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
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A contemplative portrait of a horse, gently accented by drifting butterflies. Artist Jennifer Ross employs her signature eggshell collage technique, rooted in...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media
1970s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Glass
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Marble
1970s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Plexiglass, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
1980s Contemporary Art
Rag Paper, Etching, Aquatint
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Ceramic, Porcelain, Glaze
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Encaustic, Archival Paper, Monotype
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Plexiglass, Wax, Pigment
1980s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Steel
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
Artist Comments
Meringue cookies stack together, each one delectable and delightful. Their crisp exterior and rich tones come to life against the soft, yellow background. Thi...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
20th Century Contemporary Art
Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Linocut
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Digital Pigment, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
1980s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Giclée