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.
1980s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Artist Terri Bell creates an abstract piece that emphasizes linear textures and balance. Each section contains solid areas, serving as touchstones against the f...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
1960s Abstract Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Woodcut
1970s Abstract Art
Screen, Plexiglass
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph, Color
1980s Abstract Art
Lithograph
1980s Abstract Art
Color, Lithograph
2010s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Paper, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Screen
1980s Abstract Art
Lithograph
Mid-20th Century Abstract Art
Color, Lithograph
1970s Abstract Art
Lithograph, Offset
1980s Abstract Art
Color, Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Artist Comments
Three people stand closely together. Bold black strokes outline their figures, adding depth and definition. Through abstract shapes, vibrant colors, and confide...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Photographic Paper
1960s Abstract Art
Oil, Paper
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Graphite
1970s Abstract Art
Mixed Media, Archival Paper, Gouache, Color Pencil
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Art
Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Ink
2010s Abstract Art
Watercolor, Pencil, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Paper, Pastel
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Art
Watercolor, Pencil
1980s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Board
Late 20th Century Abstract Art
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Abstract Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1980s Abstract Art
Acrylic, Board
2010s Abstract Art
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Art
Canvas, Varnish, Acrylic, Spray Paint
Abstract art for sale on 1stDibs.
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