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.
1920s Contemporary Art
Paper, Ink
1920s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper
1920s Contemporary Art
Oil
1920s Contemporary Art
Paper, Offset
1920s Contemporary Art
Lithograph, Paper
1920s Contemporary Art
Woodcut
1920s Contemporary Art
Woodcut
1920s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1920s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1920s Contemporary Art
Paper, Oil Pastel, Pastel
1920s Contemporary Art
Woodcut
1920s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1920s Contemporary Art
Pencil, Cardboard, Watercolor, Pastel
1920s Contemporary Art
Paper
1920s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1920s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1920s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1920s Contemporary Art
Gold
1920s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Lithograph, Paper
1980s Contemporary Art
Paper, Lithograph
1980s Contemporary Art
Paper, Lithograph
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Lithograph, Paper
Early 20th Century Contemporary Art
Woodcut, Engraving
1990s Contemporary Art
Paper, Offset, Lithograph, Mixed Media, Ink
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Lithograph, Paper
1930s Contemporary Art
Engraving, Woodcut
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Lithograph, Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Offset
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Lithograph, Paper
Late 20th Century Contemporary Art
Lithograph, Paper
1920s Contemporary Art
Oil
1920s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1920s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
1920s Contemporary Art
Woodcut
1920s Contemporary Art
Etching
1920s Contemporary Art
Color
1920s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
1920s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
1920s Contemporary Art
Drypoint
1920s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Silver Gelatin
1920s Contemporary Art
Cardboard
1920s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin