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.
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 23
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
Mirages #11. Architectural Landscape. Limited Edition Photography
By Javier Rey
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Mirages. The idea of the monumental, utopian and modern city is constantly debated due to its own fragility. The idealization of the city is weak and vulnerable, threatened by the ru...
Color, Archival Pigment
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Fourth Floor, South
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
$7,000
Assembly - soft, landscape, forest, contemporary, acrylic and resin on panel
By Peter Hoffer
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This romantic painting from the Berlin studio of acclaimed Canadian painter Peter Hoffer is lush, rich with color, and has the surrealism of being in the interior of the forest. The ...
Resin, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Le Grand Timide (The Big Shy One) - male, figurative, cast aluminum sculpture
By Paul Duval
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This striking character cast in aluminum was created by Paul Duval. The Quebec artist has sculpted a series of characters; each one unique in colour, gesture, and form. He titles thi...
Metal
What a lovely way to burn, Figurative Painting
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Ramonn Vieitez is a self-taught Brazilian artist who primarily utilizes painting as a field of creative possibility exploring themes such as identity, memory, and nature, compulsivel...
Canvas, Oil
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 128
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
Invading #2. From The Botanical Interruption Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Whether they are symbols, dreams or marks of the life of each of us. The artist's work often features heads, floating bodies, trees, dollar signs, cars, laurel branches, and symboli...
Leather, Acrylic
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 419
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
$6,100
Ultramarine with Cream White - contemporary, floral, still-life, oil on linen
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary, floral, still-life oil painting is reminiscent of the great Fauvist artists such as Matisse. Rich colours, expressive brushstrokes, and abstracted forms characte...
Oil, Linen
House and Home
Located in New York, NY
William Wegman is a renowned photographer famous for his unique and artistic photographs of Weimaraner puppies. His approach to is far from conventional, avoiding the typical "cuddly...
Pigment
Black Dahlia #3 by Philip Gatward - Black and White Photography
Located in Brighton, GB
Black Dahlia #2 is a rich and luxurious Archival Inkjet Print by contemporary photographer Philip Gatward. It is available in this size of 32" x 32" in an Edition of 10. Gatward'...
Archival Ink, Black and White, Inkjet
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 1018
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
Untitled 28 from the series of INtheVISIBLE, 2019
By Arslan Sükan
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Sukan’s photographic work explores the conventions of the modern white cube as both an architectural context and as a content subject in and of itself. By addressing the notions of s...
Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper, Inkjet
$1,566
Black Dahlia #19 - Hollywood Floral Photography Still Life Interior Design
Located in Brighton, GB
Black Dahlia #19 is a rich and luxurious Archival Inkjet Print by contemporary photographer Philip Gatward. It is available in this size of 32" x 32" in an Edition of 10. Gatward...
Archival Ink, Black and White, Inkjet
Touch
Located in Dallas, TX
“Barnaby Fitzgerald’s outrageously gorgeous paintings are a guilty pleasure - yet the guilt is unnecessary, for they do not cloy or fatten us. They are as intellectually challenging ...
Birch, Egg Tempera
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 622
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
Garden Gate
Located in Dallas, TX
Allison Gildersleeve received her BA from the College of William and Mary and her MFA from Bard College. She has exhibited across the United States and abroad, including New York Cit...
Canvas, Spray Paint, Acrylic
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 822
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
$3,628
Chalk Streams 5, 2023 - Chalk Stream Photography Contemporary English Landscape
By Ellie Davies
Located in Brighton, GB
Chalk Streams 5, 2023 - Chalk Stream Photography Contemporary English Landscape by Ellie Davies Chalk Streams 5 is a stunning Digital C-Type Print on Fuji Maxima Matte paper, availa...
