Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.
1920s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera
Early 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
1950s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, ABS
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Wax Crayon, Ink
2010s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Digital
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink
1950s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Gouache
2010s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Oil, Archival Paper
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil, Color Pencil
1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache, Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera, Watercolor
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Illustration Board, Pen
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, ABS
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera, Watercolor
1980s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Acrylic
1920s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil, Carbon Pencil
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Etching
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Ink
1950s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera, Watercolor, Paper, Mixed Media
1980s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
India Ink
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1980s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera
1920s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1920s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Felt Pen
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Pencil
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Photographic Paper
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1920s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Tempera
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal, Ink, Watercolor, Pencil
2010s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Mixed Media, Board
2010s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Archival Ink, Watercolor, Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal, Pastel
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal, Ink, Watercolor, Pencil
1980s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Felt Pen
1980s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Pencil