hard-edge

American  

[hahrd-ej] / ˈhɑrdˌɛdʒ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a style of abstract painting associated with the 1960s and marked chiefly by sharply outlined geometric or nongeometric forms.

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hard-edge British  

adjective

1. of, relating to, or denoting a style of painting in which vividly coloured subjects are clearly delineated

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Etymology

Origin of hard-edge

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hard-edge

He is known for larger-than-life sculptures and hard-edge paintings that feature his hybrid cartoon characters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Herzog said they wanted to pay their respects to Breuer’s hard-edge design while also finding subtle ways to make the space more useful for Sotheby’s—like that huge freight elevator—and inviting to the public.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025

Dark gray walls and a sisal carpet make the perfect setting for early-2000s works by the English hard-edge painter Bridget Riley, all featuring her signature rolling, serif-like waves of lucid color.

From New York Times ● May 11, 2023

David Sylvester, the influential critic at Britain’s New Statesman, declared in his enthusiastic review of her first solo gallery exhibition in 1962, “Bridget Riley is a hard-edge abstractionist.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2023

The capsule-shaped forms in Ruri Yi’s hard-edge abstractions are arranged so methodically that the occasional deviation can appear dramatic — or comic.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2023