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Contemporary Art

CONTEMPORARY STYLE

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.

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Style: Contemporary
- 21st Century Contemporary realistic Painting of a bird
- 21st Century Contemporary realistic Painting of a bird

- 21st Century Contemporary realistic Painting of a bird

By Ria Koreman

Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant

Ria Koreman Wren 30 x 24 cm (framed included in price 35 x 29 cm) Ria Korenman paints what many people overlook: the magic in everyday life. Especially birds, with a soft spot for t...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Viareggio Pano (artist framed) - unique panorama of Mediterranean summer beach
Viareggio Pano (artist framed) - unique panorama of Mediterranean summer beach

Viareggio Pano (artist framed) - unique panorama of Mediterranean summer beach

By Massimo Vitali

Located in San Francisco, CA

A rare unique panoramic format photograph of an iconic summer beach scene along the Mediterranean coast of Tuscany by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the summer rites and rituals of modern leisure. Published in March 2024 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his beach project, Massimo Vitali selected this never published work for a special 30th Anniversary panoramic edition: Viareggio Pano (1999) 42” x 93” / 106 x 236cm (framed) limited edition of 12 + 2AP signed, titled, dated certificate of authenticity original archival photography print with diasec (acrylic glass) face mount in light grey lacquered gallery frame Each original photograph is printed at the artist studio in Italy under artist supervision in strictly limited edition (12 + 2AP), signed/titled/dated upon final inspection and expertly framed at a renowned art framing facility in Germany specializing in large scale art photography works. Disclaimer of authenticity: although it is possible to acquire (smaller size) single page offset prints from the book "A Portfolio of Landscapes and Figures" (published by Steidl) in the secondary market, the artist studio strongly dissuades collectors from purchasing these single page prints outside of the context and authenticity of the complete portfolio. _____________________ About the artist Massimo Vitali was born in Como, Italy, in 1944. He studied photography at the London College of Printing, in the 1970s initially working as a photojournalist, but at the beginning of the 80s a growing mistrust in the belief, that photography had an absolute capacity to reproduce the subtleties of reality, led to a change in his career path. He worked in cinematography for film and television before beginning a fine art practice in 1995. Over the next two decades, Vitali’s large scale works would become recognizable for his highly detailed, epic scale panoramas, sociopolitical observations of the natural habitat of humankind at leisure. His iconic series of beach panoramas, captured from a distance with an elevated large format camera platform, began in the light of drastic political changes in Italy. Drawing inspiration from Renaissance and Old Flemish masters, in which the central space is fully exploited and the urban or natural landscape becomes the background, Vitali’s photographs grasp the viewer by capturing highly detailed observances of the recreational habitats of modern civilization. Vitali’s work has been collected in six monographs: Beach and Disco, Natural Habitats, Landscapes With Figures, Swimming Pools, Short Stories and the just released Entering A New World. Additionally, his work is represented in the world’s major museums, including the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, the Fond National Art Contemporaine in Paris, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Fondation Cartier in Paris and the Museo Luigi Pecci in Prato. Massimo Vitali lives and works in Lucca (Italy) and in Berlin (Germany). __________________________ SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2024 Photolux Festival - Il Bel Paese? Palazzo Ducale, Lucca, Italy 2023 La Grande Oasi - The way we live, now OCA, Oasy Contemporary Art - Pistoia 2023 Standing Still Cortona On The Move, Arezzo, Italy 2022 Massimo Vitali PhotoESPANA Biblioteca Central Cantabria, Santander 2022 Endless Summer Edwin Hook Gallery, New York 2022 Massimo Vitali: Leporello 2020 Melbourne 2022 Ti ho visto Mazzoleni Gallery, Turin 2021 PienoVuoto Forte di Belvedere, Florence 2021 No Country For Old Men Visionarea Art Space, Rome 2020 Human Constellations Museo Ettore Fico, Turin 2019 Massimo Vitali: Short Stories Mazzoleni, London 2018 Coastal Colonies Spiral, Tokyo 2017 ‘Disturbed Coastal Systems’ Benrubi Gallery...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Plexiglass, Wood, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper,...

In My Solitude 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Men
In My Solitude 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Men

In My Solitude 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Men

By Eyitayo Alagbe

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About the Artist Joy Eyitayo...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic

"Thermos and Mug", Needlepoint Embroidery, Textile Art, Found Object Sculpture
"Thermos and Mug", Needlepoint Embroidery, Textile Art, Found Object Sculpture

"Thermos and Mug", Needlepoint Embroidery, Textile Art, Found Object Sculpture

By Ulla-Stina Wikander

Located in Philadelphia, PA

This found object sculpture titled "Thermos and Mug" is an original artwork by Ulla-Stina Wikander made of needlepoint embroidery and vintage object. Her intricate textile constructi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Found Objects, Thread

Niewierna Zona (Unfaithful Wife) - Vintage Poster - 1975

Niewierna Zona (Unfaithful Wife) - Vintage Poster - 1975

Located in Roma, IT

Niewierna Zona (Unfaithful Wife) - Vintage Poster is a vintage poster realized by Anonymous Artist, in 1975s. Mixed colored offset print. The artwork was realized in the occasion ...

Category

1970s Contemporary Art

Materials

Photogravure

Pathfinder 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Black Women Face
Pathfinder 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Black Women Face

Pathfinder 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Black Women Face

By Oluwatosin Ogunniyi

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Pathfinder is Inspired by portraying the struggles, aspirations, and joys of women in my society, and to encourage viewers to connect with these experiences on a personal and emotion...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Charcoal, Acrylic

Hunt Slonem "Marilyn Monroe" portrait painting
Hunt Slonem "Marilyn Monroe" portrait painting

Hunt Slonem "Marilyn Monroe" portrait painting

By Hunt Slonem

Located in Boston, MA

Artist: Slonem, Hunt Title: Marilyn Monroe Date: 2026 Medium: Oil on panel Unframed Dimensions: 20" x 16" Framed Dimensions: 24.5" x 20.5" Signature: Signed by Artist on Verso...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil

Bloom and Odor
Bloom and Odor

Bloom and Odor

By John Dugdale

Located in New York, NY

Signed and inscribed (AP), verso This artwork is offered by CLAMP, New York.

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Cyanotype

"Charades"
"Charades"

"Charades"

By Michael Carson

Located in Scottsdale, AZ

Mike Carson is a Minneapolis painter, and graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, whose artwork can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the Unite...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Sunday Afternoon (Malibu)
Sunday Afternoon (Malibu)

Sunday Afternoon (Malibu)

By Stefanie Schneider

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

Sunday Afternoon (Malibu)n - 2004 39x37cm, Edition 2/5. Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist, printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Paper, based on the orignal Polaroid. Artist i...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

Victoria’s Secret Store, New York City, USA, Black-and-White Fine Art Print
Victoria’s Secret Store, New York City, USA, Black-and-White Fine Art Print

Victoria’s Secret Store, New York City, USA, Black-and-White Fine Art Print

By Gerald Berghammer

Located in Vienna, Vienna

Archival pigment ink print, produced in a limited edition of 9 // Gallery ID: 18086 Fine art prints are produced to order on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. Each print is stamped on the...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Ancient Laurisilva Forest, Madeira, Limited Edition Black-and-White Photograph
Ancient Laurisilva Forest, Madeira, Limited Edition Black-and-White Photograph

Ancient Laurisilva Forest, Madeira, Limited Edition Black-and-White Photograph

By Gerald Berghammer

Located in Vienna, Vienna

Archival pigment ink print, produced in a limited edition of 7 // Gallery ID: 21047 Fine art prints are produced to order on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. Each print is stamped on the...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

Illuminated Nest-Green Eggs, Original Painting
Illuminated Nest-Green Eggs, Original Painting

Illuminated Nest-Green Eggs, Original Painting

By Jennifer Ross

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A small, delicate nest cradles two blue eggs, its woven twigs and fibers forming intricate textures. Painted on an aluminum panel, the surface lends a subtle luminosity to the composition. The artwork celebrates nature's quiet beauty and the fragility of new life.


About the Artist
Artist Jennifer Ross finds inspiration in gathering and replicating fragments of nature. "Birds, nests, eggs, and horses represent my realization that life embodies a tension between wanting security and the love of freedom," says Jennifer. Through her art, she aspires to convey a healing power inspired by the living world. Jennifer initially aspired to follow her mother and grandfather's artistic path but took a detour and began a decade-long career working in art galleries, selling the artwork of others, and doing framing design. Eventually, her creative soul persisted. She began experimenting with small pastel...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic

Dealing with Death
Dealing with Death

Dealing with Death

By Miles Cleveland Goodwin

Located in Dallas, TX

Working in his open-air studio, Miles Cleveland Goodwin is deeply in touch with the rural landscape. Goodwin’s ruminative portrayals, full of earthy metaphor and soulful intuition, e...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Panel, Wood, Oil

Alex. Figurative Oil Painting, Surrealist, European art
Alex. Figurative Oil Painting, Surrealist, European art

Alex. Figurative Oil Painting, Surrealist, European art

By Iwan Kulik

Located in Warsaw, PL

Figurative oil on canvas painting by Iwan Kulik. Painting is in warm tones, main colors are brown, yellow nad green. Iwan Kulik has created his own characteristical style that is rec...

