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
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
1970s Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Ink, Paper, Watercolor
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Offset, Cardboard
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Gouache, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Glass, Canvas, Acrylic
1970s Contemporary Art
Paper, Watercolor
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Glass
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Watercolor, Mixed Media, Color Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Gesso, Paper, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Gouache
1970s Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Canvas
1940s Contemporary Art
Offset
1970s Contemporary Art
Offset
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
1960s Contemporary Art
Paper, Woodcut
1990s Contemporary Art
Watercolor
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Paper, Black and White
2010s Contemporary Art
Watercolor
1990s Contemporary Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
1970s Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Art
Paper, Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Gouache, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
1980s Contemporary Art
Paper, Etching
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Panel, Oil
20th Century Contemporary Art
Etching
1980s Contemporary Art
Offset
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Giclée
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Resin
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Cardboard
1960s Contemporary Art
Watercolor, Paper
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Offset
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
1970s Contemporary Art
Etching
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Offset
1970s Contemporary Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Bronze, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment