Dinosaur Claw
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Color Photography
Archival Pigment
People Also Browsed
Early 20th Century British Barware
Crocodile, Glass
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Natural Specimens
Other
2010s American Decorative Art
Limestone
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Metal
20th Century Asian Organic Modern Nautical Objects
Shell
Mid-20th Century German Space Age Dinner Plates
Ceramic
Antique 15th Century and Earlier English Natural Specimens
Stone
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal
Antique 15th Century and Earlier American Natural Specimens
Stone
Antique 15th Century and Earlier German Decorative Art
Other
Antique 1890s German Neoclassical Dinner Plates
Porcelain
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Malagasy International Style Natural Sp...
Stone
Late 20th Century Natural Specimens
Shell
20th Century Organic Modern Natural Specimens
Shell
Vintage 1950s Surinamer Folk Art Tribal Art
Early 20th Century German Streamlined Moderne Serving Pieces
Silver Plate
Recent Sales
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Metal
2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Bronze
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.
Read More
100 Works That Remind Us Why Glass Can Be a Radical Art Form
A new show at Upstate New York’s Corning Museum of Glass shows off the best and brightest contemporary works of the last few years.
Proving It’s More Than Mansions, Palms and Beaches, a Storied Florida Playground Is Getting Serious about Art
The newly redesigned Norton Museum and other impressive exhibition spaces around Palm Beach are drawing art aficionados to the tony enclave year-round.