Helmet Newton
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Paintings
Acrylic
People Also Browsed
Mid-20th Century American Posters
Paper
Early 2000s Japanese Space Age Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Steel
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Canvas, Paint
Late 20th Century American Posters
Paper
Antique Late 19th Century German Rococo Revival Paintings
Canvas, Wood
Vintage 1970s American Modern Paintings
Canvas, Paint
Vintage 1930s Austrian Art Deco Paintings
Watercolor
Antique Early 1800s European Louis XIII Paintings
Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Ink
21st Century and Contemporary English Photography
Enamel
Early 2000s American Modern Drawings
Early 20th Century German Modern Paintings
Gouache
Late 20th Century Surrealist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Pastel
Vintage 1960s French Contemporary Art
Canvas
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Paintings
Canvas, Walnut
Recent Sales
1980s Contemporary Portrait Photography
C Print
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
C Print
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography
C Print
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
C Print
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
C Print
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Photography
C Print
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
C Print
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
C Print
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Photography
C Print
1980s American Loungewear
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.