Contemporary Art
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.
1940s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Cotton, Polymer
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Rag Paper, Ballpoint Pen
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal, Steel
2010s Contemporary Art
Steel
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Black and White, C Print, Color, Polaroid
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
1990s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
1950s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin, Photographic Film
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Black and White, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, India Ink, Panel, Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Terracotta
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Color, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Charcoal, Acrylic, Carbon Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Color, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Color, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
C Print, Polaroid, Color, Photographic Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Lambda, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
Contemporary art for sale on 1stDibs.
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