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, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Mixed Media
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Wood, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper
1990s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
1930s Contemporary Art
India Ink, Laid Paper, Woodcut
2010s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper
Artist Comments
Two pears rest on a wooden surface. The light accentuates their blemished yellow skin with reddish blush, along with their curvy form. A curling leaf adorns one...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Art
Gold, Bronze
1970s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze, Gold
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A single yellow onion on a warm gray countertop rests in full sunlight. The peeling layers of its dry, papery skin and the small, dried stalk add to its earthy,...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal
1990s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
Artist Comments
Artist Steve Boggs used his homegrown Better Bay tomato as the subject for this still-life oil painting. Centered in warm sunlight, the fruit's vibrant red-oran...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Concrete
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Metal, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
1970s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Wood, Cotton Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Pencil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1970s Contemporary Art
Offset
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Bronze
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Metal
2010s Contemporary Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic