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Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

CONTEMPORARY STYLE

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.

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Style: Contemporary
Toronto Winter
By Lance Paull
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic on paper
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic

Toronto Winter

Lance Paull
Toronto Winter, 2018

Swimming Lesson
By Lance Paull
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic on paper
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic

Swimming Lesson

Lance Paull
Swimming Lesson, 2010

Zen 100
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Oil on canvas
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil

Zen 100

Diane Batson-Smith
Zen 100, 2019

Inside minimal surface 002
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Print on aluminum
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic

Inside minimal surface 002

Davide Prete
Inside minimal surface 002, 2019

I'm Not Your F#$%'n Queen!
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Gouache & graphite on paper
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache

I'm Not Your F#$%'n Queen!

Claire Menegatti
I'm Not Your F#$%'n Queen!, 2014

Storms
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic on canvas
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic

Storms

Elizabeth Caputo
Storms, 2019

White Oval
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Print with typed acetate sheet
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Black and White

White Oval

Kathryn & RD Wakeman
White Oval, 2017

Grayscale Landscape
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic on canvas
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic

Grayscale Landscape

Pamela Mower-Conner
Grayscale Landscape, 2019

Night Sailing
By Vian Borchert
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic on canvas
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic

Night Sailing
Night Sailing

Vian Borchert
Night Sailing, 2019

Sail and Cloud
By Vian Borchert
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic on canvas
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic

Sail and Cloud
Sail and Cloud

Vian Borchert
Sail and Cloud, 2019

Sailboat at Night
By Vian Borchert
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic on canvas
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic

Sailboat at Night
Sailboat at Night

Vian Borchert
Sailboat at Night, 2019

Owens Lake
By Anne Schlueter
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Ink
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink

Owens Lake

Anne Schlueter
Owens Lake, 2018

Escape Into Violet Gray
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic on panel
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic

Escape Into Violet Gray

Barbara Kolo
Escape Into Violet Gray, 2021

Untitled
By Charles Birnbaum
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Archival pigment print
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Archival Pigment

Untitled

Charles Birnbaum
Untitled, 2020

Enchanted
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic on canvas
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic

Enchanted

Bhavish Ahuja
Enchanted

"Man with Bicycle" Male Nude, Back View, Watercolors, Black and White
By Artis Lane
Located in Detroit, MI
"Man with Bicycle" is an extraordinarily complex painting by Artis Lane. The figure is in a Classical Greek pose balancing the body's weight on the left leg while the right is slight...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

"Man with Bicycle" Male Nude, Back View, Watercolors, Black and White
"Man with Bicycle" Male Nude, Back View, Watercolors, Black and White

Artis Lane
"Man with Bicycle" Male Nude, Back View, Watercolors, Black and White

"Nude on Throne" Female, Frontal, Symbolism, Black & White, Abstract
By Artis Lane
Located in Detroit, MI
"Nude on Throne" shows a beautiful strong young woman seated upon what appears to be a ancient throne. There are objects held by her and placed on her legs, one of which can clearly ...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Mixed Media

"Nude on Throne" Female, Frontal, Symbolism, Black & White, Abstract
"Nude on Throne" Female, Frontal, Symbolism, Black & White, Abstract

Artis Lane
"Nude on Throne" Female, Frontal, Symbolism, Black & White, Abstract, 1985

162 Years (Tree Rings Series)
By Steven L. Anderson
Located in New York, NY
Steven L. Anderson 162 Years, 2015 marker and pen on paper 60 x 60 inches The Tree Rings artworks are made on paper which is torn and reassembled, scratched...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Archival Paper, Permanent Marker

162 Years (Tree Rings Series)
162 Years (Tree Rings Series)

Steven L. Anderson
162 Years (Tree Rings Series), 2015

Kory & Kris' Studio Organ Building (Diptych)
By Kory Twaddle
Located in Kansas City, MO
Kory & Kris' Studio Organ Building (Diptych) Materials : Colored pencil, acrylic, graphite, and watercolor on paper diptych Date : 2005 Dimensions : 30 x 44 inches Description : Our...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paint, Paper, Conté, Acrylic, Tempera, Watercolor, Graphite, Color Pencil

Kory & Kris' Studio Organ Building (Diptych)
Kory & Kris' Studio Organ Building (Diptych)

Kory Twaddle
Kory & Kris' Studio Organ Building (Diptych), 2005

Lounge
By Tim Hawkinson
Located in Phoenix, AZ
pastel on fabric (bathrobes) on wood panel with upholstery tacks
Category

