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.
1920s Modern Art
Etching
1920s Modern Art
Pencil, Paper
1920s Modern Art
Paper
1920s Modern Art
Paper
1920s Modern Art
Paper
1920s Modern Art
Pastel, Cardboard
1920s Modern Art
Ballpoint Pen
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut
1920s Modern Art
Oil
1920s Modern Art
Pencil
1920s Modern Art
Paper
1920s Modern Art
Lithograph
1920s Modern Art
Etching
1920s Modern Art
Etching
1920s Modern Art
Black and White
1920s Modern Art
Pastel
1920s Modern Art
Drypoint, Etching
1920s Modern Art
Watercolor
1920s Modern Art
Mixed Media
1920s Modern Art
Etching
1920s Modern Art
Paper, Lithograph
1920s Modern Art
Etching
1920s Modern Art
Paper, Pencil
1920s Modern Art
Drypoint, Paper
1920s Modern Art
Paper, Drypoint
1920s Modern Art
Paper
1920s Modern Art
Paper
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut
1920s Modern Art
Paper, Ink
1920s Modern Art
Paper
1920s Modern Art
Etching, Paper
1920s Modern Art
Black and White, Silver Gelatin
1920s Modern Art
Paper, Ink
1920s Modern Art
Magazine Paper
1920s Modern Art
Pencil
1920s Modern Art
Magazine Paper
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut
1920s Modern Art
Mixed Media
1920s Modern Art
Ink
1920s Modern Art
Lithograph
1920s Modern Art
Ink, Watercolor
1920s Modern Art
Etching
1920s Modern Art
Etching
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut, Linocut
1920s Modern Art
Crayon
1920s Modern Art
Lithograph
1920s Modern Art
Etching
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut
1920s Modern Art
Woodcut
1920s Modern Art
Drypoint, Etching
1920s Modern Art
Lithograph
1920s Modern Art
Screen
1920s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin