Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Crayon
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1980s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Pencil
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pencil
1980s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, ABS
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Archival Ink, Paper, Watercolor
1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Gouache, Pencil
Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pastel
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Gouache
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Gouache
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1910s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Gouache
1990s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Handmade Paper, Pencil
1950s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Oil Pastel, Gouache
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Pen
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Pen
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Paper
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Crayon, Ink
1950s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Paper
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Conté, Charcoal, Crayon, Mixed Media
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
2010s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pastel
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Oil Pastel, Gouache
1950s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Graphite
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Permanent Marker
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Gouache
Early 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Charcoal, Ink, Watercolor
Late 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pen, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Gouache
Early 20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pen, Pencil
1960s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor
20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Pencil, Postcard
1940s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor, Gouache, Paper
1970s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Permanent Marker
Mid-20th Century Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Watercolor