abstract expressionism

American  

Sometimes Abstract Expressionism

noun

1. a movement in experimental, nonrepresentational painting originating in the U.S. in the 1940s, with sources in earlier movements, and embracing many individual styles marked in common by freedom of technique, a preference for dramatically large canvases, and a desire to give spontaneous expression to the unconscious.

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abstract expressionism British  

noun

1. a school of painting in New York in the 1940s that combined the spontaneity of expressionism with abstract forms in unpremeditated, apparently random, compositions See also action painting tachisme

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abstract expressionism Cultural  

1. A school of art that flourished primarily from the 1940s to the 1960s, noted for its large-scale, nonrepresentational works by artists such as Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• abstract expressionist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of abstract expressionism

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55

Example Sentences

Rothko, the Latvian immigrant who helped define abstract expressionism, has emerged as this season’s one-man barometer of the art market’s health.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

From abstract expressionism to pop art, the collection at the museum serves as a time capsule of pivotal artistic movements.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2025

L.A.’s open spaces and natural landscapes inspired his innovative, site-specific works; and his interpretive abstract expressionism was so revelatory at the time, it opened up the dance landscape to new approaches.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2023

In reality, from about 1955, everyone wanting to be part of the avant-garde was reacting against abstract expressionism until, eventually, they weren’t.

From Washington Post • Apr. 27, 2023

New approaches to the age-old medium of paint were celebrated during this time when abstract expressionism reigned.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 7, 2022