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.
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Granite, Bronze
1980s Abstract Art
Watercolor, Gouache, Pencil, Graphite
Early 20th Century Abstract Art
Paper, Ink, Gouache
1960s Abstract Art
Offset, Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Linen, Ink, Mixed Media, Graphite
Artist Comments
Blooming flowers fill the vase evoking a sense of abundance despite its small stature. Artist Valerie Berkely presents the abstract floral using a limited palette of transparent purple and yellow tones. She demonstrates expressive finger painting...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Watercolor
1980s Abstract Art
Ink, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil, Board
1960s Abstract Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Ink, Handmade Paper
2010s Abstract Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1990s Abstract Art
Screen
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Emulsion, Watercolor, Rag Paper, Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Abstract Art
Clay, Porcelain
2010s Abstract Art
Wax, Oil, Archival Paper, Pen
1950s Abstract Art
Linocut
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1960s Abstract Art
Etching
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Clay, Acrylic
Artist Comments
"This impressionist style landscape - painted with loose, bold strokes - creates a mood of summer serenity," says artist Kajal Zaveri. "With a calm and cool a...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Masonite, Oil, Permanent Marker
1980s Abstract Art
Mirror, Screen, Plexiglass
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil
1950s Abstract Art
Mixed Media, Permanent Marker, Graphite
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Masonite, Oil
1950s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Metal
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Glass, Paper, Acrylic, Wood, Oil Pastel
2010s Abstract Art
Pigment
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Gouache
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
1990s Abstract Art
Canvas, Encaustic, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Polymer
Artist Comments
Artist Pat Forbes presents an abstract landscape in cool tones of blue, green, and teal. "This piece reflects on the pleasures of travel," says Pat. Wavy line...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Granite, Gold, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Watercolor, Handmade Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil





