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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
On the Run (Till Death do us Part) Contemporary, Woman, Polaroid

On the Run (Till Death do us Part) Contemporary, Woman, Polaroid

By Stefanie Schneider

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

On the Run (Till Death do us Part) - 2005, 24x20cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs, Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Inventor...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Parchment Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

"Erik" Contemporary Abstract Blue Toned Western Cowboy Portrait Painting
"Erik" Contemporary Abstract Blue Toned Western Cowboy Portrait Painting

"Erik" Contemporary Abstract Blue Toned Western Cowboy Portrait Painting

Located in Houston, TX

Colorful abstract cowboy portrait painting by contemporary artist Ian Francis. The work features a western inspired figure with a shadowed face dressed in a blue shirt and cowboy hat...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Pedal Boat - Balaton - long exposure waterscape photography - limited
Pedal Boat - Balaton - long exposure waterscape photography - limited

Pedal Boat - Balaton - long exposure waterscape photography - limited

By Gerald Berghammer

Located in Vienna, Vienna

Gerald Berghammer - Black and white long exposure waterscape photography. Five pedal boats on a platform over water, with a cloudy sky in the background. Digital pigment ink print, e...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Digital Pigment, Archival Ink, Archival Paper

Island. Boulders Beach, Original Painting
Island. Boulders Beach, Original Painting

Island. Boulders Beach, Original Painting

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
This contemporary painting of Boulders Beach presents a stylized, painterly interpretation of the coast. On the left, a rocky cliff descends toward the beach, m...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic

Corner Desk, Oil Painting
Corner Desk, Oil Painting

Corner Desk, Oil Painting

By David Thelen

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist Comments
A small desk and chair rest against a blue grey wall. Sunlight filters through a tall window, casting warm light across the room. This modern painting finds mov...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil

Karma, Milan - Italian bookshop street photography
Karma, Milan - Italian bookshop street photography

Karma, Milan - Italian bookshop street photography

By Richard Heeps

Located in Cambridge, GB

Karma, street photography from Richard Heeps series, A Short History of Milan. 'A Short History of Milan' began in November 2018 for a special project featured at the Affordable Art...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin

Miss Priss Palms 4 - Colorful Abstract Figurative Portrait Original Painting
Miss Priss Palms 4 - Colorful Abstract Figurative Portrait Original Painting

Miss Priss Palms 4 - Colorful Abstract Figurative Portrait Original Painting

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Inspired by her background in fashion, artist Lindsey McCord creates vibrant portraits that encapsulate the confidence that comes with the fun of being stylish and chic. Her figures ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Lampedusa (framed) - large scale photograph of Mediterranean summer beach scene
Lampedusa (framed) - large scale photograph of Mediterranean summer beach scene

Lampedusa (framed) - large scale photograph of Mediterranean summer beach scene

By Massimo Vitali

Located in San Francisco, CA

Large format photograph of a summer beach scene on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, from an earlier body of works (2012) by iconic Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand scale topographical observations of the rites and rituals of modern leisure Lampedusa (2012) 61.25” x 81.7” / 156 cm x 207,5 cm limited edition of 6 + 2AP (signed, titled and dated on certificate of authenticity) last available edition: AP1 original archival photography print with diasec (acrylic glass) face mount in contemporary white lacquered gallery frame Each limited edition original Massimo Vitali photograph is printed in Italy under artist supervision in strictly limited edition (6 + 2AP) , signed/titled/dated upon final inspection and expertly framed at renowned European art framing facility Disclaimer of authenticity: although it is possible to acquire (small size) single page offset prints from the book "A Portfolio of Landscapes and Figures" (published by Steidl) in the secondary market, the artist studio strongly dissuades collectors from purchasing these single page prints outside of the context and authenticity of the complete portfolio. About the artist: Massimo Vitali was born in Como, Italy, in 1944. He studied photography at the London College of Printing, in the 1970s initially working as a photojournalist, but at the beginning of the 80s a growing mistrust in the belief that photography had an absolute capacity to reproduce the subtleties of reality led to a change in his career path. Vitali worked in cinematography for film and television before beginning a fine art practice in 1995. Over the next two decades, he would gain recognition for his highly detailed, epic-scale panoramas — sociopolitical observations of the natural habitat of humankind at leisure. Vitali’s iconic series of beach panoramas, captured from a distance with an elevated large-format camera platform, began in the light of drastic political changes in Italy. Drawing inspiration from Renaissance and Old Flemish masters, in which the central space is fully exploited and the urban or natural landscape becomes the background, Vitali’s photographs grasp the viewer by capturing highly detailed observances of the recreational habitats of modern civilization. Vitali’s work has been collected in six monographs: Beach and Disco, Natural Habitats, Landscapes With Figures, Swimming Pools, Short Stories and Entering A New World. Additionally, his work is represented in the world’s major museums, including the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, the Fond National Art Contemporaine in Paris, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Fondation Cartier in Paris and the Museo Luigi Pecci in Prato. Massimo Vitali lives and works in Lucca (Italy) and in Berlin (Germany). __________________________ SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2025 94/22 Zander Galerie, Cologne 2024 Photolux Festival - Il bel paese? Palazzo Ducale, Lucca, Italy 2023 La Grande Oasi - The way we live, now OCA, Oasy Contemporary Art, Pistoia 2023 Standing Still Cortona On The Move, Arezzo, Italy 2022 Massimo Vitali PhotoESPANA Biblioteca Central Cantabria, Santander 2022 Endless Summer Edwin Hook Gallery, New York 2022 Massimo Vitali: Leporello 2020 Melbourne 2022 Ti ho visto Mazzoleni Gallery, Turin 2021 PienoVuoto Forte di Belvedere, Florence 2021 No Country For Old Men Visionarea Art Space, Rome 2020 'Human Constellations' Museo Ettore Fico, Turin 2019 Massimo Vitali: Short Stories' Mazzoleni, London 2018 'Coastal Colonies' Spiral, Tokyo 2017 ‘Disturbed Coastal Systems’ Benrubi Gallery...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Plexiglass, Wood, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper

"TV", needlepoint woman on horseback wrapped around vintage television with plug
"TV", needlepoint woman on horseback wrapped around vintage television with plug

"TV", needlepoint woman on horseback wrapped around vintage television with plug

By Ulla-Stina Wikander

Located in Philadelphia, PA

"TV" is an original piece by Ulla-Stina Wikander is a free standing sculpture. This piece is made from sourcing vintage needlepoint embroidery featuring a woman on vintage television...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Thread, Found Objects, Textile

Forget Me, No
Forget Me, No

Forget Me, No

Located in Zofingen, AG

A stubborn, vulnerable plea — to refuse, yet still hold on.

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Wild Things (Till Death do us Part) Contemporary, Woman, Polaroid

Wild Things (Till Death do us Part) Contemporary, Woman, Polaroid

By Stefanie Schneider

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

Wild Things (Till Death do us Part) - 2005, 20x24cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs, Digital C-Print, based on a Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Inventory #...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Parchment Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

"Raining Cats and Dogs" - Contemporary Mixed-Media Collage on Wood
"Raining Cats and Dogs" - Contemporary Mixed-Media Collage on Wood

"Raining Cats and Dogs" - Contemporary Mixed-Media Collage on Wood

By Zoa Ace

Located in Denver, CO

Born in Rockford, Illinois, 1951 Zoa Ace creates figurative oil paintings that explore human relationships through theatrical narratives infused with symbolic animals and whimsical...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Turn - underwater photograph - archival pigment print 35x46"
The Turn - underwater photograph - archival pigment print 35x46"

The Turn - underwater photograph - archival pigment print 35x46"

By Alex Sher

Located in Beverly Hills, CA

"The Turn" represents a pivotal moment in contemporary underwater fine art photography, where sculptural form meets fluid dynamics. In this arresting composition, a figure in vibrant...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Pigment

Porto Miggiano (framed) - large scale photograph of Italian Mediterranean beach
Porto Miggiano (framed) - large scale photograph of Italian Mediterranean beach

Porto Miggiano (framed) - large scale photograph of Italian Mediterranean beach

By Massimo Vitali

Located in San Francisco, CA

large scale photograph of iconic summer beach scene in Southern Italy's Puglia by Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, renowned for his grand s...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Plexiglass, Wood, Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper,...

Cobbolds Point Color - minimalist panorama seascape - color photography, limited
Cobbolds Point Color - minimalist panorama seascape - color photography, limited

Cobbolds Point Color - minimalist panorama seascape - color photography, limited

By Gerald Berghammer

Located in Vienna, Vienna

Gerald Berghammer - Color seascape panorama photography. Concrete breakwater structures on a beach extending into the water, with a pole at the end. Archival pigment ink print as pa...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

The Portal: World We See - contemporary, geometric, abstract, steel sculpture
The Portal: World We See - contemporary, geometric, abstract, steel sculpture

The Portal: World We See - contemporary, geometric, abstract, steel sculpture

Located in Bloomfield, ON

This impressive circular architectural sculpture was created by Jeffrey Gillmor. An experienced metal artisan, this outdoor piece—a circle cut from a square is forged from etched steel and has a rust-coloured patina. Gillmor favours minimalist forms and finds inspiration for his work in nature’s colours, textures and shapes. World We See allows the viewer to not only see through the expansive ‘portal’ but walk through it as well. This is the largest of three similar sculptures in a series, each cut from the same four face plates of steel, producing another sculpture from the inside of the last. This piece is in an edition of 5 and is available on commission. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery upon completion. “The World we see and live in is much more complex than I feel it has to be, so we need to keep (everything) in perspective, keep basic positive values ... as we pass through the circle of life.” Jeff Gillmor...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Steel

Episode 3
Episode 3

Episode 3

Located in Zofingen, AG

In this work, two female figures rest on a blanket in the shade of trees, their bodies immersed in the softness and stillness of summer. A black dog lying between them becomes a symb...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Intertwining Vines, 2025
Intertwining Vines, 2025

Intertwining Vines, 2025

By Marilla Palmer

Located in New York, NY

Marilla Palmer Intertwining Vines, 2025 watercolor, embroidery, pressed flowers, Durabright prints on Arches paper 30 x 22 in. (pal265) Marilla Palmer lives and works in Brooklyn, N...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Paper, Sequins, Watercolor

The White Horse
The White Horse

The White Horse

Located in Zofingen, AG

The White Horse presents a quiet, almost sacred encounter set within a dense, shadowed landscape. At the center of the composition, a luminous white horse stands beside a solitary fi...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Children in Harlem, New York, Signed Archival Pigment Print, 19x13, Edition 7/10
Children in Harlem, New York, Signed Archival Pigment Print, 19x13, Edition 7/10

Children in Harlem, New York, Signed Archival Pigment Print, 19x13, Edition 7/10

By Leonard Freed

Located in New york, NY

Children, Harlem, New York, USA 1963 by Leonard Freed is a 19" x 13" signed archival pigment print in an edition of 10. Signed by the estate on back of photograph by Freed's widow Brigitte Freed. Available: 7/10. Provenance: Freed estate *** Artist’s Bio: Leonard Freed (1929-2006) was an American photographer from Brooklyn, New York. His "Black in White America" series made him known as a documentarian. Freed worked as a freelance photographer from 1961 onwards and as a Magnum photographer Freed traveled widely abroad and, in the US, photographing African Americans (1964-65), events in Israel (1967-68, 1973), and the New York City police department...

Category

1960s Contemporary Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Digital, Archival Pigme...

Tell Me A Story I, Contemporary Mixed Media Art, Books, Hahnemuhle Paper, 2025
Tell Me A Story I, Contemporary Mixed Media Art, Books, Hahnemuhle Paper, 2025

Tell Me A Story I, Contemporary Mixed Media Art, Books, Hahnemuhle Paper, 2025

By Roberta Fineberg

Located in New york, NY

The contemporary work on paper is both art and photography, highlighting color fields. Tell Me A Story I, 2025 by Roberta Fineberg (RF) is 16 x 16in on Hahnemuhle paper, an original ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Archival Pigment, Oil Pastel, M...

Calm Sea Panorama with Tree, Limited Edition Large Color Landscape Photograph
Calm Sea Panorama with Tree, Limited Edition Large Color Landscape Photograph

Calm Sea Panorama with Tree, Limited Edition Large Color Landscape Photograph

By Gerald Berghammer

Located in Vienna, Vienna

Archival pigment ink print, produced in a limited edition of 7 // Gallery ID: 21300 Fine art prints are produced to order on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. Each print is stamped on the...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Digital Pigment

"Crossing Paths", girls at a crossroad, hand-cut stencils and spray paint
"Crossing Paths", girls at a crossroad, hand-cut stencils and spray paint

"Crossing Paths", girls at a crossroad, hand-cut stencils and spray paint

By Mando Marie (seeyouthroughit)

Located in Philadelphia, PA

"Crossing Paths" is a one-of-a-kind original work by Amanda Marie (Mando), created using acrylic and aerosol on paper. The piece measures 19.75 × 15.75 inches and is pencil signed an...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Spray Paint, Acrylic, Paper

Breakdown - Contemporary, Polaroid, vintage Cars, Color, Women, 21st Century

Breakdown - Contemporary, Polaroid, vintage Cars, Color, Women, 21st Century

By Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

Breakdown (Bombay Beach) - 2019 50x50cm, Edition of 7 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print based on the Polaroid. Signed on the back and with certificate. Artist inventory PL...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

Woman Protestor, 1960s, Washington, Signed Gelatin Silver Photograph, 14x11
Woman Protestor, 1960s, Washington, Signed Gelatin Silver Photograph, 14x11

Woman Protestor, 1960s, Washington, Signed Gelatin Silver Photograph, 14x11

By Leonard Freed

Located in New york, NY

American photographer Leonard Freed enjoyed documentary storytelling and as a "concerned photographer" his photography demonstrated humanitarian concerns. Woman Protestor, March on Washington, 1963 by Leonard Freed, is a 14" x 11" gelatin silver photograph, signed and stamped on verso (back of photo) by the estate, Brigitte Freed (wife of the photographer). The photo is in Leonard Freed's book “This Is the Day: The March on Washington'' (p. 50). The photographer travelled to New York, Washington, D.C., and throughout the South, capturing the daily lives of African-Americans. Documenting the 1960s Civil Rights Movement from the East Coast to the Deep South, Freed’s photo essay culminated in the book Black in White America, which contributed to Freed's becoming a well-known documentary photographer of 20th Century America. After Freed’s death in 2006 his widow, Brigitte Freed was inspired to compile a book on the March on Washington from her late husband’s archive because she heard then-Senator former President Barack Obama remark to an audience of civil rights activists, “I stand here because you walked.” The March on Washington series is a powerful visual testimony, capturing protests that culminated in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream'' speech, delivered at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. Provenance: Freed estate *** Artist’s Bio: Leonard Freed (1929-2006) was an American photographer from Brooklyn, New York. His "Black in White America" series made him known as a documentarian, a social documentary photographer. Freed worked as a freelance photographer from 1961 onwards and as a Magnum photographer Freed traveled widely abroad and, in the US, photographing African Americans (1964-65), events in Israel (1967-68, 1973), and the New York City police department (1972-79). Freed's coverage of the American civil rights...

Category

1960s Contemporary Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

PaperLandscape, Origina Paint on Cotton Canvas, Large size, Made in Italy
PaperLandscape, Origina Paint on Cotton Canvas, Large size, Made in Italy

PaperLandscape, Origina Paint on Cotton Canvas, Large size, Made in Italy

By Marilina Marchica

Located in Agrigento, AG

Paper Landscape is a unique original artwork by Italian contemporary artist Marilina Marchica, created in 2021. Executed with oil and collage on pure cotton canvas, the work explore...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Handmade Paper

Arrest of the Palateros, by Chicano artist Frank Romero
Arrest of the Palateros, by Chicano artist Frank Romero

Arrest of the Palateros, by Chicano artist Frank Romero

By Frank Romero

Located in Palm Springs, CA

Arrest of the Palateros is one of Frank Romero’s most compelling social-commentary images, depicting the arrest of palateros—ice-cream vendors—in Echo Park for operating without perm...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Screen

Here is the Sea, by Jos Sances
Here is the Sea, by Jos Sances

Here is the Sea, by Jos Sances

Located in Palm Springs, CA

One print from Jos Sances cycle concerning Moby Dick. A vast sperm whale drifts below the surface, scarred by harpoons, while above floats a lone survivor on a coffin raft—a haunting...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Screen

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.