Abstract expressionism

Abstract Expressionism established itself as one of the major turning points in twentieth-century art, emerging in New York in the 1940s around what would become known as the New York School.

Driven by figures as diverse as Jackson Pollock and his gestural dripping technique, Mark Rothko and his meditative fields of color, or Willem de Kooning and his energetic compositions oscillating between figuration and abstraction, the movement marked a decisive break with European traditions by placing spontaneity of gesture, monumental scale, and a direct physical relationship between painter and canvas at the heart of artistic practice.

Drawing on Surrealist explorations of automatism and the unconscious, it transformed painting into a space for experimentation in which color, material, and movement ceased to serve representation and instead became an autonomous language carrying an unprecedented emotional and existential intensity.

This shift in the center of gravity of Western art toward New York also represented the affirmation of an American cultural identity on the international stage, whose impact would resonate throughout contemporary artistic creation.

On Artsper, this selection brings together contemporary works that extend this foundational legacy through lyrical abstraction, gestural energy, and chromatic explorations, reflecting the enduring vitality of a movement that profoundly transformed our understanding of what painting can be.

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Painting, Hope 7, Patricia Abramovich

Patricia Abramovich

Painting . 135 x 100 x 1 cm Painting . 53.1 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch

£5,671

Painting, Limitless II, Omar Obaid

Omar Obaid

Painting . 70 x 70 x 3 cm Painting . 27.6 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch

£2,264

Painting, Just a dream, Michelle Hold

Michelle Hold

Painting . 60 x 60 x 4 cm Painting . 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch

£1,132

Painting, Stripes, Aloyzas Smilingis

Aloyzas Smilingis

Painting . 81 x 60 x 0.3 cm Painting . 31.9 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

£3,227

Painting, Cosmogonia-2, Julien Jubault

Julien Jubault

Painting . 120 x 110 x 0.01 cm Painting . 47.2 x 43.3 x 0 inch

£1,919

Painting, Une pluie d'or, Sylvie Tual

Sylvie Tual

Painting . 120 x 120 x 3 cm Painting . 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch

£7,370

Painting, Untitled, Moko Khachatryan

Moko Khachatryan

Painting . 100 x 170 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 66.9 x 0.8 inch

£4,274 £3,847

Painting, Reflect, Chelsea Davine

Chelsea Davine

Painting . 115 x 390 x 4 cm Painting . 45.3 x 153.5 x 1.6 inch

£13,297

Fine Art Drawings, Silhouettes 3, Anastacia Kevich

Anastacia Kevich

Fine Art Drawings . 70 x 50 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

£1,175

Painting, Miro, Irina Sazonova

Irina Sazonova

Painting . 100 x 80 x 3.5 cm Painting . 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.4 inch

£2,592

Painting, Freedom, Milada Dureckova

Milada Dureckova

Painting . 90 x 90 x 2.5 cm Painting . 35.4 x 35.4 x 1 inch

£829

Painting, Untitled 987, Oto Macek

Oto Macek

Painting . 70 x 59 x 0.1 cm Painting . 27.6 x 23.2 x 0 inch

£872

Painting, Flare Up, Melanie Graham

Melanie Graham

Painting . 59.9 x 80 x 2 cm Painting . 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

£633

Painting, Earth Matrix, Vesta Shi

Vesta Shi

Painting . 100 x 70 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

£1,134

Painting, M011, Pink Morro

Pink Morro

Painting . 200 x 200 x 3 cm Painting . 78.7 x 78.7 x 1.2 inch

£9,595

Painting, Dance with me, Petra Schott

Petra Schott

Painting . 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

£3,663

Painting, June, Emily Starck

Emily Starck

Painting . 200 x 200 x 3 cm Painting . 78.7 x 78.7 x 1.2 inch

£9,158

Painting, Little queen, Petra Schott

Petra Schott

Painting . 100 x 70 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

£3,118

Painting, Bent Space, Zakhar Shevchuk

Zakhar Shevchuk

Painting . 140 x 85 x 2 cm Painting . 55.1 x 33.5 x 0.8 inch

£2,181

Photography, Fusion, Yuhao Pan

Yuhao Pan

Photography . 70 x 50 x 0.3 cm Photography . 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

£1,047

Painting, Empathy, Emily Starck

Emily Starck

Painting . 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

£2,966

Painting, Lines II, Viktoria Ganhao

Viktoria Ganhao

Painting . 100 x 70 x 2 cm Painting . 39.4 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

£1,744

Painting, ST20241210, Emily Starck

Emily Starck

Painting . 70 x 63 x 3 cm Painting . 27.6 x 24.8 x 1.2 inch

£1,265

Painting, Early Autumn, Geoff Howard

Geoff Howard

Painting . 59.9 x 59.9 x 0.3 cm Painting . 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

£3,027

Painting, Rhapsody, Ana Costov

Ana Costov

Painting . 82 x 71.9 x 0.5 cm Painting . 32.3 x 28.3 x 0.2 inch

£2,592

Painting, Time Span, Karen Hale

Karen Hale

Painting . 30.5 x 101.6 x 3.8 cm Painting . 12 x 40 x 1.5 inch

£1,215

Painting, August, Inga Makarova

Inga Makarova

Painting . 100 x 100 x 1 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch

£3,140