Abstract impressionism is an art movement that originated in New York City, in the 1940s. It involves the painting of a subject such as real-life scenes, objects, or people (portraits) in an Impressionist style, but with an emphasis on varying measures of abstraction. The paintings are often painted en plein air, an artistic style involving painting outside with the landscape directly in front of the artist. The movement works delicately between the lines of pure abstraction (the extent of which varies greatly) and the allowance of an impression of reality in the painting.

The coining of the term abstract impressionism has been attributed to painter and critic Elaine de Kooning in the 1950s. The introduction of this term and the associated artworks both preceded and legitimised its first exhibition in 1958, curated by Lawrence Alloway.

The term, after being coined by Elaine de Kooning, is considered to have been popularised by artist and critic Louis Finkelstein to describe the works of Philip Guston, in order to distinguish his art from that of the growing field of Abstract Expressionism. Phillip Guston's rise within artistic and social spheres in the mid-1950s was a determining factor in the development and profiling of abstract impressionism. His paintings were considered by Finkelstein to be simultaneously extensions of Abstract Expressionism and also oppositions of, or alternatives to, the aggressiveness of Abstract Expressionism.

After applying the term to Guston, Finkelstein continued to use "abstract impressionism" to describe new artworks and artistic practices in the 1950s, in New York. He believed and purported that emerging forms of artmaking provided a unique opportunity to redefine and re-evaluate a series of artists who, despite being raised around the ideals and norms of Abstract Expressionism, were moving more towards reinvigorating the ideals of the traditional Impressionist movement.

Lawrence Alloway's exhibition, the first of its kind for abstract impressionism, featured 26 paintings by 23 artists. The idea for the exhibition came from the Fine Art Department of the University of Nottingham, and took place at the Arts Council Gallery in St. James' Square.

The artists featured were from England, France, and the United States, with their various works prefaced by a "lengthy catalogue" written by Alloway himself. Alan Bowness, a critic of the show, recalled Nicolas de Staël, Peter Lanyon, and Sam Francis to be participating artists in the exhibition.

Both the exhibition and the movement in general were considered by many to highlight a distinct differentiation from preceding movements, despite some critics, like Alan Bowness, arguing the works of the movement were not differentiated enough from previous works.

Despite this controversy, abstract impressionism has been considered an ideological opposition to the other post-war movements of the era- specifically its growing countermovements, Cubism and Futurism. Whilst Futurism focussed on rejecting the art of the past, abstract impressionism sought to incorporate techniques from numerous movements before it. This included both the Abstract and Impressionist movements of the early 1900s and the 1860s respectively. Additionally, abstract impressionists were unwilling to subscribe to the rationality and mathematic precision of Cubism. They rejected the idea of creating an image out of divided parts, and instead sought to create a mass of colour and imagery, that would only be recognisable as a whole.