Skip to main content

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.

93
to
56
505
487
51
383
485
454
112
510
243
113
86
99
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
1,154
706
44
34
18
12
11
8
6
4
3
2
745
381
345
326
262
241
163
131
112
83
78
76
70
66
54
46
44
44
40
39
3
19
8,436
37,120
1
2
6
61
68
339
933
720
1,051
1,913
3
134
59
38
28
24
489
444
354
346
272
Style: Contemporary
Period: 1980s
Mother and daughter on their balcony in Beirut by Steve McCurry, 1982
Located in Dallas, TX
Mother and daughter on their balcony in Beruit by Steve McCurry depicts a woman and child sitting outside. The woman looks down, concentrating on peeling her potatoes, while the girl...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Digital

Corso Sienna, 1989
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 1 of 10 If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is prod...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Chris Harris, Los Angeles, 21st Century, Contemporary, Celebrity, Photography
Located in Munich, DE
Edition 25 Also available in 76 x 101 cm / 30 x 40 inch, Edition 25 Black and white portrait of Chris Harris. From personality portraits and advertising campaigns to magazine layo...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Red Pushups, 1985 Huntington Beach, CA
Located in Hudson, NY
This listing is for the unframed photograph. The Gallery proudly announces SUMMERTIME Salon 2019, an annual photography exhibit featuring gallery artists as well as a few newcomers...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Digital Pigment

Baia delle Zagare - Vintage Offset Print by Franco Fontana - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
"Baia delle Zagare, 1970" is a beautiful offset realized by Franco Fontana. Rondanini Galleria D'arte Contemporanea - Roma. Limited edition of 1.000 Coloured poster from a photogra...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Offset

Ramona Falls, Oregon
Located in Westwood, NJ
Stu Levy's photographs often involve fragile landscapes that invoke a sense of timelessness. The landscape, is often his stimulus or point of departure, then asking the question, &qu...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Bar Back
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Attila Richard Lukacs (b. 1962) is one of Canada's most distinctive if not revolutionary Canadian figurative painters. Lukacs established his reputation in the 1980s by creating astonishing large-scale paintings that depicted skinheads, construction workers, and other masculine archetypes in elaborate and erotic scenes. The physical presence of the Lukacs' male subjects stands out as one of the artist's most distinctive aesthetic elements. With meticulous attention to form and proportions, Lukacs skillfully renders his young men with expressive brushwork and an intense, moody palette reminiscent of the old masters. Despite the monumental scale of his canvases, Lukacs begins his creative process with a much more intimate and modern-day tool: the Polaroid. Because of its immediacy and simplicity, it became an essential part of his process in the 80's and 90's. As a result, the artist amassed a trove of over 1,200 Polaroids that depict lovers, friends, and anonymous models in various poses that serve as a starting point for his paintings. In this grid of Polaroids, "Bar Back" is a young man posing nude on top of a first aid kit. The exceptional warmth and rich hues infuse this series of 12 Polaroids with a sensual and painterly quality, a characteristic that is undoubtably present throughout the artist's oeuvre. From 2009-2012 a large touring exhibition devoted to Lukacs' Polaroids was shown at several museums across Canada including Museum London and the Art Gallery of Alberta. Working with Michael Morris...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Polaroid

Breakfast Table, Northwich - British Color Photography
Located in Cambridge, GB
Breakfast Table, is a rare studio creation by Richard Heeps, inspired by a recent visit to Fleetwood, incorporating autobiographical elements, brought...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin

RuPaul, Peachtree Street Garden, Atlanta
Located in New York, NY
This black and white portrait of a young RuPaul, taken by Paula Gately Tillman in 1988, is offered by CLAMP in New York City. RuPaul, Peachtree Street Garden, Atlanta 1988/printed l...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Miss Guy, Wigstock, Tompkins Square, New York City
Located in New York, NY
This black and white portrait of a young RuPaul, taken by Paula Gately Tillman in 1988, is offered by CLAMP in New York City. Miss Guy, Wigstock, Tompkins Square, New York City 1992...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Tish and Snooky, Founders of Manic Panic, St. Mark's Place, New York City
Located in New York, NY
This black and white photograph by Paula Gately Tillman is offered by CLAMP in New York City. Tish and Snooky, Founders of Manic Panic, St. Mark’s Place, New York City 1986/printed ...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

John Kelly, Backstage, at the Limelight, Chelsea, New York City
Located in New York, NY
This black and white portrait, taken by Paula Gately Tillman in 1986, is offered by CLAMP in New York City. John Kelly, Backstage, at the Limelight, Chelsea, New York City 1986/prin...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Nelson Sullivan, His Home, 5 Ninth Avenue, Meatpacking District, New York City
Located in New York, NY
This black and white photograph by Paula Gately Tillman is offered by CLAMP in New York City. Nelson Sullivan, His Home, 5 Ninth Avenue, Meatpacking District, New York City 1986/pri...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Gianni Morandi in Moscow - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Gianni Morandi in Moscow is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 1980s. Good conditions and aged. It belongs to a historical and Nostalgic album including historical mo...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Old days Photo - Visiting Konrad Lorenz in Hospital - photo - mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Old days Photo - Visiting Konrad Lorenz in Hospital is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 1980s. Good conditions and aged. It belongs to a historical and Nostalgic al...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Square limited edition nude art print, Figurative Color photo - Josefa
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
An original signed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm paper by Scottish artist Ian Sanderson (1951- 2020) titled ‘ Josefa ‘ who was captured on film in 19...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color, Giclée, Pigment, Archival Pig...

1988 Paul D'Amato Fashion Photo Print
Located in Larchmont, NY
Paul D'Amato (American, b. 1956) Girl with Lingerie Catalogue, 1988 Color photo print Sight: 18 1/4 x 15 in. Framed: 28 x 25 x 1 3/8 in. Provenance: The Artis...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Color

B. Wurtz 1980s Original Photograph
Located in Larchmont, NY
B. Wurtz (American, b. 1948) Untitled, 1982 C Print 16 x 20 in. Framed: 21 1/8 x 27 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. Provenance: Bess Cutler Gallery, New York Born 1948 in Pasadena, California, B...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

C Print

Dust Storm (Vertical) by Steve McCurry, 1983, Digital C-Print, Photography
Located in Dallas, TX
Dust Storm (Vertical) by Steve McCurry is a 30 x 24 inch Digital C-Print on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Supergloss Paper, available in an edition of 75. This photograph features a group...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Digital

Historical Photo - Buenos Aires - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo -Buenos Aires is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 1980s century by Giuseppe Moneta. Hand-signed on the lower right. Good conditions. It belongs to...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Mother and Child - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo - Mother and Child is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 1980s. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged margins. It belongs to a histo...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Stretch - Signed limited edition nude fine art print, Black and white, Model
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Stretch - Signed limited edition archival pigment print - Edition of 10 This image was captured on film in 1982. From the same photoshoot, the so-called 'Zip' print by Ian San...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...

Historical Photo - Indigenous - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo -Indigenous is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 1980s. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged margins. It belongs to a historical a...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Children - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo- Children is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 1980s by Giuseppe Moneta. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged margins. and signed l...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Vintage Photo - Mid-20th century
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the mid-20th century. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged margins. It belongs to a historical al...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Ben Barker - Vintage Photo - mid-20th century
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo-  Ben Barker is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the mid-20th century. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged margins. It belongs to a ...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo-M. Abdelkader and Ben Barker - Vintage Photo - mid-20th century
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo- M. Abdelkader and Ben Barker is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the mid-20th century. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged margins. ...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Janos Kadar and Viktor Kulikov - Vintage Photo - 1985
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo- Janos Kadar and Viktor Kulikov is a black and white vintage photo, realized in 1985. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged margins. It belongs to...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Pierre Lagaillarde - Vintage Photo - mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo- Pierre Lagaillarde (founder of OAS) is a black and white vintage photo. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged margins. It belongs to a historical...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Africa Dove - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo - Africa Dove is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 20th century, Photo of Night of Trip by Alberto Moravia. Good conditions, with some decoloration s...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Africa Dove - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo - Africa Dove is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 20th century, Photo of Night of Trip by Alberto Moravia. Good conditions, with some decoloration s...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Players in Buenos Aires - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo -Players in Buenos Aires is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 1980s. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged margins. It belongs to a...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Indian People - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo - Indian People is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 20th century, Photo by Roberto Koch. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged marg...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Iva Zanicchi - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo  - Iva Zanicchi is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 1970s. Good conditions, with some decoloration spots and aged margins. It belongs to a historic...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

John Pruitt, Bel Air
Located in New York, NY
This photograph by Jim French is offered by CLAMP in New York City. John Pruitt, Bel Air, 1986 Gelatin silver print 15.5 x 17.5 inches, image framed
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Elvis Teardrops
Located in New York, NY
This is a black and white photograph of Elvis Presley by Bruce Cratsley offered by CLAMP in New York City. Elvis Teardrops 1984 Gelatin silver print Signed, titled, and dated, ver...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Figurative photo, Signed limited edition contemporary print, Black white-Raquel
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
An original signed archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Baryta 315 gsm paper by Scottish artist Ian Sanderson (1951- 2020) titled ‘ Raquel ‘ who was captured on film in 19...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...

Wall • # 3 of 9 • 60 cm x 45 cm
Located in Aramits, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Wand • 1985 • Edition of 18 prints in 3 different sizes. All prints are numbered and signed. Printed on Hahnemühle Archival Paper. Three different sizes are available, the series is ...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment

Elton John's Certificate of Marriage 1984 - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Elton John certificate of marriage 1984 is a black and white photograph realized in 1984 The photograph depicts Elton John Rock superstar and his bride Rena...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Wall • # 1 of 3 • 120 cm x 90 cm
Located in Aramits, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Wand • 1985 • Edition of 18 prints in 3 different sizes. All prints are numbered and signed. Printed on Hahnemühle Archival Paper. Three different sizes are available, the series is ...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment

Feeling the Spirit by Earlie Hudnall, Jr., 1987, Silver Gelatin Print
Located in Dallas, TX
Feeling the Spirit by Earlie Hudnall, Jr. depicts a group of men and women standing outside, singing into a microphone. A woman dressed in white stands in front of the group, passion...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Old Days - Bookshops - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Old Days  - Bookshops in 1980s is a vintage black and white photograph. Good conditions.
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Alex
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Attila Richard Lukacs (b. 1962) is one of Canada's most distinctive if not revolutionary Canadian figurative painters. Lukacs established his reputation in the 1980s by creating astonishing large-scale paintings that depicted skinheads, construction workers, and other masculine archetypes in elaborate and erotic scenes. The physical presence of the Lukacs' male subjects stands out as one of the artist's most distinctive aesthetic elements. With meticulous attention to form and proportions, Lukacs skillfully renders his young men with expressive brushwork and an intense, moody palette reminiscent of the old masters. Despite the monumental scale of his canvases, Lukacs begins his creative process with a much more intimate and modern day tool: the Polaroid. Because of its immediacy and simplicity it became an essential part of his process in the 80's and 90's. As a result the artist amassed a trove of over 1,200 Polaroids that depict lovers, friends, and anonymous models in a various poses that serve as a starting point for his paintings. In this grid of Polaroids, "Alex" is a young man posing nude on top of a tarp. The exceptional warmth and rich hues infuse this series of 12 Polaroids with a sensual and painterly quality, a characteristic that is undoubtably present throughout the artist's oeuvre. From 2009-2012 a large touring exhibition devoted to Lukacs' Polaroids was shown at several museums across Canada including Museum London and the Art Gallery of Alberta. Working with Michael Morris...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Polaroid

Afghan Girl by Steve McCurry, 1984, Digital C-Print, Portrait Photography
Located in Dallas, TX
One of Steve McCurry's most iconic images, this portrait features a young Afghan girl with piercing green eyes wearing a red head scarf. Afghan Girl by Steve McCurry is a 24 x 20 i...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Digital

Historical Photo of Prison - Court - Vintage photo - 1987
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo of Prison  - Court is a vintage black and white photograph realized in 1987. Good conditions.
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Untitled
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Evergon (b. 1946) is a celebrated contemporary Canadian photographer with over 40 years of artistic production. Evergon is best known for his accomplishments across photography and n...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Polaroid

Savage Cats
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Evergon (b. 1946) is a celebrated contemporary Canadian photographer with over 40 years of artistic production. Evergon is best known for his accomplishments across photography and n...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Polaroid

Prehistorical Hell
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Evergon (b. 1946) is a celebrated contemporary Canadian photographer with over 40 years of artistic production. Evergon is best known for his accomplishments across photography and n...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Polaroid

Trout Temple
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Evergon (b. 1946) is a celebrated contemporary Canadian photographer with over 40 years of artistic production. Evergon is best known for his accomplishments across photography and n...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Polaroid

Pocket Pistols
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Andy Warhol began using the big-shot Polaroid camera in 1971 and continued using it religiously until his death in 1987. Despite the camera being discontinued in 1973, he continued t...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Polaroid

Old Days - Bookshops - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Old Days  - Bookshops in 1980s is a vintage black and white photograph realized. Good conditions.
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo of Prison - Court - Vintage photo - 1987
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo of Prison  - Court is a vintage black and white photograph realized in 1987. Good conditions.
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Laura Martelli - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Laura Martelli is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1970s. Good conditions.
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Old Days - Dori Ghezzi Testifies at the Trial for his Kidnapping - 1980
Located in Roma, IT
Old Days  - Historical Photo is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1980. Good conditions.
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Haile Selassie, Sandro Pertini and Aldo Moro - Vintage Photo - 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Haile Selassie, Haile Selassie, Sandro Pertini and Aldo Moro is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 1970s.  It belongs to a historical album including historical moment...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Pier Vittorio Tondelli - Vintage Photo - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Pier Vittorio Tondelli is a vintage black and white photograph realized in the 1980s. Good conditions.
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Historical Photo - Beijing- Armed Soldiers - 1980s
Located in Roma, IT
Historical Photo - Beijing armed soldiers is a black and white vintage photo, realized in the 1980s.  It belongs to a historical album including historical moments, royal families, ...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Flipping Boy, 4th Ward, Houston, TX by Earlie Hudnall, Jr., 1983
Located in Dallas, TX
Flipping Boy, 4th Ward, Houston, TX by Earlie Hudnall, Jr. is a 14 x 11 inch silver gelatin print. This photograph features a boy flipping in the street, with people watching from th...
Category

1980s Contemporary Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

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.

Recently Viewed

View All