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Contemporary 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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Period: 1970s
Style: Contemporary
Portrait of Painter Leo Guida - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Painter Leo Guida is a Vintage Photo photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions and aged.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Freddie Mercury, 1977 - QUEEN
Located in Chicago, IL
British singer Freddie Mercury perform with Queen at their Madison Square Garden debut in New York, USA, February 5, 1977. Available sizes: 17 X 22 inches - $1,700 Edition of 25 16 x 20 inches Edition of 20 20 x 24 inches Edition of 20 30 x 40 inches Edition of 10 About the artist: Award-winning photographer Michael Brennan’s work covers a wide range of historical events, celebrity portraits, candid’s and world famous athletes. After winning the British News Picture of the Year for his coverage of the death of Donald Campbell in 1967, which was featured in Life magazine, he went on to work for several newspapers and covered important news events as well as capturing images of notable names. He was awarded British Photographer of the Year in 1969. His archive includes images of Led Zeppelin, Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, President Jimmy Carter, Princess Diana, John Lennon, and sport legends George Best, Pele, George Foreman...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Julio Iglesias - Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Julio Iglesias is a photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Seurat's A La Grande Jatte w Marcel Marceau, Chicago, 1958, Black & White Photo
Located in Chicago, IL
This 1958 photograph by Art Shay shows Marcel Marceau in front of George Seurat's famed painting "Sunday Afternoon" at the Art Institute of Chicago. Art Shay A La Grande Jatte, 1958...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Jean Luc Godard - Photo- 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Jean Luc Godard is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Rare Vintage Color C Print Photograph African Maasai Warrior Chromogenic Photo
Located in Surfside, FL
Carol Beckwith, (American, b. 1945), Maasai Portrait Chromogenic print on paper, from Beckwith's book "Maasai" (1980), Hand signed in pencil, dated and titled with name of sitter in margins, 19" x 16" Sheet. Carol Beckwith (1945-) is an American photographer, author, and artist known for her photojournalism documenting the indigenous tribal cultures of Africa, most notably in partnership with the Australian photographer Angela Fisher. Between them, Beckwith and Fisher have published 14 books, and have had their photos appear in National Geographic, Natural History, African Arts, The Observer Magazine, Time, Life, Vogue, Marie Claire and Elle. They continue to exhibit and lecture at galleries and museums worldwide, including The American Museum of Natural History and The Explorers Club in New York City, The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the Royal Geographical Society in London. They have also collaborated on four films about African traditions. Together they have received numerous accolades, including the United Nations Award for Excellence, the Royal Geographical Society's Cherry Kearton Medal, two Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, The Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award, and the WINGS WorldQuest Lifetime Achievement Award. Carol Beckwith was born in Boston, Massachusetts, where she went on to attend both the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Goucher College in Maryland. After obtaining her degree in Painting and Photography she won a traveling fellowship from the Boston Museum, which let her travel to other countries for the first time. She spent seven months in Japan, living in a Zen temple and studying calligraphy painting. She continued to travel through Southeast Asia and New Guinea, where she witnessed a "sing-sing", a gathering of 90,000 Highland warriors, in Mount Hagen, and paddled up Chambri Lakes in a canoe, an experience she called "one of the most wonderful, and in a way formative, experiences in my life." Her first trip to Africa was in 1973, when she was invited to spend Christmas with a friend in Kenya. Beckwith bought a 45-day roundtrip ticket and ended up staying eight months. There she encountered the Maasai people who invited her to witness a female circumcision ceremony. Astonished by the ritual, she then determined to spend more time with the Maasai. Beckwith studied photography in college but had initially intended to become a painter. It was during her travels through New Guinea that she realized the advantages of photography, saying that "there was such a vast amount of exciting material that I began to photograph instead, approaching photography with the eye of a painter in terms of light, color, composition. I wanted the images to be multi layered experiences in a way that a painting is. . . [Photography] seemed to be a more suitable medium for the pace of travel." Beckwith's first major collaboration was with Tepilit Ole Saitoti, an anthropologist and former Maasai warrior...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print

Reportage from Albania - Tirana - Photograph - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Reportage from Albania - Tirana  is a vintage photograph realized in the Late 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo of Prison - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo of Prison  is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Vintage Portrait of Monica Vitti - Vintage B/W photo by ANSA - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Portrait of Monica Vitti is a vintage black and white photograph realized by Agenzia ANSA in 1970s. Monica Vitti is born in Rome on November 3, 1931. Admitted in 1950 to the...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

David Bowie Smoking
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition print of David Bowie by Barry Schultz. Taken at Hilversum Holland's TopPop TV studios in October 1977 where Bowie was promoting Heroes. Available in three si...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

C Print

Reportage from Albania - Tirana - Photograph - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Reportage from Albania - Tirana  is a vintage photograph realized in the Late 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Belgian Real Family in Rome - 1979
Located in Roma, IT
Belgian Real Family in Rome  is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1979. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reportage from Albania - Tirana - Photograph - Late 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Reportage from Albania - Tirana - Photograph is a color photograph realized in the Late 1970s. Good conditions. the landscape of Albania through the art of photography is captured ...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

President Cossiga attending an Exhibition - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
President Cossiga attending an Exhibition   is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo of Prison - Working - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo of Prison  - Working is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reportage from Albania - Tirana - Photograph - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Reportage from Albania - Tirana  is a vintage photograph realized in the Late 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reportage from Albania - Tirana - Photograph - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Reportage from Albania - Tirana  is a vintage photograph realized in the Late 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Herbert von Karajan and his Family - Late 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Herbert von Karajan and his Familyis a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photos of Prisons - Carcere dell'Ucciardone Palermo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photos of Prisons  - Carcere dell'Ucciardone Palermo is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Titled and hand signed by the Author. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reportage from Albania - Tirana - Photograph - Late 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Reportage from Albania - Tirana  is a vintage photograph realized in the Late 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reportage from Albania - Lukovë - Photograph - Late 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Reportage from Albania - Lukovë - Photograph is a color photograph realized in the Late 1970s. Good conditions. the landscape of Albania through the art of photography is captured ...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Francesco Guccini - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Francesco Guccini is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Ernest Borgnine - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Ernest Borgnine-Vintage Photo is a black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions and aged.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Portrait of Lucio Battisti - Vintage Photograph - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Lucio Battisti is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Claudio Villa - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Claudio Villa-Vintage Photo is a black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions and aged.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Claudio Villa - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Claudio Villa-Vintage Photo is a black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions and aged.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Claudio Villa - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Claudio Villa-Vintage Photo is a black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions and aged.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

'Tiger Lady' Limited Edition Photograph by Getty Images 30 x 30
Located in San Rafael, CA
March 16, 1971: Air Stewardess Cynthia Robertson models the new uniform for National Airlines. A synthetic tiger skin number, the new uniform will be worn by over 1000 stewardesses....
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Israel's Parachute Girls - Vintage Photograph - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Israel's Parachute Girls is a vintage black and white Photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions. The description on the rear.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

An Island in the Air - Photograph by Urs Luthi - 1975
Located in Roma, IT
An Island in the Air is a Photograph realized by Urs Luthi in 1975. From the portfolio "Un'isola nell'aria", Vol. IV, edition of 75 copies. Hand signed, numbered and dated. Very g...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Vintage Portrait of Virna Lisi - Vintage Photographic Print - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Portrait of Virna Lisi is a vintage b/w photographic print on single-coated paper. Good conditions. Virna Lisi Born on November 8, 1936, she began her film career as a 17-y...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

The Wall - Wrapped Roman Wall
Located in Roma, IT
Photolithograph. Hand signed. One of the most important and famous works of Land Art by Christo. Lightly damaged.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photogram

San Francisco - Vintage Offset Poster after Franco Fontana - 1979
Located in Roma, IT
San Francisco is a vintage offset poster realized after a photograph by Franco Fontana in 1979. The print is by Galleria d'arte contemporanea Rondanini, at Rome. Good condition. F...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Offset

Reportage from Vietnam - The Woman - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
The Woman is a vintage photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reportage from Vietnam - Vietnam Folk - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vietnam Folk is a vintage photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Far East - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Far East is a vintage photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reportage from Vietnam - Vietnam Folk - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vietnam Folk is a vintage photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reportage from Vietnam - Vietnam Folk - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vietnam Folk is a vintage photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reportage from Vietnam - The Child - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
The Child is a vintage photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

The Show - Drawing by Maurice Van Moppes - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Girl is a drawing in tempera and Watercolor realized in the 20th Century by Maurice Van Moppes (1904-1957). Good Conditions with foxing. The artwork is depicted through soft stroke...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Reportage from Vietnam - The Boy - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
The Boy is a vintage photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

David Bowie, Life on Mars, 1973
Located in New York, NY
David Bowie, Life on Mars, 1973 1973/printed later Signed in black ink, verso Archival pigment print 6 x 6 inches (15.24 x 15.24 cm), sheet 5.5 x 4 inches (14 x 10.2 cm), image T...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Portrait of John Wayne - Vintage Photo - 1979
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Photo. The American Actor John Wayne in 1979.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Queen Elizabeth with Priest - Photograph - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Queen Elizabeth with Priest is a photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions. Stamped on the rear.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Portrait of Monica Vitti - B/W photo by ANSA - 1970s
By ANSA
Located in Roma, IT
Monica Vitti is a vintage black and white photo of the Italian actress, realized in 1970s by Agenzia ANSA. Monica Vitti is born in Rome on November 3, 1931. Admitted in 1950 to the ...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

An Island in the Air - Photograph by Urs Luthi - 1975
Located in Roma, IT
An Island in the Air is a Photograph realized by Urs Luthi in 1975. From the portfolio "Un'isola nell'aria", Vol. IV, edition of 75 copies. Hand signed, numbered and dated. Very g...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

An Island in the Air - Photograph by Urs Luthi - 1975
Located in Roma, IT
An Island in the Air is a Photograph realized by Urs Luthi in 1975. From the portfolio "Un'isola nell'aria", edition of 75 copies. Hand-signed, numbered, and dated. Very good cond...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

The Italian Actress and Singer Loretta Goggi - B/w Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Photo. The Italian actress and singer Loretta Goggi during "Canale 3". Lightly damaged.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Le Troisième Angle - Original Vintage Photo by Eva Klasson - 1976
By Eva Klasson
Located in Roma, IT
Eva Klasson, Le Troisième Angle, Photo, 1976. cm 18.2 x 18.8. On rear autograph notes in pencil with evocative words that complets the picture. Excellent conditions.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

An Island in the Air - Photograph by Urs Luthi - 1975
Located in Roma, IT
An Island in the Air is a vintage Photograph realized by Urs Luthi in 1975. From the portfolio "Un'isola nell'aria", Vol. IV, edition of 75 copies. Hand signed, numbered and dated....
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

An Island in the Air - Photograph by Urs Luthi - 1975
Located in Roma, IT
An Island in the Air is an Photograph realized by Urs Luthi in 1975. From the portfolio "Un'isola nell'aria", edition of 75 copies. Hand-signed, numbered, and dated. Very good con...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

The Italian Actress Enrica Bonaccorti - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Photo. The Italian former actress, television and radio presenter, and lyricist Enrica Bonaccorti.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Portrait of Abbe Lane - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Photo. The American Actress and Singer Abbe Lane during a television broadcast. Photo by Italian news agency S.P.A. Lightly blurry.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

John Wayne and Dorothy Lamour - Vintage Photo - 1976
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage b/w Photo realized in 1976.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

An Island in the Air - Photograph by Urs Luthi - 1975
Located in Roma, IT
An Island in the Air is a Photograph realized by Urs Luthi in 1975. From the portfolio "Un'isola nell'aria", Vol. IV, edition of 75 copies. Hand signed, numbered and dated. Very g...
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Alice Cooper
Located in London, GB
David Bailey Alice Cooper, 1973 Archival Inkjet on paper Signed by the artist, on verso Image: 36.83 x 36.86 cm Sheet: 42 x 59.4 cm Edition of 10
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Pigment

John Wayne, James Stuart e Lauren Bacall - Vintage Photo - 1978
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Photo. The picture shows the famous actors John Wayne, James Stuart e Lauren Bacall.
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Kessler Twins - Vintage Photo -1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Photo. The twins Kessler dancing on television photo by Tommaso La Pera
Category

1970s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Contemporary photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary 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 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, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Stefanie Schneider, Tyler Shields, Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde, and Richard Heeps. Frequently made by artists working with Pigment Print, and Archival Pigment Print 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 photography, so small editions measuring 0.4 inches across are also available.

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