Abstract Paintings
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.
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Cardboard
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Paper, Charcoal, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Drawing inspiration from a textile fabric with a floral pattern, the artwork features long strokes that twirl into dynamic shapes. Each section of color fits wi...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Abstract Paintings
Oil
1990s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Cardboard
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Pastel hues depict the vibrant image of a sunset at a beach. Color blocks capture the uplifting energy of the seascape, with the expansive sky and shifting clou...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Late 20th Century Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Metal
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Metal
1990s Abstract Paintings
Metal
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Glue, Panel, Wood Panel, Pigment
1980s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Mixed Media, Paint, Ink
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gesso, Wood, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Pastel-hued loops pay homage to the circles naturally present in artist Jennifer Hanson's earliest paintings. It represents her journey as an artist over time. ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
Early 2000s Abstract Paintings
Mixed Media
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gold Leaf
2010s Abstract Paintings
Metal, Bronze, Copper
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
1950s Abstract Paintings
Canvas, Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Abstract Paintings
Paper, Color, Digital
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic, Gesso, Wood
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Gold Leaf
Artist Comments
A river flows at the bottom of a canyon where strong early spring winds whip across its surface. The artwork explores the textural dichotomy of water, one that ...
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Acrylic
2010s Abstract Paintings
Oil