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.
"Erik" Contemporary Abstract Blue Toned Western Cowboy Portrait Painting
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful abstract cowboy portrait painting by contemporary artist Ian Francis. The work features a western inspired figure with a shadowed face dressed in a blue shirt and cowboy hat...
Canvas, Acrylic
"INTRO BEAT 01 OUTRO", abstract mixed media dark geometric painting
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"INTRO BEAT 01 OUTRO" is an original artwork by Hyland Mather made of acrylic and aerosol with string and pins on canvas, the work is presented in a solid wood tray frame. It measure...
Canvas, Thread, Wood, Acrylic, Pins
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
Beauty in the Eyes of Beholder -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Hunt Slonem "4 Huddle Hutch" Original bunnies painting in oil
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Slonem, Hunt Title: 4 Huddle Hutch Series: Bunnies Date: 2026 Medium: Oil on wood Unframed Dimensions: 10" x 8" Framed Dimensions: 14.5" x 12.5" Signature: Signed by ...
Oil
$2,680Sale Price|20% Off
Peace: 21st Century Contemporary Figurative Oil Portrait of African Woman, Blue
By Simon Obeka
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Canvas, Oil
Threshold Bird Oil Painting on Canvas, Abstract Surrealism, 25x33"
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
Threshold Bird is an original oil painting that explores the meeting point between nature, memory, and imagination. A fantastical bird with violet and magenta plumage emerges from a ...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$1,686Sale Price|20% Off
Abstraction. Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting, Colorful, Dynamic, Polish art
By Monika Rossa
Located in Warsaw, PL
Approxiate dimensions of this painting are 140 x 110 cm, unstretched canvas is 157 x 113,5 cm Abstract painting by Polish artist living in USA Monika Rossa. Painting in style of ges...
Canvas, Oil
Rites- 21st Century Contemporary Still-life Painting with cassette tape
By Erik Zwaga
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
This still-life is made by Dutch painter Erik Zwaga. The painter started in the style of the romantic school, Erik Zwaga began to search more and more for his own visual language...
Oil
$2,249Sale Price|26% Off
"Landscape" Abstract Paint - large Size - Contemporary Art Made in Italy
Located in Agrigento, AG
PaperLandscape paper and oil on canvas 80x100 cm original art Ready to Hang Marilina Marchica, born in 1984, was born in Agrigento, where she lives and works. She graduated in Paint...
Canvas, Charcoal, Oil
At the Plaza - John F. Kennedy, Oil Painting Portrait by Alex Schloss
By Russ Elliott
Located in Long Island City, NY
At the Plaza - John F. Kennedy by Alex Schloss, American (1921 - 2011) Date: 1991 Oil on canvas, signed and titled lower right Size: 24 x 20 in. (60.96 x 50.8 cm) Frame Size: 25.5...
Canvas, Oil
Mountain View - 21st Century Contemporary Landscape Painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Mountain View 70 x 80 cm Oil on canvas Framed 80 x 90 cm Ksenya Istomina graduated in 2018 at the 'Imperial Academy of Arts in St Petersburg'. Since her start she is well known a...
Oil
$360Sale Price|20% Off
Black Angel - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Tos...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Senses - Abstract Landscape, Contemporary Woven and Painted Artwork
Located in Hallein, AT
Senses, 2021, Horizons Series Handwoven painting, linen, cotton yarn, acrylic textile paint, 65 x 50 cm ‘Horizons’ are a symbiosis of two disciplines of art, Painting and Weaving. ...
Textile, Linen, Yarn, Acrylic
Struggle of the strongest
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work, power appears not as aggression, but as the primordial energy of life. Even in the struggle there is beauty, the birth of the new, the cyclical nature. This is not a ba...
Canvas, Acrylic
$50,000
"New Expression #42" Colorful Contemporary Abstract Portrait, Signed Original
Located in Carmel, CA
Masri Hayssam (Lebanese-Italian, born 1965) "New Expression #42" 2023 Acrylic and oil paint on canvas, stretcher bars Signed in the bottom left corner and on verso. "New Expression ...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
$3,520Sale Price|20% Off
Ink, Wax on Paper Painting, Landscape, Woman In the Wind by America Martin
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
America Martin "Woman In the Wind", 2019 Ink & Wax on Handmade Paper 13 x 18 in (33.02 x 45.72 cm) America Martin is an internationally represented Colombian-American fine arti...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
1986 Intimate Couple Portrait by Mystery Artist
Located in New York, NY
Mystery Artist Tennessee, 9/12/86 Oil on canvas 34 x 43 3/4 x 1 in. Titled and inscribed upper left
Canvas, Oil
$750
Dear Catawba Deer /// Jack Graves Contemporary Painting Landscape Animals Paint
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Jack Graves III (American, 1988-) Title: "Dear Catawba Deer" Series: Americana *Signed by Graves lower right. It is also signed, titled, and dated on verso Year: 2026 Medium:...
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Two Men Throwing, One Running](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-two-men-throwing-one-running-for-sale/a_9323/1643228031808/Beard_Bruce_Sargeant_1898_1938_Two_Men_Throwing_One_Running_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Two Men Throwing, One Running
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Two Men Throwing, One Running n.d. Signed in red, u.l. Oil on canvas mounted to Masonite 35.75 x 59 inches This work is offered by ClampArt in New Yo...
Canvas, Masonite, Oil
Interior Space#2 Sea, Original Painting
By Zeynep Genc
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
The shimmering sea peeks through a beach house and offers a glimpse of its tranquil beauty. The floor, wall, and ceiling lead to the water, creating a seamles...
Acrylic
The newborn light that is me - Atmospheric dreamy pink & green abstract painting
Located in Silverthorne, CO
A rapturous pink and green ode to water and light. When I paint, I use cloth rags taken from daily life. For this painting, I used one of the discarded head coverings I was forced to...
Oil
$7,500
Diana Kurz - unique signed Award winning pet dog painting renowned female artist
By Diana Kurz
Located in New York, NY
Diana Kurz Dix/Dixie, 2020 Oil on linen painting Hand signed on the front, side and back: with initials on the front; full signature on the back, and on the side 10 × 8 × 1 1/2 inche...
Oil
$15,468
Alpine forests N1 by Calo Carratalá - Landscape painting, mountain, snow, winter
Located in Paris, FR
Alpine forests N1 is a painting by contemporary Spanish artist Calo Carratalá. Dimensions are 140 × 200 cm (55.1 × 78.7 in). The artwork is signed, sold unframed and comes with a cer...
Canvas, Oil
$2,240Sale Price|20% Off
Just a Girl Painting: Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, Contemporary Art
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Just a Girl is an original painting by Olaosun Oluwapelumi. Oluwapelumi created Just a Girl with Oil and Acrylic on a 36W by 48H-inch primed canvas. Just a Girl portrays a young gir...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Summer Vibes. Original Figurative Acrylic Painting, Woman Geometric Rabbit.
Located in Oslo, NO
"Summer Vibes" is an original acrylic painting on canvas that combines contemporary figurative painting with geometric abstraction. A young woman, immersed in music, gently holds a c...
Canvas, Acrylic
Forever 5137
Located in Napa, CA
Surrounded by artistic inspiration from a very early age, Kate Salenfriend learned most of her technical skills from her great-grandfather, Stewart Robertson, the registered Californ...
Gold Leaf
The Power of Healing
Located in Zofingen, AG
The painting "The Power of Healing," a profound addition to the "Lights of the Universe" series, captures the transformative moment of spiritual and physical restoration. The central...
Canvas, Acrylic
$23,910Sale Price|30% Off
Golden Yellow Orange Sunset in New York, Contemporary Cityscape Painting Framed
Located in Preston, GB
Golden Yellow Orange Sunset in New York, Contemporary Cityscape Painting Framed by British Urban Landscape Artist Angela Wakefield. This original is part of the New York Series, a bo...
Linen, Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
Orange Horizon
Located in Burlingame, CA
Orange Horizon- The painting was created in 2024 by celebrated American realist artist Willard Dixon, who has captured the undeniable beauty of the west for the past 35 years. Dixon’s work can be found in numerous distinctive private and public collections, as well as the San Francisco...
Oil, Canvas
$8,200
Old Hemlock Stand and New Growth - Brown Green Virginia Forest Landscape Trees
Located in Kent, CT
The densely treed forest and mountain ledges of Hennen's Virginia home are the subject of this rich, highly detailed landscape painting in oil on panel. An enormous boulder presiding...
Oil, Panel
Goodbye Mixed Media Oil Painting on Canvas, Abstract Figurative Art
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
Mixed media oil painting on canvas depicting a human figure intertwined with animal forms. The composition combines vibrant colors, abstract shapes, and figurative elements to explor...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$1,800Sale Price|20% Off
Bond -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Modern, Women Love
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
What binds us together isn't just blood; Love binds us, Nature binds us, and Time binds us together. The beauty of this all is that the Bond that binds us together is the inseparabl...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
Untitled IV - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Impasto, Impressionism
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Canvas, Oil
$4,215
Passage des Volumes – Contemporary Abstract Geometric Painting, Architectural
Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR
Title: Passage des Volumes Artist: Sophie Dumont Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 65 x 54 cm (25.6 x 21.3 in) Framed dimensions: approx. 72 x 61 cm (28.3 x 24 in) Year: 2025 Conditi...
Oil
Nude. Figurative and abstract acrylic painting, Body, Polish artist
Located in Warsaw, PL
Contemporary acrylic on canvas painting depicting a nude by Polish artist Michal Bajsarowicz. The artwork is an artistic take on human body with abstract elements. Composition is ske...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,817Sale Price|45% Off
Vintage Impasto Impressionist Oil Painting of a Winter Landscape in England
By Rex Preston
Located in Preston, GB
Vintage Impasto Impressionist Winter Landscape Painting of a Misty Morning at a Reservoir in the Peak District National Park in Northern England, by 20th Century British Artist. Art measures 33 x 21 inches Frame measures 39 x 27 inches (framed in a hand-painted vintage wooden moulding in magnolia) This is a rare early atmospheric work in impasto oils from 1971, using muted pastel colours, in very good original condition. There is an evocative sense of the light beating down onto the water in this Winter Landscape painting. Reframed in a vintage wooden moulding painted in magnolia, signed and dated on the front of the canvas, with full authentication. Born in Birmingham in 1948, Rex Preston...
Canvas, Oil
Lovebirds Pocket Painting 2, original painting, contemporary
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Lovebirds 2 is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque still li...
Oil
A Meal Alone with Oneself
Located in Zofingen, AG
A Meal Alone with Oneself is not about solitude, but about returning — to your own rhythm, your own desires, your own quiet center. In a world that constantly asks for more, faster, ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Serenity - 21st Century Contemporary Dutch landscape painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Joost Verhagen Serenity 100 x 140 cm Acrylic paint on canvas Shipping on a roll in a tube we can offer, worldwide, for free. We also ship worldwide in a wooden crate, framed as see...
Canvas, Acrylic
Trust me, it's friday - Contemporary cocktail summer still life painting
By Hela
Located in DE
Hela is an emerging contemporary artist whose vibrant and playful paintings celebrate the quiet glamour of everyday life. With a focus on table settings, cocktails, glassware, and el...
Canvas, Acrylic
Clementine Small & Green Fig Pocket Painting, Set of 2, original painting
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Small Clementine 4c is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod to baroque ...
Canvas, Oil
Contemporary still life composition of flowers in a vase acrylic on paper
Located in VÉNISSIEUX, FR
This vibrant artwork " Summer flowers bouquet by the window" features a dynamic still life composition of flowers in a vase. Bold brushstrokes bring energy and movement to the canvas...
Paper, Acrylic
$1,171
Lush Summer I – Vibrant Contemporary Mountain Landscape in Pink, Blue and Lime
By HELEN MOUNT
Located in Zofingen, AG
Vibrant mountain artwork in pink, blue, and green tones, contemporary nature-inspired painting. This painting was inspired by the richness of summer landscapes when colors appear mor...
Acrylic
Haze - warm, gestural, contemporary, landscape, acrylic on canvas
By Sasha Rogers
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This golden light-filled contemporary painting is by Sasha Rogers. The Canadian artist is captivated by the effect of creating what appears to be a ‘horizon’ line in her work that di...
Canvas, Acrylic
The sound of water between us - Contemporary Architecture Pool Oil Painting
By Lilly Muth
Located in DE
Lilly Muth's architectural paintings transport viewers on a visual journey to a different world, where imagination knows no bounds and the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur...
Canvas, Oil
$1,950Sale Price|50% Off
The Dreamer - Ethereal large green, blue and yellow abstract landscape painting
Located in Silverthorne, CO
An ethereal, dreamy abstract landscape painting, inspired by the wilds of the Italian mountain streams and waterfalls. "The Dreamer" is a dream. A bright, ethereal canvas dedicated ...
Oil
$599Sale Price|47% Off
Blue
Located in Kansas City, MO
Katherine Bello Title: Blue Oil on linen Year: 2021 Dimensions: 16"x12"x1.5" Signed by hand Canvas on stretcher frame - ready to hang COA provided -------------------------------...
Oil, Linen
Admire, Contemporary Oil Painting on Canvas, 80x100 cm, 2025
Located in Roma, IT
'Admire', Original oil painting on canvas 80 x 100 cm realized by Elena Mardshova in 2025 Excellent condition.
Canvas, Oil
"Romance Novel, " Abstract Painting
Located in Westport, CT
Christine Averill-Green is an abstract artist based in the Capital District of New York. Her painting, "Romance Novel," is an abstract oil painting featuring bright colors and pastels, as well as loose, abstracted images of flower bouquets and petals on a refracted surface and background. As an artist, Averill-Green often plays with colors, layering, and pattern at the same time. Of this piece, she says, "A light-hearted, colorful musing on the age-old theme of shattered dreams and broken blossoms...
Canvas, Oil
$775
Bubble Gum Island - Abstract Textured Mixed Media Graffiti Inspired Hearts Art
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...
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Endless Beach, Original Painting, Coastal art, Beach, Seaside, Summer
Located in Deddington, GB
Endless Beach was painted in North Cornwall and is based on coastal locations such as Daymer Bay, Polzeath and Padstow. It looks beautiful in a home with bright uplifting colours and...
Canvas, Oil
$8,594
Dialogue V - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Beach View, People, Nude
Located in Hallein, AT
Artodyssey "Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with co...
Canvas, Oil
In Relax Mode - Abstract 'Love' Graffiti Inspired Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas
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...
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
$3,046
Stars 14 June 02:11 - Modern Night Sky Landscape Painting, Minimalist Art
Located in Hallein, AT
The painting is signed on the back Robert Motelski's paintings are exceptional visions of nature, visions of space which surrounds us. They tell about being, fate and passing. They ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Orange
Located in Deddington, GB
Orange by Piers Philo [2021] original Oil paint on board Image size: H:23 cm x W:23 cm Complete Size of Unframed Work: H:23 cm x W:23 cm x D:1cm Sold Unframed Please note that insit...
Oil, Board
$1,781Sale Price|28% Off
Interior with Minotaur original painting Neo Mythology 23.5x31.5in FRAMED
Located in Forest Hills, NY
“Minotaur in Interior”, 80x60cm / 31.5×23.6in Shipped stretched, as it is, ready for hanging and FRAMED. Shipping from my studio in Bucharest Romania to the US by DHL and to Europe a...
Canvas, Oil
"Frontier" - Contemporary Acrylic Barn Painting on Canvas
Located in Denver, CO
Justin Wheatley was born and raised in Clinton, Utah. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Utah State University with an emphasis in drawing and painting, and a Masters of Arts fro...
Oil, Canvas
On The Town: San Francisco / restaurant scene oil on canvas
By Mimi Jensen
Located in Burlingame, CA
'On The Town: San Francisco', depicts a scene from a night in the town in San Francisco, from a series of paintings that depict dining - food and drink experiences by artist Mimi Jen...
Oil, Canvas
$4,500Sale Price|48% Off
Remind Me to Look Up
Located in Kansas City, MO
Katherine Bello Title: Remind Me to Look Up Acrylic, Oil, Oil stick on canvas Year: 2021 Dimensions: 60"x48"x1.5" Signed by hand Canvas on stretcher fr...
Canvas, Oil, Oil Pastel, Acrylic
Still-Life in Studio - 21st Century Contemporary Oil Painting by Ksenya Istomina
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Still-life in Studio 85 x 100 cm (framed in a black wooden frame 95 x 110 cm) Oil on canvas Ksenya Istomina graduated in 2018 at the 'Imperial Academy of Arts in St Petersburg'. S...
Oil, Canvas
The artist and activist is the subject of a new show at Washington, D.C.'s National Gallery of Art.
Manhattan's Acquavella Galleries is showing a group of the artist's monumental works that have never been seen together.
Koloman Moser smashed the conservative conventions of art and design in fin-de-siècle Vienna. On the 100th anniversary of his death, the Austrian designer is being celebrated for his radically modern creations.