Jules Feiffer

Sergio Barletta is an Italian cartoonist and illustrator who has also published some humorous and political satire books. From the age of 22, he was active in Rome, where he worked as an illustrator and art director in some monthly magazines like Costume, Diners ClubHouse Organ, BP Review, IBM and others. In 1965, Barletta started working with Marino Gallery in Rome; in 1966, in Milan, with Humour Graphics group; at Levi Gallery and others in the following years. During these years, Barletta's graphic work and illustration mixed with painting and photography, and also with satirical drawings for Rinascita, weekly of the Italian communist party; Azione Sociale, weekly of ACLI Catholic Workers Association; movie posters, advertising for Gucci, some writings for Popular Photography Italiana, layouts, writings and illustrations for Avinews, bimonthly for tour operators and so on.

During the 1980s, Barletta began a long collaboration with satirical weekly Il Sale, complemented by a book with Ottaviano Edizioni in Milan and other publications in Turin and Rome, all of satirical drawings. During this period he collaborated with linus, the most important Italian comics monthly, and Harakiri, a humor weekly published in France.

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.