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Contemporary Art

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
Airplane in landscape - landscape painting
Airplane in landscape - landscape painting

Airplane in landscape - landscape painting

By Jeroen Allart

Located in New York, NY

This beautiful painting by Jeroen Allart is part of his minimalist landscape and animal painting he did in his home country the Netherlands. 'A farm stands before you on the horizon....

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Apparition at the Border of Language"

"Apparition at the Border of Language"

By Enrique Chagoya

Located in Lyons, CO

This print presents a fictitious encounter between contemporary colonial forces and Native Americans who are defenders of immigrant refugees and displaced populations. The artist de...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Lithograph

Sandy Cove - folk art, Nova Scotia, Maud Lewis 1950s
Sandy Cove - folk art, Nova Scotia, Maud Lewis 1950s

Sandy Cove - folk art, Nova Scotia, Maud Lewis 1950s

By Maud Lewis

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This original oil on beaver board folk art painting is by Nova Scotia’s Maud Lewis. Maud Lewis is beloved for her simple, colourful and joyful paintings prized by fine art collecto...

Category

1950s Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil, Fiberboard

In Search of a Cerulean Sweater
In Search of a Cerulean Sweater

In Search of a Cerulean Sweater

Located in Zofingen, AG

In Search of a Cerulean Sweater plays with the idea of difference — of standing side by side while belonging to entirely different worlds. It reflects that quiet, often overlooked st...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

New Girl in Town
New Girl in Town

New Girl in Town

Located in Zofingen, AG

New Girl in Town captures that delicate, almost imperceptible feeling of being slightly out of rhythm with the world around you — where everything seems settled, familiar, already un...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

"Hieroglyphics (MS Paint Toolbar)", Nostalgic 90s Wall-Hanging Fiber Art
"Hieroglyphics (MS Paint Toolbar)", Nostalgic 90s Wall-Hanging Fiber Art

"Hieroglyphics (MS Paint Toolbar)", Nostalgic 90s Wall-Hanging Fiber Art

By Nicole Nikolich, Lace in the Moon

Located in Philadelphia, PA

This piece titled "Hieroglyphics (MS Paint Toolbar)" is a one-of-a-kind original piece by Nicole Nikolich (Lace in the Moon) and is made from crocheted acrylic hanging from a wooden ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Textile, Yarn, Found Objects, Wood

Bluebell Abundance: Large Floral Painting, Contemporary, Delight, Colorful, New
Bluebell Abundance: Large Floral Painting, Contemporary, Delight, Colorful, New

Bluebell Abundance: Large Floral Painting, Contemporary, Delight, Colorful, New

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Bluebell Abundance Large Floral Painting, Contemporary, Delight, Colorful, New It captures the essence of nature's delight. Lilies in shades of pink, intertwined Bluebells a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Pink Ascension Beyond The Moon & Stars
Pink Ascension Beyond The Moon & Stars

Pink Ascension Beyond The Moon & Stars

By Hunt Slonem

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Hunt Slonem, American, included in 250+ museum collections Unique oil on canvas painting, artist's antique frame, signed and dated verso Inspired by nature and his 60 pet birds, Hu...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Joy
Joy

Joy

By Hunt Slonem

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Hunt Slonem, American, included in 250+ museum collections Unique oil on wood painting, artist's antique frame, signed and dated verso Inspired by nature and his 60 pet birds, Hunt...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Open the Right Mind by Johnson Tsang

Open the Right Mind by Johnson Tsang

By JOHNSON TSANG

Located in Manchester, GB

Open the Right Mind By Johnson Tsang 2023 Painted, dry cast and porcelain filled resin sculpture. 43 x 15.6 x 13cm (16.9 x 6.14 x 15.1 in) Artist's signature stamped on reverse....

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Porcelain, Resin, Paint

White Ascension House of God
White Ascension House of God

White Ascension House of God

By Hunt Slonem

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Hunt Slonem, American, included in 250+ museum collections Unique oil on canvas painting, signed and dated verso Inspired by nature and his 60 pet birds, Hunt Slonem is renowned fo...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

“Spiral movement”
“Spiral movement”

“Spiral movement”

Located in Zofingen, AG

Red fish move towards each other, forming a closed circle — a spiral — a space of eternal movement, interaction, equilibrium and balance. This is an image of cyclicality, reciprocity...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mini Glass Water Bag - Hyperreal glass sculpture
Mini Glass Water Bag - Hyperreal glass sculpture

Mini Glass Water Bag - Hyperreal glass sculpture

By Dylan Martinez

Located in East Quogue, NY

Hyperreal mini water bag glass sculpture - solid and hollow glass by Dylan Martinez. Martinez's hyperreal sculptures are hot sculpted glass hand-molded entirely by the artist. The p...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Glass

The Red Moon -from Light Series, Contemporary Woven and Painted Abstract Artwork
The Red Moon -from Light Series, Contemporary Woven and Painted Abstract Artwork

The Red Moon -from Light Series, Contemporary Woven and Painted Abstract Artwork

By Marta Pokojowczyk

Located in Salzburg, AT

'The Red Moon', from The Light series, hand-weaving, linen yarn, organic cotton, wool, acrylic textile paint, 80 x 60 cm, 2026 This work are a symbiosis of two disciplines of art, P...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Textile, Cotton, Linen, Yarn, Acrylic

Hummingbird (260307)

Hummingbird (260307)

Located in Atlanta, GA

Gwen Wong's work is both painterly and allegorical, caught somewhere in the middle between the representational painter and the narrator. "I am inspired by the idea of a childhood re...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Pearls of Hidden Glow
Pearls of Hidden Glow

Pearls of Hidden Glow

Located in Zofingen, AG

Series: Sea Within — Shells & Pearls. Hidden Glow reveals an open oyster with two luminous pearls, softly radiating from within. The pearls are rendered with exceptional realism,...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

In The Presence of Fragrant Bliss - Abstract Landscape Mixed Media Art on Canvas
In The Presence of Fragrant Bliss - Abstract Landscape Mixed Media Art on Canvas

In The Presence of Fragrant Bliss - Abstract Landscape Mixed Media Art on Canvas

By Amber Goldhammer

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles artist Amber Goldhammer paints dramatic abstract compositions in acrylic on canvas featuring energetic brushstrokes. Goldhammer uses her contemporary paintings to express...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Latex, Ink, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Yellow Pumpkin
Yellow Pumpkin

Yellow Pumpkin

By Yayoi Kusama

Located in Bristol, GB

Resin with original box Edition 17 of 30 8 × 9.2 × 9.7 cm (3 x 3.6 x 3.8 in) Signed and numbered on the bottom of sculpture. Signed, titled and numbered on the box Condition upon req...

Category

20th Century Contemporary Art

Materials

Resin

Jack Straw - Abstract Minimal Color Beige Textured Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas
Jack Straw - Abstract Minimal Color Beige Textured Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas

Jack Straw - Abstract Minimal Color Beige Textured Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas

By Amber Goldhammer

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles artist Amber Goldhammer paints dramatic abstract compositions in acrylic on canvas featuring energetic brushstrokes. Goldhammer uses her contemporary paintings to express...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Contemporary art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary art 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 art 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, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Stefanie Schneider, Tyler Shields, Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde, and Richard Heeps. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Paper 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 art, so small editions measuring 0.02 inches across are also available.