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
An Interior Language XXVIII
Located in New York, NY
About the Series: “Sensitive Material”
In this Work on Paper Series, started in 2020, Claire Gilliam continues her exploration of Visual Language. She uses a common motif, the Latin ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Wood, Paper, Ink
The Dance (1)
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Robbie Cornelissen is one of the leading contemporary draughtsmen in the Netherlands. Cornelissen has established a reputation for the monumental, architectural drawings that he has ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
The understory
By Idoline Duke
Located in Fairfield, CT
I was born in Manhattan, but the most important places in my life have been here on Long Island by the ocean and in the mountains and forests of Vermont. I love to surf, I love to sk...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, India Ink
All The Right Words
Located in New York, NY
About the Series: “Sensitive Material”
In this Work on Paper Series, started in 2020, Claire Gilliam continues her exploration of Visual Language. She uses a common motif, the Latin ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Wood, Paper, Ink
Infinitely Divisible Ideal
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Through processes like transgression, confrontation and hybridization Renato Garza Cervera’s work questions and generates a series of reflections upon contemporary culture and relate...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Archival Paper
Cannibal Constrictor Banner with prey
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Through processes like transgression, confrontation and hybridization Renato Garza Cervera’s work questions and generates a series of reflections upon contemporary culture and relate...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Archival Paper
"Marketplace Cashier #46" - interior drawing - colorful work on paper - Daumier
By Eilis Crean
Located in Atlanta, GA
"Marketplace Cashier #46" features hues of pink, blue, yellow and black. This work on paper is mounted to a wood panel and framed in a simple wood floater frame. The frame measures 13 by 9.75 inches.
Eilis Crean is inspired by the works of Honoré-Victorin Daumier, Evie Hone...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Wood, Archival Paper, Color Pencil
Tribunal
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Robbie Cornelissen is one of the leading contemporary draughtsmen in the Netherlands. Cornelissen has established a reputation for the monumental, architectural drawings that he has ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Archival Paper, Graphite
Our Conversation Yesterday
Located in New York, NY
About the Series: “Sensitive Material”
In this Work on Paper Series, started in 2020, Claire Gilliam continues her exploration of Visual Language. She uses a common motif, the Latin ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Wood, Paper, Ink
This is How I Feel
Located in New York, NY
About the Series: “Sensitive Material”
In this Work on Paper Series, started in 2020, Claire Gilliam continues her exploration of Visual Language. She uses a common motif, the Latin ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Wood, Paper, Ink
Dark Secrets
Located in New York, NY
About the Series: “Sensitive Material”
In this Work on Paper Series, started in 2020, Claire Gilliam continues her exploration of Visual Language. She uses a common motif, the Latin ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Wood, Paper, Ink
The Truth Of Things
Located in New York, NY
About the Series: “Sensitive Material”
In this Work on Paper Series, started in 2020, Claire Gilliam continues her exploration of Visual Language. She uses a common motif, the Latin ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Wood, Paper, Ink
Tell Me A Secret
Located in New York, NY
About the Series: “Sensitive Material”
In this Work on Paper Series, started in 2020, Claire Gilliam continues her exploration of Visual Language. She uses a common motif, the Latin ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Wood, Paper, Ink
Cutting Edge
By Sonny Assu
Located in Montreal, Quebec
As a kid, comic books were a form of entertainment and escape. The ideal of future monetary value in these objects was far from my kid mind. I'd crease the pages, handle the covers w...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Ink
100% Eco-Friendly Disposable Ideals
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Through processes like transgression, confrontation and hybridization Renato Garza Cervera’s work questions and generates a series of reflections upon contemporary culture and relate...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Archival Paper
The Battle (2)
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Robbie Cornelissen is one of the leading contemporary draughtsmen in the Netherlands. Cornelissen has established a reputation for the monumental, architectural drawings that he has ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
Monument for Napoleon
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Robbie Cornelissen is one of the leading contemporary draughtsmen in the Netherlands. Cornelissen has established a reputation for the monumental, architectural drawings that he has ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
Inlands (3)
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Robbie Cornelissen is one of the leading contemporary draughtsmen in the Netherlands. Cornelissen has established a reputation for the monumental, architectural drawings that he has ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Archival Paper, Graphite
The Battle (3)
Located in Montreal, Quebec
Robbie Cornelissen is one of the leading contemporary draughtsmen in the Netherlands. Cornelissen has established a reputation for the monumental, architectural drawings that he has ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
Human Tides (Conflicts II) #15
Located in Montreal, Quebec
When does a line on a page become figurative? The series of drawings by Mexican artist Renato Garza Cervera entitled Mareas Humanas (Conflictos II) / Human Tides (Conflicts II) satis...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
India Ink, Archival Paper
Human Tides (Conflicts II) #22
Located in Montreal, Quebec
When does a line on a page become figurative? The series of drawings by Mexican artist Renato Garza Cervera entitled Mareas Humanas (Conflictos II) / Human Tides (Conflicts II) satis...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
India Ink, Archival Paper
Rojo
Located in New York, NY
Rojo, 2014
Pencil on paper
79h x 59.10w in
Unframed
Valeria Vilar received her Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Buenos Aires in 2009. In 2011, Vilar was selected to be part of the Artist Program of the University of Torcuato Di Tella, which was led by the artist Jorge Macchi. Vilar has attended multiple visual arts workshops, and in 2013, Vilar worked with the artists Elisa Estrada and Florencia Lenzi to co-found CasaPlaza – a visual arts school for children. Among her solo exhibitions are the "Fairies' Powder" at Central Gallery of Bs As Projects, 2012; “Pinopark” at Central Gallery of Projects, 2010. She has participated in several group exhibitions including “Pictorial Fantasies” at Artemisa Gallery...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pencil
Arena
Located in Montreal, Quebec
With a career spanning more than three decades, Robbie Cornelissen has established himself among the leading contemporary draughtsmen in Europe. His vast and irresolute creative univ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Graphite
Salón Rojo - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Drawing, Charcoal
Located in Barcelona, Catalonia
Years of collecting books, travel archives and studying art in Europe, went hand in hand with visiting historical monuments and grand palaces, remnants of past golden eras. This nostalgic raking over the past encompasses these inspirational elements, weaved together with her own curiosity in loose charcoal lines depicting Baroque, whimsical and once decadent interiors.
“The rooms in my paintings are small trips to the past. I look for an alternative reality through a fictional scenario, represented by a dystopian era of booms and declines.”
Francisca Ahlers...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
Human Tides (Conflicts II) #6
Located in Montreal, Quebec
When does a line on a page become figurative? The series of drawings by Mexican artist Renato Garza Cervera entitled Mareas Humanas (Conflictos II) / Human Tides (Conflicts II) satis...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
India Ink, Archival Paper
Human Tides (Conflicts II) #23
Located in Montreal, Quebec
When does a line on a page become figurative? The series of drawings by Mexican artist Renato Garza Cervera entitled Mareas Humanas (Conflictos II) / Human Tides (Conflicts II) satis...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
India Ink, Archival Paper
Untitled
By David Remfry
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Whether obscured by the smoky nightclub lighting or enlivened by the strong color of the Mardi Gras dancers, David Remfry’s life-size watercolors evoke a kaleidoscope of movement. M...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Archival Paper
Swimmers and Divers - Women Illustrators
Located in Miami, FL
Barbara Nessim is an artist/ illustrator who has contributed to Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Time, Ms among others.
She ...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Watercolor
72.89ºS, 8.15ºW; 75º @ 21 km/h; 35.0ºC 22/09/15 18:00 Local
Located in Montreal, Quebec
By Sophie Lynch
In Hyperobjects, Nova Scotia-based artist Colleen Wolstenholme presents works that developed from her earlier drawings of brain cell patterns and her interest in t...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Archival Paper
"Panéjo con estómagos N°2" contemporary drawing figurative bird legs
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
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Color Pencil, Graphite
"Sueńos Chicos" (FRAMED) Painting 21" x 20.5" inch by Antonio Pelayo
Located in Culver City, CA
"Sueńos Chicos" (FRAMED) Painting 21" x 20.5" inch by Antonio Pelayo
Medium: Pencil on Paper. Acrylic Ink & Paint on Animation Acetate
Image size: 15...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Acrylic
SAND OF TIME
Located in Tulsa, OK
Loretta Hirsch, SAND OF TIME, ink marker pencil, liquid ink, on German Card stock Paper, $740.00
Born in Oklahoma and educated at the Atlanta College of Art, Loretta Mae Hirsch has ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Mixed Media
THE RELEASE
Located in Tulsa, OK
Loretta Hirsch, THE RELEASE, ink marker pencil, liquid ink, gold leaf, on German Card stock Paper, 11.70 X 8.30 in, $740.00
Born in Oklahoma and educated ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
TAKING CHARGE
Located in Tulsa, OK
Loretta Hirsch, TAKING CHARGE, ink marker pencil, liquid ink, on German Card stock Paper, 11.70 X 8.30 in, $740.00
Born in Oklahoma and educated at the Atlanta College of Art, Loret...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Mixed Media
BURNING DESIRE
Located in Tulsa, OK
Loretta Hirsch, BURNING DESIRE, ink marker pencil, liquid ink, gold leaf, on German Card stock Paper, 11.70 X 8.30 in, $740.00 (unframed)
Born in Oklahoma and educated at the Atlant...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gold Leaf
IT'S TIME TO TELL STORIES
Located in Tulsa, OK
Loretta Hirsch, IT'S TIME TO TELL STORIES, ink marker pencil, liquid ink, on German Card stock Paper, 11.70 X 8.30 in, $740.00 (unframed)
Born in Oklahoma and educated at the Atlant...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Pencil, Paper
Something Of Gaudí - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Drawing, Charcoal
Located in Barcelona, Catalonia
Years of collecting books, travel archives and studying art in Europe, went hand in hand with visiting historical monuments and grand palaces, remnants of past golden eras. This nostalgic raking over the past encompasses these inspirational elements, weaved together with her own curiosity in loose charcoal lines depicting Baroque, whimsical and once decadent interiors.
“The rooms in my paintings are small trips to the past. I look for an alternative reality through a fictional scenario, represented by a dystopian era of booms and declines.”
Francisca Ahlers...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
The Carousel
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Watercolour on paper
Paper size: 14 x 20.75 inches
Signed and dated lower right
Category
20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
UNTITLED (FAB V) - portrait / overlaid designs /black and white / greyscale
By Ryan Bradley
Located in New York, NY
Pastel and Gouache on Arches Paper
Ryan Bradley is an artist who creates tightly rendered pastel drawings of attractive women’s faces that seem to be carved out of space. The compositions are large, with the longest part of the Arches paper averaging 52 inches. The hyperrealistic drawings...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel
Enrique VIII - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Drawing, Charcoal
Located in Barcelona, Catalonia
Years of collecting books, travel archives and studying art in Europe, went hand in hand with visiting historical monuments and grand palaces, remnants of past golden eras. This nostalgic raking over the past encompasses these inspirational elements, weaved together with her own curiosity in loose charcoal lines depicting Baroque, whimsical and once decadent interiors.
“The rooms in my paintings are small trips to the past. I look for an alternative reality through a fictional scenario, represented by a dystopian era of booms and declines.”
Francisca Ahlers has exhibited internationally with Villa del Arte Galleries...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
Street Ballet
Located in New York, NY
Much of Kathleen's art is inspired by the urban environment of New York. Recently, her works from the series of subway paintings were chosen by ArtOnLi...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Carbon Pencil, Color Pencil
Untitled, ink, figurative, faces
Located in New York, NY
This framed Ink painting by Shiri Mordechay has a beautiful openness with the way the paint is handled, allowing full attention to the curious faces presented. Depicted is a face wit...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
The Gift II
Located in New Orleans, LA
ESPERANZA CORTÉS is a Colombian born contemporary multidisciplinary artist based in New York City. Cortés has exhibited in the United States in solo and group exhibitions in venues ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Glass, Ink, Handmade Paper
The Cub Book of Trucks. Title Page
By Art Seiden
Located in Miami, FL
Art Seiden was a children's book illustrator in New York City.
Seiden was a members of The Society of Illustrators
Category
1960s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pen, Permanent Marker, Graphite
Illustration Treasure Island
Located in Miami, FL
Original Preliminary Book Illustration
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson,
MacMillan, 1963
At the Admiral Benbow
Mixed-media on board
9.5in. x 6in. (sight size)
Signed lower left: J. Falter
Inscribed lower left: "Sketch for Treasure Island"
Morris Weiss collection...
Category
1960s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Mixed Media
Untitled (mama study) II
Located in New Orleans, LA
ANASTASIA PELIAS was born in New Orleans, LA to Greek parents. Her artistic practice is rooted in the dual cultural identity of both her native and ancestral roots in New Orleans, LA...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gesso, Paper, Oil Crayon, Ink, Mixed Media
Ellas Y Sus Caprichos - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Drawing, Charcoal
Located in Barcelona, Catalonia
Years of collecting books, travel archives and studying art in Europe, went hand in hand with visiting historical monuments and grand palaces, remnan...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic
Centaure
Located in Morton Grove, IL
ink, watercolor, collage on paper
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Watercolor
Info-Red Infra-Structure
Located in New Orleans, LA
medium: ink on hand-cut mylar
Laura Tanner Graham's drawings and installations are often discussed as part of the Southern Gothic literary tradition, sharing similar themes with aut...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Mylar, Ink
Lithotomy
Located in New Orleans, LA
medium: ink on hand-cut mylar
Laura Tanner Graham's drawings and installations are often discussed as part of the Southern Gothic literary tradition, sharing similar themes with aut...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Mylar, Ink
Calico Milk
Located in Morton Grove, IL
ink and pigment on paper
framed
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Paper, Pigment
Indiana Jones and the Scouring at the Pillar
By Adam Mysock
Located in New Orleans, LA
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Adam Mysock was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1983 - the son of an elementary school English teacher and a lab technician who specializes in the manufacturing of pigm...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Graphite
Hydra (study)
Located in New Orleans, LA
graphite on claybord
Monica Zeringue received her MFA from the University of New Orleans in 2006, and her BA in 1993. In 1999 she was awarded the Prix de l'Acadamie de Paris, Soci...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Wrap
Located in New Orleans, LA
graphite on primed linen
Monica Zeringue received her MFA from the University of New Orleans in 2006, and her BA in 1993. In 1999 she was awarded the Prix de l'Acadamie de Paris, ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Structure II
Located in New Orleans, LA
graphite on paper
Monica Zeringue received her MFA from the University of New Orleans in 2006, and her BA in 1993. In 1999 she was awarded the Prix de l'Acadamie de Paris, Societe...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Overflow
Located in New Orleans, LA
graphite on primed linen
Monica Zeringue received her MFA from the University of New Orleans in 2006, and her BA in 1993. In 1999 she was awarded the Prix de l'Acadamie de Paris, ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Three Knots
Located in New Orleans, LA
graphite on claybord
Monica Zeringue received her MFA from the University of New Orleans in 2006, and her BA in 1993. In 1999 she was awarded the Prix de l'Acadamie de Paris, Soci...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Structure IV
Located in New Orleans, LA
graphite on paper
Monica Zeringue received her MFA from the University of New Orleans in 2006, and her BA in 1993. In 1999 she was awarded the Prix de l'Acadamie de Paris, Societe...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary 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.