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.
2010s Contemporary Art
Wood, Cotton Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Ceramic, Glaze
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Art
Enamel
1990s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Digital Pigment, Black and White, Photographic Film
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Ink
20th Century Contemporary Art
Marble, Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Contemporary Art
Marble, Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
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
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Textile, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Powder Coating, Watercolor
1980s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
20th Century Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Encaustic, Archival Paper, Monotype
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Film, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
India Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Contemporary Art
C Print
1960s Contemporary Art
Pastel, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Art
Charcoal, Carbon Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
1960s Contemporary Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Monotype
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
1960s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic