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
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Black and White, Archiv...
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Acrylic, Color Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
1980s Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
Artist Comments
Artist Mary Pratt grows pots of turmeric plants around her house, which sprout new shoots weekly and last throughout the summer. She visits the flowers in the...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
1950s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
1990s Contemporary Art
Other Medium
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Archival Ink, Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Board
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Ceramic, Glaze
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Raw Linen, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Digital
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
1950s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Digital
1980s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
1970s Contemporary Art
Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Board
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Mixed Media
1980s Contemporary Art
C Print
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Drypoint, Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1990s Contemporary Art
Offset
1970s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Photogram
2010s Contemporary Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Giclée, Archi...
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Lithograph