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
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Giclée, Archival Pigment, Digital...
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal
1980s Contemporary Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Lithograph, Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Color, Polaroid
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
1970s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Steel
1980s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Black and White, Pigment, Archival Pi...
2010s Contemporary Art
Mylar, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
1960s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Screen
Artist Comments
A red pear and yellow lemon huddle beneath sheltering leaves. Deep shadows and moody lighting mimic the atmosphere of an approaching storm. Artist Art Tatiin ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
1990s Contemporary Art
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Graphite
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Luster, Paper, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Vinyl
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1980s Contemporary Art
Paper
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Ink, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Color, Giclée, Pi...
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
Artist Comments
Inspired by her garden, artist Judy Mackey photographed a pink rose and painted it up close. She used a palette knife to apply thick, textured strokes. The re...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
1980s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil, Canvas
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Tempera, Carbon Pencil, Rag Paper
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Ceramic, Clay, Coating, Glaze
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Archival Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
1990s Contemporary Art
Linocut