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.
$330
Blue Skies - Original Abstract Animal Cow Mixed Media Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Columbus, Georgia-based artist Kellie Newsome specializes in dynamic and expressive animal portraits that radiate vitality and personality. Her unique style combines abstracted forms...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
The Bird: Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, Green
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
The Bird is a Contemporary abstract oil painting on canvas in shades of green, created with professional Winsor & Newton and Rembrandt oil paints. The surface is built up through...
Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
Fascinating Feline - Original Abstract Animal Cat Portrait Artwork on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Columbus, Georgia (USA) based artist Kellie Newsome specializes in dynamic and abstracted still-life artworks. Her expressive style emphasizes line structure, creating vibrant painti...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pencil
"Highway 101", Surreal Redwood Highway Panting with Orcas and Car
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Highway 101" is an original artwork by Chris Austin and is made of gouache on wood. It measures 13"h x 17"w framed and is signed en verso by the artist. Chris Aus...
Wood, Gouache
The Biggest Fish in a Pond
Located in Zofingen, AG
The Biggest Fish in a Pond, 90/70/2 cm acrylic on canvas We spend so much time trying to become the biggest fish in the pond. A little more successful, a little more admired, a litt...
Canvas, Acrylic
Homekeepers Painting of Dogs Before Red House, 90x90 cm, New Condition
Located in Zofingen, AG
Home is not walls or shelter — it’s what quietly holds us when the world keeps moving. The dogs stand before the red house as if it were memory made visible. They are the keepers of ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Green Silence
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
Green Silence Series: Birds Green Silence captures a solitary white heron standing quietly within a lush, dreamlike landscape of deep greens and reflected light. Emerging softly fro...
Canvas, Acrylic
Blue Silence
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
Blue Silence Series: Birds Blue Silence captures a solitary pelican drifting quietly through a deep blue landscape suspended between water and shadow. Emerging from broad, expressiv...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Blue Grasshopper"
Located in Zofingen, AG
Blue Grasshopper is about freedom of movement and freedom of choice; unity with the Universe and individuality of experience. It is about beauty in different rhythms. It is about the...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Red bulI"
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work I will continue to weave archetypal images of ancient times. The work enters into a dialogue with the symbolism of long-standing visual memory, which appears in various...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,506
Silk Flutters in the Woods by Rene Gonzalez - Forest Landscape with Butterflies
Located in Paris, FR
Silk Flutters in the Woods is an acrylic on canvas by artist Rene Gonzalez, portraying butterflies dancing above a water puddle in a spellbinding nocturnal forest. This unique piece'...
Canvas, Acrylic
Lou Dog - Abstract Quirky Figurative Dog Cowboy Inspired Painting on Paper
By Jesse Black
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jesse’s imagery often merges playful and gritty elements, blending floral patterns, vintage-inspired designs, and bold outlines with a touch of whimsy. His artwork exudes a sense of ...
Paint, Acrylic, Paper
$400
"My Gracious Pink Butterfly" Contemporary Pop Art Oil Painting w Floater Frame
By Cindy Shaoul
Located in New York, NY
Motivated by bold color and fast brushwork, we are moved by the simplicity and thick textured oil paints in these works. Shaoul’s “My Butterfly Collection” is a vibrant and energetic...
Oil, Board, Resin
Tripillya bul
Located in Zofingen, AG
The Trypillya bull is an image of a primordial totem of power associated with the earth, fertility and cosmic order. The bull is a sacred creature in the Trypillya culture, a guardia...
Canvas, Acrylic
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
Tender Presence I
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled Series: Trust This work is part of my “Trust” series — an exploratio...
Canvas, Acrylic
Magic tree
Located in Zofingen, AG
In this work I will continue to weave archetypal images of ancient times. The work enters into a dialogue with the symbolism of long-standing visual memory, which appears in various...
Canvas, Acrylic
Where Time Stood Still
Located in Zofingen, AG
Where Time Stood Still (From the "Synchronicity of Souls" series) "Where Time Stood Still" is a visual manifesto of safety, unconditional trust, and the mental connection between hum...
Canvas, Acrylic
I Hunt Rabbits - Original Dog Pet Portrait Mixed Media Painting - Beagle
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Columbus, Georgia-based artist Kellie Newsome specializes in dynamic and expressive animal portraits that radiate vitality and personality. Her unique style combines abstracted forms...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil
Being Present
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×120 cm (overall size with stretching 105×130 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled A white dog resting on a soft pink armchair becomes an image of q...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Rye", Small-Scale Contemporary Oil Painting of a Cat
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Rye" is an original piece by Kay Seohyung Lee made from oil on panel. This piece measures 10"h x 8"w x 0.5"d and comes with a gallery-issued Certificate of Authenticity and is signe...
Oil, Wood Panel
Hummingbird (260306)
By Gwen Wong
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gwen Wong's work is both painterly and allegorical, caught somewhere in the middle between the representational painter and the narrator. "I am inspired by the idea of a childhood re...
Gold Leaf
"Nesting", Botanical Watercolor of Opossums in a Nest with Strawberries
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "Nesting" is an original artwork by Christina Mrozik and is made of watercolor on paper, and measures 17.5"h × 17.5"w framed. It is signed en verso by the artist. ...
Paper, Watercolor
Hunt Slonem "Starling III" painting of a bird
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Slonem, Hunt Title: Starling III Date: 2024 Medium: Oil on wood Unframed Dimensions: 10" x 8" Framed Dimensions: 14.5" x 12.5" Signature: Signed by Artist on Verso Edi...
Oil
Emotionally Unavailable but Moisturized
Located in Zofingen, AG
Emotionally Unavailable but Moisturized is a quiet little rebellion against the pressure to always be available, productive, emotionally articulate, healed, glowing, thriving… prefer...
Acrylic, Canvas
Fancy a Cup of Tea
Located in Zofingen, AG
Fancy a Cup of Tea? is about the quiet rituals of friendship. The conversations that begin with something ordinary and end somewhere much deeper. A cup of tea, a familiar chair, a tr...
Canvas, Acrylic
Three Happy Friends - 21 Century Contemporary Landscape Painting with Dogs
By Bart Koning
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Bart Koning Three Happy Friends 140 x 210 cm Oil on linen We're proud to introduce Dutch/ German artist Bart Koning. Incredibly clever how the originally Dutch Bart Koning knows ho...
Oil
“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...
Canvas, Acrylic
"Mark's Pigeon 1", Intimate Contemporary Bird Portrait, Oil on Panel
Located in Philadelphia, PA
"Mark's Pigeon 1" is an original piece by Kay Seohyung Lee made from oil on panel. This piece measures 8"h x 10"w x 0.5"d and comes with a gallery-issued Certificate of Authenticity....
Oil, Panel
$295
Long Hair, Short Legs - Abstract Expressive Dog Portrait Mixed Media Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Columbus, Georgia (USA) based artist Kellie Newsome specializes in dynamic and abstracted still-life artworks. Her expressive style emphasizes line structure, creating vibrant painti...
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil
Duck -21st Century Contemporary Realistic Still life Painting of a Bird
By Bart Koning
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Bart Koning (Dutch artist) Duck 37,9 x 49,9 cm (Framed included in price 38,3 x 50,3) Oil paint on wood panel We're proud to introduce Dutch/ German artist Bart Koning. Incredibly ...
Oil, Wood Panel
$3,400
Recess (Panther) /// Jack Graves Jaguar Leopard Wild Jungle Animal Painting Art
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Jack Graves III (American, 1988-) Title: "Recess (Panther)" Series: Eclecticism *Signed by Graves lower right. It is also signed, titled, and dated on verso Year: 2026 Medium...
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic
El mar. By Inna Panasenko. 2007. Oil on canvas. 200/300 cm
Located in Riga, LV
Inna Panasennko is one of the most successful and best-selling contemporary artists in Germany. One of the central themes of Inna's work is monumental images of bulls in all their na...
Canvas, Acrylic
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...
Canvas, Acrylic
$9,500
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...
Oil, Wood Panel
$770Sale Price|30% Off
Magical Ecstasy Oil Painting on Canvas, Dreamlike Animals, 80x160 cm
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
Magical Ecstasy presents a composition in which birds, animals, and human figures coexist within a single pictorial space. The image is organized through fields of color, symbols, an...
Gold Leaf
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...
