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.
$1,387Sale Price|25% Off
I Am Golden - 21st Century Contemporary, Expressionism, Portrait, Floral Modern
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...
Canvas, Acrylic
Plato's Path - Large Original Oil on Canvas Abstract Landscape Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Mark Acetelli’s oil and mixed media paintings awaken the viewer’s sense of exploration and adventure; they demand a new discovery. His artworks exhibit a chemistry of complexity and ...
Canvas, Oil
$4,900
Times 3 - elegant, blown glass, metal, abstract hanging wall sculpture
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Three blown glass orbs that contain assembled clock works, wheels, sprockets and coils, hang from fine chain in this unique wall sculpture. The elegant orbs in three sizes are define...
Metal
$15,000
Emily Mason - Heart monotype signed & inscribed in artists frame, Wolf Kahn wife
By Emily Mason
Located in New York, NY
Emily Mason Untitled (For Douglas), 1990 Carborundum etching and monotype on paper Pencil signed, dated and inscribed "For Douglas" Vintage wood frame included This work was created ...
Mixed Media, Etching, Monotype
$379Sale Price|20% Off
Man in rain. Figurative print, Symbolic Surrealism, Polish art
By Joanna Wiszniewska-Domanska
Located in Warsaw, PL
Surrealistic figurative print by Polish artist Joanna Wiszniewska-Domanska. Artwork depictics a man dressed in black visible from the back. THe is standing in a bathtube or a bowl, h...
Paper, Color
$7,121
M.251001 by Toshio Iezumi - Contemporary glass sculpture, vertical, abstract
Located in Paris, FR
M.251001 is a glass sculpture by Japanese contemporary artist Toshio Iezumi, dimensions are 65 × 10 × 7 cm (25.5 × 3.9 × 2.7 in). The indicated dimensions do not include the base. Th...
Glass
Time Out 03
Located in DE
Born in Hong Kong in 1979, Stephanie Ho began oil painting at the age of 11 and later refined her practice through postgraduate studies at City & Guilds of London Art School, Christi...
Canvas, Oil
The Guardian, Atelier
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Long fascinated by the brilliant spectacle of Cirque du Soleil, Richard MacDonald has brought sculptures to life that have the intrigue, allure and beauty that has made Cirque du Sol...
Bronze
Korean Contemporary Art by Lee Yu Min - Demi Moon
Located in Paris, IDF
Acrylic on wooden panel with a white frame Lee Yu Min is a Korean artist born in 1987 who lives and works in Daejeon, South Korea. She is specialized in Korean painting, completing ...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
$3,750Sale Price|25% Off
Cup of Tea - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Black Woman Hair
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Mulafossur Waterfall, Gasadalur village, Faroe Islands - color landscape
Located in Vienna, Vienna
Gerald Berghammer - Color Photography. Coastal landscape featuring a high plateau with a waterfall cascading into the ocean, partially obscured by fog. Pigment ink print, limited edi...
Digital Pigment
$2,000
"My Horizon - Santa Monica" Abstract Color Field Contemporary Painting on Canvas
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
An acrylic and oil on canvas piece with bright use of color and texture. We are focused on the simplicity of beauty in the moment as Shaoul creates a translucent but very colorful pa...
Canvas, Acrylic, Oil
"My Dream On Heart" Diamond Dust Pop Art Oil Painting White Floater Frame
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
Motivated by bold color and fast brushwork, we are moved by the simplicity and thick textured oil paints and diamond dust in these works. Shaoul’s “My Heart Collection” is a vibrant ...
Glass, Oil, Board
Contemporary Drawing "The essential". Pastel, Ink and Colored Pencils
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
Drawing based on natural pigments from leaves, flowers and bark and Pastel, Pencil, flower petals, Color and Ink on Paper. In my work there is a cross with the gaze of animals, a rem...
Paper, Oil Pastel, Ink, Pencil, Color Pencil
$4,640Sale Price|20% Off
SCHOMBURG LIBRARY 1986 Lithograph, African American History, Black Culture
Located in Union City, NJ
SCHOMBURG LIBRARY is a hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the renowned African American artist Jacob Lawrence, printed using traditional hand ...
Lithograph
Pink Diamond Dust
By Hunt Slonem
Located in London, GB
Hunt Slonem Pink Diamond Dust , 2018 Signed and dated on verso Oil and Acrylic with Diamond Dust on Canvas 152.4 x 228.6 cm Artist and collector Hunt Slonem is best known for huge N...
Oil, Acrylic
Fishing off the Pier, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A man and a little boy stand on a wooden pier and fish in the bright midday sun. One holds his rod over the water while the other leans on the railing beside hi...
Acrylic
Untitled - Portrait Of A Man, Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Colourful
Located in Salzburg, AT
Grzegorz Radecki is a Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Poland. Painter and graphic artist, born in 1961 in Ostróda. Since 1981 he has been living and working in the...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$26,500
Contemporary Cast Glass Sculpture, 'Geologic Editions #10, 2018 by David Ruth
By David Ruth
Located in Oakland, CA
Please allow a three month turnaround time for piece to be made. About the Geologic Editions: The Geologic Editions are studies for Colorado Cascade Mural. David pieced together bit...
Stainless Steel
$1,312Sale Price|25% Off
Bunmi - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, School Uniform, Nature
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Mes...
Canvas, Oil
Matthew Barney, Cremaster 5 and Matthew Barney, Cremaster 5, Gellert Bath House
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Photographer Michael James O'Brien documented with beautiful and unique images the final part of Matthew Barney's lyric opera cycle about a tragic love story set in romantic Budapest...
Archival Pigment, Black and White
$90
Stefanie Schneider Polaroid sized unlimited Mini 'Long Way Home' - signed
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Stefanie Schneider Polaroid sized unlimited Mini 'Long Way Home' - 1999 - signed in front, not mounted. 1 Digital Color Photographs based on a Polaroid. Polaroid sized open Edit...
Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Lambda, Polaroid
$6,500
Dark Window - Geometric Abstract Painting Dark Cobalt Blue Teal Paisley, 2017
Located in Kent, CT
Silk elements, oil and acrylic on linen create a dynamic surface in this contemporary geometric abstract painting in shades of dark blue from navy to deep cobalt. Variations of soft ...
Linen, Silk, Oil, Acrylic
Mother Stream
Located in Bozeman, MT
"In my paintings I take on the role of poet-painter, creating sentimental and idealized landscapes that are devoid of any figures or formal devices traditionally used to tell a story...
Canvas, Oil
$1,139Sale Price|20% Off
Diving Platform, Black & White Seascape Photograph, Limited Edition
Located in Vienna, Vienna
Archival pigment ink print, produced in a limited edition of 9 // Gallery ID: 11431 Fine art prints are produced to order on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. Each print is stamped on the...
Digital Pigment
$1,600
"Cinderblock", Still Life Contemporary Oil Painting in Muted Neutral Tones
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Cinderblock" is an original piece by Jeremy Miranda made from acrylic on panel. This piece measures 12”h x 9.5”w and comes with a gallery-issued Certif...
Acrylic, Panel
Amancio Bronce negrita original sculpture
Located in CORAL GABLES - MIAMI, FL
Sculpture by the Spanish artist AMANCIO GONZALEZ. 250 copies Fantastic piece of art representing Spanish sculpture Amancio González is a sculptor from Leon and an internationally c...
Bronze
$205
Hermosa Single Palm 5 - Original Sunset Still Life Photography Mixed Media Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pete Kasprzak’s passion for city life is expressed in his dynamic urban artworks. Kasprzak’s artworks express energy and life with animated brush strokes. He adds dynamic movement an...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Photographic Paper
Large Seated Figure II by Pierre Yermia - bronze sculpture, woman
Located in Paris, FR
Large Seated Figure II (Grande figure assise I) is a large-scale sculpture by French contemporary artist Pierre Yermia. Bronze, 44.5 × 9.8 × 9.4 in / 113 × 25 × 24 cm. Edition of 8 ...
Bronze
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Three Bathers by the Water](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-three-bathers-by-the-water-for-sale/a_9323/1658516123793/Beard_Three_Bathers_1200_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Three Bathers by the Water
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Three Bathers by the Water Signed in red, recto Oil on canvas 96.25 x 67 inches (244.5 x 170.2 cm) $15,000 + $900 framing This work is offered by Cla...
Canvas, Masonite, Oil
“Zura Original ‘12 Chairs’ Artwork — Bold Primitivist Style
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Twelve Chairs revisits the visual language of 1920s modernism. With bold, simplified lines and a graphic immediacy reminiscent of drawing, Zura evokes the era’s spirit of primitivism...
