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
Screen
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Inkjet
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digi...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Giclée, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Linen, Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Ink, Watercolor, Pen
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Ink
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Ink, Linocut
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Gold Leaf
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Glass
2010s Contemporary Art
Porcelain, Precious Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Granite, Cut Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Giclée
1990s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Silver Gelatin
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Paper, Giclée, Black and ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Giclée, Archival Paper, Archival Pigment, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Giclée, Archival Ink, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Rag Paper, Digital Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Found Objects, Mixed Media
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Acrylic, Panel
20th Century Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Contemporary Art
Digital
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
C Print
2010s Contemporary Art
Inkjet
2010s Contemporary Art
Fabric, Ink, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Art
Birch, Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Linen, Raw Linen, Oil, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Mixed Media, Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment
1990s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Color
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Ink, Linocut
2010s Contemporary Art
Linen, Oil