Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
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.
Style: Contemporary
Color: Beige
Color 1- abstract colorful textural hand cut layered paper round shape
By Huntz Liu
Located in New York, NY
Huntz Liu
Layered hand cut paper
18" x 24"
2016
Huntz Liu hand carved and layered paper artworks somehow look like colorful archeological digs or exposed complex systems. He w...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Archival Paper
Spare Time 26
Located in Palm Desert, CA
An ink and watercolor on handmade paper painting by contemporary Chinese artist Jianyong Zeng. "Spare Time 26" is executed in pastel watercolor and depicts the portrait of an anthropomorphic dog...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Ink
Color 2 - colorful abstract geometric textural layered hand cut paper
By Huntz Liu
Located in New York, NY
Huntz Liu
Layered hand cut paper
18" x 24"
2016
Huntz Liu hand carved and layered paper artworks somehow look like colorful archeological digs or exposed complex systems. He w...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Archival Paper
Split 2 - abstract colorful geometric textural hand cut layered paper
By Huntz Liu
Located in New York, NY
Huntz Liu
Layered hand cut paper
20" x 20"
2016
frame in white
Huntz Liu hand carved and layered paper artworks somehow look like colorful archeological digs or exposed compl...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Archival Paper
Sequestered Memory
Located in New York, NY
Andrei Petrov is an American Artist of Russian origins. His paintings are the expression of his lifelong struggle to retain memories of his childhood and life.
He writes: "As a chi...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Watercolor
"Residuum" Series - Wave Hill
Located in New York, NY
Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses an array of materials and artifac...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Charcoal, Handmade Paper, Mixed Media, Pigment, Wax, Wood
Contour Series - Wave Hill
Located in New York, NY
Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses an array of materials and artifac...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Handmade Paper, Mixed Media, Wax
Contour Series - Wave Hill
Located in New York, NY
Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses
an array of materials and artif...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Handmade Paper, Mixed Media, Wax
Contour Series - Wave Hill
Located in New York, NY
Tessa Grundon's work often references to the topography and history of a place and its ever-changing environment. To create her pieces, Grundon uses an array of materials and artifac...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Handmade Paper, Mixed Media, Wax
Study for Bag Lady
By Vera Barnett
Located in Dallas, TX
This is Vera Barnett's study for her painting "Bag Lady" from her series of paintings that she calls "Classical Plastique."
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Untitled (Foot)
Located in New York, NY
watercolor and ink on paper
available unframed
Jesse Lambert was born in Hudson, NY and grew up in rural New Hampshire and New York City. Jesse received a BFA from Cooper Union a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Watercolor
Red Robin 'Taos Village' Native American Landscape Watercolor Painting
Located in San Rafael, CA
Red Robin (American, 1912-1991)
Taos Village, circa 1950's
Watercolor on paper
Signed in watercolor and in pencil lower left
Sight: 8.5"h x 11"w,
In a black and gilt frame with linen...
Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
Georgian Contemporary Art by Ilia Balavadze - We are just Talking about the War
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on wooden panel + white frame
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Oil, Wood Panel
"Studies of Caroline" II
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Alex Katz (b. 1927)
"Studies of Caroline" II, 1973
Original Drawing - Pencil on Paper
7.25 x 7.75 in
Category
1970s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pencil
"Studies of Caroline" I
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Alex Katz (b. 1927)
"Studies of Caroline" I, 1973
Original Drawing - Pencil on Paper
7.25 x 7.75 in
Category
1970s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pencil
SV XXI, Knife Drawing
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled SV XXI, Knife Drawing is an original artwork by Lucha Rodríguez made of watercolor and manipulated paper
This piece measures 6"h x 8"w framed and is shipped in th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
"Chris", charcoal, drawing, Katz, Portrait, cool
By Alex Katz
Located in Köln, DE
This is an outstanding charcoal drawing by Alex Katz. He is portraying "Chris", who was model for several paintings and prints. Drawings do have an important impact to Alex Katz pain...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Charcoal
Flowers - Painting by Mario Asnago - 1950s
Located in Roma, IT
Flowers is a contemporary artwork realized by Mario Asnago.
Hand signed on the lower margin
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas.
Includes frame
Mario Asnago: A renewed architect...
Category
1950s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Oil
Gemstone No. 15
Located in Kansas City, MO
Shannon Brouk
Gemstone No. 15
Copic alcohol markers and colored pencil on paper
Year: 2020
Size: 12x9 inches
Unique
Comes Matted in matching color
Signed by hand
COA provided
Ref.: 9...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Archival Paper, Permanent Marker, Color Pencil
Gemstone No. 25
Located in Kansas City, MO
Shannon Brouk
Gemstone No. 25
Copic alcohol markers and colored pencil on paper
Year: 2020
Size: 12x9 inches
Unique
Comes Matted in matching color
Signed by hand
COA provided
Ref.: 9...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Archival Paper, Permanent Marker, Color Pencil
Dino & Anda
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz
Dino & Anda, date unknown
pencil on paper
22 1/2 x 15 in. (57.2 x 38.1 cm)
Category
Late 20th Century Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pencil
Ada in the Woods
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz
Ada in the Woods, 1984
pencil on paper
22 1/4 x 15 in. (56.5 x 38.1 cm)
Category
1980s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pencil
Un Celeste Citoyen En Voyage
Located in Dallas, TX
Frédéric Bruly Bouabré
Un Celeste Citoyen En Voyage
Ballpoint Pens, Crayons And Colored Pencil On Cardboard
7.5 x 5.5
March 11, 1948, he experi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Cardboard, Color Pencil, Ballpoint Pen, Crayon
Georgian Contemporary Art by Ilia Balavadze - Two World
Located in Paris, IDF
Coal & dry pastel on paper
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Charcoal, Pastel
Blue on Gold, Botanical Silkscreen Print, Periwinkle Flower with Green on Yellow
By Nancy Blum
Located in Kent, CT
In this bright botanical work in pulled ink, silkscreen printing, gouache and hand-drawn lines on paper, periwinkle blue flowers with pale coral centers and dark green leaves and stems is dramatic against a luminous yellow gold background.
Signed, dated and numbered on recto. Edition 10/10.
Brooklyn-based artist Nancy Blum uses botanical motifs to create images that are universally associated with growth and continuity, aiming to propel comprehension of the connectedness of all beings within the limitless energy operating throughout this world. Blum's large‐scale works on paper, rendered in ink, colored pencil, gouache and graphite, portray a fantastic realm in which flowers own the space. Using a variety of 16th and 17th-century botanical images, from Chinese plum blossoms...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Gouache, Archival Paper, Screen
Untitled
Located in Miami, FL
Dagoberto Rodríguez
Untitled, 2021
Watercolor on paper
130 x 130 cm.
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
Absolute Carnage
By Sean 9 Lugo
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Ballpoint pen, marker and acrylic on blank comic variant.
Portrait of Benny The Butcher.
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Ballpoint Pen, Permanent Marker
Liminal Space
By Dave Persue Ross
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Acrylic
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Untitled -- Drawing, Charcoal, Unique, Human Figure by Antony Gormley
Located in London, GB
Untitled, 1987
Antony Gormley
Black pigment, linseed oil & charcoal, on Somerset Weave
Signed and dated verso
Sheet: 28 × 38 cm (11 × 15 in)
Category
1980s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Charcoal, Pigment
Do Not Open 'Til Happy Hour
By Jack Smith
Located in New York, NY
Jack Smith Do Not Open ‘Til Happy Hour
c. 1960s
Pen on manila folder
12 x 9.5 inches
Contact gallery for price.
This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Category
1960s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink, Pen
Fetish
By Jack Smith
Located in New York, NY
"Fetish"
c. 1960s
Crayon on paper
11 x 8.5 inches (27.9 x 21.6 cm)
Contact gallery for price.
Category
1960s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Crayon
Old Man from Behind with Face Study
By Paul Cadmus
Located in New York, NY
Old Man from Behind with Face Study
Signed in black ink, l.r.
Ink wash on paper
11 x 8.5 inches (27.9 x 21.6 cm)
$1,220
This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Category
1960s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Paper
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 Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Crayon, Vellum, 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 Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Vellum, Graphite
![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")
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 Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Conté
Leaning Female Nude
By Paul Cadmus
Located in New York, NY
Leaning Female Nude
Crayon on paper
12.5 x 9 inches (31.8×22.9 cm)
Contact gallery for price.
This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Category
1960s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Conté
Many Figure Studies and Studies for Compositions with Groups
Located in New York, NY
Many Figure Studies and Studies for Compositions with Groups
Black ink on paper
14 x 9.75 inches (35.6 x 24.8 cm)
This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Category
20th Century Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink
Man Thinking (Study for a Sculpture)
Located in New York, NY
Man Thinking (Study for a Sculpture)
Various notes, u.r.
Black ink on paper
10.5 x 8.25 inches (26.7 x 21 cm)
This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Category
20th Century Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink
Athletic Nude Model in Repose
Located in New York, NY
Athletic Nude Model in Repose
1962
Initialed and dated, l.r.
Black ink on British Scraper Board
12 x 19.5 inches (30.5 x 49.5 cm)
This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Category
20th Century Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Ink, Illustration Board
Athletic Pose
Located in New York, NY
Athletic Pose
Charcoal and Conté crayon on paper
17.5 x 12 inches (44.5 x 30.5 cm)
This work is offered by Clamp Art in New York City.
Category
20th Century Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Conté, Charcoal
Original Untitled Plant and Vase Drawing by Jonas Wood
By Jonas Wood
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Untitled Plant and Vase Drawing
(Inv # JBRW0021.01.87)
Ink on paper, framed
9 x 6 3/8 inches" paper size
2015
signed and dated on back
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink
Laura
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz
Laura, 1985
pencil on paper
22 x 15 in. (55.9 x 38.1 cm)
Category
1980s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pencil
Doug
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz
Doug, 1977
pencil on paper
22 x 15 in. (55.9 x 38.1 cm)
Category
1970s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Pencil
Safety Glass (#1423)
By Jack Balas
Located in New York, NY
Watercolor, ink, graphite, and acrylic on paper
Signed in black ink, l.c.
This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
Price includes framing.
Jack Balas...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor, Ink, Graphite
"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 Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
VFD #4, watercolor, California, industrial, architecture, building, training
Located in Riverdale, NY
VFD #5 is an industrial watercolor painting on paper by California artist, Ferdinanda Florence. It is 11x7.5, unframed. It is based on the building in Vallejo California where the ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Archival 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 Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Graphite
Here's Flowers
By Gary Hume
Located in New York, NY
Gary Hume
Here's Flowers
2006
Eight color linocuts with hand additions in graphite
Portfolio of prints presented in a special wooden buckram-covered box designed by the artist
Each...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Graphite, Linocut
Hereldic Symbols 1-10
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 Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
Untitled (Mom)
Located in Lincoln, MA
pencil, watercolor, acrylic and gouache on paper
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Mixed Media
Contemporary drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary drawings and watercolor paintings 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 drawings and watercolor paintings 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 Leo Guida, Reginald K. Gee, David Barnett, and Luis Miguel Valdes . 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 drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 0.79 inches across are also available. Prices for drawings and watercolor paintings 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 $295,000, while the average work sells for $1,201.
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