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Contemporary Figurative 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.

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Style: Contemporary
Woman in Gris
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Woman in Gris, 2018 Christopher Mudgett A quintessential example of Mudgett’s evocative modernism, Woman In Gris (2018) captures a profound moment of stillness through its delicate...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Woman with Dog
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Woman & Dog, 2017 Christopher Mudgett In Woman & Dog, 2017, Mudgett delivers a visually, mentally, and emotionally invigorating tour de force that explores the profound and unspoken...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Woman with Clasped Hands
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Woman with Clasped Hands, 2017 by Christopher Mudgett A striking embodiment of strength and introspection, Woman with Clasped Hands (2017) challenges traditional portrayals of the f...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fun Time /// Adolf Sehring Oil Painting Children Virginia Landscape Realism Art
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Adolf Sehring (Russian/German-American, 1930-2015) Title: "Fun Time" *Signed by Sehring lower left Circa: 1980 Medium: Original Oil Painting on Canvas Reference: No. 1103 Framing: Within its original frame. Framed in a gold traditional frame with linen liner and gold filet Framed size: 31.13" x 37.13 Canvas size: 24" x 30" Condition: In excellent condition Notes: Provenance: private collection - Hagerstown, MD; acquired from Benjamin Art Gallery...
Category

1980s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paint, Oil, Canvas

11:05 - Contemporary Beach Landscape Pink Clouds Blue Sky Ocean, 2022
Located in Kent, CT
In this contemporary landscape in oil on canvas mounted on panel, two figures stand by the shore of a beach, gazing out at the deep blue ocean, while fluffy, pale salmon pink cumulus...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Panel

Fish Killer
Located in Greenwich, CT
Signed verso Artist Statement The intention of this work is to generate conversations about values and identity by assembling unlikely pairs, Hollywood film icons and nostalgic comi...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Moody Mermaid (Green)
Located in Greenwich, CT
Adam S. Umbach Biography American, b. 1986 Adam Umbach was born in Chicago, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. After being inspired from an early age by the modern...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Enamel

Looking at Picasso
Located in Greenwich, CT
Elizabeth Higgins (Canadian, b. 1960) Elizabeth Higgins describes herself as an abstract figurative and landscape painter. Everything around her serves as a potential subject, an inspiration to begin a painting. Fidelity to the landscape, the figure, or the still life is relative, as she isn’t interested in literal depictions; instead, it’s the abstract relationships of these shapes and colors, the abstract pictorial design that drives her work. Higgins’ paintings are rooted in the tradition stemming from Courbet, Derain, Bonnard, Matisse, Morandi, German Expressionism, and the Canadian Group of Seven (also known as the Algonquin School of landscape painters, 1920–1933). She is influenced by the work of her artist-teachers Paul Resika—himself a student of Hans Hofmann—and Robert De Niro, Sr. (1922-1993), as well as the paintings of contemporary artist Peter Doig. Her artistic evolution stretches across this continuum. It is the “in-between”, the hovering between representation and abstraction, that interests her, not the labeling effect of details; instead, she aims directly at the spirit of the painting—of making something come to life. John Goodrich wrote in her catalog essay, “Elizabeth Higgins’ direct brushwork and simplified forms suggest an energy, but crucially, reveal a painter who knows the power of color…” Elizabeth Higgins was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1960. As a Helena Rubenstein...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Conversation II
Located in Greenwich, CT
Signed lower left Elizabeth Higgins (Canadian, b. 1960) Elizabeth Higgins describes herself as an abstract figurative and landscape painter. Everything around her serves as a potential subject, an inspiration to begin a painting. Fidelity to the landscape, the figure, or the still life is relative, as she isn’t interested in literal depictions; instead, it’s the abstract relationships of these shapes and colors, the abstract pictorial design that drives her work. Higgins’ paintings are rooted in the tradition stemming from Courbet, Derain, Bonnard, Matisse, Morandi, German Expressionism, and the Canadian Group of Seven (also known as the Algonquin School of landscape painters, 1920–1933). She is influenced by the work of her artist-teachers Paul Resika—himself a student of Hans Hofmann—and Robert De Niro, Sr. (1922-1993), as well as the paintings of contemporary artist Peter Doig. Her artistic evolution stretches across this continuum. It is the “in-between”, the hovering between representation and abstraction, that interests her, not the labeling effect of details; instead, she aims directly at the spirit of the painting—of making something come to life. John Goodrich wrote in her catalog essay, “Elizabeth Higgins’ direct brushwork and simplified forms suggest an energy, but crucially, reveal a painter who knows the power of color…” Elizabeth Higgins was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1960. As a Helena...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jump Before the Little Woods - Oil Painting Figurative Landscape Field, 2008
Located in Kent, CT
In this contemporary figurative oil painting on canvas, a figure float over a field with their arms outstretched while cumulus clouds float in the sky overhead. Signed, dated and tit...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Young and beautiful, 150x110cm, acrylic on canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
Young and beautiful, 150x110cm
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Selfie, 180x100cm, acrylic on canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
My goal is to make the images of classical art sound in a new way in modern art. In my works I refer to the cultural heritage of the past, I process and comprehend the masterpieces o...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Kaufmann House
Located in Nottingham, GB
Original artwork, acrylic and mixed media on board. Pixelated images, hand painted over each individual cube, artist Nick Holdsworth recreates incredible imagery. Nick's artistic p...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic

Horses , 150х150cm, acrylic on canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
Horses , 150х150cm
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Pope Innocent X, 100x80cm, acrylic on canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
Pope Innocent X, 100x80cm
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

''Stack with Gold'', Dutch Contemporary Still Life Painting of Porcelain
Located in Utrecht, NL
When you look at this painting "Stack with Gold" by Dutch artist Sasja Wagenaar (1959) from a distance you see a perfectly painted image, but up close a generous paint streak is visi...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Killer Fish
Located in Greenwich, CT
Signed verso Artist Statement The intention of this work is to generate conversations about values and identity by assembling unlikely pairs, Hollywood film icons and nostalgic comi...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Trilogy (Self Portrait, 3 Ages) - Architectural Imagery, Doorways, Figures
Located in Chicago, IL
Carol S. Pylant Trilogy (Self Portrait, 3 Ages) Oil on Panel 30h x 36w in 76.20h x 91.44w cm CSP051 Resume Artist / Emeritus Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison Education 1979 M.F.A. Painting, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 1977 B.F.A. Painting, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI Academic Appointments 1996 - 2011 Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1991-96 Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1987-91 Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison 1985 Instructor, Simmons College, Boston, MA 1984 Instructor, Art Institute of Boston, Boston, MA 1984 Instructor, DeCordova Museum and School, Lincoln, MA 1984 Instructor, Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA 1982-84 Assistant Professor, California State University, Long Beach, CA 1978-82 Instructor, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI International Teaching 2011 Professor, UW- Madison, Villa Corsi Salviati, Sesto-Fiorentino, Italy 2006,7 Visiting Affiliate Professor, Santa Reparata International School of Art, Florence, Italy International Artist Residencies 2017 Fundacio J. Llorens Artigas, Barcelona, (Gallifa) Spain 2015 Fundacio J. Llorens Artigas, Barcelona, (Gallifa) Spain 2002 Fundacio J. Llorens Artigas, Barcelona, (Gallifa) Spain 1990 The Tyrone Guthrie Center, Co. Monaghan, Ireland 1990 Oberpfalzer Kunstlerhaus,Schwandorf/Fromberg, West Germany 1987 Rockefeller Foundation Residency Fellowship, Bellagio, Italy 1987 The Karolyi Foundation, Vence, France International Research Awards 2010 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Villa di Livia Frescos, Museo Nazionale, Rome, Italy" 2005 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Romanesque Art in France" 2004 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Paintings Inspired by Romanesque Art in France" 2002 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Pagan or Christian, Romanesque Art in Spain" 1998 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Paintings of Neolithic Monuments in Brittany" 1996-7 Vilas Associate Award, University of Wisconsin System, "Paintings of Prehistoric Stone Circles, Ireland and the British Isles 1995 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Paintings of Celtic Ceremonial Sites in Ireland and the British Isles" 1993 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Egg Tempera Paintings in Florence, Italy" 1992 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Paintings of Ireland" 1990 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Figure and Environment: Ireland" 1989 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Figure and Environment Painting: Germany" 1988 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Figure and Landscape Painting: Umbria, Italy" Other Awards 2008 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison 2007 Sabbatical, University of Wisconsin-Madison 2006 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison 2002-3 Emily Mead Baldwin-Bascom Named Professorship, University of Wisconsin 2000 Alumni Arts Achievement Award, Wayne State University Dept. of Art & Art History, Detroit, MI 2000 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison 1999 Faculty Research Fellowship, UW-Madison, "Past /Present: Paintings based on Celtic Imagery" 1999 Sabbatical, University of Wisconsin 1998 Wisconsin Arts Board Visual Arts Fellowship 1993 Faculty Development Grant, "Figurative Sculpture" University of Wisconsin System 1991,93 Visual Arts Development Grant, The Wisconsin Arts Board 1989 Visual Arts Fellowship for Painting, The Wisconsin Arts Board, Madison, WI 1988 National Endowment for the Arts Regional Visual Arts Fellowship, Arts Midwest 1986 Residency, Yaddo Corporation, Saratoga Springs, NY 1985 Residency, The Millay Colony for the Arts, Austerlitz, NY 1985 Residency, The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Briar, VA 1985 Milton and Sally Avery Award for Painting, The MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, NH 1984,5,6 Residency, The MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, NH International Exhibitions 2010 Handmade Artist's Journals, Villa Corsi Salviati, Sesto-Fiorentino, Italy 2008 Oberpfalzer Kunstlerhaus, Schwandorf, Germany 1995-99 Jorgensen Fine Art, Dublin, Ireland 1994 "Exquisite Corpse" Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland 1992 "Faces and Places of Ireland" Ulster Bank, Ardara, Co. Donegal, Ireland 199l "Ardara Annual Show" Ardara, Co. Donegal, Ireland 1988 Oberpfalzer Kunstlerhaus, Schwandorf/Fromberg, West Germany 1988 "Art .... Made in USA" Stadische Galerie, Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut, Regensberg, West Germany 1987 Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Study and Conference Center, Bellagio, Italy One and Two Person Exhibitions 2005 Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2001 Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2000 Grace Chosy Gallery, Madison, WI 1999 Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI (with John Sayers) 1998 Grace Chosy Gallery, Madison, WI 1997 Barbara Bunting Gallery, Royal Oak, MI 1993 Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 1993 Carey Gallery, Rochester, MI (with Jo Powers) 1993 J. Cacciola Galleries, New York, N.Y. 1990 Pennsylvania School of Art and Design Art Gallery, Lancaster, PA (with Dan Gihooley) 1990 Hobe Sound Gallery, Brunswick, ME 1990 Levinson Kane Gallery, Boston, MA 1989 Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 1985 Trustman Gallery, Simmons College, Boston, MA 1982 Willis Gallery, Detroit, MI Selected Group Exhibitions 2015 "Exquisite Corpse" Printworks Gallery, Chicago, IL 2014 "Non-Stop" Invitational, Train Depot, Madison, WI 1989-2014 Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2012 "Invitational Alumni Exhibition", Elaine Jacobs Gallery, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 2002-10 Grace Chosy Gallery, Madison, WI 2008 Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison 2008 Chapman Museum of Art, Myrtle Beach, NC 2007 Carthage College, Kenosha, WI 2007 Spartanburg Art Museum, Spartanburg, SC 2007 "Real and Imagined" Elaine Jacobs Gallery, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 2003-7 Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003 "The Exquisite Snake" Printworks Gallery, Chicago, IL 2003 Robert Kidd Gallery, Birmingham, MI 2002 Sonyia Zaks Gallery, Chicago, IL 1995 Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH 1994 Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Milwaukee, WI 1993 Madison Art Center, Madison, WI 1993 New York Arts Club, New York, N.Y. 1993 "Previews of l993" J. Cacciola Galleries, NY 1992 "Small Painting Exhibition" J. Cacciola Galleries, NY 1992 "Women in the Bowdoin Collection" Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, MA 1992 Steibel Modern, New York, NY 1984-91 Levinson Kane Gallery, Boston, MA 1986-7 Portraits Inc., New York, NY 1985-6 Kathryn Markel Gallery, New York, NY 1981-4 Frumkin and Struve Gallery, Chicago, IL 1984 "All California '84" Laguna Beach Museum of Art, Laguna Beach, CA 1983 "Western States Figurative Realism" Cypress College Art Gallery, Cypress, CA 1982 "Atlas Building Artists" Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, MI 1981 "Michigan Artists 80-81" Flint Institute of Art, Flint, MI 1981 Detroit Focus Gallery, Detroit, MI 1970 Detroit Art Institute, Detroit, MI Public Collections Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio Fundacio J. Llorens Artigas, Gallifa/Barcelona, Spain American Express Corporation, New York, New York Ulster Bank, Ardara, Co. Donegal, Ireland Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin The Block Museum of Northwestern University Malden Public Library, Malden, Massachusetts Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine Oberpfalzer Kunstlerhaus, Schwandorf/Fromberg, Germany Beach Museum of Art, Manhattan, Kansas Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Briar, Virginia University of Wisconsin, The Graduate School, Madison, Wisconsin Carol Pylant Bibliography 2017 M is for Math, Museum and Manhattan Kansas, by Natasha Rozhkovskaya, Publisher: Tamara Rozhkovskaya Novosibrisk 2015 Exquisite Corpse, Printworks Gallery, Chicago, IL. (Exhibition catalogue) 2013 "Remarkable Women Exhibit" by Mary Louise Schumacher, Journal Sentinel, online, Milwaukee, WI, June 25 2012 "Peltz Gallery Celebrates Remarkable Women" by Peggy Sue Dunigan, The Sheperd Express, Milwaukee, WI, July 7 2008 "Teachers Who Can, UW Faculty..." by Jacob Stockinger, The Capital Times, Madison, WI, February 2007 "Art in Nature" by Bill Robbins, Kenosha News, Kenosha, WI, September 14 2004 "Ambition clothes 'Remarkable Women'" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 7 2004 "Waxing enthusiastic over 'Colors'" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, February 18 2003 "Remarkable Women Celebrated" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 2003 "Art Lesson" by Jennifer Smith, Isthmus, Madison, WI, February 21 2003 "Installation Appreciation" by Kevin Lynch, The Capital Times, February 7 2001 "Pylant unites sketches with classical style" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 12 2001 "WSU Exhibit shows figurative painting" by Keri Guten Cohen, The Detroit Free Press, February 18 1999 "On Art" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel October 12 1999 "School of Art quadrennial exhibition" by John Aehl, The Wisconsin State Journal, January 24 1999 "Something old, something new" by C.R. Gabriel, Isthmus, February 5 1999 "Honoring our Own" Madison Magazine, January 1998 "The Madison Fifty" Madison Magazine, November 1997 "Back in the Game" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, Nov. 26 1997 "Three artists will charm at local shows" by Joy Hakanson Colby, The Detroit News, May 8 1997 "At the Galleries" by Keri Guten Cohen, The Detroit Free Press, April 27 1997 "Talent not gender, is focus at show", by James Auer, Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, December 11 1996 "Remarkable Women Exhibition" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, Jan 14 1994 "In Art, these 20 made an impression in '93" by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal, Jan 9 1994 "Window to the World" by Michelle Grabner, Milwaukee Magazine, Guide to the Arts, February 1994 "Art of Love: ..." by Elby Frieda Abbe, Milwaukee Sentinel, Let's Go. February issue 1993 "Variations on a theme", by Paul Pace, Rochester Clarion, Rochester, Mi, December 9 1993 "Work of women holds surprises in summer show", by Janice T. Paine, Milwaukee Sentinel, June 4 1993 "Remarkable Women has merit with or without it's gender theme", by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal, June 13 1993 "Irish Landscape" Cross Country, Country Living Magazine, March (feature article) 1993 "Ireland's Wild West" On the Road, Country Living Magazine, March 1993 "Short List SoHo Gallery Exhibitions, The New Yorker, February 14 & 22 1993 "SoHo Exhibitions", Gallery Listings, New York Magazine, February 7 1993 Gallery Listings, The New York Times, January 31 1993 Tandem Press: Five years of Collaboration by Drew Stevens, University of Wisconsin Press 1992 "From the World's Hot Spots to Ardara", by Michael McHugh, The Donegal Democrat, Co. Donegal, Ireland, August 6 1992 "Exhibits spotlight women", by Janice T. Paine, Milwaukee Sentinel, June 5 1992 " Women's show proves a strong one", by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal, May 24 199l "Tandem Press foster diverse printmaking styles", by John Carlos Cantu, Ann Arbor News, December 1 1991 "Quadrennially yours...U W art faculty exhibit show vital, vibrant", by Katherine Rogers, Wisconsin State Journal, January 6 1991 Who's Who in the Midwest 23rd Edition, A.N. Marquis, MacMillian Directory Division, Wilmette, Illinois 1990 "Impressive Art on a Small Scale", by Nancy Stapen, The Boston Globe, December 20 1990 "View from the Tower", by James Rhem, The Isthmus, December 21 1990 "NEA Survives but Artists Shiver", by Bill Moore, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisconsin, November 18 1990 "Artists Bring New Visions", by Ina Pasch, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisconsin, October 7 1990 "Madison's Wisconsin Triennial Makes a Statement in Many Ways", by James Auer, The Milwaukee Journal, October 7 1990 "Wisconsin Artists Represented at Triennial", by Kirsten Simonsen, The Daily Cardinal, University of Wisconsin, Madison, September 28 1990 "Wisconsin Triennial Art Show", by Kevin Lynch, The Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin, September 22 1990 "School of Art & Design opens photo exhibit" The Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster, Penn., September 1990 "Art courts drama at PSA&D" Lancaster, Pennsylvania, September 1990 "Windows on an Artist", by Larry Mallak, Research Sampler ,The Graduate School, University of Wisconsin, Madison 1989 "Upward Mobility and Disposable Imagery", by Edgar Allen Beem, Maine Times, September 24 1989 "Award Winning Pylant Displays Realism", The Bowdoin Orient, Brunswick, Maine, September 8 1989 "Art Exhibit Opens at University Art Gallery", The Daily Star Journal, Warrensburg, Missouri, September l 1989 "Arts Calendar has Variety /Pylant Paintings in Bowdoin Show", The Times Record, Brunswick, Maine, August 1989 "Amerikanerinnen im Oberpfalzer Kuntslerhaus, Gegenseitiges Lernen", by Harold Raab, Die Woche, West Germany, July l3 1989 "American Spirits im Oberpfalzer Kunstlerhaus, Mittelbayerische Zeitung, West Germany, July 6 1989 "Zum Abscheid eine Ausstellung Arrangiert", Mittlebayerische Zeitung, West Germany, July 5 1989 "Amerikanerinnen in der Kebbel Villa", Mittelbayerische Zeitung, West Germany June 9 1989 "A Day With Carol Pylant", by Jackie Michard, On Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin- Madison, July 1989 "VCCA Artists in Germany", The News and Daily Advance, Lynchburg...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

The Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs - Monumental Mythological Oil Painting
Located in Chicago, IL
The battle depicted here takes place between the Lapiths and the Centaurs at the wedding feast of Pirithous to Hippodamia. Pirithous, the king of the Lapiths, had long clashed with ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Swimming Figures with Fish, Acrylic and Oil, Deep Sea 2 by Rebecca Jack
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
Rebecca Jack "Deep Sea 2" Oil & Acrylic on Canvas 48 x 48 in. __________________________ Rebecca Jack, an intuitive painter, creates vibrant, figurative works that highlight the b...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Sisyphus, Classical Mythology with a Nude Male Figure, Original Oil, Framed
Located in Chicago, IL
One of the key lessons we can glean from the myth of Sisyphus is the importance of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity. Sisyphus was condemned to an eternity of ceas...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Les Habitants du Loch Tempera Painting on Panel Residents of Loch In Stock
Located in Utrecht, NL
Les Habitants du Loch Tempera Painting on Panel Residents of Loch In Stock Gérard Willemenot (1943, Paris, France) graduated as an architect at the School of Art in Paris. After wor...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Tempera, Panel

Unstable attachment
Located in New York, NY
Unstable attachment depicts a young girl's hand yanking on a piece of blue tinted and washed fabric. This piece is on view at Hal Bromm Gallery's exhibition titled TOUCHING/FEELING u...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Reclined Nude Figure with Animals, Mermaid's Snail Pets by America Martin, 2024
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
America Martin "Mermaid's Pet Snails" Oil & Acrylic on Canvas 37.5 x 73.5 in. Framed Exploring the identity of both her namesake and country, LA-based America Martin draws inspirati...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Diagonal V
Located in Wien, 9
The artwork is signed, titled and dated verso. The artwork shows a realistic cat illustration set against a beige background. He plays with the sha...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Light Catcher" Woman in white bathing suit at play under water
Located in Edgartown, MA
"I throw myself into the water almost every day- it grounds me, the body floats and the mind drifts. The "Swimmer series" has followed me over the years, resurfacing and evolving. Pr...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

India Ink, Oil, Acrylic

Lately - Oil Painting Figurative Seascape Swimmer Dark Ocean Black Clouds, 2021
Located in Kent, CT
Two figures float in a dark charcoal black ocean with their arms outstretched while cumulus clouds float in the coral sky overhead. Signed, dated and titled on verso. David Konigsbe...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hummingbird I
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 Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Ethereal
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 Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Enigma
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 Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Untitled (Censor Painting Pink)
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Untitled (Censor Painting Pink)" is a nude figurative acrylic on inkjet board painting by Richard Prince in 2009. The artwork is 35 1/2 x 30 inches and 37 1/2 x 32 x 1 1/2 inches wi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Inkjet

Anne Hathaway and Brooklyn Fish
Located in Greenwich, CT
The intention of this work is to generate conversations about values and identity by assembling unlikely pairs, Hollywood film icons and nostalgic comic book environments. Each entit...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Allegory Of Discipline
Located in Cape Town, ZA
Kelechi Nwaneri, born in Lagos, Nigeria, is a self-taught mixed-media artist who has quickly gained recognition in the contemporary art world. Nwaneri's artistic style is characteriz...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Pencil

"Mars and Venus" by Anna Pennati, acrylic on canvas, 2015
Located in Milano, MI
"Marte e Venere" - 2015 Never Exhibited Exclusively on 1stdibs measures are referred to the painting.
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Paper, Ink, Acrylic

Swimming around the white flowers
Located in Miami, FL
Humberto Castro Swimming around the white flowers, 2024 Acrylic gold leaf and resin on board 60 x 48 in Humberto Castro was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1957. He graduated from the Ac...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Afternoon on the Desert
Located in Bozeman, MT
My paintings operate in a fictitious world that utilizes the mythologies and realities of the modern American West. Because of its unique history, the Western United States is more t...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

N130, 40x50cm, oil on canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
N130 - 50x40, oil/canvas
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Nada Extraño Nothing Strange - Contemporary Figurative Landscape Encaustic, 2024
Located in Kent, CT
A peaceful landscape scene in shades of pale blue and light yellow accented with teal blue, yellow and orange sculptural details along the lower part of the composition. Tall, grac...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Encaustic, Panel

"Calf" Contemporary Dutch Oil Painting Capturing the Playful Spirit of a Calf
Located in Utrecht, NL
The oil paintings of the contemporary Dutch artist Paul Jansen invites the viewer to look beyond the standard picture within the frame. It feels as if the curious animal really reach...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Panel, Oil

Do You Recall the Day? - Nude Figures, Intimate Portrayal of a Couple
Located in Chicago, IL
Using pornography as a vehicle for understanding, Rick Sindt's work explores the discovery and development of queer attraction. Sindt transforms pornographic stills, repurposing them...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Sunday Best
Located in Cape Town, ZA
Presented in conjunction with the inaugural HEAT Winter Arts Festival, for which the theme is Common Ground, 'as we see it' is a group exhibition that highlights the work of twelve a...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

