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Abstract Art

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
Artist: Mitchell Funk
Colorful New York City Facade with Blue, Yellow and Red Squares like Mondrian
Located in Miami, FL
Mondrian came to New York City in the 1940s, and the city's real-world grid-like street design inspired him to create his famous Broadway Boogie-Woogie series, composed of primary co...
Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

New York City Street Art: Literally - Hot Pink Umbrella - Like Rothko
Located in Miami, FL
New York City is renowned as a center of world-class Museums and tastemaker Art Galleries. However, some of the greatest art is street art mad...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Street Photography in New York - People Minimized to Colorful Abstract Shapes
Located in Miami, FL
New York City pedestrians form a graphic pattern integrating with a colorful green construction wall and an orange day-glow concrete traffic barrier. Three orange day-glow stripes e...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Las Vegas Gambling Dice - Primary Colors
Located in Miami, FL
A boldly composed Las Vegas casino sign consisting of a three-dimensional red die rests on a King of Clubs. The very graphic sign is captured in an equally bold way by street photog...
Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Archival Paper, Archival Ink

Urban Art Street Art, Graffiti Wall In Soho, New York City, Abstract Photography
Located in Miami, FL
Graffiti wall in Soho district in Manhattan was photographed in 2007 that's more than a decade before the Urban Art craze had seized the attention of the art world. Art photographer...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Street Walkers - New York Street Photography Abstraction
Located in Miami, FL
The history of street photography has been characterized by a loose snapshot style where the central purpose was to capture random moments as they unfold in time. Little emphasis was...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

New York City Snowstorm Abstraction Toddler in Red Snow Suit - Monochromatic
Located in Miami, FL
A New York City snowstorm changes the superficial look of the city and, for photographers, yields creative possibilities. Veteran Street Photographer Mitchell Funk captures a toddler...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

New York City Street Photography - Ephemeral Car Reflections
Located in Miami, FL
On a busy Manhattan street, unnatural light reflects off of windshields and forms a mind-bending abstraction of colors and shapes. In the background, four male mannequins stare at th...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Bikini Window Abstraction Times Square - Urban Street Photography
Located in Miami, FL
Extreme late light darts down a street in Times Square. It illuminates a colorful and semi-abstract window display. A single female figure at the extreme right of the compostion sh...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Pigment, Archival Paper

Deck Chair Casual Abstraction with Raking Light and Shadows
Located in Miami, FL
Deck chairs randomly positioned on an Upper East Side balcony are captured by Photographer Mitchell Funk. Raking light produces abstract long shadows giving the overall arrangement of elements a casual abstract look. In the center of the composition is a yellow and green chair with colors...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Manhattan in Snow Storm - Golden Abstraction
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photographer Mitchell Funk grabs a taxi moment in front of Grand Central Station. The image communicates the spirit of wintery New York, with skies filled with falling snow. I...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Street Fashionista in Pink Ensemble on New York City Rainy Day
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photography meets Fashion Photography in this boldly graphic image of a stylish woman with an umbrella crossing the street. The composition is minimal as its color scheme is b...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Archival Paper, Archival Ink

Frenzied Pedestrians at Crosswalk Times Square - Street Photography Literally
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photographer Mitchell Funk nabs the frenetic energy of Times Square, where the streets are as over-stuffed as the billboards. They are one and the same and powered by an ele...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Abstract City - Ephemeral Golden Building New York Architecture
Located in Miami, FL
Abstract City - Ephemeral Golden Building New York Architecture Can a street photograph be a grab shot and precisely designed at the same time? Mitchell Funk says yes. He brings fine...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Chic Fashion Model with Fireworks Explosion of Color - Monochromatic
Located in Miami, FL
A chic, high-fashion model clad in high heels and a chic hat holds a refreshing drink as she sits on a pedestal. She is depicted in silhouette as a burst of zoomed fireworks explode...
Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Man in Colorful African Theme Clothes Illuminated by Shaft of Light
Located in Miami, FL
Rays of golden light burn through New York's streets and illuminate a man dressed in a vivid African-themed shirt with matching shorts. He dominates the composition that emphasizes ...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Multiple Exposure of Colorful Flowers St. Patrick's Cathedral
Located in Miami, FL
It's 1971, and most photographers were shooting in black and white. Fine Art Photography was not yet in the mainstream vocabulary of museums — almost no art galleries considered or ...
Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

All American Favorites: Husky Dogs and Clint Eastwood in Times Square
Located in Miami, FL
Assisted by the right angle and right light, Street Photographer Mitchell Funk designs an image of Times Square Billboards that is as abstract as it is representational. Two huskies ...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Bowery Street Scene with Abstract Graffiti
Located in Miami, FL
A 19th-century red fire call box is smothered in street advertisements and graffiti. It dominates the left half of the composition. Behind i, a street-l...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

A Contrast of Two Art Styles - Graffiti Bus & Blue Umbrella on Rainy Day
Located in Miami, FL
A contrast of two art styles describes this street photograph. A school bus-covered chaotic brush-stroked graffiti is juxtaposed with a symmetrical, color field-like umbrella compose...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Chrysler Building Spire and McDonald's Graphic Red Sign
Located in Miami, FL
For 53 years, Mithcell Funk has been photographing the art deco beauty of the Chrysler Building. In this work, Funk frames the iconic spire between two other rectilinear shapes. On t...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Vintage Car Against Colorful Striped Yellow Wall - Primary Colors
Located in Miami, FL
To a color photographer, color is a creative resource unto itself. In a blandscape of dull grays and browns, the hyper-bright yellow wall with prim...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Snowy Night, Rainy Night in Manhattan with Orange Sky
Located in Miami, FL
A solitary hooded figure crosses a desolate Manhattan street as light snow and rain come down. For 54 years, Mitchell Funk has been chronicling the effects of light on form; here, h...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Two Boots and an Umbrella - Red and Black Color Field Photography
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photography: Literally. A downward view of a wet monochromatic Manhattan street references color-field painting. Flat geometric sections of color are accented by an alternati...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper

Jet Ski Water Sport Action Wave Race in Blue Water
Located in Miami, FL
A Jet Ski - Wave Runner race is documented from an elevated position to be as abstract as it is representational. Diagonal white trails of waves extend behind each colorful Jet Ski l...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Archival Paper, Archival Ink

Tennis Court in Snow with Footprints Green and Wine Color Abstraction
Located in Miami, FL
An aerial view looking down on a Manhattan tennis court is photographed so that it is representational and abstract at the same time. The interplay of large areas of color, pattern...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

New York City Abstraction - Street Photography: Literally
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photography: Literally. From an elevated vantage point, Street Photographer Mitchell Funk shoots down on a busy midtown Manhattan street and composes the image so that it's as...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Mondrian Boogie Woogie Updated By Street Photographer Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Perpendicular lines of white and yellow, rectangles of yellow, and white bands of equal proportion define this overhead Manhattan intersection. As an afterthought, it's a nod to Mo...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Neon Bar Sign Glow on Moody Manhattan Nocturne
Located in Miami, FL
Manhattan Nocturne by Mitchell Funk. The colors are the music of the night. The image is a stunning example of the artist’s blending of the abstract and representational. Signed, ...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Colorful Paint Cans in Red, Orange, Blue and Turquoise
Located in Miami, FL
A pile of empty and discarded colorful paint cans inadvertently becomes an artful abstract still life in itself. Documented through the keen lens of st...
Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper

Manhattan Window Reflections in Red and Blue
Located in Miami, FL
Mitchell Funk is a Street Photographer who shoots gritty themes that come out beautifully. In "Manhattan Window Reflections," a typically drab street scene is transformed into a vivi...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

The Guggenheim Museum Reaches Out
Located in Miami, FL
Museum in a car - The artsiest of art museums is artfully depicted in street photographer Mitchell Funk's imaginative photograph. A passing red car with similar curvilinear forms has the museum's facade reflected in its roof window...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Chrysler Building Spire New York Art Deco Skyscraper
Located in Miami, FL
Since 1969 Mitchell Funk has been photographing the Chrysler Building in dramatic and novel ways. This recent image incorporates the Chrysler Building's pointy neighbor, the supertall skyscraper One Vanderbilt. Its modern spire harmonizes with the 1930 soaring Art Deco icon. Notice how Funk incorporates accents of yellow that offsets the twilight blue. The entire image is accented by a cozy moon that consummates the composition. Signed and dated on the lower right, numbered on verso, 3/15 other size available, unframed, Printed Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art paper. Mitchell Funk is a pioneer of " Color Photography" In 1970 he participated in one the first " Color Photography" show...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Graffiti Street Art Photograph in Red and Green
Located in Miami, FL
Graffiti-clad New York City Street scene with wall shot by veteran street photographer Mitchell Funk in his trademark colorful style. In Funk's oeuvre co...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Red Head Girl in the Bowery - Graffiti Street Photography
Located in Miami, FL
A graffiti street scene in New York City becomes a semi-abstract picture. Signed and dated on lower right, numbered on verso Edition 3 of 15. Unframed. Other size available, Printe...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Chrysler Building Spire with Moon - Art Deco skyscraper
Located in Miami, FL
Pioneering Color Photographer Mitchell Funk carefully crafts a composition where the graceful Art Deco shapes of the Chrysler Building spire play off t...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Manhattan White Dog among Autumn Leaves , Minimalism
Located in Miami, FL
Color Photographer Mitchell Funk depicts New York City somewhere between the ideal and the real. In an Upper East Side park, he shoots a lone white dog standing at the intersection ...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Times Square Theater Posters Morosco Theatre. FORTY CARATS
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photographer Mitchell Funk breaks with tradition and shoots street photography in color. Today in 2022 this does not seem like a big deal. But 53 years ago in 1969 it was quit...
Category

