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.
$13,001
Melody of Silence- 21st century Contemporary Interior painting with Young Woman
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Ksenya Istomina 'Melody of Silence' 105 x 70 cm Oil on linen Painted after life, the artist always works with a real scenery. Her realistic but impressionistic paintings look amazin...
Linen, Oil
Sea of Golden Light
Located in Zofingen, AG
Series: Sea Within — Journey Between Light and Silence. A glowing sea stretches toward the horizon, where golden light meets shimmering waves and distant cliffs. Filled with atmosphe...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Cat Lovers" (2026) by Louis Recchia, Acrylic and Mixed Media Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Louis Recchia's "Cat Lovers" is an original, handmade mixed media painting using acrylic paint and collaging on plexiglass. Louis Recchia has been producing contemporary art in Denv...
Plexiglass, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$1,411
New Stories/6 – Contemporary Abstract Mountain Painting in Blue Grey and Rose
By HELEN MOUNT
Located in Zofingen, AG
This new series marks a return to landscape painting, reinterpreted through a contemporary, abstract lens. Familiar horizons dissolve into layers of color, light, and emotion, creati...
Acrylic
Triple Windows - Figurative Interior with figures, three windows, hanging
By Hiroshi Sato
Located in Denver, CO
"Triple Windows," is a mixed media painting depicting the interior of a dimly lit room with three large, arched windows. The windows occupy the upper half of the composition and reveal abstracted cityscape forms in muted blues and grays. Below the windows, a curved blue banquette...
Canvas, Oil
The Road by Valérie de Sarrieu - Oil on canvas painting, landscape
Located in Paris, FR
The Road is a unique oil on canvas painting by contemporary artist Valérie de Sarrieu, dimensions are 160 × 160 cm (63 × 63 in). The artwork is signed, sold unframed and comes with a...
Canvas, Paper, Oil, Tempera
Desert Sunflower - Modern Warm Abstract Folk Art Inspired Painting on Raw Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meredith Walker’s "Desert Sunflower" is a luminous original painting that bridges abstract symbolism and folk art tradition through radiant color and bold composition. This unique ac...
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
Flow State
Located in Burlingame, CA
Elizabeth Geisler is best known for contemporary paintings of water that bridge realism and abstraction. At close range, her surfaces appear loose and ambiguous, but from a distance ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Looking Beyond 8 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
No matter what life throws at you to discourage or change your good personality, or change the reflections people see on your face or identity, one should try to look beyond and ahea...
Canvas, Acrylic
Three Happy Friends - 21 Century Contemporary Landscape Painting with Dogs
By Bart Koning
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Bart Koning Three Happy Friends 140 x 210 cm Oil on linen We're proud to introduce Dutch/ German artist Bart Koning. Incredibly clever how the originally Dutch Bart Koning knows ho...
Oil
The Real Eva
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work is a direct visual appeal to the core theme of my art: the critical importance of inner harmony. In a world full of external noise and instability, I urge the viewer to foc...
Canvas, Acrylic
$4,150
All Living Things - Abstract Contemporary Folk Art Inspired Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Meredith Walker's “All Living Things” is a stunning example of contemporary folk art that blends botanical motifs and symbolic imagery to evoke a sense of interconnectedness and harm...
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
$3,500
Orelisa - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women
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, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$2,800
Calm Waters - Soft Abstract Cool Tone Textural Paint Graffiti Mixed Media 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
Here and There
Located in Jersey City, NJ
Here and There is a stunning oil painting on linen of a seated figure in a room. This piece is in Leigh Cunningham's signature style of blurry abstracted realism.
Linen, Oil
$10,596
Vignel N3 by Calo Carratalá - Large landscape painting, snowy mountain, winter
Located in Paris, FR
Vignel N3 is a unique oil on canvas painting by Spanish contemporary artist Calo Carratalá, dimensions are 114 × 162 cm (44.9 × 63.8 in). The artwork is signed, sold framed and come...
Canvas, Oil
Green Man Watches the Sunset
Located in San Francisco, CA
Alejandro Rubio Green Man Watches the Sunset, 2022-2026 Oil on canvas 40 x 30 inches This one-of-a-kind oil painting on canvas is stretched across wooden stretcher bars. Alejandro ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,750
Black Essence - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Africa, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Black Essence' captures the unbreakable spirit of every woman who has long been the pillar of strength in their community. With a steadfast gaze, the subject embodies determination a...
Canvas, Acrylic, Charcoal, Mixed Media
$450
Where the Light Stays 10 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In my world, colors aren't always reliable. I often struggle to tell where a deep blue ends and a purple begins, or where a red turns into wine, and deep yellows turn into oranges. I...
Canvas, Oil
$2,225
Large Blue Abstract Seascape, Contemporary Oil Painting on Canvas, Minimalist
Located in Agrigento, AG
Artist: Marilina Marchica Title: Blue Landscape Year: 2026 Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 60 × 90 × 2 cm (23.6 × 35.4 × 0.8 in) Signature: Signed on the back Certificate of Authen...
Canvas, Oil
$1,100
Field Painting June 26 - Contemporary Landscape Painting White Flowers, 2025
Located in Kent, CT
In this contemporary landscape painting in oil on panel, a peaceful summer scene is set, beautifully capturing the idyllic feel of a field of wildflowers in late June. Signed, dated ...
Oil, Panel
2024 I – 2 by Christiane Maurer - Textile art, vivid color, geometric, handwoven
Located in Paris, FR
2024 I – 2 is a unique textile (double weave, handwoven cotton stretched on frame) artwork by contemporary artist Christiane Maurer, dimensions are 112 × 53 cm (44.1 × 20.9 in). The...
Textile, Cotton
Lou Dog - Abstract Quirky Figurative Dog Cowboy Inspired Painting on Paper
By Jesse Black
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jesse’s imagery often merges playful and gritty elements, blending floral patterns, vintage-inspired designs, and bold outlines with a touch of whimsy. His artwork exudes a sense of ...
Paint, Acrylic, Paper
Can I Come Home for the Summer? Large Abstract Landscape Painting
Located in Silverthorne, CO
"Can I come home for the summer?" is a painting inspired by a yearning for home, a home in the earth and connection to place, a home full of green living things and water and dirt a...
Oil
Proximity 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Modern, Africa
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique; this is not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Ar...
Acrylic
New Stories / 2 — A Quiet Landscape of Change and Continuity
By HELEN MOUNT
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting explores a quiet, expansive landscape where space feels open and time slows down. Soft transitions of sky and land create a sense of balance, while subtle contrasts sug...
Acrylic
$8,636
Dialogue VIII - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Beach View, People
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
Delight of Waves by Marylin Cavin - acrylic contemporary people painting
Located in DE
Marylin Cavin is a French-Swiss artist who completed her art studies in Paris, where she lived for about thirty years. For the past 25 years, she has regularly exhibited in galleries...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,800Sale Price|40% Off
THE FRESCO - original large oil canvas painting by Paula Craioveanu
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"The Fresco" Oil on canvas Large original, one-of-a-kind, painting - 33.5x63in / 85x160cm Nude in a Italian Baroque interior, with blue marine painted fresco. Picture from the sol...
Canvas, Oil
At One with Nature
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
At One with Nature is a contemplative landscape that explores the quiet harmony between human presence and the natural world. Figures appear gently integrated into the greenery, not ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Living Life
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
A celebration of everyday moments — quiet, warm, and deeply human. This painting captures the gentle rhythm of existence, where light meets stillness and ordinary scenes become timel...
Canvas, Acrylic
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
Boat 12 August 20:55 - Modern Nature Painting, Sea View, Landscape
Located in Hallein, AT
Robert Motelski's paintings are exceptional visions of nature, visions of space which surrounds us. They tell about being, fate and passing. They depend on the season of year, the ti...
Canvas, Oil
Scattered - acrylic and oil on canvas
By Wencke Uhl
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Wencke Uhl is a contemporary figurative paintress living and working in Germany. She draws inspiration from human beauty and the female form. As a teenager Uhl wanted to become a fas...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
The Blue Lagoon - Abstract Blue Tone Textured Mixed Media Graffiti Inspired 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
Chill Out: Fragment
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 90×90 cm (overall size with stretching 100×100 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled Series: Chill Out «Chill Out: Fragment» This painting is about findi...
Canvas, Acrylic
HEAT - Contemporary Expressive, Figurative Oil Painting, Male Nude Series
Located in Hallein, AT
This work is framed. Unframed size: 90x120 cm, framed 95x125 cm Bartosz Kolata was born in Torun, Poland in 1979. In 2006 he graduated in Art Conservation and Restoration from Nicol...
Canvas, Oil
Sanctuary
Located in Zofingen, AG
Artist: Olesia Miftahova Title: Sanctuary Series: Older than Memory Year: 2026 Medium: Acrylic on 100% cotton canvas Style: Contemporary Symbolism, Expressionism, Minimalism Subjec...
Canvas, Acrylic
Spill - Framed Contemporary Abstract Painting in White, Red, Blue, Yellow, Green
Located in Gilroy, CA
Spill is an intricately layered abstract painting by Deanna Schuerbeke. She builds expressive works through layers of colors, texture, and mark-making that tread the line of chaos an...
Oil
ENTRADA-L by Ramon Enrich - Geometric landscape painting, acrylic on canvas
By Ramon Enrich
Located in Paris, FR
ENTRADA-L is a painting by Spanish contemporary artist Ramon Enrich. This artwork is an acrylic on canvas. Dimensions are 40 x 30 cm (15.7 × 11.8 in). This artwork exemplifies the d...
Canvas, Acrylic
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
$3,059
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
Lush Summer/4 – Contemporary Landscape Painting with Pink Sky, Blue Mountains
By HELEN MOUNT
Located in Zofingen, AG
A striking contemporary landscape for modern interiors. The vivid palette of pink, turquoise, emerald green, and deep navy gives this painting a distinctive contemporary presence. It...
Acrylic
$450
Where the Light Stays 2 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In my world, colors aren't always reliable. I often struggle to tell where a deep blue ends and a purple begins, or where a red turns into wine, and deep yellows turn into oranges. I...
Canvas, Oil
Pure Elegance
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 100×80 cm (overall size with stretching 110×90 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled Series: Trust This painting is part of my “Trust” series, where an...
Acrylic, Canvas
$675
Taupie - Abstract Gold 'I LOVE YOU' Graffiti Mixed Media Painting 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, Ink
El mar. By Inna Panasenko. 2007. Oil on canvas. 200/300 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Inna Panasennko is one of the most successful and best-selling contemporary artists in Germany. One of the central themes of Inna's work is monumental images of bulls in all their na...
Canvas, Acrylic
Always with you, original painting, abstract, contemporary
Located in Deddington, GB
KC Crompton Always with you Original Abstract Painting Oil Paint, Graphite and Oil Stick on Canvas 90 X 122 cm x 3.5 cm Unframed 96 x 129 cm Framed Sold Framed: Dark wood float frame...
Canvas, Oil, Graphite
By the Water
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
By the Water captures a quiet moment of companionship set within a lush, reflective landscape. A solitary figure stands beside a dog at the edge of still water, gazing toward a dista...
Canvas, Acrylic
Daffodil Pale Yellow Pocket Painting 201, original painting, still life
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Pale Yellow Daffodil 201 (canvas size 5x5cm) is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil painting...
Canvas, Oil
$3,050
Colossal Happiness - Large Scale Mixed Media Graffiti Inspired Art 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, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Keith Haring Original Mixed Media Card, Contemporary, 1980s, Framed
By Keith Haring
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Keith Haring. 1958-1990. The iconography of his drawings includes dancing animals and figures, dogs, crawling babies, pyramids, televisions, telephones, and flying saucers. The idea ...
Mixed Media
$1,500Sale Price|25% Off
Faun`s rest, 70x80cm, oil on canvas
Located in Yerevan, AM
Faun`s rest, 2021, 80x70 cm
Canvas, Oil
Emerald Rain - Contemporary Still Life Flowers Fruit Landscape Green, 2024
Located in Kent, CT
In this contemporary oil painting on canvas, a bright and inviting interior scene is set with a still life with arrangements of flowers in a vase and a glass pitcher, a pear and lemo...
Canvas, Oil
$2,117
JOSEP MARIA RIERA I ARAGO Mixed Media Collage 1989 Hand Signed Framed
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
JOSEP MARIA RIERA I ARAGÓ (Barcelona, 1954) Untitled. 1989. Mixed media and collage. Hand signed and dated by the artist. 1989. Measurements: 31 x 43.5 cm; 50.5 x 62.3 cm (frame). I...
Mixed Media
Letting Go, Almost
Located in Zofingen, AG
Letting Go, Almost In this work, the figure appears in a state between holding and release. The body is no longer tightly controlled, yet it has not fully let go. This in-between st...
Canvas, Acrylic
Lemon Zesty Pocket Painting, original painting, still life
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Zesty Lemon (canvas size 5x5cm) is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings, with a nod...
Canvas, Oil
" The Guardian"
Located in Zofingen, AG
" The Guardian" artwork from the series "The Guardians of the Path" In this painting, Halyna explores one of the essential stages of human life — the moment of inner encounter with ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,000
Cow #1
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled Cow #1 is a painting about the beauty of simple things and the joy ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$8,500
Here and There - Geometric Abstract Pink Blue Red Yellow Circles Triangles, 2025
Located in Kent, CT
In this contemporary abstract painting in acrylic on canvas, round and triangular geometric shapes in pale pink, yellow, blue, red, gray and black and white are dynamic and layered s...
Canvas, Acrylic
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.