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.
Artist Comments
This painting was inspired by the simple joy of watching hummingbirds flit and play among the flowers in artist Karen Barton's garden. Two birds hover at the ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
1990s Contemporary Art
Black and White
2010s Contemporary Art
Enamel
1960s Contemporary Art
Oil, Tempera, Cardboard
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Archival Ink, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Textile, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Terracotta
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Archival Pigment, Oil Pastel, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Contemporary Art
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Archival Ink, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Archival Ink, Giclée
1940s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil Crayon, Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Cardboard, Acrylic
1960s Contemporary Art
Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Contemporary Art
Pastel, Watercolor
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
1990s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
1990s Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Concrete
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
1990s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1990s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Contemporary Art
Plywood, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper