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.
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Linen, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Paper, Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Steel
2010s Contemporary Art
Travertine, Bronze
2010s Contemporary Art
Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Pencil
1970s Contemporary Art
Lithograph, Screen
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Board
2010s Contemporary Art
Ceramic
2010s Contemporary Art
Wax, Encaustic, Oil, Panel
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Rag Paper, Digital, Archival Pigment, Digi...
1980s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Paper, Screen
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Silver, Gold Leaf
1990s Contemporary Art
Aquatint
1990s Contemporary Art
Screen, Watercolor
2010s Contemporary Art
Marble, Gold
2010s Contemporary Art
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Photographic Film, Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Wood, Lacquer, Dye, Pigment
1980s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper, Archival Paper, Photographic Film
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
1960s Contemporary Art
Oil, Board
1940s Contemporary Art
Silver Gelatin, Photographic Film, Photographic Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1990s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
1980s Contemporary Art
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Oil, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Ceramic, Clay, Glaze
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Ink, Watercolor, Archival Paper
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Enamel
1990s Contemporary Art
Etching
2010s Contemporary Art
Archival Pigment
1990s Contemporary Art
Lithograph
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée
2010s Contemporary Art
Acrylic Polymer, Photographic Paper
2010s Contemporary Art
Cotton Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Art
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Art
Stone
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Screen
Early 2000s Contemporary Art
Offset
2010s Contemporary Art
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars