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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
Nabos. From The Bodegones  Series. Still life color photography
Nabos. From The Bodegones  Series. Still life color photography

Nabos. From The Bodegones Series. Still life color photography

By Dora Franco

Located in Miami Beach, FL

The bodegones are a pictorial interpretation based on a research project of the famous chef Juan Carlos Franco, on old food recipes of different periods in history. The photographer ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Color

The Pleasantville Color Cartoon, by Frank Romero
The Pleasantville Color Cartoon, by Frank Romero

The Pleasantville Color Cartoon, by Frank Romero

By Frank Romero

Located in Palm Springs, CA

Medium: Digital archival print Image Size: 13.5 x 35 inches Year: 2024 Edition: 500 This is a unusual item from Romero, a project completed for a movie. The Pleasantville Color Car...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Five Window Chevy Pickup, by Frank Romero
Five Window Chevy Pickup, by Frank Romero

Five Window Chevy Pickup, by Frank Romero

By Frank Romero

Located in Palm Springs, CA

Cars are a central theme in a lot of Chicano art, and Frank Romero has made several famous images on the theme. This a unique stencil painting made on handmade paper (from Bhutan). There are 20 prints in the edition, with hand-painting on each. Throughout his 40 year career as an artist, Frank Romero has been a dedicated member of the Los Angeles arts community. As a member of the 1970s Chicano art collective, Los Four, Romero and fellow artists Carlos Almaraz...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Paint, Stencil

Radiance - painting, acrylic on canvas
Radiance - painting, acrylic on canvas

Radiance - painting, acrylic on canvas

By Sasha Rogers

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This contemporary abstract landscape painting is by Sasha Rogers. The luminous, expressive paintings of this Canadian artist are rooted in her childhood memories of growing up on th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Sun Crown, Portrait. Limited Edition Photograph
Sun Crown, Portrait. Limited Edition Photograph

Sun Crown, Portrait. Limited Edition Photograph

By Ricky Cohete

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Channeling the energy of “water-signs” in astrology, he captures these mysterious men thru a romantic lens. The embrace of the shadows and the light mixed with the gaze of their bodi...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Guardians & Butterflies Savior
Guardians & Butterflies Savior

Guardians & Butterflies Savior

By Hunt Slonem

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Hunt Slonem, American, included in 250+ museum collections Unique oil on canvas painting, signed and dated verso Inspired by nature and his 60 pet birds, Hunt Slonem is renowned fo...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Ascension
Ascension

Ascension

By Maria Deguchi

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Ascension Etching and aquatint printed in red and gold leaf on Arches France paper Signed, titled, and editioned in pencil by the artist (see photos) Edition: 60 of which this number...

Category

1970s Contemporary Art

Materials

Aquatint

"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

Untitled Ref. 94016
Untitled Ref. 94016

Untitled Ref. 94016

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

Tropical Venus. From Venus Nostalgia series
Tropical Venus. From Venus Nostalgia series

Tropical Venus. From Venus Nostalgia series

By Paloma Castello

Located in Miami Beach, FL

The series "Venus Nostalgia" is a collection of sculptures inspired by the famous Venus de Milo, an emblematic work in the history of art that has had a great impact on Castello's wo...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Ceramic, Glaze

Art EV

Art EV

By Max Steven Grossman

Located in Boca Raton, FL

- ART themed Bookscape - Printed large enough to pass as an actual library, these images point to the gradual loss of paper books. This composition of ART themed books includes Piet ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Plexiglass, Photographic Paper

Sea Crown. Portrait. Limited Edition Photograph
Sea Crown. Portrait. Limited Edition Photograph

Sea Crown. Portrait. Limited Edition Photograph

By Ricky Cohete

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Channeling the energy of “water-signs” in astrology, he captures these mysterious men thru a romantic lens. The embrace of the shadows and the light mixed with the gaze of their bodi...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Pigment

Coastal Fog
Coastal Fog

Coastal Fog

By Stephen McMillan

Located in Palm Springs, CA

Trees in fog. A band of fog off of the Pacific, pouring its way through the forest in Fiscalini Ranch, Cambria. Born in Berkeley, California, on December 21, 1949, he was raised in ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

No But Yes, by Yuji Hiratsuka
No But Yes, by Yuji Hiratsuka

No But Yes, by Yuji Hiratsuka

By Yuji Hiratsuka

Located in Palm Springs, CA

Image of a young woman, pondering a question over a cup of coffee. While the images have some resemblance to traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, their sense of whimsy, satire and i...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio

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

"Charades"
"Charades"

"Charades"

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

Dries Van Noten’s table. From the Interiors series
Dries Van Noten’s table. From the Interiors series

Dries Van Noten’s table. From the Interiors series

By Manuel Santelices

Located in Miami Beach, FL

A new series inspired by architecture, décor and stylish personalities of the world of interior design. The worlds of fashion, society and pop culture are captured in the illustrati...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache, Watercolor

Contemporary Details II

Contemporary Details II

By Moe Brooker

Located in Bryn Mawr, PA

Contemporary Details II, 1997 Pastel on buff handmade paper 12 x 12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm) Framed dimensions: 26 x 26 inches Signed, dated and inscribed lower right: Brooker '97 TTGG Provenance The artist; June Kelly Gallery, New York; Private collection, Washington, DC Renowned abstract painter Moe...

Category

1990s Contemporary Art

Materials

Pastel, Handmade Paper

A Broken Frame - An Album Cover for Depeche Mode - Medium Size Photograph
A Broken Frame - An Album Cover for Depeche Mode - Medium Size Photograph

A Broken Frame - An Album Cover for Depeche Mode - Medium Size Photograph

By Brian Griffin 1

Located in London, GB

A solitary figure harvests wheat under a darkening sky, embodying resilience against nature's elements... “It had been raining all morning but the clouds suddenly parted and we had ...

Category

1980s Contemporary Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color

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

Silver Linings No. 3 - contemporary, handcrafted, ceramic sculpture
Silver Linings No. 3 - contemporary, handcrafted, ceramic sculpture

Silver Linings No. 3 - contemporary, handcrafted, ceramic sculpture

By Loren Kaplan

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This contemporary ceramic black vase is by Loren Kaplan. A gifted ceramicist, Loren Kaplan’s strikingly elegant work is highly regarded by international collectors. Kaplan’s porcelain artwork is informed by her homeland, South Africa—its people, land and cultural traditions. This black stone vase...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Ceramic

"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

Corpheum XIX - large, geometric, abstract, stainless steel outdoor sculpture
Corpheum XIX - large, geometric, abstract, stainless steel outdoor sculpture

Corpheum XIX - large, geometric, abstract, stainless steel outdoor sculpture

By Claude Millette

Located in Bloomfield, ON

The graceful arc of a dancer in motion is emulated in the fluid form of this elegant sculpture by Claude Millette. Three attached curved columns of polished stainless steel appear to almost float in mid-air. The Quebec artist...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Stainless Steel

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

Corpheum XVII - contemporary, geometric abstract, Corten steel outdoor sculpture
Corpheum XVII - contemporary, geometric abstract, Corten steel outdoor sculpture

Corpheum XVII - contemporary, geometric abstract, Corten steel outdoor sculpture

By Claude Millette

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This contemporary, geometric abstract, Corten steel outdoor sculpture is by Quebec artist Claude Millette. Millette has been creating compelling sculptures for more than four decades...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Steel

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

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

By Jaume Llorens

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

Wise Ass
Wise Ass

Wise Ass

By Robert Deyber

Located in Greenwich, CT

Wise Ass is a lithograph on paper, 9 x 9 inches image size, and initialed 'BD' lower right. From the edition of 395, numbered 215/275 (there were also 100 Roman and 20 AP). Framed i...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

"Rainclouds Over Park"
"Rainclouds Over Park"

"Rainclouds Over Park"

By Max Hammond

Located in Scottsdale, AZ

From the time he was four years old, Max Hammond was destined to paint, as he began on the walls of his home, a budding muralist. As he ran along the edges of the salt marshes of the...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Next Wave, by John Van Hamersveld
The Next Wave, by John Van Hamersveld

The Next Wave, by John Van Hamersveld

By John Van Hamersveld

Located in Palm Springs, CA

The Next Wave relates to The Endless Summer by John Van Hamersveld, an illustration of a cresting wave in the bright colors synonymous with his work. In 1963, Van Hamersveld was hire...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Screen

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.