Contemporary Photography
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.
19th Century Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper
19th Century Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper
19th Century Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper
1880s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Pigment, Arc...
1890s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper
1880s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Pigment, Arc...
1890s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper
1890s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper
1880s Contemporary Photography
Archival Paper, Photographic Film, Black and White, Giclée, Pigment, Arc...
1880s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Black and White, Giclée, Pigment, Arc...
Mid-19th Century Contemporary Photography
Archival Pigment
1880s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Giclée, Pigment, Archival Pigment, Bl...
Mid-19th Century Contemporary Photography
Silver Gelatin
19th Century Contemporary Photography
Silver Gelatin
1880s Contemporary Photography
Silver Gelatin
Early 19th Century Contemporary Photography
Archival Pigment
1880s Contemporary Photography
Digital, Rag Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Late 19th Century Contemporary Photography
Archival Pigment
1870s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper
1970s Contemporary Photography
Archival Paper, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper, Pigment
2010s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper
2010s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper, Pigment
2010s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Paper
1960s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigme...
1950s Contemporary Photography
Silver Gelatin, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
Early 2000s Contemporary Photography
Archival Ink, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Digital, Arc...
20th Century Contemporary Photography
Archival Pigment, Archival Paper, Giclée
Early 2000s Contemporary Photography
Archival Ink, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Digital, Arc...
2010s Contemporary Photography
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Black and White, Digita...
2010s Contemporary Photography
Digital, Photographic Paper
1850s Contemporary Photography
Charcoal, Pigment, Carbon Pigment
Mid-19th Century Contemporary Photography
Archival Pigment, Silver Gelatin
Mid-19th Century Contemporary Photography
Silver Gelatin
Contemporary photography for sale on 1stDibs.
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