A Peculiar Discovery, Avery Palmer, Oil painting, pop surreal figures traveling
Located in Dallas, TX
"A Peculiar Discovery" by Avery Palmer is an oil painting on hardboard. Each Avery Palmer artwork comes mounted in a traditional style frame. The framed dimensions of this piece are...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Four Forty Five, Figure on Beach, Coral Sand, Clouds, Blue Sky Summer Beachscape
Located in Kent, CT
A reclining female figure in a red striped bathing suit lies on the beach with her hands behind her head, while fluffy, pale salmon pink cumulus clouds float in the idyllic blue sky ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Panel

We Can Try Again - Nude Figures, Intimate Portrayal of a Couple
Located in Chicago, IL
Using pornography as a vehicle for understanding, Rick Sindt's work explores the discovery and development of queer attraction. Sindt transforms pornographic stills, repurposing them...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

White Biggie on Glass with Jeweled Crown and Necklace
Located in New York, NY
Biggie. One of a kind glass piece made by hand with rhinestone crown, necklace and cement on wood. No frame needed. About the Artist: NYC based...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Glass

Oil Painting 'Serenade in Blue' Female Violinist in Ballgown
Located in Toronto, ON
Working from a live model Anna Razumovskaya perfectly captures a violinist in a candid moment, the bow teasing out the last note on the strings. Whil...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Oil

Fauve by Anna Pennati 2011 acrylic painting 60x50cm
Located in Milano, MI
"Danza e Passione" - Exhibition that was displayed in Wilhelmshaven (Germany) , in 2011. Then the exhibition "Danza e Passione" was displeyed in Oreamalia – Milan, in 2013.
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Annunciazione by Anna Pennati 2017 acrylic painting 40x30cm
Located in Milano, MI
Completely unpublished work by the artist Anna Pennati. It shows the portrait of a young Madonna at the well. Commissioned artwork.
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Alessandra de Rudinìby Anna Pennati 2013 acrylic painting 40x30cm
Located in Milano, MI
"D D’Annunzio, la Duse e…le altre" - Exhibition that was displayed in Vigevano (Milan) at the Spazio Excalibur, in 2013. subsequently in 2017 – "Genio et voluptati" exhibiton at O...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Sun Bloom 3
Located in Napa, CA
My paintings are layered bursts of energy inspired by nature’s movement, blending the here and now with memories. Forms and lines fall into a sea of emotion. Shapes and reflections d...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Graphite

''Table'' Contemporary Oil Painting of an Empty Sunny Terrace with Pink Chairs
Located in Utrecht, NL
The Spanish artist Mònica Castanys is inspired by everyday scenes. Moments, femininity and light are the basis of her paintings. Her color palette is reminiscent of the Impressionist...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Peony 6
Located in Napa, CA
My paintings are layered bursts of energy inspired by nature’s movement, blending the here and now with memories. Forms and lines fall into a sea of emotion. Shapes and reflections d...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Graphite

Horses , 150х150cm, acrylic on canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
Horses , 150х150cm
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Spring Petal 4
Located in Napa, CA
My paintings are layered bursts of energy inspired by nature’s movement, blending the here and now with memories. Forms and lines fall into a sea of emotion. Shapes and reflections d...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Graphite

Autumn 5
Located in Napa, CA
My paintings are layered bursts of energy inspired by nature’s movement, blending the here and now with memories. Forms and lines fall into a sea of emotion. Shapes and reflections d...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Graphite

Summer Blue
Located in Napa, CA
My paintings are layered bursts of energy inspired by nature’s movement, blending the here and now with memories. Forms and lines fall into a sea of emotion. Shapes and reflections d...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Graphite

"Morning Gusts" Swimmer poses with whimsical red fish kite in front of ocean
Located in Edgartown, MA
Calleri’s early influences were primarily the great American Illustrators such as N.C. Wyeth, Norman Rock- well, and J.C. Leyendecker, as well as Renaissance painters and the Masters...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tree of Life, Bridge Game
Located in New York, NY
About the Tree of Life Series: These works feature a cast of cartoon characters, bisected in each painting by an eponymous tree of life, and accompanied by various gestural abstracti...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Contemporary figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary figurative 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 figurative 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 America Martin, Alexandru Rădvan, Sax Berlin, and Adam Mysock. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Fabric 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 0.75 inches across are also available. Prices for figurative 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 $13 and tops out at $254,827, while the average work sells for $3,411.

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