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
Pastel
20th Century Modern Art
Chalk, Paper, Tempera, Gouache, Felt Pen
1950s Modern Art
Pencil, Paper
1950s Modern Art
Paper, Pencil
1940s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Stencil
1950s Modern Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Archival Ink, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Archival Pigment
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Watercolor
18th Century Modern Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Archival Pigment
1970s Modern Art
Board, Oil
1940s Modern Art
Stencil, Lithograph
1970s Modern Art
Etching, Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Stencil
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Stencil
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Stencil
2010s Modern Art
Oil
1950s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Modern Art
Masonite, Oil
1950s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Gouache
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Gouache
1960s Modern Art
Offset
20th Century Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Oil
1960s Modern Art
Lithograph
1960s Modern Art
Lithograph
1960s Modern Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Gouache
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Oil
Early 20th Century Modern Art
Paper, Charcoal
1940s Modern Art
Oil
1960s Modern Art
Oil, Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Archival Pigment
1990s Modern Art
Bronze
1970s Modern Art
Etching, Archival Paper
20th Century Modern Art
Lithograph
20th Century Modern Art
Lithograph
20th Century Modern Art
Lithograph
2010s Modern Art
Mixed Media
1940s Modern Art
Tempera
1940s Modern Art
Etching
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Oil
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Watercolor
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Watercolor
Modern art for sale on 1stDibs.
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