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

$922

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

$2,326

Painting, Untitled, Ethan Newman

Ethan Newman

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

$5,426

Painting, Present, Sophie Dumont

Sophie Dumont

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

$5,714

Painting, 2019 NO2R., Yang Liming

Yang Liming

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

$40,812

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

$1,845

Painting, H2#2023, Stephan Laplanche

Stephan Laplanche

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

$1,399

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

$8,745

Painting, Composition, Michel Cadoret

Michel Cadoret

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

$4,081

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

$5,947

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

$1,845

Painting, H3#2023, Stephan Laplanche

Stephan Laplanche

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

$1,399

Painting, Threshold, Darren Thompson

Darren Thompson

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

$2,062

Painting, Atila, Pink Morro

Pink Morro

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

$5,830

Painting, El Camino, Pedro Guerrero

Pedro Guerrero

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

$1,027

Painting, H1#2023, Stephan Laplanche

Stephan Laplanche

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

$1,399

Painting, Magical, Maria Esmar

Maria Esmar

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

$3,382

Painting, I Exist, Lara Messina

Lara Messina

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

$4,664

Painting, Crimson Glory, Eelco Maan

Eelco Maan

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

$4,075

Painting, Untitled A02, Ta Rui

Ta Rui

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

$1,866

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

$1,049

Painting, Kakapo, Irina Sazonova

Irina Sazonova

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

$1,628

Painting, Naranja, Nicolas Maray

Nicolas Maray

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

$23,321

Painting, Abstract VII, Mykola Bodnar

Mykola Bodnar

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

$1,044

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

$2,682

Painting, Mam, Senia Baloyan

Mam

Senia Baloyan

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

$933