Modern Art
The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Modern Art
Crayon, Charcoal, Graphite
2010s Modern Art
Charcoal, Paper, Conté
2010s Modern Art
Graphite, Conté
2010s Modern Art
Conté, Graphite
2010s Modern Art
Graphite, Charcoal, Paper
Early 2000s Modern Art
Conté, Paper, Charcoal
Early 2000s Modern Art
Archival Paper, Charcoal, Graphite
2010s Modern Art
Charcoal, Archival Paper, Graphite
2010s Modern Art
Charcoal, Archival Paper, Graphite
2010s Modern Art
Charcoal, Archival Paper, Graphite
2010s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Modern Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Modern Art
Charcoal, Archival Paper, Graphite, Watercolor
2010s Modern Art
Charcoal, Archival Paper, Graphite
1990s Modern Art
Polaroid, Archival Paper
1990s Modern Art
Polaroid, Archival Paper
1990s Modern Art
Polaroid, Archival Paper
1990s Modern Art
Charcoal, Conté
1980s Modern Art
Graphite, Archival Paper
1980s Modern Art
Archival Paper, Graphite
Early 20th Century Modern Art
Pencil, Pastel
1950s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
1930s Modern Art
Canvas, Board, Oil
Late 20th Century Modern Art
Paper, Conté
1950s Modern Art
Graphite
1920s Modern Art
Paper, Chalk, Charcoal
1980s Modern Art
Graphite, Archival Paper
2010s Modern Art
Conté
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Oil, Canvas
1950s Modern Art
Graphite
Early 2000s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
Early 2000s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Modern Art
Oil, Canvas
2010s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Modern Art
Conté, Graphite
2010s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil