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
Inkjet
1990s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
C Print, Color, Polaroid, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Fabric, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Varnish, Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Nylon
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Paper, Lithograph
1970s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1980s Contemporary Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gesso, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic, Board
2010s Contemporary Art
Drypoint, Paper, Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper
1970s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Glass, Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Linocut
1990s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paper, Acrylic, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Photographic Film, Silver Gelatin
1960s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic Polymer, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital Pigment
1990s Contemporary Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Spray Paint
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Marble, Gold, Stainless Steel
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Rag Paper, Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Resin
1980s Contemporary Art
Rag Paper, Etching, Aquatint
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Permanent Marker
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Paper
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil