Bald Eagle Stare
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
Archival Pigment
People Also Browsed
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Fiberglass, Rosewood
Vintage 1980s British Posters
Paper
Vintage 1950s British Posters
Paper
Vintage 1980s British Posters
Paper
Late 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Monotype
Vintage 1980s American Posters
Paper
20th Century French Prints
Canvas, Paint
Early 2000s Pop Art Animal Prints
Screen
Late 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Monotype
Late 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
Monoprint
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Figurative Sculptures
Pottery
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
Archival Pigment
Artist Comments
An adorable puppy pile in playful shades of green, brown, blue, and yellow. Artist Jaime Ellsworth created subtle textures and achieved rich depth by applying...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Animal Paintings
Acrylic
Artist Comments
A white pup happily strolls home towards the safe confines of his house. "With great adventure and possible treats along the way, it is always nice at the end...
21st Century and Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media
Vintage 1950s Austrian Posters
Paper
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Posters
Paper
Recent Sales
2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography
Archival Pigment
Cheryl Medow for sale on 1stDibs
A Close Look at Contemporary Art
Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.
Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.
The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.
Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.
Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right color-photography for You
Color photography evokes emotion that can bring a viewer into the scene. It can transport one to faraway places or back into the past.
The first color photograph, taken in 1861, was more of an exercise in science than art. Photographer Thomas Sutton and physicist James Clerk Maxwell used three separate exposures of a tartan ribbon — filtered through red, green and blue — and composited them into a single image, resulting in the first multicolor representation of an object.
Before this innovation, photographs were often tinted by hand. By the 1890s, color photography processes were introduced based on that 1860s experiment. In the early 20th century, autochromes brought color photography to a commercial audience.
Now color photography is widely available, with these historic photographs documenting moments and scenes that are still vivid generations later. Photographers in the 20th and 21st centuries have offered new perspectives in the evolving field of modern color photography with gripping portraiture, snow-capped landscapes, stunning architecture and lots more.
In the voluminous collection of photography on 1stDibs, find vibrant full-color images by Slim Aarons, Helen Levitt, Gordon Parks, Stefanie Schneider, Steve McCurry and other artists. Bring visual interest to any corner of your home with color photography — introduce a salon-style gallery hang or another arrangement that best fits your space.