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
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Archival Paper, Gouache, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Color Pencil, Pigment, Acrylic, Gouache, Ink, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gouache, Acrylic, Ink, Mixed Media, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Pigment, Board, Gouache, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gouache, Acrylic, Ink, Mixed Media, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Monotype, Monoprint
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Gouache, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Mixed Media, Photographic Paper, Pinhole
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Carbon Pencil, Gouache, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Pigment, Pencil, Gouache, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Pigment, Acrylic, Ink, Mixed Media, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gouache, Pigment, Mixed Media, Ink, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Gouache, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Acrylic, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gouache, Pigment, Mixed Media, Ink, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gouache, Pigment, Acrylic, Ink, Mixed Media, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Gouache, Monotype, Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil, Pigment, Pin...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Pigment, Gouache, Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Pigment, Color Pencil, Crayon, Gouache, Ink, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Masonite
1990s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Pastel, Monotype, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Mixed Media
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Gouache, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Paper, Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Color Pencil, Pigment, Acrylic, Gouache, Ink, Mixed Media
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Monotype, Pencil, Paper, Ink
1990s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Gouache, Monotype
2010s Contemporary Art
Pigment, Gouache, Acrylic, Ink, Glaze, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Mixed Media, Photographic Paper, Pinhole
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Ink, Pigment, Gouache, Mixed Media, Monotype, Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Ink, Color Pencil, Mixed Media, Paper, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Monotype
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Color Pencil, Pigment, Paper, Monotype, Mixed Media, Ink
1990s Contemporary Art
Monotype
1990s Contemporary Art
Color Pencil, Mixed Media, Ink, Gouache, Archival Pigment
1990s Contemporary Art
Monoprint
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Monotype
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Gouache, Color Pencil, Ink, Mixed Media, Monotype
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Color Pencil, Glaze, Gouache, Ink, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Gouache, Ink, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gouache, Mixed Media, Ink, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Pastel, Monotype, Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Monotype
20th Century Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Monotype, Pastel