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.
Pot Luck, still-life, contemporary, original
Located in Deddington, GB
A little pot of loveliness on a joyful pink ground, this contemporary still life painting celebrates the simple things that uplift the everyday. Supplied in a white wooden tray frame...
Acrylic
Naif Landscape - Paint By Jan Matejic - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Painting on glass realized in the 1980s. Hans signed and framed. Very good condition.
Glass, Oil
North Sea Serenity I - 21st Century Contemporary landscape painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Joost Verhagen North Sea Serenity I 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, f...
Canvas, 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
Composition in Yellow, Blue & Red 21st- Century Contemporary still-life painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Sietse W. Jonker Together in te Light 17 x 27,5 cm (size with custom made frame-included in price- 27 x 38 cm) Oil on wood *Together in Light* is a quiet, contemplative still life ...
Oil, Wood Panel
Pepper
Located in Jersey City, NJ
Pepper is a stunning oil painting on linen of a close up of a woman's upper torso in a bralette. This piece is in Leigh Cunningham's signature style of blurry abstracted realism.
Linen, Oil
$4,043
Dialogue. guardian, angel, conversation, green, sisters, fantasy, figurative
Located in Oslo, NO
"Dialogue" is a symbolistic painting about a guardian angel and a little girl, who is hesitating a bit to trust her on not. The white shades of the far background allow our attention...
Canvas, Acrylic
Boat 10: Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Contemporary, Framed
By Pat Service
Located in Bloomfield, ON
The contemporary paintings of Canadian artist Pat Service have long caught the attention of collectors in many countries in the world. Service has explored many genres in her career ...
Acrylic, Canvas
"Clearing" Landscape Oil Painting
Located in Westport, CT
This atmospheric oil painting by Stephanie Johnson, titled Clearing, captures the fleeting moment when dawn or dusk quiets the landscape in a soft hush. A luminous yellow sky gradual...
Canvas, Oil
Chroma-Q- 21st Century Contemporary portrait Painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Tania Rivilis Chroma-Q 41 x 29 cm framed (included in price) 44 x 32 cm Oilpaint on wood panel Tania Rivilis (b. 1986) 2022 winner of the 'William Locke Price' ( £ 30.000 ) from ...
Oil, Wood Panel
Blue Mist - Large Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, Floral Theme
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This large abstract contemporary painting by Jennifer Hornyak has a floral theme and features the colour blue. Celebrated internationally as a superb artist, Jennifer Hornyak has pr...
Canvas, Oil
Bison - Contemporary Oil Painting, Colorful
By Monika Rossa
Located in Warsaw, PL
MONIKA ROSSA studied painting at the University of Arizona, in the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and at the Escuela de Diseno in Barcelona. She practices drawing and easel painting....
Canvas, Oil
United Vision, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Fifteen identical horses move in unison across a field of soft, earthy tones, blending seamlessly with the background. Arranged in a deliberate, linear fashion,...
Oil
Catch of the Day: Contemporary Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed
Located in London, London
original oil painting on canvas certificate of authenticity the item will be shipped rolled hand signe one-of-a-kind 2025 Anastasia Aureum All custom charges are included in th...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Kristal - Original Silver Leaf and Gold Floral Sally K Figurative Artwork
By Sally K
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lebanese American artist Sally K.'s captivating floral portraits are both mesmerizing and empowering. Her pop-realistic paintings are inspired by strong, feminine women, celebrating ...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$8,059
L'Antagoniste- 21st Century Contemporary Figure Painting of a Bare Chest Man
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Tania Rivilis l'Antagoniste 80 x 70 cm Oilpaint on wood (OSB board) Tania Rivilis (born in Ukraine 1986) 2022 winner of the 'William Locke Price' from the Royal Society of Portra...
Oil, Wood Panel
A Place of Endless Summer: Oil Painting of Contemporary Pool Architecture
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
$869
Untitled - Blue Landscape With Trees, XX Century Figurative Oil Painting
Located in Hallein, AT
Alina Dobrowolska - artist from Gdańsk; graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk at the Faculty of Painting. She took part in collective and individual exhibitions in Poland...
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
Bird. Reunited After Separation, Original Painting
By Guigen Zha
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Two grey herons reunite at a lake. One stands in the shallow water while the other returns in flight. The birds appear in a stylized manner against the water, s...
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
Sunset Whispers, Contemporary Sunset Landscape Oil Painting by Millie Gosch
By Millie Gosch
Located in Atlanta, GA
Millie Gosch’s Sunset Whispers is an original oil landscape painting on linen board inspired by the atmosphere and changing light of sunset. Measuring 8 x 6.5 inches and presented in...
Linen, Oil, Board
With Girls on a Random Friday Night
Located in Zofingen, AG
With Girls on a Random Friday Night is about the quiet rituals that keep us close to ourselves and to each other. In a world obsessed with productivity, comparison, and always moving...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,444Sale Price|44% Off
Kurt Cobain Journals #11
By Kerry Smith
Located in Kansas City, MO
Kerry Smith Kurt Cobain Journals #11 Mixed Media on torn canvas Year: 2022 Size: 27x18in Framed: 32x24in Signed, dated by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1619 -----------------------...
Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$1,953Sale Price|30% Off
Heaven on Earth Abstract Landscape Painting, Ethereal Green, 48x30"
Located in Silverthorne, CO
There is this idea of heaven as a place so mysterious to me. A place gated and guarded, a place in some other realm. A place of angels. But what if heaven in here? This earth beneat...
Oil
Hear Me Out
Located in Zofingen, AG
Everyone wants to be heard. Some whisper. Some raise their voices. And some simply lift a claw draped in pearls and wait for the room to fall silent. Confidence isn’t always loud. So...
Canvas, Acrylic
Le Temps Qui Passe- 21st Century Contemporary Painting of a Gallery Passage
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
**Le Temps Qui Passe** Roos van der Meijden 60 x 40 cm The framed size: 65 x 45 cm (frame included in price) Roos van der Meijden’s *Le Temps Qui Passe* captures the quiet poetry ...
Canvas, Oil
REFLECTIONS XI - Contemporary Atmospheric Lake Landscape
Located in Hallein, AT
A few words of the artist about his art: When i painting landscapes, I usually choose simple geometric arrangements, contrasts of verticals and levels. I juxtapose the smooth surfac...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$3,638
Surrealist Magical Canvas Landscape Painting Caribbean Green Jungle Horse House
Located in Norfolk, GB
Untitled landscape, Acrylic on canvas, 80cm x 100cm x 1.5cm, 2023 Even in his most realistic images, there is a beautiful exaggeration in the paintings of Peter Rodulfo. It may be a...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,400Sale Price|20% Off
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
Jungle- Gecko Large Pink Bloom Large Pocket painting, still-life
Located in Deddington, GB
Pocket Jungle: Gecko #281 (canvas size 7.5x7.5cm) is an original oil painting by Dani Humberstone as part of her Pocket Painting series featuring small scale realistic oil paintings,...
Canvas, Oil
Perception
Located in Burlingame, CA
Diana Tremaine’s large-scale, dynamic, figurative oil paintings reflect a search for truth and meaning in the human experience. She develops brushstrokes and marks by adding and then...
Canvas, Oil
"Evanescent Poppies" 2025
Located in New York, NY
Marilla Palmer Evanescent Poppies, 2025 pressed foliage, 12K gold leaf, acrylic on Ampersand panel 16 x 12 in. (pal248) Marilla Palmer lives and works in Brooklyn, NY and has shown...
Gold Leaf
The Sacredness of the Invisible: 80 x 110 Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
he Sacredness of the Invisible — Original Figurative and Abstract Oil Painting Original figurative and abstract oil painting on canvas by Colombian artist Luis Xiua, The Sacredness o...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Amaryllis Study no. 3
Located in Burlingame, CA
'Amaryllis Study no. 3' by master watercolorist Gary Bukovnik, who fuses sensual vitality with fluid yet powerful colorations to create floral images of great depth, intensity, and s...
Paper, Watercolor
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
Summer Flowers - contemporary, floral still life, acrylic and oil on canvas
By Pat Service
Located in Bloomfield, ON
The simple beauty of a summer bouquet is celebrated in this lovely floral portrait by Pat Service. The Canadian artist chose to experiment with the classic still-life genre in her ow...
Canvas, Oil
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
$13,335
Terras at le Coulet-21st Century Contemporary Landscape Painting in the Ardeche
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
In this work Peter Durieux shows his love for the landscapes of France, and also his capability in composition, tonality and style. Beautiful and powerful at the same time. Drawi...
Linen, Acrylic
$675
Calm Mood #2 - Abstract '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, Ink, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
$5,400
Harlem 125 - Work on Paper Depicting the New York City Harlem Neighborhood
Located in New York, NY
Francks Deceus's Harlem 125 is a 18 x 24 inches mixed media work . The medium is acrylic and silkscreen on paper. It depicts an African American couple ...
Mixed Media, Paper, Acrylic
$1,880Sale Price|20% Off
Identity 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Mixed Media, African Woman
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure FREE Shipping Worldwide Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Signed on the front side and accompanie...
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
The Circle of Life
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work, the artist embodies the idea of care as a natural exchange between living beings. The person standing among the birds does not dominate but belongs—to the earth, to the...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,120Sale Price|20% Off
Against All Odds -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Fabrics
By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bakare Babatund...
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
South Head, February, Original painting, Contemporary artist
Located in Deddington, GB
An expressive palette knife oil painting of South Head hill, painted en plein air in the Peak District . The thick, textured application of paint brings the landscape to life. The pa...
Oil, Board
Untitled 1 - Handwoven Landscape Painting, Wowen and Painted Artwork
Located in Hallein, AT
Untitled, from the Horizon series, handwoven landscape, linen yarn, organic cotton, wool, 60 x 80 cm, 2024. Canvas is entirely constructed on a weaving loom. Each of the steps of t...
Textile, Linen, Yarn
$1,325
Big Hats and Cocktails - Expressive Abstract Animal Horse Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Columbus, Georgia-based artist Kellie Newsome specializes in dynamic and expressive animal portraits that radiate vitality and personality. Her unique style combines abstracted forms...
Canvas, Mixed Media, 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
$400Sale Price|20% Off
Sunset Palms (Framed 12 x 12 inch oil painting on wood panel)
By Christine So
Located in Oakland, CA
A moody yet vibrant California sunset. Oil paintings on wood have a very different feel than on canvas. There is a smoothness from the layers of sanded white gesso underneath and the...
Birch, Paint, Acrylic, Panel, Wood Panel, Graphite
$5,693
Summer - Contemporary Expressive, Figurative Oil Painting, Male Nude Series
Located in Hallein, AT
Bartosz Kolata was born in Torun, Poland in 1979. In 2006 he graduated in Art Conservation and Restoration from Nicolas Copernicus University UMK, securing a Master of Art degree. He...
Canvas, Oil
On The Town: Uptown / restaurant / bar scene, oil on canvas
By Mimi Jensen
Located in Burlingame, CA
'On The Town: New York', depicts a scene from a night in the town in NY. NY, from a series of paintings that depict dining - food and drink experiences by artist Mimi Jensen, who use...
Canvas, Oil
"My Horizon - Manhattan Nights" Abstract Color Field Contemporary Painting
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
An acrylic and gold leaf on canvas piece with bright use of color and texture. We are focused on the simplicity of beauty in the moment as Shaoul creates a translucent but very color...
Gold Leaf
$2,040Sale Price|20% Off
Ewa Ola (Beauty of Nobility -21st Century, Figurative, Mixed Media, Africa Women
By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Ewa Ọlà (Beauty of Nobility) is a tribute to the strength and quiet confidence found in many African women. She sits calmly, but there’s power in her presence, a kind of beauty that ...
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
$2,899
In My Heart, Contemporary Oil on Canvas Landscape Painting, Framed, 21st Century
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Sonja Brussen – In My Heart Oil on canvas 40 x 100 cm Framed in a white wooden frame Overall dimensions with frame: 42 x 102 cm Frame included in the price In My Heart is an orig...
Canvas, Oil
$556Sale Price|20% Off
Breathe Slowly/17
By HELEN MOUNT
Located in Zofingen, AG
“Breathe Slowly/17” - This work is part of a series that encourages the observer to reflect and slow down in the fast pace of modern life. The lightness and spaciousness of the lands...
Acrylic
$2,900
"Crepuscular Dusk" impressionist, edgartown harbor, sailboats, moorings, ocean
Located in Edgartown, MA
"Crepuscular Dawn" is a plein air oil on canvas painting by contemporary impressionist artist Larry Horowitz. In the foreground we see a harbor which could be Edgartown harbor, with ...
Oil
Between the Landscape and Geometry - Modern Woven and Painted Abstract Artwork
Located in Hallein, AT
Between the Landscape and Geometry, hand weaving, linen yarn, wool, acrylic textile paint, 70 x 65 cm, 2024. There is a second painting from this series - my other article here, mat...
Textile, Cotton, Linen, Yarn, Acrylic, Wool
Oostdijk Silence 1 - 21st Century Contemporary seascape painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Joost Verhagen Oostdijk Silence 1 100 x 140 cm Acrylic paint on canvas Shipping on a roll in a tube we can offer, worldwide, for free. Because of the constantly changing prices we ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Incident: Large Framed Vertical Luminist Style Oil Landscape Painting
By Leigh Palmer
Located in Hudson, NY
Oil on canvas 60 x 48 inches This large vertical painting of an expansive pastoral landscape was created by artist Leigh Palmer a few years after his move to the Hudson River Valley...
Linen, Oil
Too Late to Scare Me Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, Signed, 105x80 cm
Located in Zofingen, AG
The most compelling works of contemporary art do not simply depict events—they reveal shifts in human consciousness. Too Late to Scare Me belongs to this tradition, transforming an i...
Lacquer, Cotton 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.