1990s Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Fabric, Wood, Pastel

Lounge
Lounge

Tim Hawkinson
Lounge, 1993

Long Short Series 2
By Nancy Charak
Located in Kansas City, MO
Artist: Nancy Charak Title: Long Short Series 2 Medium: Pencil, conte, prismacolor, erasure, pencil shavings and smudge on 90# Stonehenge Size: 11 x 30" Year: 2017 Nancy Charak make...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Conté, Pencil

Long Short Series 2

Nancy Charak
Long Short Series 2, 2017

Conjugation of a Greek Word
By Leandros Pigades
Located in New York, NY
Leandros Pigades Conjugation of a Greek Word, 2015 graphite on paper 36 x 28 cm
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Archival Paper, Graphite

Conjugation of a Greek Word

Leandros Pigades
Conjugation of a Greek Word, 2015

Black Sky (The Cave Series)
By Panos Familis
Located in New York, NY
Panos Familis Black Sky (The Cave Series), 2015 graphite on paper 77 x 112 cm
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Archival Paper, Graphite

Black Sky (The Cave Series)
Black Sky (The Cave Series)

Panos Familis
Black Sky (The Cave Series), 2015

Falls of Solitude 6
By Jaanika Peerna
Located in Fairfield, CT
Jaanika Peerna is an Estonian-born artist living and working primarily in New York since 1998 as well as in Berlin and Tallinn. Her work encompasses drawing, video, installation and performance, often dealing with the theme of transitions in light, air, water and other natural phenomena. She is often involved in collaborative projects working with designers, dancers and musicians. She has exhibited her work extensively in the entire New York metropolitan area as well as in Berlin, Paris, Tallinn, Helsinki, Venice, Rome, Dubai, Sydney, and Moscow. Her work is in numerous private collections in the US and Europe and was recently acquired by Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris. Her work is represented in the United States by ARC Fine Art...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Color Pencil, Graphite, Mylar

Falls of Solitude 6
Falls of Solitude 6

Jaanika Peerna
Falls of Solitude 6, 2013

Falls of Solitude 5
By Jaanika Peerna
Located in Fairfield, CT
Jaanika Peerna works at the crossroads of digital and traditional media, often dealing with the themes of water, simplicity and silence. She has an MFA in intermedia design from SUN...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Color Pencil, Graphite, Mylar

Falls of Solitude 5

Jaanika Peerna
Falls of Solitude 5, 2013

Hereldic Symbols 1-10
By Michael Ricardo Andreev
Located in New York, NY
Hereldic Symbols 1-10 Andreev’s paintings and installations draw the viewer into post-revolutionary landscapes containing unidentified flying objects su...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper

Hereldic Symbols 1-10

Michael Ricardo Andreev
Hereldic Symbols 1-10, 2009

Falls of Solitude 7
By Jaanika Peerna
Located in Fairfield, CT
Jaanika Peerna is an Estonian-born artist living and working primarily in New York since 1998 as well as in Berlin and Tallinn. Her work encompasses drawing, video, installation and performance, often dealing with the theme of transitions in light, air, water and other natural phenomena. She is often involved in collaborative projects working with designers, dancers and musicians. She has exhibited her work extensively in the entire New York metropolitan area as well as in Berlin, Paris, Tallinn, Helsinki, Venice, Rome, Dubai, Sydney, and Moscow. Her work is in numerous private collections in the US and Europe and was recently acquired by Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris. Her work is represented in the United States by ARC Fine Art...
Category

Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Color Pencil, Graphite, Mylar

Falls of Solitude 7
Falls of Solitude 7

Jaanika Peerna
Falls of Solitude 7, 2013

Duke and Wigmore Series #1
By Gary Komarin
Located in Fairfield, CT
Born in New York City, the son of a Czech architect and Viennese writer, Gary Komarin is a risk taker in contemporary painterly abstraction. Komarin’s stalwart images have an epic qu...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Duke and Wigmore Series #1

Gary Komarin
Duke and Wigmore Series #1, 2003-04

Contemporary abstract drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary abstract drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add abstract drawings and watercolors created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, orange, purple, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including David Barnett, Renato Garza Cervera, Michael Alan, and Reginald K. Gee. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Contemporary abstract drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 2.96 inches across are also available. Prices for abstract drawings and watercolors made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $60 and tops out at $190,000, while the average work sells for $1,402.

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