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Contemporary Art

CONTEMPORARY STYLE

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.

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Style: Contemporary
Recognized Seller Listings
Untitled
Untitled

Untitled

By Carlos Capelan

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Capelán's work stands out for its rigorous handling of diverse artistic techniques and procedures, ranging from drawing to installation, including painting, printmaking, photography,...

Category

1990s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media

Count Three
Count Three

Count Three

By William Wegman

Located in New York, NY

image size: 8 5/8 x 7 7/8 inches William Wegman is a renowned photographer famous for his unique and artistic photographs of Weimaraner puppies. His approach to is far from convent...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Pigment

Elui with World Record Cow Elephant Tusk, 47 lbs., Marsabit Forest, Kenya – Art
Elui with World Record Cow Elephant Tusk, 47 lbs., Marsabit Forest, Kenya – Art

Elui with World Record Cow Elephant Tusk, 47 lbs., Marsabit Forest, Kenya – Art

By Peter Beard

Located in Zurich, CH

PETER BEARD (1938–2020, USA) Elui with World Record Cow Elephant Tusk, 47 lbs., Marsabit Forest, Kenya, 1962/2006 Color print with gelatin silver print collage, watercolor, tempera paint, ink Sheet 141 x 108,6 cm (55 1/2 x 42 3/4 in.) Unique Signed recto and verso in ink Peter Beard (1938–2020) was an American artist who lived and worked in New York and Kenya. In Africa Peter Beard found the central theme of his life, the destruction of the natural animal world by man and civilization. His photographs of Africa, African animals and the journals that often integrate his photographs have been widely shown and published since the 1960s. Inspired by earlier trips to Africa in both 1955 and 1960, Beard traveled to Kenya upon graduation. Working at Tsavo National Park, he photographed and documented the demise of 35,000 elephants and other wildlife, later to become the subject of his iconic book, “The End of the Game...

Category

1960s Contemporary Art

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Color, Silver Gelatin

Matthew Barney, Isle of Man and Satyr, Drawing Restraint 7, Matthew Barney
Matthew Barney, Isle of Man and Satyr, Drawing Restraint 7, Matthew Barney

Matthew Barney, Isle of Man and Satyr, Drawing Restraint 7, Matthew Barney

By Michael James O’Brien

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Photographer Michael James O'Brien documented with beautiful and unique images the final part of Matthew Barney's lyric opera cycle about a tragic love story set in romantic Budapest...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Eucalyptus I - Tasmanian Natural Landscape Australian Environment Photography
Eucalyptus I - Tasmanian Natural Landscape Australian Environment Photography

Eucalyptus I - Tasmanian Natural Landscape Australian Environment Photography

By Morgan Silk

Located in Brighton, GB

Eucalyptus I is an Archival Inkjet Print by contemporary photographer Morgan Silk. Eucalyptus I by Morgan Silk is available in this size of 32" x 44" in an Edition of 10. Taken du...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, Color, Inkjet

Scissortails
Scissortails

Scissortails

By David Everett

Located in Dallas, TX

David Everett was born in Beaumont, Texas, and received both his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from The University of Texas in Austin. In 1978, Everett was awarded a Faculty Travel Grant from So...

Category

1990s Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper, Woodcut

Basketball 1, Clapham - Limited Edition Contemporary London Photography
Basketball 1, Clapham - Limited Edition Contemporary London Photography

Basketball 1, Clapham - Limited Edition Contemporary London Photography

By Samuel Hicks

Located in Brighton, GB

Basketball, Clapham I is a stunning C-Type Print by contemporary photographer Samuel Hicks. It is in an Edition of 25 in this size, and sold unframed. A singular basketball player ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print, Digital, Color

Python Birkin, Snake Leather Birkin choked by Python, Fine Art Photography, 2016
Python Birkin, Snake Leather Birkin choked by Python, Fine Art Photography, 2016

Python Birkin, Snake Leather Birkin choked by Python, Fine Art Photography, 2016

By Tyler Shields

Located in Vienna, AT

Iconic Snake leather birkin bag, being choked by a python snake, photographed by Tyler Shields in 2016. All prints are limited edition. Available in multiple sizes. High-end framing on request. All prints are done and signed by the artist. The collector receives an additional certificate of authenticity from the gallery. In this haunting still life, a live ball python intertwines with a snakeskin...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Welcome by Anouk Krantz 2021

Welcome by Anouk Krantz 2021

By Anouk Krantz

Located in Chicago, IL

Welcome (B&W) 2021 ARCHIVAL PIGMENT PRINT Unframed Sizes: 33 x 45 in (83.82 x 114.3 cm) - Edition of 10 + 2 AP (Artist Proofs) 44 x 60 in (111.76 x 152.4 cm) - Edition of 10 + 2 AP ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment, Silver Gelatin

XoX Hipster Kiddo Pink - sculpture, resin and paint
XoX Hipster Kiddo Pink - sculpture, resin and paint

XoX Hipster Kiddo Pink - sculpture, resin and paint

By Viktor Mitic

Located in Bloomfield, ON

"This indoor figurative pop art table top sculpture is made from resin. Playful, colourful and imaginative, Viktor Mitic’s latest series of unique sculptures appear to merge pop art...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Eye of the Storm
Eye of the Storm

Eye of the Storm

By Robert Deyber

Located in Greenwich, CT

Eye of the Storm is a lithograph on paper, 9.5 x 9 inches image size, and initialed 'BD' lower right. From the edition of 395, numbered 231/275 (there were also 100 Roman and 20 AP)....

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

La Guadalupe
La Guadalupe

La Guadalupe

By Jose Bedia

Located in Mexico City, CDMX

José Bedia (Havana, Cuba, 1959) Lives and works in Miami, FL José Bedia is the most solid representative of post-1959 revolution Cuban art. He was part of the now mythical group s...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic

"Sorrow"

"Sorrow"

By Tim Rees

Located in Scottsdale, AZ

Timothy Rees was fascinated with drawing throughout his youth and after high school pursued a degree in animation. The pull to painting portraits and figures was strong, however, le...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

The White Umbrella
The White Umbrella

The White Umbrella

By Mary Fedden

Located in Belgravia, London, London

Oil on Canvas Canvas Size: 36 x 39.75 inches Framed Size: 47 x 51 inches Signed lower left and dated 1995

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hypomnema #2 Wall sculpture.
Hypomnema #2 Wall sculpture.

Hypomnema #2 Wall sculpture.

By Iván Castiblanco

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Hypomnema. A term that is composed of the ancient Greek preposition Hypo-Mneme and literally means “commemorative memory.” It is the meeting of several layers in an object, the memor...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Textile, Mixed Media

Mustang, El Mirage, California - Limited Edition Photography USA Landscape Print
Mustang, El Mirage, California - Limited Edition Photography USA Landscape Print

Mustang, El Mirage, California - Limited Edition Photography USA Landscape Print

By Samuel Hicks

Located in Brighton, GB

Mustang, El Mirage, California is a stunning C-Type Print by contemporary photographer Samuel Hicks. It is available in this size in an Edition of 25, and is sold unframed. A Mus...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital

Evangeline - expressive, textured, female, figurative, paper Mache sculpture
Evangeline - expressive, textured, female, figurative, paper Mache sculpture

Evangeline - expressive, textured, female, figurative, paper Mache sculpture

By Paul Duval

Located in Bloomfield, ON

Paul Duval’s engaging sculpted figures capture an emotional moment in time. One in a series of table-top pieces, the Quebec artist uses paper mache, wire and steel to create unique characters expressed through their colour, posture, and gesture. This figure of a woman, clothed in a long royal blue...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Wire

Seventy Percent Chance
Seventy Percent Chance

Seventy Percent Chance

By Art Werger

Located in Palm Springs, CA

Medium: Mezzotint Year: 2023 Edition: 50 Image Size: 11.75 x 17.5 inches Pedestrians sheltering from the rain under umbrellas in an urban downtown setting, Art Werger’s prints show...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Mezzotint

"Delightful"

"Delightful"

By Jane Jones

Located in Scottsdale, AZ

Jones is a Denver native and continues to live near there at the foot of her beloved Rocky Mountains, where the light that she loves is bright and clear, and the seasons, which influ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled II, Wall SculptureTridimensional Portrait
Untitled II, Wall SculptureTridimensional Portrait

Untitled II, Wall SculptureTridimensional Portrait

By Cristian Hunter

Located in Miami Beach, FL

This artwork was created by the artistic duo Hunter & Gatti (2010–2023). These works are part of the archive managed and exhibited by Cristian Hunter. The artist's technique consists...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic, Photographic Paper, Black and White, Archival Pigment

Book
Book

Book

By Hendrik Kerstens

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Hendrik Kerstens, Book, available in two formats: 30x40 and 50x60 inches

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Tropical Venus II. From Venus Nostalgia series
Tropical Venus II. From Venus Nostalgia series

Tropical Venus II. From Venus Nostalgia series

By Paloma Castello

Located in Miami Beach, FL

The series "Venus Nostalgia" is a collection of sculptures inspired by the famous Venus de Milo, an emblematic work in the history of art that has had a great impact on Castello's wo...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Ceramic, Glaze

Hypomnema #4 Wall sculpture.
Hypomnema #4 Wall sculpture.

Hypomnema #4 Wall sculpture.

By Iván Castiblanco

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Hypomnema. A term that is composed of the ancient Greek preposition Hypo-Mneme and literally means “commemorative memory.” It is the meeting of several layers in an object, the memor...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Textile, Mixed Media

Going to the Olympics
Going to the Olympics

Going to the Olympics

By Frank Romero

Located in Palm Springs, CA

Frank Romero created this serigraph after learning that the original mural, completed on the 101 freeway in Los Angeles, 1984, had been painted over. The mural, which was done for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, has since been restored. Signed and numbered by the artist in black marker, in lower left corner of print on black background - hard to see except at an angle. 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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Screen

"Delightful Desert Day"

"Delightful Desert Day"

By Claudia Hartley

Located in Scottsdale, AZ

"The comment I hear most often about my paintings is 'happy'". I've loved art all of my life and it warms my heart to know that I'm able to pass that love and joy on to others. I use color and shape to capture the wonders of the world around me. Her love affair with art began as a child, when her favorite present was a new box of Crayola crayons...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic

Contemporary art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Stefanie Schneider, Tyler Shields, Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde, and Richard Heeps. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Contemporary art, so small editions measuring 0.02 inches across are also available.