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, Eclipse III, Ana Monnaco

Ana Monnaco

Painting . 66 x 50.8 x 0.3 cm Painting . 26 x 20 x 0.1 inch

CHF 756

Painting, Colours of you, Maria Esmar

Maria Esmar

Painting . 100 x 100 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

CHF 1,906

Painting, Untitled, Ethan Newman

Ethan Newman

Painting . 152.4 x 121.9 x 7.6 cm Painting . 60 x 48 x 3 inch

CHF 4,445

Painting, Present, Sophie Dumont

Sophie Dumont

Painting . 90 x 90 x 2 cm Painting . 35.4 x 35.4 x 0.8 inch

CHF 4,681

Painting, 2019 NO2R., Yang Liming

Yang Liming

Painting . 200 x 150 cm Painting . 78.7 x 59.1 inch

CHF 33,434

Painting, Keep on going -1, Elena Done

Elena Done

Painting . 91.9 x 59.9 x 1.8 cm Painting . 36.2 x 23.6 x 0.7 inch

CHF 1,511

Painting, H2#2023, Stephan Laplanche

Stephan Laplanche

Painting . 33 x 24 x 2 cm Painting . 13 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,146

Painting, L’heure bleue, Yichao Sun

Yichao Sun

Painting . 180 x 120 x 2 cm Painting . 70.9 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

CHF 7,164

Painting, Composition, Michel Cadoret

Michel Cadoret

Painting . 81 x 65 x 3 cm Painting . 31.9 x 25.6 x 1.2 inch

CHF 3,343

Painting, Scene in the Rain, Cao Fan

Cao Fan

Painting . 77 x 57 x 3 cm Painting . 30.3 x 22.4 x 1.2 inch

CHF 4,872

Painting, Keep on going -2, Elena Done

Elena Done

Painting . 91.9 x 59.9 x 1.8 cm Painting . 36.2 x 23.6 x 0.7 inch

CHF 1,511

Painting, H3#2023, Stephan Laplanche

Stephan Laplanche

Painting . 33 x 24 x 2 cm Painting . 13 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,146

Painting, Threshold, Darren Thompson

Darren Thompson

Painting . 76.2 x 101.6 x 5.1 cm Painting . 30 x 40 x 2 inch

CHF 1,689

Painting, Atila, Pink Morro

Pink Morro

Painting . 160 x 130 x 3 cm Painting . 63 x 51.2 x 1.2 inch

CHF 4,776

Painting, El Camino, Pedro Guerrero

Pedro Guerrero

Painting . 100 x 50 x 1 cm Painting . 39.4 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

CHF 842

Painting, Summer Daydream -1, Elena Done

Elena Done

Painting . 93.7 x 59.9 x 1.8 cm Painting . 36.9 x 23.6 x 0.7 inch

CHF 1,511

Painting, H1#2023, Stephan Laplanche

Stephan Laplanche

Painting . 33 x 24 x 2 cm Painting . 13 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch

CHF 1,146

Painting, Magical, Maria Esmar

Maria Esmar

Painting . 100 x 150 x 4 cm Painting . 39.4 x 59.1 x 1.6 inch

CHF 2,770

Painting, I Exist, Lara Messina

Lara Messina

Painting . 140 x 120 x 2 cm Painting . 55.1 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

CHF 3,821

Painting, Crimson Glory, Eelco Maan

Eelco Maan

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

CHF 3,339

Painting, Untitled A02, Ta Rui

Ta Rui

Painting . 40 x 50 x 3 cm Painting . 15.7 x 19.7 x 1.2 inch

CHF 1,528

Painting, Gesture #10, Vahan Roumelian

Vahan Roumelian

Painting . 70.5 x 100 x 0.3 cm Painting . 27.8 x 39.4 x 0.1 inch

CHF 860

Painting, Kakapo, Irina Sazonova

Irina Sazonova

Painting . 50 x 50 x 3.5 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.4 inch

CHF 1,334

Painting, Naranja, Nicolas Maray

Nicolas Maray

Painting . 195 x 130 x 3 cm Painting . 76.8 x 51.2 x 1.2 inch

CHF 19,105

Painting, Abstract VII, Mykola Bodnar

Mykola Bodnar

Painting . 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

CHF 855

Painting, Crashing Depths, Lara Sayegh

Lara Sayegh

Painting . 80 x 130 x 0.3 cm Painting . 31.5 x 51.2 x 0.1 inch

CHF 2,197

Painting, Mam, Senia Baloyan

Mam

Senia Baloyan

Painting . 50 x 100 x 2 cm Painting . 19.7 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

CHF 764