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.
1950s Modern Art
Masonite, Oil
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1950s Modern Art
Ink, Paper
1940s Modern Art
Screen
Late 20th Century Modern Art
Lithograph
20th Century Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
1960s Modern Art
Lithograph
1960s Modern Art
Lithograph
1960s Modern Art
Oil, Panel
1960s Modern Art
Etching
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Mezzotint
Early 20th Century Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
1940s Modern Art
Color
Late 20th Century Modern Art
Lithograph
1910s Modern Art
Drypoint, Etching
1920s Modern Art
Lithograph
20th Century Modern Art
Photographic Paper, Black and White
1940s Modern Art
Photogravure
1930s Modern Art
Woodcut
20th Century Modern Art
Color, Digital, C Print, Photographic Paper
1950s Modern Art
Masonite, Oil
1940s Modern Art
Masonite, Oil
20th Century Modern Art
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
20th Century Modern Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color
1930s Modern Art
Lithograph
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
India Ink, Watercolor
20th Century Modern Art
C Print, Digital
20th Century Modern Art
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
1910s Modern Art
Drypoint, Etching
1930s Modern Art
Woodcut
1960s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Black and White, Pigment, Archival Pigment
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Lithograph
1940s Modern Art
Oil, Panel
Early 20th Century Modern Art
Etching
20th Century Modern Art
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
20th Century Modern Art
C Print, Photographic Paper, Color, Digital
1930s Modern Art
Paper, Watercolor
20th Century Modern Art
Tapestry, Wool
Mid-20th Century Modern Art
Bronze
20th Century Modern Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Digital
20th Century Modern Art
Drypoint, Etching
1920s Modern Art
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
20th Century Modern Art
Paper, Aquatint
20th Century Modern Art
Digital, Photographic Paper, Color, C Print
1990s Modern Art
Color, Photographic Paper
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Plexiglass, Photographic Paper
1930s Modern Art
Etching
20th Century Modern Art
Photographic Paper, Color, C Print, Digital
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Color, Pigment, Archival Pigment
19th Century Modern Art
Drypoint, Etching
1940s Modern Art
Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Black and White, Archival Pigment
1950s Modern Art
Paper, Charcoal, Watercolor
Early 20th Century Modern Art
Mixed Media, Etching, Aquatint
1940s Modern Art
Paper, Graphite
Early 20th Century Modern Art
Etching