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.
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper, Color
2010s Contemporary Art
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Cardboard, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Charcoal, Pastel
1990s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Color Pencil
20th Century Contemporary Art
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Stone, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Granite, Bronze
1960s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Archival Ink, Giclée
20th Century Contemporary Art
Screen
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
2010s Contemporary Art
Wood, Cotton Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Cast Stone, Granite
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Artist Comments
Sunlight filters through the dilapidated room, illuminating dust motes and peeling paint. Before the crumbling fireplace, the translucent figures of the home's ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
1940s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1990s Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Watercolor
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Steel
2010s Contemporary Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Ink, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
20th Century Contemporary Art
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Cotton
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal, Wire
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment