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Contemporary Art

CONTEMPORARY STYLE

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.

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Style: Contemporary
Recognized Seller Listings
Untitled. Ref. 94019
Untitled. Ref. 94019

Untitled. Ref. 94019

By Carlos Capelan

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Capelán's work stands out for its rigorous handling of diverse artistic techniques and procedures, ranging from drawing to installation, including painting, printmaking, photography,...

Category

1990s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Untitled. Ref. 94029
Untitled. Ref. 94029

Untitled. Ref. 94029

By Carlos Capelan

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Capelán's work stands out for its rigorous handling of diverse artistic techniques and procedures, ranging from drawing to installation, including painting, printmaking, photography,...

Category

1990s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Duchándome. Nude watercolor on paper
Duchándome. Nude watercolor on paper

Duchándome. Nude watercolor on paper

By Celso José Castro Daza

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Drawing on paper is his basic work tool, some are sketches of his surviving works, and others are sketches of moments he documents. Throughout his artistic career, Castro has exalted the figure and genitality of the Latin American man, putting into tension the limits imposed by the sex/gender system that are part of an unquestionable patriarchal and phallocentric order. The majority of those portrayed are inhabitants of the Colombian coast, also constructing alternative ways of conceiving Latin American identity. By breaking taboos about corporality and male sexuality, his work has been censored on numerous occasions due to public accusations of immorality and pornography. Celso Castro’s work is a bare-bulb erotic photo...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Pastel, Watercolor, Paper, Ink

Havana No 6, Red - bold, bright, colorful, abstract, modernist, oil on canvas
Havana No 6, Red - bold, bright, colorful, abstract, modernist, oil on canvas

Havana No 6, Red - bold, bright, colorful, abstract, modernist, oil on canvas

By David Sorensen

Located in Bloomfield, ON

In this colourful abstract painting by David Sorensen, bright red draws the viewer’s eye. The Canadian artist completed a series of oils after visiting Havana, Cuba in 1999. The Havana series was created using a spatula and paintbrush. The result is highly textured pieces rendered in vivid colours—graphic shapes of lime green, orange, indigo and brown. A grid-like pattern of thick vertical and horizontal lines adds visual drama and contrast. “To me, there is still this celebration worth the paint. And it’s about an open door that the artist used to call muse.” David Sorensen Born in Vancouver Sorensen (1937-2011) studied at UBC and the Vancouver School of Art. His teachers were renowned—Arthur...

Category

1990s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

In Plain Sight
In Plain Sight

In Plain Sight

By Tim Berg & Rebekah Myers

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Ceramic parrots atop wood perches, each is handmade Our objective is to distill the stereotypical perceptions and associations within our culture into visually compelling objects, s...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Ceramic, Wood

Gaze Big Green - large, colorful, geometric abstract, contemporary oil on canvas
Gaze Big Green - large, colorful, geometric abstract, contemporary oil on canvas

Gaze Big Green - large, colorful, geometric abstract, contemporary oil on canvas

By David Sorensen

Located in Bloomfield, ON

Geometric passages in painterly red-orange frame a central green field in this bold abstract painting by David Sorensen. Through his painterly modern compositions, celebrated Canadian painter David Sorensen (1937-2011) sought to “give voice to the inner reality.” In the paintings from his last years, Sorensen offers solutions to the nature of abstraction – wresting nature and the horizon from pure form and brilliant colour. Born in Vancouver, Sorensen studied at UBC and the Vancouver School of Art under Arthur...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Gluttony"

"Gluttony"

By Tim Rees

Located in Scottsdale, AZ

Timothy Rees was fascinated with drawing throughout his youth and after high school pursued a degree in animation. The pull to painting portraits and figures was strong, however, le...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

"Delightful Desert Day"

"Delightful Desert Day"

By Claudia Hartley

Located in Scottsdale, AZ

"The comment I hear most often about my paintings is 'happy'". I've loved art all of my life and it warms my heart to know that I'm able to pass that love and joy on to others. I use color and shape to capture the wonders of the world around me. Her love affair with art began as a child, when her favorite present was a new box of Crayola crayons...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic

They reveal themselves over time. Abstract mixed media painting on canvas
They reveal themselves over time. Abstract mixed media painting on canvas

They reveal themselves over time. Abstract mixed media painting on canvas

By On Hansen

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Traces of lived experiences appear in On Hansen's works, exploring the possibilities of formal abstraction and seeking an organic experience between space and time through painting a...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Crayon, Ink, Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite

Helena Christensen II - the nude supermodel jumping in the air
Helena Christensen II - the nude supermodel jumping in the air

Helena Christensen II - the nude supermodel jumping in the air

By Michel Comte

Located in Vienna, AT

Iconic nude portrait of 90's supermodel jumping. For decades Michel Comte has been shooting protagonists from the world of art, film and entertainment. However, he does not only take...

Category

1990s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Dragonissi (Aegean Sea Suite)
Dragonissi (Aegean Sea Suite)

Dragonissi (Aegean Sea Suite)

By Thomas McKnight

Located in Greenwich, CT

"Dragonissi" is a serigraph on paper by Thomas McKnight from his 'Aegean Sea Suite', signed 'McKnight' lower right and numbered XII/CC lower left. From the edition of 510 (there were...

Category

20th Century Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

Deep Inside III #3, 2018 - Limited Edition Giclee Print

Deep Inside III #3, 2018 - Limited Edition Giclee Print

Located in Brighton, GB

Deep Inside III #3 is a Giclée Print on Cotton Paper (Hahnemuhle Rag Paper 308g) print available in this size in a limited edition of 10 + 2 Artist Proofs. Born in Porqueres, a sma...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Giclée, Photographic Paper, Color

Easy Rider

Easy Rider

By William Wegman

Located in New York, NY

2009, pigment print photograph, 14 x 11 inches, Edition of 12 signed and numbered by the artist on the reverse William Wegman is a renowned photographer famous for his unique and ar...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Pigment

Astrapia

Astrapia

By Cristina Mittermeier

Located in Chicago, IL

"Astrapia" Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea, 2006. Available sizes: 20 x 30 in / Edition of 6 - $4,500 32 x 48 in / Edition of 6 - $10,500 40 x 60 in / Edition of 6 - $12,500 50 x 7...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

California Cowgirl by Anouk Krantz 2022

California Cowgirl by Anouk Krantz 2022

By Anouk Krantz

Located in Chicago, IL

California Cowgirl (B&W) 2022 ARCHIVAL PIGMENT PRINT Unframed Sizes: 30 x 45 in (76.2 x 114.3 cm) - Edition of 15 + 2 AP (Artist Proofs) SILVER GELATIN PRINT Unframed Size: 11.3 x ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Silver Gelatin

Minor Saint

Minor Saint

By Barnaby Fitzgerald

Located in Dallas, TX

A professor of painting at Southern Methodist University since 1984, Barnaby Fitzgerald spent his childhood in Italy where he earned a printmaking degree in Urbino. He received a BFA...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Egg Tempera, Panel

Nocturnal, by Art Werger
Nocturnal, by Art Werger

Nocturnal, by Art Werger

By Art Werger

Located in Palm Springs, CA

Medium: mezzotin Year: 2022 Edition: 50 Image Size: 17.75 x 23.5 inches Signed, titled and numbered in pencil by the artist Dramatic image of the streets of New York from the air. ....

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Mezzotint

Eros and Psyche
Eros and Psyche

Eros and Psyche

By Barnaby Fitzgerald

Located in Dallas, TX

A professor of painting at Southern Methodist University since 1984, Barnaby Fitzgerald spent his childhood in Italy where he earned a printmaking degree in Urbino. He received a BFA...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Becky Doesn't Get It"
"Becky Doesn't Get It"

"Becky Doesn't Get It"

By Michael Carson

Located in Scottsdale, AZ

Mike Carson is a Minneapolis painter, and graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, whose artwork can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the Unite...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Loyang Still Life

Loyang Still Life

By Mary Vernon

Located in Dallas, TX

"In the world of still life and landscape, conceptual events meet one another – the structural meets the narrative, the small stands in the space of the large, and color has a chance...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Deep and Passionate Red"

"Deep and Passionate Red"

By John Schieffer

Located in Scottsdale, AZ

John Schieffer graduated in 1995 from Paier College of Art in Hamden, Connecticut with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The salutatorian entered the world of illustration at Mercer Mayer Productions as a children’s book illustrator. It was a job where he used his artistic abilities although it was not an outlet for a serious painting career. (He has a written and illustrated a book of his own that is awaiting a publisher). John then worked in the field of graphics at Leslie Roy...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil

In the Fifth Season

In the Fifth Season

By Gregory Amenoff

Located in New York, NY

Gregory Amenoff is a painter who lives in New York City and Ulster County, New York. He is the recipient of numerous awards from organizations including the American Academy of Arts ...

Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Art

Materials

Woodcut

Marilyn Monroe Andy Warhol Denied Painting canvas Black Pink Green Charles Lutz
Marilyn Monroe Andy Warhol Denied Painting canvas Black Pink Green Charles Lutz

Marilyn Monroe Andy Warhol Denied Painting canvas Black Pink Green Charles Lutz

By Charles Lutz

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Denied Warhol portrait of Marilyn Monroe Silkscreen Painting on canvas by Charles Lutz Silkscreen and acrylic on canvas with artist's Denied stamp of the Andy Warhol Art Authenticati...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Linen, Acrylic

Warm and Sunny
Warm and Sunny

Warm and Sunny

By Takashi Murakami

Located in Greenwich, CT

Warm and Sunny is an offset lithograph by Takashi Murakami from 2011. The image size is 27 x 27 inches and the framed size is 39 x 39 inches. Framed in a contemporary, silver-tone fr...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper, Offset

Allegro Con Brio - contemporary, figurative, acrylic and thread sculpture
Allegro Con Brio - contemporary, figurative, acrylic and thread sculpture

Allegro Con Brio - contemporary, figurative, acrylic and thread sculpture

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This large contemporary clear acrylic sculpture of a piano was inspired by the artist’s love of music. This beautiful and magical piece of modern art is the unique vision of an award-winning author and music lover. Years ago, Ruth Kassinger noticed how sunlight streaming through her living room windows bounced off white walls, through a glass coffee table, and splashed rainbows around the room. When her eyes drifted to the black baby grand piano in the room, she had an epiphany. The idea for a full-scale, transparent piano sculpture filled with colors was born. To create the piano, she worked with a talented team of acrylic glass artisans who created the piano’s body and its keyboard. Using laser technology, thousands of holes were drilled both by computer and by hand to ensure that all of the threads are perfectly parallel. Then, using small acrylic boxes as models, Kassinger spent a year testing various threads to determine spacing and color combinations until they expressed her vision of music. “It takes me months to thread a piano. I use embroidery needles that I manipulate with long-handled surgical forceps. The highly polished, clear acrylic form allows light to flow through the sculpture, illuminating the thousands of multi-hued nylon and French silk threads. The threads change color as you move around the piano and, thanks to an optical phenomenon called moiré, they appear to move as if being played.” Kassinger is best known for her books about science, history, and gardening. As a science writer, she has studied and written about the concepts of transparency and color. As a music lover, Kassinger’s personal experience of listening to music is heightened by a form of synaesthesia where she actually sees colors when she hears music. And, having grown up in a family of craftsmen (her parents had a custom furniture business and she later designed several pieces for her own home), she has the skills to undertake her first sculptural piece: a ‘glass’ piano...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Thread, Acrylic Polymer

Havana No 4, Yellow - bold, bright, colorful, abstract, modernist, oil on canvas
Havana No 4, Yellow - bold, bright, colorful, abstract, modernist, oil on canvas

Havana No 4, Yellow - bold, bright, colorful, abstract, modernist, oil on canvas

By David Sorensen

Located in Bloomfield, ON

A vibrant culture is captured in colour and dynamic form in this lively abstract painting by David Sorensen. After visiting Cuba in 1999, the Canadian artist created a series of paintings. The light, the bright colours and the rich atmosphere of life in Havana inspired Sorensen’s colour palette—a brilliant square of yellow in the center, surrounded by graphic shapes in red, orange, lime green, blue and black. Lines of blue and black create a grid-like pattern that runs both horizontally and vertically across the canvas. “Through the medium of his art, a bridge is built between inner sensation and outer world experience, illusion and reality, what we cannot see and what we see, life and afterlife.” John K. Grande, Montreal poet and writer Born in Vancouver Sorensen (1937-2011) studied at UBC and the Vancouver School of Art. His teachers were renowned—Arthur Erikson...

Category

1990s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dealing with Death
Dealing with Death

Dealing with Death

By Miles Cleveland Goodwin

Located in Dallas, TX

Working in his open-air studio, Miles Cleveland Goodwin is deeply in touch with the rural landscape. Goodwin’s ruminative portrayals, full of earthy metaphor and soulful intuition, e...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil, Panel, Wood

I am fleeting #12. From I am fleeting Series
I am fleeting #12. From I am fleeting Series

I am fleeting #12. From I am fleeting Series

By Javier Rey

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Is a project that debates through the photographic image, the importance that humans have assigned to ourselves, and proposes a reconciliation with the reality of our own insignifica...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Color, Archival Pigment

New
New

New

By William Wegman

Located in New York, NY

Photographed and printed by William Wegman in 2001, the aptly named “New” is a chromogenic print on photo paper, hand-signed by the photographer in black ink, dated and numbered (ver...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

C Print

Sean, glass bunny
Sean, glass bunny

Sean, glass bunny

By Hunt Slonem

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Hunt Slonem included in 200+ museums worldwide Unique hand blown glass sculpture Signature and date etched on base

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Blown Glass

From the Earth: Red Seeds - luscious pomegranate red glass, still life sculpture
From the Earth: Red Seeds - luscious pomegranate red glass, still life sculpture

From the Earth: Red Seeds - luscious pomegranate red glass, still life sculpture

By Catherine Vamvakas Lay

Located in Bloomfield, ON

Clustered and sensuous oblong forms in translucent red glass have a smooth polished surface like the fruit that surrounds pomegranate seeds. A single seed sits next to the cluster. T...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Glass, Blown Glass

Contemporary art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Stefanie Schneider, Tyler Shields, Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde, and Richard Heeps. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Contemporary art, so small editions measuring 0.02 inches across are also available.