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.
1970s Contemporary Art
Pastel, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
1980s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Watercolor, Sumi Ink, Color Pencil
1960s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Fabric, Textile, Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pencil, Color Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Panel
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
1990s Contemporary Art
Aquatint
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Wood, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Pigment, Giclée, Color, Photographic P...
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Dye, Emulsion, Cotton Canvas, Archival Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
1990s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment, Photographic Film, Gi...
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Canvas
1980s Contemporary Art
Foil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze, Copper
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Resin
2010s Contemporary Art
Stone, Marble
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Graphite, Paper
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Color, Etching, Intaglio, Drypoint, Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Polyester
20th Century Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Contemporary Art
Offset
1980s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Contemporary Art
Canvas, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Lithograph, Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
1960s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
1990s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Glass
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Paper, Etching, Aquatint