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Abstract Paintings

Abstraction developed through the early to mid-1900s. The Cubists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque pushed painting toward abstraction, but did not go all the way. Wassily Kandinsky was one important abstract painter whose paintings make the most sense when you listen to twelve-tone music. He was friends with Arnold Schoenberg and aimed to paint musically.


Abstract Styles

The Italian Futurists sought to make a complete break from the historic art styles, and to create a new art that celebrated modern, urban life, the machine age, and themes of dynamism and speed. Giacomo Balla's "Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash," 1912, is a playful example of their style.

Kasimir Malevich achieved pure abstraction with his Suprematist style. His pictures are completely flat and composed of simple geometric forms with solid color. The Suprematist works are intended to evoke a feeling in the viewer, completely unrelated to the world of things.

The Abstract Expressionists, however, are perhaps the most famous abstract artists. They completely broke with traditional paint application techniques. Jackson Pollock, for example, splashed paint onto a canvas laid on the floor, as in "Number 1 (Lavender Mist)," 1950.


Quick Facts

  • The International Program of the Museum of Modern Art exhibited works by the Abstract Expressionist painters around the world during the Cold War, promoting the ideal of free expression in a democratic nation
  • Popular Abstract Expressionist Barnett Newman painted large fields of color separated by bands called “zips,” as in "The Stations of the Cross," 1958-66
  • In May 2015, a painting by the abstract artist Pablo Picasso sold for a record $719,365,000 at Christie's in New York. The estimated selling price was $140 million

Recommended Items at Auction

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Composition with Red Blue and Yellow
May 28, 3:30 PM CEST
Composition with Red Blue and Yellow
by Tajan
Est: €500- €700
€4500 Bids
No. 61 (Rust and Blue)
May 28, 3:30 PM CEST
No. 61 (Rust and Blue)
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Est: €3,000- €4,000
€2,4000 Bids
Black Square
May 28, 3:30 PM CEST
Black Square
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Est: €6,000- €8,000
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Composition with Red Blue and Yellow
Mar 31, 1:00 PM EDT
Composition with Red Blue and Yellow
by La Belle Epoque Auction House
Est: $500- $700
$4500 Bids
No. 61 (Rust and Blue)
Mar 31, 1:00 PM EDT
No. 61 (Rust and Blue)
by La Belle Epoque Auction House
Est: $3,000- $4,000
$2,5000 Bids
Black Square
Mar 31, 1:00 PM EDT
Black Square
by La Belle Epoque Auction House
Est: $6,000- $8,000
$5,5000 Bids
FANNY RABEL (1922 - 2008) En el columpio.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
FANNY RABEL (1922 - 2008) En el columpio.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $2,000- $3,000
$1,5000 Bids
LYONEL FEININGER (1871 - 1956) Locomotive.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
LYONEL FEININGER (1871 - 1956) Locomotive.
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $25,000- $35,000
$18,0000 Bids
ETHEL MAGAFAN (1916 - 1993) Controversy.
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
ETHEL MAGAFAN (1916 - 1993) Controversy.
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Est: $1,500- $2,500
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ARRIGO GHEDINI (1905 - 1997) Untitled (Landscape at Sunset).
Apr 30, 1:00 AM EDT
ARRIGO GHEDINI (1905 - 1997) Untitled (Landscape at Sunset).
by Swann Auction Galleries
Est: $1,500- $2,500
$1,1000 Bids
Pol Spilliaert (1935-2023), three gouaches, 1982, 1985
Apr 10, 10:00 AM EDT
Pol Spilliaert (1935-2023), three gouaches, 1982, 1985
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $400- $500
$3000 Bids
Pol Spilliaert (1935-2023), three gouaches, 1986
Apr 10, 10:00 AM EDT
Pol Spilliaert (1935-2023), three gouaches, 1986
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $800- $1,200
$5000 Bids
Karel Appel (1921-2006), untitled, 1958, acrylic and gouache on paper 77.5 x 56.8 cm. (30.5 x 22.3 in.)
Apr 10, 10:00 AM EDT
Karel Appel (1921-2006), untitled, 1958, acrylic and gouache on paper 77.5 x 56.8 cm. (30.5 x 22.3 in.)
by Asté Maison de ventes
Est: $8,000- $12,000
$6,0000 Bids
JOHN COBURN (Australia, 1925-2006) Study for Painting 1981
Mar 29, 6:30 AM CET
JOHN COBURN (Australia, 1925-2006) Study for Painting 1981
by Auktionshaus Bloss
Est: €5,000- €8,000
€4,5000 Bids
JOHN COBURN (Australia, 1925-2006) Study for Painting 1981
Mar 29, 11:30 AM CET
JOHN COBURN (Australia, 1925-2006) Study for Painting 1981
by Auktionshaus Bloss
Est: €5,000- €8,000
€4,5000 Bids
JOHN COBURN (Australia, 1925-2006) Study for Painting 1981
Mar 29, 2:15 PM CET
JOHN COBURN (Australia, 1925-2006) Study for Painting 1981
by Auktionshaus Bloss
Est: €5,000- €8,000
€4,5000 Bids
JOHN COBURN (Australia, 1925-2006) Study for Painting 1981
Mar 29, 3:45 PM CET
JOHN COBURN (Australia, 1925-2006) Study for Painting 1981
by Auktionshaus Bloss
Est: €5,000- €8,000
€4,5000 Bids
JOHN COBURN (Australia, 1925-2006) Study for Painting 1981
Mar 29, 5:30 PM CET
JOHN COBURN (Australia, 1925-2006) Study for Painting 1981
by Auktionshaus Bloss
Est: €5,000- €8,000
€4,5000 Bids

Sellers Who Sell Abstract Paintings


Asté Maison de ventes

Asté Maison de ventes

Auktionshaus Bloss

Auktionshaus Bloss

Swann Auction Galleries

Swann Auction Galleries

Tajan

Tajan