Canvas, Acrylic
$305
Troubadour - Original Night Life Landscape Photography Mixed Media Art on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pete Kasprzak’s passion for city life is expressed in his dynamic urban artworks. Kasprzak’s artworks express energy and life with animated brush strokes. He adds dynamic movement an...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Photographic Paper
Seestuck (Gegenlicht)
Located in New York, NY
Color offset print on smooth, white wove paper, 1991. Signed by the artist and dated in ink, lower right. Published by Achenbach Editions, Düsseldorf. Sheet size 27.5 x 27.5 inches...
Offset, Color
Landschap II - 21st Century Contemporary Realistic Landscape Painting
By Bart Koning
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Bart Koning (Dutch artist) Landschap II 24 x 30 cm (Framed included in price 24,4 x 30,4) Oil paint on wood panel We're proud to introduce Dutch/ German artist Bart Koning. Incredi...
Oil, Wood Panel
Massimo Listri 'Palazzo Ducale, Massa, Italy'
Located in New York, NY
Palazzo Ducale, Massa, Italy, 1999 Chromogenic print 120 x 150 cm Edition of 5 Italian, b. 1954, Florence, Italy, based in Florence, Italy Massimo Listri travels his native Italy an...
C Print
Peter Max Mixed Media, Signed, Framed, Unique, 1998, Portrait
By Peter Max
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Peter Max Title: Profile Medium: Unique acrylic and mixed media on paper Date: 1998 Edition: One of a kind Frame Size: 18 1/4" x 16 1/4" Sheet Size: 10 3/8" x 8 1/2" Signatur...
Mixed Media, Acrylic
Walking in Devon no.1 & no.2, diptych, Abstract, Contemporary, landscape
Located in Deddington, GB
Walking in Devon No.2 is an original oil painting by artist Alexa Roscoe. This landscape painting continues to draw inspiration from the Devon countryside where Alexa grew up and oft...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled 18
Located in London, GB
Billy Childish Untitled 18, 2013 Giclee archival print 36.19 x 30.48 cm 14.25 x 12 in Billy Childish’s emotional, introspective portraits and landscapes take inspiration from the ar...
Giclée, Archival Pigment
Cowboy TV (framed) - large photograph of iconic movie in Western landscape
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
Large scale original photograph of vintage television set with iconic western movie in American Wild West landscape with "frameless" plexiglass facemounting Cowboy TV by Frank Schot...
Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Plexiglass, Archival Ink, Archival...
$2,468Sale Price|20% Off
Row of Trees on Stone Island, Norway, Black and White Waterscape Panorama
Located in Vienna, Vienna
Archival pigment ink print, produced in a limited edition of 9 // Gallery ID: 21290 Fine art prints are produced to order on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. Each print is stamped on the...
Digital Pigment
Jazz Slide, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
This modern painting features a dancer in mid-slide. The contrast between his bright, colorful tie and the otherwise muted, neutral palette of his outfit and ba...
Oil
$2,136Sale Price|20% Off
Confidence- 21st Century Contemporary Portrait of a Boy with Bare chest
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
David van der Linden 'Confidence' 60 x 60 cm ( Framed in black wooden frame, included in price, 70 x 70 cm) Oil on canvas 2024 Artist David van der Linden has a hard time to paint...
Canvas, Oil
West Texas Morning
Located in New Orleans, LA
Archival pigment ink print on Hahnemuhle cotton paper, edition 17 of 30. In this new series of paintings, Moore explores themes of wanderlust and memory. From glowing neon signage, ...
Rag Paper, Archival Pigment
$4,272
Ensemble, Plaster by Delphine Brabant - Vertical Abstract Sculpture, White
Located in Paris, FR
Ensemble, plaster is a sculpture by contemporary French artist Delphine Brabant from the “Human Being” series. Edition of 8 + 4 artist's proofs. 16.1 × 12.6 × 7.9 in / 41 × 32 × 20 c...
Plaster
Ryewater 563, original painting, landscape
Located in Deddington, GB
This work depicts a traditional wildflower meadow in full bloom. The colours are drawn from soft green meadow grasses, the white ox-eye daisies in abundance as well as the pretty pin...
Canvas, Acrylic
Salt on Mina Mina, Contemporary Abstract Painting, Linen, 2000s
Located in Miami, FL
Dorothy Napangardi spent her early childhood living a nomadic life at Mina Mina near Lake Mackay in the Tanami Desert during the late 1950s and early 1960s. This idyllic life came to...
Linen, Polymer
$400Sale Price|20% Off
Misty Agapanthus Diptych ( Two 24 x 18" cyanotypes)
Located in Oakland, CA
Although these look like screen prints or woodcuts, they are a form of 19th-century photography, cyanotypes. The normal color is dark blue. However, this unique celadon color that ca...
Archival Paper, Paper, Rag Paper, Monotype, Photogram
Spin (Butterfly)
By Damien Hirst
Located in Manchester, GB
By Damien Hirst 2009 Stamped by artist A vibrant example of Damien Hirst’s iconic spin paintings, this work embodies the artist’s exploration of colour, movement, and controlled r...
Paper, Acrylic
$1,186Sale Price|20% Off
Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting Emotional Contemporary Spanish Canvas 2022
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting Emotional Contemporary Spanish Canvas Artist: Nerea Caos (b. 1993) Title: El ojo que todo lo ve Medium: Oil on canvas D...
Canvas, Oil
$2,017
Where light lingers longest - Contemporary Architecture pool House Oil Painting
Located in DE
Lilly Muth's architectural paintings transport viewers on a visual journey to a different world, where imagination knows no bounds and the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur...
Canvas, Oil
Horizontal Landscape - Contemporary Oil Painting, Polish artist
By Monika Rossa
Located in Warsaw, PL
MONIKA ROSSA studied painting at the University of Arizona, in the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and at the Escuela de Diseno in Barcelona. She practices drawing and easel painting....
Canvas, Oil
$3,200
Pieced - grey, blue, white, textured, layered glass, wall relief, sculpture
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Glass artist Cheryl Wilson Smith’s grandmother used to create hand-stitched quilts from cut squares of fabric. This beautiful wall sculpture with its patchwork pattern, and its soft ...
Glass
David Bowie, New York, 20th Century, Contemporary, Celebrity, Photography
By Greg Gorman
Located in München, BY
Edition 10 Also available in 40 x 50 cm / 16 x 20 inch, Edition 25 Signed on a label and a certificate of authenticity Black and white portrait of Singer and Songwriter David Bowie...
Archival Pigment
$1,500
"Cat's Inventory", Contemporary Painting Exploring Repetition and Cat Imagery
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Cat's Inventory" is an original piece by Kay Seohyung Lee made from oil on canvas. This piece measures 14"h x 11"w x 1.5"d and comes with a gallery-issued Certificate of Authenticit...
Oil, Canvas
Dale Chihuly: Opera Blue Basket Set
By Dale Chihuly
Located in Miami, FL
DALE CHIHULY Opera Blue Basket Set, 1995 Blown glass 22 x 19 x 18 in Provenance: Dennis Ochi Gallery, Ketchum, ID (acquired directly from the artist) Adelson Galleries, New York, NY
Blown Glass
Ibis by Chésade - Bronze sculpture of a bird, animal, sea wader
By Chésade
Located in Paris, FR
Ibis is a unique bronze sculpture by contemporary artist Chésade, dimensions are 26 × 26 × 12 cm / 10.2 × 10.2 × 4.7 in. The sculpture is signed and comes with a certificate of authe...
Bronze
$165
Zinnia Bouquet in Glass Jar III - Colorful Watercolor Still Life Floral Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Xiao Wen Xu's artistic practice is deeply influenced by her profound appreciation for the natural world. This artwork is part of her "Zinnia Bouquet" series. Through a masterful blen...
Paper, Watercolor
$2,200
Seascape X - large format photograph of monochrome blu water surface and horizon
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mesmerizing large scale photograph from artist's Seascape series, a body of works capturing the tactile surfaces and monochromatic nature of oceanic water and cloudscapes Seascape ...
Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
Jackson Pollock Bearbrick 400% figure (Jackson Pollock BE@RBRICK)
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Jackson Pollock 400% & 100% Bearbrick Vinyl Figure (set of 2): A rare highly collectible Bearbrick Jackson Pollock statue piece, splattered from head to toe in Pollock’s signature a...
Resin, Vinyl
$9,851
Feline VI by Pierre Yermia - Contemporary animal sculpture, bronze, cat, elegant
Located in Paris, FR
Feline VI is a bronze sculpture by French contemporary artist Pierre Yermia, dimensions are 29 × 83 × 15 cm (11.4 × 32.7 × 5.9 in). The sculpture is signed and numbered, it is part ...
Bronze