Contemporary Figurative 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
Period: 20th Century
Study for 'Spring' from 'Four Seasons'
By Paul Cadmus
Located in New York, NY
This work by Paul Cadmus is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Study for ‘Spring’ from ‘Four Seasons’
1981
Various inscriptions in pencil
Crayon and graphite on paper
9.5 x 18.5 ...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Crayon, Graphite
Cat Nap
By Paul Cadmus
Located in New York, NY
Cat Nap
Conté crayon on paper
8.25 x 12.5 inches
Contact gallery for price.
This work is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Category
20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Conté
Seated Female Nude
By Paul Cadmus
Located in New York, NY
Seated Female Nude
Signed, u.l.
Conté crayon on paper
12 x 15.5 inches
Contact gallery for price.
This work is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Category
20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Conté
Untitled (Seated Nude Male Facing Left)
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Conté and colored pencil on paper
20.75 x 14.5 inches
Contact gallery for price.
This work is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Category
20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Conté, Color Pencil
Untitled (Classical Bust II)
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Untitled (Classical Bust II)
n.d.
Conté crayon on paper
30 x 22 inches
Contact gallery for price.
This work is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Category
20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Conté
Untitled (Classical Bust I)
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Untitled (Classical Bust I)
n.d.
Conté crayon on paper
30 x 22 inches
Contact gallery for price.
This work is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Category
20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Conté
Apache Woman on Horseback, by Allan Houser, Haozous, painting, paper, horse
By Allan Houser
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Apache Woman on Horseback, by Allan Houser, Haozous, painting, paper, horse
Painting on paper from 1946 by master artist Allan Houser. Ft. Sill Chi...
Category
1940s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
William Anthony 1976 Caricature Drawing John Richardson & Jan Cushing
Located in Surfside, FL
William Anthony, born 1934, Forth Monmouth, NJ. and grew up in Washington State.
Education
1958 Yale, New Haven, CT, B.A European History
1959-60 San Francisco Art Institute, CA
196...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pencil
Dance with Me, William Anthony Caricature Drawing
Located in Surfside, FL
William Anthony, born 1934, Forth Monmouth, NJ. and grew up in Washington State.
Education
1958 Yale, New Haven, CT, B.A European History
1959-60 San Francisco Art Institute, CA
196...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pencil
Panéjo with stomachs N°1
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
Enveloped by outstretched paintings, Gonzalo García reveals the ever-present ghosts of our past and present in a delicate swirl of color, light, and fle...
Category
20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite
Holding on to a Post, Drawing
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Other
Subject: People
Medium: Pencil
Surface: Paper
Country: United States
Dimensions w/Frame: 14 1/4" x 14"
William Anthony
Born 1934, Forth Monmouth, NJ. and grew up in Was...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Charcoal, Carbon Pencil
Woman On The Wind - Ink and watercolor by Lars Bo - 1963
By Lars Bo
Located in Roma, IT
Woman On The Wind is a drawing realized by Lars Bo in 1963.
Ink and watercolor on cardboard.
Hand-signed on the lower and dated.
Good conditions.
The artwork is realized through ...
Category
1960s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Watercolor
"Male Nude Drawing", Graphite, Paper, Unframed, Human Figure
Located in St. Louis, MO
Unframed drawing by Joseph Piccillo. Graphite on Paper. The drawing comes rolled in a reinforced tube. Slight water damage on bottom edge of paper.
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
Various Studies for “Subway Symphony”
By Paul Cadmus
Located in New York, NY
Various Studies for “Subway Symphony”
c. 1975
Crayon and graphite on vellum
24 x 18.75 inches (61 x 47.6 cm)
Contact gallery for price
This work is offered by ClampArt in New Yor...
Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Vellum, Crayon, Graphite
Three Characters [Study for “See No Evil, Speak No Evil”]
By Paul Cadmus
Located in New York, NY
Three Characters [Study for “See No Evil, Speak No Evil”]
c. 1985
Graphite on Vellum
19 x 24 inches (48.3 x 61 cm)
Contact gallery for price.
This wo...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite, Vellum
![Three Characters [Study for “See No Evil, Speak No Evil”]](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/a_9323/1623177801903/Cadmus_Three_Characters_Study_for_See_No_Evil_1200_master.jpg?width=240 "speak no evil chart")
The Pickled Beats [The Picked Beets]
By Paul Cadmus
Located in New York, NY
The Pickled Beats [The Picked Beets]
Titled, center
Crayon on paper
25 x 19 inches (63.5 x 48.3 cm)
Contact gallery for price.
This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Conté, Paper
![The Pickled Beats [The Picked Beets]](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/a_9323/1623176985078/Cadmus_The_Pickled_Beats_The_Picked_Beets_1200_master.jpg?width=240 "picked beats")
Petit Grand Vin Ordinaire
By Paul Cadmus
Located in New York, NY
Petit Grand Vin Ordinaire
Inscribed “MAD-DOG HIP 1” l.r.; titled l.l.
Crayon on paper
25 x 19 inches (63.5 x 48.3 cm)
This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Conté, Paper
Study of a Man's Leg
By Paul Cadmus
Located in New York, NY
Study of a Man’s Leg
Crayon on paper
20.5 x 10.5 inches (52.1 x 26.7 cm)
This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Category
1960s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Conté, Paper
"Pre-Rome, " Etching on Paper in Cast Bronze Frame with Glass Eye
Located in Houston, TX
This work is one in a series of prints conceived during Long’s fellowship in Rome. It’s central feature is a profile of an abstract organic form nestled in a smooth gradient backgro...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Bronze
"Roma, " Etching on Paper in Cast Bronze Frame
Located in Houston, TX
This work is one in a series of prints conceived during Long’s fellowship in Rome. The texture and color of the background simulates a fluid substance, while the primary subject matt...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Bronze
"Post Rome, " Etching on Paper in Cast Bronze Frame
Located in Houston, TX
This work is one in a series of prints conceived during Long’s fellowship in Rome. The vertical striations along the background accentuate a sense of rhythm, while the colorful strip...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Bronze
"Persistence (Mum’s the Word), " Hatchet and Acrylic on Wood Panel
Located in Houston, TX
Furnished with an actual hatchet, this work demonstrates Long’s initiative to merge objects with his paintings. Establishing a sculptural component brings a further sense of tactilit...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Wood, Acrylic
"We Live, We Grow, We Die, We Go Someplace, " Six Color Lithograph
Located in Houston, TX
This work resembles a colorful abstraction of a terrarium inhabited by geometric and organic forms alike.
Bert L. Long Jr., was self-taught artist, was born in 1940 in Texas, grew ...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Lithograph
"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 Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
"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 Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor, Mixed Media
Air Mail hand drawn postcard signed
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Original hand-drawn postcard by Jean-Michel Folon addressed to Evelyn Farland from France to New York. Unique and one-of-a-kind. It is framed in a s...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Postcard, Watercolor, Color Pencil
"McDonald's Hamburgers Invading Japan/Self-Portrait", Watercolor, Figurative
Located in Detroit, MI
"McDonald's Hamburgers Invading Japan" is a delightfully inventive comic self-portrait by the creative genius Masami Teraoka. He has presented himself dressed in the traditional kimono robe and the artwork is in the famous Ukiyo-e style. Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica and sometimes humorous characters. The term ukiyo-e (浮世絵) translates as "picture[s] of the floating world".
This delightful watercolor self-portrait, comments on the problematic relationship between the United States and Japan and the Americanization of his country in the work, utilizing subtle pun humor that is the hallmark of Japanese culture. As Teraoka explains, "the character 'maku; means spread, 'donald; means screaming, 'do' and 'han' mean often, and 'Han' also means obnoxious or annoying. 'Burger' sounds like 'Baka' which means stupidity."
This work was originally purchased by filmmaker Eric Saarinen...
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Paper
Untitled (Two Women and the Statue of Liberty)
Located in New York, NY
Signed and dated ’81 in pencil, l.l.; Also signed, inscribed, and dated ’82 in pencil, l.r.
Graphite on paper
22 x 18 inches (55.9 x 45.7 cm)
This artwork is offered by ClampArt, ...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite
"Untitled, Ballerina", Contemporary, Graphite Drawing, Canvas, Figurative
Located in St. Louis, MO
Joseph Piccillo’s meticulous charcoal and graphite drawings and paintings reveal an exquisite draftsmanship tempered by emotional sensitivity. Piccillo presents an action-based assem...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Canvas, Charcoal, Graphite
Invention of the Human Eye - Original China Ink on Paper by A. Martini - 1935
Located in Roma, IT
Invention of the Human Eye is an original modern artwork realized by Alberto Martini in 1935.
Original China ink on paper. Wood frame included (cm 40 x 28.5); passepartout included (cm 37.5 x 26).
Hand-signed in China ink on the lower left corner: Alberto Martini; hand-signed on the lower right: Martini A XIII.
Mint conditions.
Beautiful black China ink on paper representing several ambiguous images between a metaphysical and esoteric style. Inscriptions in capital letters are present in the center and at the top.
This work was realized by Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 - Milan, 1954).
Incredible Italian draftsman, engraver, painter and illustrator, he was a forerunner of the Surrealist movement. In 1895, Martini started his graphic activity as illustrator of literary works, a supporting activity for his artistic production. The youthful satirical inspiration was replaced by the most macabre and morbid vein, present in the chine. He was a friend of eccentric persons, such as Luisa Amman Casati, a well-known animator of artistic life who became his precious patron of several portraits and who welcomed him to her various residences: the Venetian palace, the castle of Soncino and, between 1928 and 1930, the French residence of Vesinet. Thanks to the Marchesa Casati...
Category
1930s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
Enki Bilal - Happy Birthday - Original Signed Drawing
By Enki Bilal
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Enki Bilal - Happy Birthday - Original Signed Drawing
Title: Happy Birthday
ink and acrylic on paper, story in a board published as a poster i...
Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Contemporary figurative drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary figurative 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 figurative 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, purple, orange, yellow and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Leo Guida, Luis Miguel Valdes , Reginald K. Gee, and Renato Garza Cervera. 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 figurative drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 1.25 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative 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 $70,894, while the average work sells for $907.