1960s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Pegasus Mythical Winged Divine Horse Vintage Sign. Mid Century Street Signs
Located in Miami, FL
Red and white gas station signs and parking signs form an abstract pattern in an early example of color photography from 50 years ago in 1972. Signed ...
Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Brooklyn Bridge Multiple Exposure in Magenta and Blue, City Abstract
Located in Miami, FL
In the early 1970s, color photography was not really considered to be art by any standard. Mitchell Funk is one of the early trailblazers of color photography as fine art. In this 19...
Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Vintage Las Vegas- Fremont Street Neon Signs, The Mint, Old Las Vegas
Located in Miami, FL
The neon signs of Fremont Street's casinos are more than just documented by photographer Mitchell Funk. They are carefully composed as if it were a studio still life with each elemen...
Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper

Silver Silos and Station Wagon, Abstract Photography by Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Abstract Landscape photography by Mitchell Funk with 1970's station wagon. Signature: Signed, Dated, Numbers 3/15 lower right recto, other sizes available. unframed, printed late...
Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

East Hampton Sky with Flock of Birds at Golden Sunset, Abstract Photography
Located in Miami, FL
A flock of birds at sunset in East Hampton is captured by color photographer Mitchell Funk. The overall composition without a central point of focus is not unlike the work of East H...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Warby Parker Prescriptions Manhattan, Color Photography, Abstract Photography
Located in Miami, FL
In Manhattan, a vintage turquoise sign pops out from a dark background and creates a powerful graphic composition. The fine art photograph is Signed, dated and numbered lower right...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper

Young girl in an Couture Pink Dress, Fashion Photography
Located in Miami, FL
The interplay of light and shadow, greys and magenta transform a portrait of a flamboyantly dressed young girl into an optically engaging abstraction composed of alternating patterns...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment

Sydney Opera House, Modern Photography Cover , Abstract Photography
Located in Miami, FL
Modern Photography Cover, February, 1987 Triple exposure of silhouetted men on a hill, against plexiglass colored shapes echoing the bold iconic architectural curves of the opera h...
Category

1980s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment

Urban Art Bus Driver and Graffiti, Street Photography by Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Street art comes to the intersection of street photography. Signed dated and numbered 3/15 lower right recto, other sizes available, unframed, printed later. Printed on Hahnemühle Fi...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper

Miami Causeway in Blue, Street Photography by Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
The underside of a blue bridge in Miami is transformed into a statement of about urban color. It's a hauntingly beautiful night image of Miami in blue and is punctuated with a red st...
Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper, Archival Ink

Joyful Birds on Roof of a Pink, Summer Beach House East Hampton, Abstract Photo
Located in Miami, FL
Three Gulls sit atop a colorful pink and white beach house near East Hampton. The lead gull is captured with his wings spread and poised to take flight. The picture evokes the summ...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Psychedelic Portrait of a Young Hippie with Manipulated Color, Kali
Located in Miami, FL
As a progenitor of special effects photography and experimental photography in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mitchell Funk employed a variety of non-digital techniques to achieve ...
Category

1970s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

The Painted Ladies, San Francisco’s Victorians Seven Sisters, Architecture
Located in Miami, FL
Bright and bold colors define one of San Francisco's most beloved architectural gems. The Painted Ladies of Alamo Square are transformed into a color field painting. Mithcell Funk's...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper

Cute Dog Running in the Rain by Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
A cute dog with a ball in his mouth runs in the rain. Street Photographer Mithcell Funk, capture a decisive moment in a perfect composition of red and blue triangles. Funk is an...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Rainbow of Color Refection in Car Window - (Abstract Photography)
Located in Miami, FL
Veteran Street Photographer Mitchell Funk encountered a newly painted wall in Queens, New York. Next to the wall was a newly washed red car. This was red meat subject matter for...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Red Brick Building Facade Street Scene in New York City by Mitchell Funk
Located in Miami, FL
Late light skims off the brick facade of a historic red brick building in Manhattan. Street Photographer Mitchell Funk creates an image that is both a realistic document of an urban...
Category

1990s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Flock of Birds over New York City Rooftops ( Abstract Photography )
Located in Miami, FL
A flock of birds hovers above snow-covered Manhattan rooftops. The image is as much about an overall composition in abstract art as it is a document of group avian behavior. Signe...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Abstract Winter Scene with Single Figure in Red Coat
Located in Miami, FL
A serene New York City snowstorm composed of white snow and tree branches is interrupted by a single figure in a bright red outfit. The whole image recalls the abstract expressionis...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Las Vegas Shopping Center Bonanza by Mitchell Funk Street Photography
Located in Miami, FL
Street Photographer Mithcell Funk embraces his long-held graphic aesthetic highly keyed bold colors and strong design, while late afternoon light skims across the surface of an empt...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

South Beach Life Guard Station in Red, Yellow and Blue
Located in Miami, FL
South Beach's iconic and colorful lifeguard station is a mecca for tourist snapshooters. Veteran color photographer Michell Funk reexamines this subject as an abstract hard-edge col...
Category

2010s Abstract Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

Abstract art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Abstract art 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 art 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, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Sumit Mehndiratta, Giorgio Lo Fermo, Francisco Nicolás, and Dadodu . Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Synthetic Resin Paint 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 art, so small editions measuring 0.02 inches across are also available.

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