C Print, Color, Photographic Paper
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 630
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 227
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
Small Christ 3 - Contemporary Art, Figurative, Painting, Blue
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Small Christ 3, 2010 Acrylic on canvas (Signed on reverse) 7 9/10 H × 7 9/10 W in. 20 H × 20 W cm In the series of works "Small Christ", Alexandru Rădvan questions the human dimensi...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,474
Wisley 2 - Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley Abstract Flower Photography
By Giles Revell
Located in Brighton, GB
The beautifully abstracted images of muted blue Flat Sea Holly and bright yellow Daylillies are identifiable in Wisley 2. Wisley 2 is a vibrant Archival Pi...
C Print, Color, Archival Pigment, Pigment
$4,759
Cider forest V (diptych) - Contemporary, Landscape, Beige, Brown, Trees, Nature
By Ioan Sbârciu
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Cider forest V (diptych), 2006 Mixed technique: acrylic paint, sparkle, white powder mounted on wooden panel 30.7 H x 94.48 W in ( 30.7 H x 47.24 W in each) 78 H x 240 W cm (78 H x 120 W each) Signed on each panel " 'Cider Forest' series is an artistic project carried out by Ioan Sbârciu...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$2,474
Chalk Streams 6, 2023 - Contemporary Ecosystem Photography New Forest Country
By Ellie Davies
Located in Brighton, GB
Chalk Streams 6, 2023 - Contemporary Ecosystem Photography New Forest Country by Ellie Davies Chalk Streams 6 is a stunning Digital C-Type Print on Fuji Maxima Matte paper, availabl...
C Print, Color, Photographic Paper
Dia de los Muertos, November 2, by Jos Sances
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Jos Sances’ Día de los Muertos, November 2 is a densely layered allegory reflecting on the long shadow of European “discovery” and its ongoing consequences. Rendered with Sances’ tra...
Screen
$1,582Sale Price|30% Off
Inquisitive Interlude - Contemporary, Legs, Orange, Green, Beauty, Glamour, Lady
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Inquisitive Interlude, 2018 Oil on canvas (Signed on reverse) 27.55 H x 19.68 W in. 70 H x 50 W cm "Inquisitive Interlude" is an original contemporary figurative painting by Radu Ro...
Oil, Canvas
Chalk Streams 3, 2023 - Contemporary Natural English Landscape Photography
By Ellie Davies
Located in Brighton, GB
Chalk Streams 3, 2023 - Contemporary Natural English Landscape Photography by Ellie Davies Chalk Streams 3 is a stunning Digital C-Type Print on Fuji Maxima Matte paper, available i...
C Print, Color, Photographic Paper
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 123 Framed
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. American photographer Victoria Cohen...
C Print
Evocator - 21st Century, Figurative, Sculpture, Male, Portrait
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Evocator, 2006-2007 Concrete, glass 26 H × 15 7/10 W × 19 7/10 D in 66 H × 40 W × 50 D cm Unique The idea of fragment emerged in the concrete sculpture format offers a clear view of the post-modern condition. The employment of mixed materials, apparently difficult to associate, such as concrete and colored glass beads, recall the images from the ancient Roman fragments...
Concrete
Permeable Skin - white, contemporary, abstract, porcelain, sculpture
By Paula Murray
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This white ceramic vessel’s organic shape was inspired by nature. The ethereal ceramic work of Paula Murray is valued for its timeless beauty. The Canadian artist’s work is often in...
Porcelain
$4,783
Chalk Streams 1, 2023 - Contemporary Landscape Photography New Forest Ecosystem
By Ellie Davies
Located in Brighton, GB
Chalk Streams 1, 2023 - Contemporary Landscape Photography New Forest Ecosystem by Ellie Davies Chalk Streams 1 is a stunning Digital C-Type Print on Fuji Maxima Matte Paper, availa...
C Print, Color, Photographic Paper
Deserted Streets with Shadows, 1989 - Color Print on Hahnemuhle Paper
Located in Brighton, GB
Deserted Streets with Shadows is a stunning Colour Print on Hahnemuehle Paper in an Edition of 20 in this size of 20" x 24". States of America is the photographic legacy of one of t...
Photographic Paper, Color
Island for Umberto - Contemporary, Red, Green, Landscape, 21st Century, Painting
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Island for Umberto (triptych), 2014 Acrylic on canvas 59.05 H x 82.67 W in. ( 59.05 H x 27.55 W in.) 150 H x 210 W cm (each 150 H x 70 W cm) "Island for Umberto" has the literary so...
Canvas, Acrylic
Vertigo, by Art Werger
By Art Werger
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A sspectacular view from above of the buildings and traffic a large city. Werger's mezzotint prints are masterful at capturing a mood, and suggesting a story for the viewer to comple...
Etching, Aquatint
$1,237
Roadsign and Field, 1989 - Color Photographic Print on Hahnemuhle Paper
Located in Brighton, GB
Roadsign and Field is a stunning Color Photographic Print on Hahnemuhle Paper in an Edition of 20 in this size of 20" x 24". States of America is the photographic legacy of one of t...
Photographic Paper, Color
Can anyone go all this way, Figurative Painting
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Ramonn Vieitez is a self-taught Brazilian artist who primarily utilizes painting as a field of creative possibility exploring themes such as identity, memory, and nature, compulsivel...
Canvas, Oil
Cosmos 20, 2024 - Meadow Garden Photography Interior Design Wall Art
By Karine Laval
Located in Brighton, GB
Cosmos 20 by Karine Laval is a Limited Edition Chromogenic Print Cosmos 20 is available in this size of 16" x 20" from a Limited Edition of 9 prints Cosmos represents a new chapte...
C Print, Color
Cosmos 16, 2024 - Woodland Landscape Wall Art American Landscape
By Karine Laval
Located in Brighton, GB
Cosmos 16 by Karine Laval is a Limited Edition Chromogenic Print Cosmos 16 is available in this size of 16" x 20" from a Limited Edition of 9 prints Cosmos represents a new chapte...
Color, C Print
Cosmos 15, 2024 - Garden Landscape Photography New York Flowers Wall Art
By Karine Laval
Located in Brighton, GB
Cosmos 15 by Karine Laval is a Limited Edition Chromogenic Print Cosmos 15 is available in this size of 16" x 20" from a Limited Edition of 9 prints Cosmos represents a new chapte...
C Print, Color
Cosmos 14 Limited Edition Chromogenic Print, 16x20, Vivid Colors
By Karine Laval
Located in Brighton, GB
Cosmos 14 by Karine Laval is a Limited Edition Chromogenic Print Cosmos 14 is available in this size of 16" x 20" from a Limited Edition of 9 prints Cosmos represents a new chapte...
C Print, Color
Cute and Soft
Located in New York, NY
image size: 9 3/4 x 12 5/8 inches William Wegman is a renowned photographer famous for his unique and artistic photographs of Weimaraner puppies. His approach to is far from conven...
Pigment
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Tenth Floor, South
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
Ondular Movements #2. From The Geometric Head Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Whether they are symbols, dreams or marks of the life of each of us. The artist's work often features heads, floating bodies, trees, dollar signs, cars, laurel branches, and symboli...
Leather, Acrylic
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Room 322
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
$6,306
The Face 2 – John Yuyi, Temporary Tattoos, Social Media, Photography, Body, Face
Located in Zurich, CH
JOHN Yuyi (*1991, Taiwan) The Face 2, 2016 Archival Pigment Print Sheet 90 x 60 cm (36 x 24 in.) Edition of 6, plus 2 AP; Ed. no. 1/6 John Yuyi (*1991, Taiwan) is known worldwide as...
Archival Pigment
Hotel Chelsea, New York. Second Floor, North
Located in Miami Beach, FL
These extraordinary photographs are part of the the Hotel Chelsea series. The Hotel Chelsea closed its doors for the first time in its iconic history of over one hundred years. Amer...
C Print
$4,500
Half Angels Half Demons #1, Nude Black and white limited edition photograph
Located in Miami Beach, FL
The angel is a being that religion has bequeathed us as a sign of purity, innocence, and goodness, from the same source, we have been sold to the devil as the form that represents ev...
Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment
Perch - contemporary, figurative, bronze, indoor tabletop sculpture
By Susan Valyi
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This indoor tabletop figurative sculpture, which includes a fish, is forged from bronze and is patinated. The award-winning sculptures of Susan Valyi were often created from an imag...
Bronze
$4,164
Who Rescued Who - 21st Century, Painting, Grey, Beige, Female, Contemporary
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Who Rescued Who, 2018 Oil on canvas (Signed on reverse) 47 1/4 H x 31 1/2 W in. 120 H x 80 W cm In his paintings, Radu Rodideal speaks about the concept...
Canvas, Oil
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
Freeways (11/70), Serigraph by Frank Romero
By Frank Romero
Located in Palm Springs, CA
This print was featured in “Dreamland”, the first solo exhibition of Chicano artist Frank Romero at MOLAA (Museum of Latin American Art). The freeway and car culture of southern California are a frequent subject in Chicano art, and Frank Romero has made several famous images on the theme. This is a signed and numbered print from the edition of 70. Throughout his 40 year career as an artist, Frank Romero has been a dedicated member of the Los Angeles arts community. As a member of the 1970s Chicano art collective, Los Four, Romero and fellow artists Carlos Almaraz, Beto de la Rocha...
Screen
Fluorescent Ascension #3. From The Neon Progress Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Almo wonders about his identity, the countries he has lived in, his daily routine and how he creates himself. An outsider who has made the world his home, skin, and citizenship, and ...
Paper, Gouache
$2,974
Sunday - Contemporary Art, Skull, Figurative Painting, 21st Century, Yellow
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Sunday, 2010 acrylic on canvas 27 9/16 H x 23 5/8 W in. 70 H x 60 W cm The artwork was exhibited in the solo show "Christ" from 2011.
Canvas, Acrylic
Planisferio, Europa and Asia Triptych, 2013. From the Cartographies series
By Ana Seggiaro
Located in Miami Beach, FL
In the mid-2000s, Ana Seggiaro made her first small-scale collage works on paper. Starting from pages of books, maps, and scores, she carries out the first series intervened through ...
Canvas, Cotton, Thread
Breakdown - 21st Century, Woman, Man, Couple, Green, Contemporary Art, Pandemic
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Breakdown, 2020 acrylic on canvas 27 9/16 H x 27 9/16 W in. 70 H x 70 W cm The new series of paintings signed by Alexandru Rădvan was born during the total isolation of 2020. It is ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Body in the Field 3 - Contemporary, Painting, Blue, Violet, 21st Century
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Body in the Field 3, 2022 oil on canvas 55 1/8 H x 39 3/8 W in. 140 H x 100 W cm Zsolt Berszán embodies in his works the dissolution of the human body through the prism of the fragm...
Canvas, Oil
Twin 2 - colorful, expressive, minimal, abstract, floral, acrylic on canvas
By Pat Service
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Pat Service has painted florals throughout her long career. Here, a single blossom in a stunning celadon and yellow fills the canvas. Reminiscent of Andy Warhol, the Vancouver artist...
Canvas, Acrylic
$11,500
Lettered - human figure, gothic, welded cast aluminum letters, wall sculpture
By Dale Dunning
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This striking metal sculptural mask was created out of thoughts, words, and letters by Dale Dunning. The wall sculpture is cast aluminum and powder coated in a satin textured charcoa...
Metal
Fluorescent Ascension #1. From The Neon Progress Series
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Almo wonders about his identity, the countries he has lived in, his daily routine and how he creates himself. An outsider who has made the world his home, skin, and citizenship, and ...
Paper, Gouache