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Contemporary Art

CONTEMPORARY STYLE

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.

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Style: Contemporary
Airplane in landscape - landscape painting
Airplane in landscape - landscape painting

Airplane in landscape - landscape painting

By Jeroen Allart

Located in New York, NY

This beautiful painting by Jeroen Allart is part of his minimalist landscape and animal painting he did in his home country the Netherlands. 'A farm stands before you on the horizon....

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Apparition at the Border of Language"

"Apparition at the Border of Language"

By Enrique Chagoya

Located in Lyons, CO

This print presents a fictitious encounter between contemporary colonial forces and Native Americans who are defenders of immigrant refugees and displaced populations. The artist de...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Lithograph

Red Light - Mindscreen 07 (Night on Earth) - Polaroid

Red Light - Mindscreen 07 (Night on Earth) - Polaroid

By Stefanie Schneider

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

Red Light - Mindscreen 07 (Night on Earth) - 2008 20x20cm, Edition of 10, Archival C-Print, based on the Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Artist Inventory #242 Not mo...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Photographic Film, Archival Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid

Still Night - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Women
Still Night - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative Portrait, Africa, Women

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Positano no. 2
Positano no. 2

Positano no. 2

Located in Burlingame, CA

Large-scale photographer Troy House celebrates people’s primordial attraction to the beach. He travels the world capturing iconic, breathtaking scenes – often from a bird’s-eye view ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Digital Pigment

Carmelized - Abstract Landscape Graffiti Inspired Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas
Carmelized - Abstract Landscape Graffiti Inspired Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas

Carmelized - Abstract Landscape Graffiti Inspired Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas

By Amber Goldhammer

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Mediterranean Male Nude by Boat Sitges School Figurative Coastal Scene oil art
Mediterranean Male Nude by Boat Sitges School Figurative Coastal Scene oil art

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil

Reminiscing
Reminiscing

Reminiscing

Located in Burlingame, CA

Elizabeth Geisler is best known for contemporary paintings of water that bridge realism and abstraction. At close range, her surfaces appear loose and ambiguous, but from a distance ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Jack Straw - Abstract Minimal Color Beige Textured Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas
Jack Straw - Abstract Minimal Color Beige Textured Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas

Jack Straw - Abstract Minimal Color Beige Textured Mixed Media Artwork on Canvas

By Amber Goldhammer

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Latex, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Once We Were Warriors (Stage of Consciousness) starring Radha Mitchell

Once We Were Warriors (Stage of Consciousness) starring Radha Mitchell

By Stefanie Schneider

Located in Morongo Valley, CA

Once We Were Warriors (Stage of Consciousness) - part of the 29 Palms, CA project - 2007 - featuring Radha Mitchell 48x46cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. digital C-Print, ...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Polaroid, Color

Talking with You
Talking with You

Talking with You

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Steps  - underwater photograph - print on paper 21" x 18"
Steps  - underwater photograph - print on paper 21" x 18"

Steps - underwater photograph - print on paper 21" x 18"

By Alex Sher

Located in Beverly Hills, CA

A light and very becoming underwater photograph of a girl walking down the steps of a swimming pool. The light blue photograph shows no swimsuit neither nudity. The crystalline wate...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper

A Meal Alone with Oneself
A Meal Alone with Oneself

A Meal Alone with Oneself

Located in Zofingen, AG

A Meal Alone with Oneself is not about solitude, but about returning — to your own rhythm, your own desires, your own quiet center. In a world that constantly asks for more, faster, ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

In Search of a Cerulean Sweater
In Search of a Cerulean Sweater

In Search of a Cerulean Sweater

Located in Zofingen, AG

In Search of a Cerulean Sweater plays with the idea of difference — of standing side by side while belonging to entirely different worlds. It reflects that quiet, often overlooked st...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

“Spiral movement”
“Spiral movement”

“Spiral movement”

Located in Zofingen, AG

Red fish move towards each other, forming a closed circle — a spiral — a space of eternal movement, interaction, equilibrium and balance. This is an image of cyclicality, reciprocity...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Acrobats, Contemporary Abstract Painting
Acrobats, Contemporary Abstract Painting

Acrobats, Contemporary Abstract Painting

Located in Philadelphia, PA

This piece is an abstract composition of bold black brushstrokes layered across a pale, textured background. The painting balances gestures, rounded forms, and thick horizontal marks...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel

"Hieroglyphics (MS Paint Toolbar)", Nostalgic 90s Wall-Hanging Fiber Art
"Hieroglyphics (MS Paint Toolbar)", Nostalgic 90s Wall-Hanging Fiber Art

"Hieroglyphics (MS Paint Toolbar)", Nostalgic 90s Wall-Hanging Fiber Art

By Nicole Nikolich, Lace in the Moon

Located in Philadelphia, PA

This piece titled "Hieroglyphics (MS Paint Toolbar)" is a one-of-a-kind original piece by Nicole Nikolich (Lace in the Moon) and is made from crocheted acrylic hanging from a wooden ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Textile, Yarn, Found Objects, Wood

New Girl in Town
New Girl in Town

New Girl in Town

Located in Zofingen, AG

New Girl in Town captures that delicate, almost imperceptible feeling of being slightly out of rhythm with the world around you — where everything seems settled, familiar, already un...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

South Head, February, Original painting, Contemporary artist
South Head, February, Original painting, Contemporary artist

South Head, February, Original painting, Contemporary artist

Located in Deddington, GB

An expressive palette knife oil painting of South Head hill, painted en plein air in the Peak District . The thick, textured application of paint brings the landscape to life. The pa...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Laurisilva of Madeira - analogue black and white nature photography, Limited 10

Laurisilva of Madeira - analogue black and white nature photography, Limited 10

By Ugne Pouwell

Located in London, GB

' Laurisilva of Madeira' 2026 Limited edition of 10 Photograph shot using mid-century large format film camera Linhof. Printed on archival Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta paper. Signe...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Film, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Giclée

Pink Ascension Beyond The Moon & Stars
Pink Ascension Beyond The Moon & Stars

Pink Ascension Beyond The Moon & Stars

By Hunt Slonem

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Hunt Slonem, American, included in 250+ museum collections Unique oil on canvas painting, artist's antique frame, signed and dated verso Inspired by nature and his 60 pet birds, Hu...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Joy
Joy

Joy

By Hunt Slonem

Located in Miami Beach, FL

Hunt Slonem, American, included in 250+ museum collections Unique oil on wood painting, artist's antique frame, signed and dated verso Inspired by nature and his 60 pet birds, Hunt...

Category

2010s Contemporary Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Bluebell Abundance: Large Floral Painting, Contemporary, Delight, Colorful, New
Bluebell Abundance: Large Floral Painting, Contemporary, Delight, Colorful, New

Bluebell Abundance: Large Floral Painting, Contemporary, Delight, Colorful, New

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Bluebell Abundance Large Floral Painting, Contemporary, Delight, Colorful, New It captures the essence of nature's delight. Lilies in shades of pink, intertwined Bluebells a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Hope (3/30) - Joyful Figurative Mixed Media Sculpture with Glossy Yellow Balloon
Hope (3/30) - Joyful Figurative Mixed Media Sculpture with Glossy Yellow Balloon

Hope (3/30) - Joyful Figurative Mixed Media Sculpture with Glossy Yellow Balloon

By Nayla Saroufim

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Nayla Saroufim’s contemporary sculptures translate optimism into form. Her works feel playful at first glance, then quietly persistent the longer you live with them. Working in metal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Metal, Steel

With You - 21st Century, Contemporary, Figurative, Portrait, Modern, Africa

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...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Contemporary art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Contemporary art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of blue, purple, orange, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Stefanie Schneider, Tyler Shields, Kirsten Thys van den Audenaerde, and Richard Heeps. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Paper and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Contemporary art, so small editions measuring 0.02 inches across are also available.