Calder La Mer
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Paintings
Oil
1930s Modern Abstract Photography
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
1930s Modern Abstract Photography
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
1920s Modern Abstract Photography
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
1930s Modern Abstract Photography
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
1930s Modern Abstract Photography
Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper
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Mid-20th Century Post-War Figurative Paintings
Oil, Canvas
20th Century French Art Deco Table Clocks and Desk Clocks
Lapis Lazuli, Quartz
Antique 1880s Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Cubist Abstract Sculptures
Wood, Oil
Antique 1850s French Grand Tour Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Pop Art Abstract Prints
Screen
Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Mantel Clocks
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Post-War Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Contemporary Figurative Prints
Lithograph
Early 20th Century Other Art Style Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Mid-20th Century Post-War Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Antique 1810s English Regency Sheffield and Silverplate
Sheffield Plate
Mid-20th Century American Modern Landscape Paintings
Oil, Board
Mid-20th Century Post-War Figurative Paintings
Canvas, Oil
1970s Modern Animal Prints
Paper, Lithograph, Ink
2010s Italian Modern Animal Sculptures
Ceramic, Paint
Recent Sales
1930s Modern Abstract Photography
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
1930s Modern Abstract Photography
Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
Vintage 1940s European Tapestries
Silk
A Close Look at 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.