers that are not only gorgeous in form and color, but also uniquely expressive. Fresh blossoms and withering blooms melt ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
#175, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#168, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#227, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Hemisphere I - large format photograph of abstract liquid cloudscape in water
Located in San Francisco, CA
mesmerizing color compositions of liquid cloudscape painting in water, hypnotizing abstract liquidscapes from Christian Stoll‘s body of works titled 'Hemisphere'
Hemisphere I by Christian Stoll
58 x 58 inches (147 x 147cm)
signed edition of 7
48 x 48 inches (122 x 122cm)
signed edition of 7
40 x 40 inches (102 x 102cm)
signed edition of 25
archival fine art pigment print
signed + numbered by artist on certificate label
„frameless“ glass face mounting available on request
_________________________
Christian Stoll has experimented with the photography medium since 1991.
His predominant interest is the still-life on a monumental scale. As his subject matter, Stoll shoots static objects, forms...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
Set of 2 Photographs. Cyanotype photograph of the ocean waves
By Paola Davila
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Water is constant in the artist's visual investigation, for her water is no longer the stage in which the body's memory bursts, but rather the environment and protagonist, constant o...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Cotton, Archival Pigment
#213, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#218, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#220, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
"Glimpses of Their Garden #23", Abstract, Botanical, Black and White Photograph
Located in Franklin, MA
Hogan Seidel’s "Glimpses of Their Garden #23" is an abstract botanical photograph printed as an 11 x 17 inch silver gelatin image on 13 x 19 inch paper. This signed limited edition o...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper
#246, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
#241, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Ramunės - abstract analogue black and white floral photography, 3 of 5
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Ramunės'
London, United Kingdom 2022
Limited edition 3 of 5.
Photograph printed on heavyweight Hahnehmule German Etching fine art paper. Signed bottom right corner on extra 4 cm ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Film, Photographic Film, Giclée
$1,687 Sale Price
20% Off
Red Boat - Still life colour photography, limited edition of 20
By Ugne Pouwell
Located in London, GB
'Red boat'
Printed on archival paper with museum-grade precision, this limited edition work balances mystery and simplicity.
A photograph is carefully placed in a secure cardboard ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Paper
$424 Sale Price
20% Off
#184, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece in this size
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
"Glimpses of Their Garden #1", Abstract, Botanical, Blue, Print, Photograph
Located in Franklin, MA
Hogan Seidel’s "Glimpses of Their Garden #1" is an abstract botanical photograph in vibrant cyanotype blue, printed as an 11 x 17 inch archival inkjet print on 13 x 19 inch fine art ...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Photographic Paper
#171, Abstract, Photography, Painting, Expressionism
Located in München, BY
Unique piece
More sizes and an Essay from Lyle Rexer about this series on request.
Joachim Schmeisser’s work rescues photography from the centuries-old straightjacket of realism to...
Category
2010s Abstract Photography
Materials
Pigment
Gaia 128b - Catalonian Landscape Natural Environment Photograph Diptych
Located in Brighton, GB
Gaia 128b - Catalonian Landscape Natural Environment Photograph Diptych by Jaume Llorens Bach
Gaia Diptych 128b is a 18cm x 24cm Black and White Photographic print on Premio Kozo 18...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Photography
Materials
Black and White, Digital
Abstract photography for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract photography 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 photography 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, red, orange and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Mitchell Funk, Paul Snell, Michael Banks, and Seb Janiak. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Pigment Print 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 photography, so small editions measuring 0.5 inches across are also available. Prices for photography made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $50 and tops out at $36,000, while the average work sells for $3,359.