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.
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Wood
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
1980s Contemporary Art
Paper, Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Digital, Color
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal
1970s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
1970s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Paint, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1950s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Art
Tempera
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Steel
1950s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Giclée, Archival Pigment
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Black and White, Inkjet, Archival Pigment
20th Century Contemporary Art
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Film, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Gouache, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Polymer, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Black and White
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Panel
1960s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1980s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital Pigment, Rag Paper, Digital
2010s Contemporary Art
Black and White, Inkjet, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Contemporary Art
Marble, Bronze
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1980s Contemporary Art
Offset
1990s Contemporary Art
Digital
2010s Contemporary Art
India Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
1950s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1980s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
1950s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1980s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Vinyl
2010s Contemporary Art
Linocut
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
1980s Contemporary Art
Inkjet
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Digital Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Digital
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Oil