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.
1980s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment, Photographic Film, Pi...
2010s Contemporary Art
Enamel
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Board, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Wood, Paper, Charcoal, Pastel, Acrylic, Graphite
1990s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Etching, Aquatint, Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Pastel, Archival Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper
1980s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
C Print
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Silver, Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Board
1980s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper
1980s Contemporary Art
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Black and White, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment...
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Plaster
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
1990s Contemporary Art
Crayon, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paint, Found Objects
1970s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Linen, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Epoxy Resin, Oil, Board
1980s Contemporary Art
Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Art
Oil, Board
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Metal
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Color, Archival Pigment, Polaroid
1960s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Monotype
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Wire
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Color, Archival Pigment
1980s Contemporary Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Wood Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Giclée
1980s Contemporary Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gesso, Paper, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Gouache
2010s Contemporary Art
Fabric, Textile, Mixed Media, Oil, Wood
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Screen