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.
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Sailcloth, Tempera
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
C Print
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Plexiglass, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Alkyd, Paint, Wood Panel
1980s Contemporary Art
Inkjet
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Clay, Woodcut, Mirror, Mixed Media, Mosaic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Sumi Ink, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Color Pencil
1980s Contemporary Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Sumi Ink, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Color Pencil
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Digital, Archival Pigm...
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Digital, Archiv...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Sumi Ink, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Color Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Watercolor, Sumi Ink, Mulberry Paper, Color Pencil
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Digital, Archival Pigm...
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Digital, Archival Pigm...
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Digital, Archival Pigm...
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Digital, Archival Pigm...
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Digital, Archival Pigm...
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Sumi Ink, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Color Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Sumi Ink, Watercolor, Mulberry Paper, Color Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Mosaic
1970s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
C Print
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Pigment, Rag Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
C Print
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Linen, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Art
Encaustic, Archival Paper, Monotype
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic Polymer
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Linen, Acrylic, Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Monoprint
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil