Minimalism was an art movement that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, chiefly in the United States.

Minimalist paintings typically consist of geometric shapes or other simple forms, often arranged in a series of modules (standard units). Other names proposed for the movement, including systemic painting, ABC art, and serial art, reflect its aims and impact.

The proponents of minimal art were interested in logical systems and universal physical principles (such as mathematical progressions or gravity) rather than individual sensations and their expression. Minimalists favored the hard, straight lines of industrial design over uninhibited brushwork. They were interested in the sheer physical presence of the artwork, uncomplicated by illusion or metaphor.

American painter Frank Stella made a major contribution to the definition of minimalist painting with his pinstripe images. In one of minimalism's most quoted epigrams, Stella said of his paintings, "What you see is what you see."