Category

20th Century Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"PAN AM" Cey Adams
"PAN AM" Cey Adams

"PAN AM" Cey Adams

By Cey Adams

Located in North Adams, MA

PAN AM has a long history in Cey’s studio, first created as a painting within his Trusted Brands collection and then reimagined as a suite of hand-collaged monoprints in different co...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Screen

Animals and Figure on paper, Bold lines, Bull Fighter Collage by America Martin
Animals and Figure on paper, Bold lines, Bull Fighter Collage by America Martin

Animals and Figure on paper, Bold lines, Bull Fighter Collage by America Martin

By America Martin

Located in Laguna Beach, CA

America Martin "The Bull Fighter Collage III", 2015 Pencil & Ink on Collected Paper 18.5 x 25.25 in (46.99 x 64.14 cm) America Martin is an internationally represented Colombian...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic, Paper, Ink

How to Make the Train Come Faster, Oil Painting
How to Make the Train Come Faster, Oil Painting

How to Make the Train Come Faster, Oil Painting

By Keith Thomson

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A solitary man on a subway platform stands in a pool of light. He stares down the dark tunnel as if by sheer will he could summon the train. Others, he admits...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil

Sheng Hui Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Nature Scenery"
Sheng Hui Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Nature Scenery"

Sheng Hui Landscape Original Oil On Canvas "Nature Scenery"

By Sheng Hui

Located in New York, NY

Title: Nature Scenery Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 24 x 31.5 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This painting...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Afterparty

Afterparty

By Julie Blackmon

Located in Sante Fe, NM

Domestic Vacations: The Dutch proverb "a Jan Steen household" originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous f...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Framed Muhammad Ali Serigraph, Dual Signed, Contemporary, 32/100
Framed Muhammad Ali Serigraph, Dual Signed, Contemporary, 32/100

Framed Muhammad Ali Serigraph, Dual Signed, Contemporary, 32/100

By Ronnie Wood

Located in Aventura, FL

Serigraph in colors on 300gsm paper. Hand signed lower right by Ronnie Wood; hand signed lower left by Muhammad Ali. Hand numbered 32/100 lower right. Sheet size: 28.5 x 21.5 inches. Frame size: 37 x 30 inches. This image was published in two editions - Both were autographed by Muhammad Ali in addition to being signed by Ronnie Wood. The first one, an edition of 99 pieces, was printed on canvas. The second, an edition of 100 pieces, was printed on paper and given to the Muhammad Ali Foundation's Center for Peace to be used as donor gifts. Artwork is in excellent condition. About the Artist: Ronald David "Ronnie" Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock guitarist and bassist best known as a former member of The Jeff Beck Group, Faces, and a member of The Rolling Stones since 1975. He also plays lap and pedal steel guitar...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

Award-Winning Beach, Coastline, Scotland, Black and White Landscape Photography
Award-Winning Beach, Coastline, Scotland, Black and White Landscape Photography

Award-Winning Beach, Coastline, Scotland, Black and White Landscape Photography

By Gerald Berghammer

Located in Vienna, Vienna

Archival pigment ink print, produced in a limited edition of 9 // Gallery ID: 21337 Fine art prints are produced to order on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. Each print is stamped on the...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

"Cassin's Finches", Framed Acrylic Painting of Pink Bird Studies
"Cassin's Finches", Framed Acrylic Painting of Pink Bird Studies

"Cassin's Finches", Framed Acrylic Painting of Pink Bird Studies

Located in Philadelphia, PA

This piece titled "Cassin's Finches" is an original artwork by Shae Warnick and is made of acrylic on panel and measures 21"h × 17"w framed. It is signed en verso by the artist. Sha...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic, Panel

Contemporary art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Stefanie Schneider, Tyler Shields, Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde, and Richard Heeps. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Contemporary art, so small editions measuring 0.02 inches across are also available.