Ernie Banks
2010s Contemporary Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor, Acrylic
People Also Browsed
1820s English School Portrait Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Antique Late 19th Century American Louis XIII Office Chairs and Desk Chairs
Leather, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Oil, Canvas
1960s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Graphite
Early 20th Century British Sports Equipment and Memorabilia
Hickory
Late 20th Century English Sports Equipment and Memorabilia
Brass
Antique 19th Century British Victorian Games
Leather
2010s Contemporary Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Graphite
Late 19th Century Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
20th Century American Rustic Planters, Cachepots and Jardinières
Metal
1980s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Chalk, Charcoal
Early 20th Century English Sporting Art Prints
Paper
2010s Contemporary Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Acrylic, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Graphite, Watercolor
1880s Modern Landscape Prints
Etching
Recent Sales
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Paper, Gouache, Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Black and White Photography
Archival Pigment
A Close Look at 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.