Contemporary Art
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.
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Gouache
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin, Color, C Print, Photographic Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
C Print, Color, Polaroid
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
1990s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Paint, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Permanent Marker
2010s Contemporary Art
Black and White, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
C Print, Polaroid, Color, Archival Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Acrylic, Color Pencil
1990s Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Black and White, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Foil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Ink
2010s Contemporary Art
Encaustic, Archival Paper, Monotype
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Metal, Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Polaroid, Archival Pigment, Color, Archival Ink
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Textile, Paint, Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Art
Textile, Cotton, Linen, Yarn, Acrylic
Artist Comments
A man sits alone in a pristine corner office, surrounded by glass walls framing a beguiling sea and a distant sailboat, emblematic of freedom and escape. Inside...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic, Pencil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Stone, Steel
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
1960s Contemporary Art
Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Paper, Mixed Media, Oil Pastel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Textile, Paint, Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Art
Polaroid
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, Color, C Print, Archival Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Stainless Steel
2010s Contemporary Art
Photographic Paper, Polaroid, C Print, Black and White, Archival Paper
Contemporary art for sale on 1stDibs.
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