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.
2010s Contemporary Art
Tempera
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Woodcut
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Blown Glass
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Panel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Linen, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Color, Giclée, Pigment, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil, Wood Panel
Artist Comments
Artist Yelitza Diaz produces a wall sculpture with a metallic figure hanging by a ridge. She takes minimalist elements and adds her own personal essence. Yelitz...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Linen, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Acrylic, Illustration Board, Paint, Board
Artist Comments
While preserving her aesthetic, artist Yelitza Diaz blends the minimalist with the modern. She displays a metallic figure dangling in the hands of another. She ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Aquatint, Woodcut
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Acrylic, Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Paint, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Silk, Pins
2010s Contemporary Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Latex, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Gouache, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Linen, Acrylic
1980s Contemporary Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Etching, Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Plastic, Vinyl
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil, Wood Panel
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Paper, Acrylic, Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Art
C Print, Digital Pigment
1990s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Paper, Woodcut
1950s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Giclée
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal, Enamel, Steel
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Linen, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Plexiglass, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil