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.
Witnesses of the Unseen
Located in Zofingen, AG
Executed in a refined contemporary figurative style, this painting presents a compelling dialogue between observation, perception, and the unseen dimensions of experience. Combining ...
Lacquer, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Beauty from Within 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Women, Fabrics
By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bakare Babatund...
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
$3,750Sale Price|25% Off
TURNING INTO STONE 3 surreal original oil/canvas Paula Craioveanu large 30x38in
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Turning into Stone 3 " . Original, unique painting. oil on canvas, 30x38in. Shipped stretched ready for display in the US, and shipped rolled in a tube to Europe and to the rest of...
Canvas, Oil
$2,850
Unspoken Bond - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist The...
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$2,350
Friends
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
Friends captures the quiet beauty hidden within ordinary moments — the kind we often fail to recognize while they are happening. Gathered around a simple table, surrounded by deep gr...
Canvas, Acrylic
Where Time Stood Still
Located in Zofingen, AG
Where Time Stood Still (From the "Synchronicity of Souls" series) "Where Time Stood Still" is a visual manifesto of safety, unconditional trust, and the mental connection between hum...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,938
To Leave or Stay: Contemporary Figurative Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Zofingen, AG
This sophisticated contemporary figurative painting examines the psychological atmosphere of civilian life during the war in Ukraine through a carefully orchestrated symbolic interio...
Lacquer, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
Building My Cozy Hut
Located in Zofingen, AG
Building My Cozy Hut explores memory as a space of inner refuge. The title refers to the childhood experience of creating a secret shelter - a place existing between reality and imag...
Canvas, Oil
$3,500Sale Price|30% Off
Lady with Books 2 original painting by Paula Craioveanu 39x23in FRAMED
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Lady with Books 2", 39x23in / 100x60cm. Original painting. Shipped as it is, stretched, ready for hanging, framed. Framed size 41.5x25.7in. Free shipping with 1stDibs code This p...
Canvas, Acrylic
Magic tree
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work I will continue to weave archetypal images of ancient times. The work enters into a dialogue with the symbolism of long-standing visual memory, which appears in various...
Canvas, Acrylic
TORRUB by Ramon Enrich - 59 In Wide Square Painting, Red Tones
By Ramon Enrich
Located in Paris, FR
TORRUB is a unique acrylic on canvas painting by contemporary artist Ramon Enrich, dimensions are 150 × 150 cm (59.1 × 59.1 in). Dimensions of the framed artwork are 154 cm x 154 cm ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,650
Still Night - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist May...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Threshold of Maturity. Series “Primordial Garden”
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work speaks of a moment of transition, when fullness has already taken place but has not yet become rest. After the time of blossoming and generous flourishing, the orchard ente...
Paper, Watercolor
Mistress of the Autumn Garden
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this painting, the artist creates the image of a woman as the keeper of the harvest, of space, and of the rhythms of nature. Her figure rises from the earth as naturally as the ap...
Canvas, Acrylic
State of Mind 15 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women, Floral
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
The artist's expressive strokes, rendered with bold acrylics, bring to life a figurative portrait that speaks volumes about resilience and aspiration. The interplay of colors and tex...
Canvas, Acrylic
In My White Boots - Colorful Abstract Feminine Figurative Still Life Art
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Southern California native Courtney Simone seamlessly blends her passion for abstract art with the exploration of everyday beauty, resulting in exuberantly inspired abstract figurati...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$1,000
"Dior in Paris" Silver and Black French Haute Couture Painting on Archival Paper
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
Exploring the purity of the feminine form and the drama of French haute couture, artist Cindy Shaoul creates a dialogue between the figurative and the abstract. Her spirited composit...
Mixed Media, Oil, Archival Paper
After the Game (Figurative Painting, Two Men in Athletic Uniforms by Mark Beard)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Academic style figurative portrait painting of a handsome young men "After the Game", By Mark Beard as Bruce Sargeant (pseudonym in homage to the fashion photographer, Bruce Weber, a...
Canvas, Oil
Talking with You
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
This painting reflects a quiet moment shared by two people whose conversation seems untouched by time. They may be close friends or perhaps a couple — the kind of connection where wo...
Canvas, Acrylic
$450
With You - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Tos...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
In a May Garden
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
In a May Garden captures a quiet moment of connection hidden within the richness of nature. Surrounded by deep green foliage and blooming pink forms, two figures sit together at a sm...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,298
Landscape 20 - 21st Century Contemporary Impressionistic Landscape Painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Frank Dekkers Landscape 20 15 x 20 cm (framed, included in price 20 x 25 cm) oil on Panel About the artist: Frank Dekkers, an outdoor painter, but not a "square painter" as we know...
Oil, Wood Panel
The Circle of Life
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work, the artist embodies the idea of care as a natural exchange between living beings. The person standing among the birds does not dominate but belongs—to the earth, to the...
Canvas, Acrylic
Pugna 061 by Chidy Wayne, Minimalist Style, Large Format
By Chidy Wayne
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Chidy Wayne (b. 1981, Spain) is an artist based in Barcelona. Over the years, he has established himself as a recognized figure in the art world, developing a personal artistic langu...
Mixed Media, Textile
Culture Identity 1 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative Modern Women Painting
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist The...
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Delight of Waves by Marylin Cavin - acrylic contemporary people painting
Located in DE
Marylin Cavin is a French-Swiss artist who completed her art studies in Paris, where she lived for about thirty years. For the past 25 years, she has regularly exhibited in galleries...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,298
Landscape 07 - 21st Century Contemporary Impressionistic Landscape Painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Frank Dekkers Landscape 07 15 x 20 cm (framed, included in price 20 x 25 cm) oil on Panel About the artist: Frank Dekkers, an outdoor painter, but not a "square painter" as we know...
Oil, Wood Panel
Muriel Chazalon, "End of day" Oil on canvas, Contemporary Landscape
Located in Montfort l’Amaury, FR
Muriel Chazalon (b. 1957) – Fin de journée (End of Day) Oil on canvas, 2023, 31½ × 47¼ in. (80 × 120 cm) signed on the back Fin de journée is a large-scale landscape painting by Mur...
Canvas, Oil
Passport 1 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Neo-Expressionism, Modern
By Wisdom Uche
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique; this is not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Ar...
Canvas, Acrylic
$650
Nicole - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Neo-Expressionism, Africa, Love
By Wisdom Uche
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique; this is not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Ar...
Canvas, Acrylic
Guy - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Neo-Expressionism, Africa, Love
By Wisdom Uche
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique; this is not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Ar...
Canvas, Acrylic
Pleasure - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Mutual Trust
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: Stretched, in reinforced cardboard packaging. This work is part of the T...
Canvas, Acrylic
Another Day Still Disable -21st Century, Contemporary Figurative Portrait Modern
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique; this is not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. (Issues b...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$3,750Sale Price|25% Off
Philosopher Original Oil Painting Canvas Surreal 30x38in Signed Paula Craioveanu
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Philosopher" . Original, unique painting. oil on canvas, 30x38in. Shipped rolled in a tube from Europe to the USA using DHL or FedEx, no custom or import fees in the US. Shipped rol...
Canvas, Oil
TROPIC 1 by Ramon Enrich - Landscape Painting, Earth Tones, Architecture
By Ramon Enrich
Located in Paris, FR
TROPIC 1 is a unique acrylic on paper mounted on wood painting by contemporary artist Ramon Enrich, dimensions are 94.5 × 134 cm (37.2 × 52.8 in). The artwork is signed, sold frame...
Wood, Paper, Acrylic
$1,298
Landscape 05 - 21st Century Contemporary Impressionistic Landscape Painting
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Frank Dekkers Landscape 05 15 x 20 cm (framed, included in price 20 x 25 cm) oil on Panel About the artist: Frank Dekkers, an outdoor painter, but not a "square painter" as we know...
Oil, Wood Panel
Waiting To Blossom -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Fabrics
By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bakare Babatund...
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
Summer - Contemporary Impressionistic Painting of a Landscape
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Frank Dekkers Summer 140 x 200 cm (not framed) oil on canvas On the pictures we also show you the artist receiving the flowers on our opening of this exhibition september 3th 2023 i...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
Strokes and Emotions 5 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Strokes and Emotions captures struggles of identity, inner battles, and resilience. The fragmented strokes mirror fractured emotions, while the red/orange palette amplifies raw inten...
Canvas, Acrylic
$450
Where the Light Stays 10 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In my world, colors aren't always reliable. I often struggle to tell where a deep blue ends and a purple begins, or where a red turns into wine, and deep yellows turn into oranges. I...
Canvas, Oil
Strokes and Emotions 4 -21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Strokes and Emotions captures struggles of identity, inner battles, and resilience. The fragmented strokes mirror fractured emotions, while the red/orange palette amplifies raw inten...
Canvas, Acrylic
Roots and Rhythm - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Mixed Media, Fabrics
By Bakare Abubakri-sideeq Babatunde
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube. This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Bakare Babatund...
Fabric, Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil
$2,500
Peaceful Synergy - 21st Century, Contemporary, Portrait, Africa Women, Blue
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Sam...
Canvas, Acrylic, Charcoal
3D Metal Sculpture with Color Painting Rabbi Construction Mimi Gross
By Mimi Gross
Located in Surfside, FL
Mimi Gross (American 1940-) Jewish Orthodox Scholar 1983 Aluminum and Paint Assemblage Hand signed, numbered 130/135 Dimensions: 24 X 12 X 9 inches From a great art collection of ...
Metal
Hummingbird (260307)
By Gwen Wong
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gwen Wong's work is both painterly and allegorical, caught somewhere in the middle between the representational painter and the narrator. "I am inspired by the idea of a childhood re...
Gold Leaf
Meditation
Located in Burlingame, CA
Willard Dixon is widely recognized for his calm, contemplative landscapes and skyscapes, paintings that hold stillness, clarity, and a quiet reverence for nature. In this exhibition,...
Canvas, Oil
Culture Identity 9 - 21st Century Contemporary Figurative Modern Women Painting
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist The...
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$450
Where the Light Stays 2 - 21st Century Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
In my world, colors aren't always reliable. I often struggle to tell where a deep blue ends and a purple begins, or where a red turns into wine, and deep yellows turn into oranges. I...
Canvas, Oil
The Real Eva
Located in Zofingen, AG
This work is a direct visual appeal to the core theme of my art: the critical importance of inner harmony. In a world full of external noise and instability, I urge the viewer to foc...
Canvas, Acrylic
Summer Birches - Atmospheric Nature Painting, Framed
Located in Salzburg, AT
This painting is signed on the back, the frames are made of oak A few words of the artist about his art: When i painting landscapes, I usually choose simple geometric arrangements,...
Cotton Canvas, Acrylic
$940Sale Price|20% Off
Mediterranean Male Nude by Boat Sitges School Figurative Coastal Scene oil art
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Mediterranean Male Nude by Boat, Sitges School Figurative Coastal Scene Artist: F. Benítez Date: 2012 Medium: Oil on panel Support: Panel Dimensions (panel): 35 × 50 cm (13.8 × 19.7...
Oil
"Make Believer (V3)", Hand cut stencil, acrylic, aerosol
By Mando Marie (seeyouthroughit)
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Make Believer (V3)" is a one-of-a-kind original work by Amanda Marie (Mando), created using acrylic and aerosol on paper. The piece measures 19.75 × 15.75 inches and is pencil signe...
Paper, Spray Paint, Acrylic
$12,988
Melody of Silence- 21st century Contemporary Interior painting with Young Woman
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Ksenya Istomina 'Melody of Silence' 105 x 70 cm Oil on linen Painted after life, the artist always works with a real scenery. Her realistic but impressionistic paintings look amazin...
Linen, Oil
Mixed Feeling 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
“Mixed Feelings” is a visual series that captures the emotional complexity of Black womanhood, strength, softness, pride, visibility, and invisibility. Each portrait in this series h...
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Mixed Feeling 3 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Modern, Women
Located in Ibadan, Oyo
“Mixed Feelings” is a visual series that captures the emotional complexity of Black womanhood, strength, softness, pride, visibility, and invisibility. Each portrait in this series h...
Canvas, Charcoal, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$1,292
11/02/2023, 18.03h by Calo Carratalá - Small waterscape painting, Senegal, palms
Located in Paris, FR
11/02/2023, 18.03h is a unique oil on wooden board painting by Spanish contemporary artist Calo Carratalá, dimensions are 22 × 37 cm (8.7 × 14.6 in). The artwork is signed, sold unf...
Oil, Wood Panel
The Sacredness of the Invisible: Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
A composition dominated by dreamlike creatures in an abstract landscape. The painting uses a palette of intense, saturated colors, with shades of blue, yellow, green, red, brown, and...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$10,578
Vignel N3 by Calo Carratalá - Large landscape painting, snowy mountain, winter
Located in Paris, FR
Vignel N3 is a unique oil on canvas painting by Spanish contemporary artist Calo Carratalá, dimensions are 114 × 162 cm (44.9 × 63.8 in). The artwork is signed, sold framed and come...
Canvas, Oil
The Best is Yet to Come For You - Abstract Mixed Media Graffiti Inspired Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles artist Amber Goldhammer paints dramatic abstract compositions in acrylic on canvas featuring energetic brushstrokes. Goldhammer uses her contemporary paintings to express...
Canvas, Latex, Ink, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic