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Contemporary Portrait Photography

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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Size: Large
Style: Contemporary
Color:  Black
Color:  Orange
Clothesline (Oxana's 30th Birthday) - Contemporary, Portrait, Polaroid, expired
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Clothesline (Oxana's 30th Birthday) - 2007 from the 29 Palms, CA Project 70x90cm, Edition of 5. Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Archive Fuji Chrystal Paper, matte s...
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid, Archival Paper

Bob Marley and The Wailers, Music Hall Exterior, Boston, MA, 1976
Located in New York, NY
Estate Stamped Please allow 4 weeks production time.
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, and Peter Tosh, 1978
Located in New York, NY
Estate Stamped Please allow 4 weeks production time.
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Jim Morrison and Friends, Los Angeles, CA
Located in New York, NY
Th Doors and Friends outside a bar in Downtown LA. Limited Edition Photograph, hand signed by photographer Henry Diltz Please allow extra production time.
Category

20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Horns of Africa. By John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic Face-Mount
Located in Coltishall, GB
The Mursi are one of many groups that practice scarification in the Omo valley and are perhaps the most adept at producing intricate and beautiful patterns. The ritual of scarring, w...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Rodeo
Located in Detroit, MI
Rodeo, Archival film photograph with frame, 2019 Raised in the American West, this region has resonated in mythical proportions within Antonia Stoyanovich’s own narrative and imagin...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Photographic Paper

Bob Marley, U.S. Tour, 1976
Located in New York, NY
Estate Stamped Please allow 4 weeks production time.
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, 1978
Located in New York, NY
Estate Stamped Please allow 4 weeks production time.
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Grateful Dead, 1970
Located in New York, NY
Estate Stamped Please allow 4 weeks production time.
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Paul Simon, 1970
Located in New York, NY
Estate Stamped Please allow 4 weeks production time.
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

FANG LIJUN
Located in New York, NY
C-print on Fujiflex paper. Edition of 6 Tillman’s portrayals of China’s leading contemporary artists examine a unique psychological landscape of the present-day Chinese art world. T...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Young Hamer Woman. By John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic Face-Mount
Located in Coltishall, GB
Markets are the lifeblood of social interaction in the Omo valley as they bring together widely scattered groups for a few hours each week. For the remainder of their time, many fam...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Nyangatom boy by John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic Face-Mount
Located in Coltishall, GB
It was boiling hot as I walked the 3 kilometres to the Nyangatom village of Kangatan. A shimmering heat haze and occasional dust devils whipped fine powder across the flat, bare l...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Glimpses by John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic Face-Mount.
Located in Coltishall, GB
A young woman of the Afar culture John Kenny’s work is all shot on location in some of the remotest corners of Africa. His images are all taken with natural light and in their day to...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Displaced by John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic Face-Mount.
Located in Coltishall, GB
A young man of the Nuer culture with distinctive scarification on his forehead. The photograph was taken in Ethiopia but like many of the Nuer he had been displaced from his home in...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Farthest East by John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic Face-Mount
Located in Coltishall, GB
A young Fulani girl in Ethiopia. The Fulani have a nomadic lifestyle that sees them moving across the Sahel from Mali in the West to Ethiopia in the East. John Kenny’s work is all...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

''Capturing a Moment'' Fine Art Photography Limited Edition Print of 2/5
Located in Port Talbot, GB
Edition of 2/5 The stunning fine art portraits by fine art photographer Laurentina Miksys have been described as opulent, timeless, and emotionally expressive. When they have a so...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Color

Parvati by John Kenny. Acrylic Face-Mounted C-type Print.
Located in Coltishall, GB
A beautiful Meghwal girl from the edges of the white desert, the Rann of Kutch, an arid area bordering Pakistan in the far West of India. John uses simple natural light and builds primitive makeshift studios from locally acquired white sheets! The suffuse light allows him to capture a remarkable level of detail. His subjects calm demeanor belies the reality of harsh arid winds, extreme temperatures and dust. John Kenny’s black and white photographic portraits are taken on location in some of the remotest corners of Africa and India. All shot with natural light and with the subjects in their day to day attire they reveal the pride and strength inherent in tradional ways of life. The C-type prints are mounted with an acrylic face mount...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Kashi by John Kenny. Acrylic Face-Mounted C-type Print.
Located in Coltishall, GB
I met this Sadhu with such kind eyes in Kashi (another name for Varanasi) on one of the chaotic ghats. We tried and failed to take the portrait as crowds and sacred cows constantly streamed between us. Fortunately a group of young boat-hands gave up their relatively sheltered corner of the ghat, where they had been gambling over cards, to give us five minutes of calm space. John uses simple natural light and builds primitive makeshift studios from locally acquired white sheets! The suffuse light allows him to capture a remarkable level of detail. His subjects calm demeanor belies the reality of harsh arid winds, extreme temperatures and dust. John Kenny’s black and white photographic portraits are taken on location in some of the remotest corners of Africa and India. All shot with natural light and with the subjects in their day to day attire they reveal the pride and strength inherent in tradional ways of life. The C-type prints are mounted with an acrylic face mount...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Ramji Bhagu by John Kenny. Acrylic Face-Mounted C-type Print
Located in Coltishall, GB
I met this Sadhu with such kind eyes in Kashi (another name for Varanasi) on one of the chaotic ghats. We tried and failed to take the portrait as crowds and sacred cows constantly...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Afar Woman of Assaita. By John Kenny C-type Print with Acrylic Face Mount
Located in Coltishall, GB
The town of Assaita is in the fiercely hot lowlands of the Rift Valley at the very north eastern edges of Ethiopia, near to Djibouti. Unlike Ethiopia’s highlands, which are renowned for their long history of orthodox Christianity...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Bargi. By John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic Face-Mount.
Located in Coltishall, GB
Bargi, a young Hamer girl, takes a large amount of pride in her appearance. Her clothing, jewellery and hair are carefully arranged and require a lot of attention. Her key respons...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Mursi adornment. By John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic Face-Mount
Located in Coltishall, GB
A young girl from one of the few Mursi villages in Mago National Park, in the lower Omo valley. The Mursi are often engaged in flood retreat cultivation around two main rivers: the O...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Beads of the Omo Valley by John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic face mount
Located in Coltishall, GB
The Arbore of southern Ethiopia are a small group living within a few square miles of the Omo Valley. They are located near to Lake Stefanie, known locally as Chew Bahir, a body of ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Mursi Traditions by John Kenny. Acrylic Face-Mounted C-type Print
Located in Coltishall, GB
Mago National Park in southern Ethiopia is home to the Mursi, one of the most well known tribes of the Omo valley. The area is inhospitable to outsiders, because of the heat, humidi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Lady of the Arbore by John Kenny. Acrylic Face-Mounted C-type Print
Located in Coltishall, GB
The jewellery of the Arbore is among the most colourful in the whole of the Omo Valley: they are experts in recycling materials for beauty, particularly metal watch-straps. John Ken...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Loha by John Kenny. Acrylic Face-Mounted C-type Print.
Located in Coltishall, GB
This portrait of Loha, a ‘Naga’ sadhu, was taken in Pashupatinath, one of Hinduism’s holiest sites. Lord Pashupatinath is a manifestation of Lord Shiva and the name translates to ‘protector of the animals’. Naga sadhus cover themselves in ash and typically wander naked from head to toe. John uses simple natural light and builds primitive makeshift studios from locally acquired white sheets! The suffuse light allows him to capture a remarkable level of detail. His subjects calm demeanor belies the reality of harsh arid winds, extreme temperatures and dust. John Kenny’s black and white photographic portraits are taken on location in some of the remotest corners of Africa and India. All shot with natural light and with the subjects in their day to day attire they reveal the pride and strength inherent in tradional ways of life. The C-type prints are mounted with an acrylic face mount...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Assile Medium by John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic Face-Mount
Located in Coltishall, GB
Assile was photographed at a weekly market in Key Afar in the Omo valley. Key Afar is on a hillside near the mountains, and attracts hundreds of Hamer, Banna and Tsemai in an immensely colourful gathering of people. The market is divided between livestock with men trading goats and cattle and a separate section with women selling grain, nuts, containers, head stools...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Nuer reflections by John Kenny. Acrylic Face-Mounted C-type Print
Located in Coltishall, GB
This Nuer man from the far west of Ethiopia was displaced from South Sudan. He has the characteristic six forehead line scars of his group and the most beautiful pattern of dots and...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

''The Whisperer'' Fine Art Photography Limited Edition Print Of One
Located in Port Talbot, GB
Edition of ONE The stunning fine art portraits by fine art photographer Laurentina Miksys have been described as opulent, timeless, and emotionally expressive. When they have a so...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Black and White

Clothesline (Oxana's 30th Birthday) - Contemporary, Portrait, Polaroid, expired
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Clothesline (Oxana's 30th Birthday) - 2007 from the 29 Palms, CA Project 70x90cm, Edition of 5. Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Archive Fuji Chrystal Paper, matte s...
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

Rounds - underwater black and white photograph - archival pigment print 22x36"
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
An underwater black and white portrait of Justin Jedlica - The Human Ken Doll Original gallery quality print on archival paper signed by the artist. Limited edition of 24, print #3 ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment

“Portrait of Her” Fine Art Photography Limited Edition Print of 5
Located in Port Talbot, GB
Edition of 5 The stunning fine art portraits by fine art photographer Laurentina Miksys have been described as opulent, timeless, and emotionally expressive. When they have a soul,...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Color

Keith Richards, 1979
Located in New York, NY
Ron Wood put out a solo album in 1979 and Keith Richards was in his touring band. Columbia records asked Henry to go on the road with them and photograph New Barbarians Tour. He hung...
Category

20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

B/W Photograph of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra by Frank Stewart, 'The Bow'
Located in White Plains, NY
'The Bow' by American photographer Frank Stewart, 1997. Pigment print, 30 x 40 inches. This photograph features the group Jazz at Lincoln Center bowing in unison after a concert in Modena, Italy. Wynton Marsalis is one of the central figures in the photo. Unframed. For the past three decades, Stewart has served as senior staff photographer at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where Marsalis leads the orchestra and serves as artistic director. His jazz photographs highlight an intimate association with their subjects, that enables him to portray situations off-stage that otherwise would remain unknown to most of us. He works with film and digitally, using no artificial illumination other than stage lighting, and the prints employ subtle tones of black, grey, and white. Viewers are able to connect with the emotional range of the musicians and vocalists depicted and to grasp the deeply understood parallels between Stewart's vivid photographic forms and spaces, and the dramatic sounds and silences of jazz music. Frank Stewart initiated his career in jazz photography traveling with Ahmad Jamal and his group shortly after receiving a degree in photography from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (1975). Stewart's focus on jazz was solidified from 1989-92 when he accompanied the Wynton Marsalis Septet. In the intervening years, Stewart had worked independently in clubs and at jazz events primarily in New York and Chicago. In 1992, he became the lead photographer for Jazz at Lincoln Center, traveling the globe with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Born 1949 in Nashville, Tenn., Stewart was raised in Memphis and Chicago and has spent his entire career based in New York. His practice is centered around African American culture and the black experience throughout the diaspora. His roots in the segregated South, life-long love of music, and studies with Roy DeCarava...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Pigment, Digital Pigment

White Peony
Located in New York City, NY
John Grant White Peony, 2010 40x40 inches -Ed.20 Archival Pigment Print - Plexiglas Signed
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Plexiglass, Archival Pigment

“Girl with flowers” Fine Art Photography Limited Edition Print of 1
Located in Port Talbot, GB
Edition of 1 The stunning fine art portraits by fine art photographer Laurentina Miksys have been described as opulent, timeless, and emotionally expressive. When they have a soul...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Black and White

Profile of a Giraffe (Limited Edition of 25) - Animal Photography
Located in New York, NY
New York City based wildlife and street photographer Viet Chu, captured this striking shot of a Giraffe on a dark background. His focus is to inspire us with the beauty and vitality ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

''The Perfect Hands'' Limited Edition Print of 1 of 3
Located in Port Talbot, GB
Edition of 3 The stunning fine art portraits by fine art photographer Laurentina Miksys have been described as opulent, timeless, and emotionally expressive. When they have a soul...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Black and White

“Girl and Starfish” Fine Art Photography Limited Edition Print of 1
Located in Port Talbot, GB
Edition of 1 The stunning fine art portraits by fine art photographer Laurentina Miksys have been described as opulent, timeless, and emotionally expressive. When they have a soul...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Black and White

John Lennon Proof Sheet, New York City 1974
Located in New York, NY
Open Edition Hand Signed Print by Bob Gruen Other Sizes Available Please allow extra production time.
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

In the Evening Diptych n.d. Limited edition color photography.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
In the Evening (Diptych), n.d. 2013-2020, by Michael James O’Brien Printed on Hahnemuhle fine art paper Image size: 30 in. H x 40 in. W Edition of 7 + 2AP Unframed “I picked up a ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Color

Sarnai Color Photography on Dibond with Perspex Front UV Resistant In Stock
Located in Utrecht, NL
Sarnai Color Photography on Dibond with Perspex Front UV Resistant In Stock Billy und Hells are two photographers: Anke Linz (Nürnberg, 1965) and Andreas Oettinger (Munich, 1963). T...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Lambda

Oldsmobile & Sinful Barbie's, Las Vegas - Contemporary Color Photography
Located in Cambridge, GB
Part of Richard Heeps 'Man's Ruin' Series, and the sequence of artworks 'Wendy Flamin' Eyeball', 'Wendy Resting' & 'Oldsmobile and Sinful Barbie's' shot at the Rockabilly Weekender, ...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin

Janis Joplin, Woodstock 1969
Located in New York, NY
Janis Joplin photographed by Henry Diltz, the official photographer for Woodstock 1969. Next available edition printed upon purchase. Please allow 3 we...
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

John Lennon Proof Sheet
Located in New York, NY
Proof sheet from the photo shoot that created the iconic image of John Lennon in NYC, 1974. Limited Edition Hand Signed by photographer Bob Gruen
Category

20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

''The Whisperer'' Fine Art Photography Limited Edition Print Of ONE
Located in Port Talbot, GB
Edition of ONE The stunning fine art portraits by fine art photographer Laurentina Miksys have been described as opulent, timeless, and emotionally expressive. When they have a so...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Color, Rag Paper

Victoria - Laced Series
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Cut lace on photography.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Mixed Media, Black and White

Keith Richards & Ron Wood, Los Angeles, CA 1979
Located in New York, NY
Keith Richards & Ron Wood, Lear Jet contact sheet on the New Barbarians tour, 1979.
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

'In the Middle of Nowhere' Fine Art Photography Limited Edition Print 1 of 5
Located in Port Talbot, GB
Edition of 1/5 The stunning fine art portraits by fine art photographer Laurentina Miksys have been described as opulent, timeless, and emotionally expressive. When they have a so...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Color

''Vacuum'' Fine Art Photography Limited Edition Print Of FIVE
Located in Port Talbot, GB
Edition of FIVE The stunning fine art portraits by fine art photographer Laurentina Miksys have been described as opulent, timeless, and emotionally expressive. When they have a s...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Rag Paper, Black and White

Tina Turner, Los Angeles, CA, 1985
Located in New York, NY
Limited Edition Signed, Titled, and Numbered by Henry Diltz
Category

20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Jem Jender, Portrait. Studio, NYC. Limited edition B&W photograph.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Jem Jender, Studio, NYC, 1992 by Michael James O’Brien Printed on Hahnemuhle fine art photo rag paper Image size: 36 in. H x 24 in. W Edition of 7 + 2AP Unframed “We are living in...
Category

1990s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Campidoglio, Diptych. Limited edition color photography.
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Campidoglio (Diptych), 2020, by Michael James O’Brien Printed on Hahnemuhle fine art paper Image size: 30 in. H x 40 in. W Edition of 7 + 2AP “What do you think this is my youth an...
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Color

Michael Jackson with Kitten, 1971
Located in New York, NY
Limited Edition Signed, Titled, and Numbered by Henry Diltz
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Joanjo and Borja, Spain
Located in New York, NY
Joanjo and Borja Spain 2018 Signed and numbered, verso Archival pigment print 37 x 37 inches (Edition of 5 + 2 APs) $7,500 17 x 17 inches (Edition of 10 + 2 APs) $4,000 Please n...
Category

2010s Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Mick Jagger, Hollywood, CA, 1969
Located in New York, NY
Limited Edition Signed, Titled, and Numbered by Henry Diltz
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Monkees
Located in New York, NY
The Monkees in costume. Signed, Titled, and Numbered by Henry Diltz
Category

Mid-20th Century Contemporary Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Contemporary portrait photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary portrait photography 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 portrait photography 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 Stefanie Schneider, Tyler Shields, Urizen Freaza, and Clare Marie Bailey. Frequently made by artists working with Paper, and Photographic Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Contemporary portrait photography, so small editions measuring 1.58 inches across are also available.

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