Gold Leaf
Hear Me Out
Located in Zofingen, AG
Everyone wants to be heard. Some whisper. Some raise their voices. And some simply lift a claw draped in pearls and wait for the room to fall silent. Confidence isn’t always loud. So...
Canvas, Acrylic
The Watchers
Located in Zofingen, AG
On the red ground, black silhouettes stand still — quiet, alert, unbothered. They guard nothing and search for nothing — they simply see. Their presence fills the space with a weight...
Canvas, Acrylic
Dreaming in The Dark
Located in Zofingen, AG
Through my art, I share with viewers the profound importance of personal integrity in our lives. In my paintings, I explore the delicate balance between individual wholeness and deep...
Canvas, Acrylic
"The Nightmare Began Just Like Any Other Dream" Nighttime landscape, surreal
By Angela Rio
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "The Nightmare Began Just Like Any Other Dream" is an original artwork by Angela Rio and is made of acrylic on masonite framed in artist-m...
Masonite, Acrylic
Rosella Picul
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
“Rosella Picul” highlights Hunt Slonem’s enduring interest in exotic birds, interpreted through his signature textural technique. Layers of vibrant color are partially veiled by a rh...
Oil
$750
Dear Catawba Deer /// Jack Graves Contemporary Painting Landscape Animals Paint
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Jack Graves III (American, 1988-) Title: "Dear Catawba Deer" Series: Americana *Signed by Graves lower right. It is also signed, titled, and dated on verso Year: 2026 Medium:...
Canvas, Paint, Acrylic
$1,392
Sunset
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
A blazing red-orange sky stretches above the quiet earth as the golden sun melts into the valley. Below, a shimmering river winds through the landscape, reflecting the last light of ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Pure Elegance
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 100×80 cm (overall size with stretching 110×90 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled Series: Trust This painting is part of my “Trust” series, where an...
Canvas, Acrylic
Bird. Reunited After Separation, Original Painting
By Guigen Zha
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Two grey herons reunite at a lake. One stands in the shallow water while the other returns in flight. The birds appear in a stylized manner against the water, s...
Acrylic
Duo, Original Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
Two horses lean on each other as they rest under a night sky. Three white birds soar overhead, heading in the same direction. The scene captures a peaceful mome...
Acrylic
$8,000
Nick
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Denver, CO
This example of Hunt Slonem's most well-known motif comes complete with a lovely golden frame sourced by Hunt himself. Slonem's artistic trajectory has always been characterized by ...
Wood, Oil
With Girls on a Random Friday Night
Located in Zofingen, AG
With Girls on a Random Friday Night is about the quiet rituals that keep us close to ourselves and to each other. In a world obsessed with productivity, comparison, and always moving...
Canvas, Acrylic
Mutual Trust
Located in Zofingen, AG
Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled Series: Trust This work is part of the Trust series, which reveals t...
Canvas, Acrylic
$5,290
Will o’ the Wisps by Rene Gonzalez - Forest landscape with owl, water and fire
Located in Paris, FR
Will o’ the Wisps is an acrylic on canvas by the artist Rene Gonzalez representing an owl perched at the edge of a lake in a mysterious and enchanted forest. Rene Gonzalez sees his ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Who Does She Think She Is?
Located in Zofingen, AG
Who Does She Think She Is? It is the question often asked, quietly or aloud, whenever someone chooses not to shrink themselves. This painting is about the courage to take up space, e...
Canvas, Acrylic
Wait Nearby
By Gwen Wong
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gwen Wong's work is both painterly and allegorical, caught somewhere in the middle between the representational painter and the narrator. "I am inspired by the idea of a childhood re...
Gold Leaf
Pink Flamingo
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
Pink Flamingo captures a quiet moment of stillness hidden within dense green surroundings. Emerging softly from layers of expressive brushstrokes, the solitary flamingo becomes both ...
Canvas, Acrylic
Contemporary Fox Painting Oil on Cardboard Red Fox Animal Artwork Framed
By Sula Repani
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Contemporary fox painting in oil on cardboard depicting a red fox in motion, rendered through expressive brushwork and a vibrant palette of ochre, red and violet tones. This small-f...
Oil, Cardboard
$3,150
"And Belonged to Otherwise Memory" by Shelli Langdale, Oil Painting of Horse
Located in Denver, CO
Shelli Langdale's "And Belonged to Otherwise Memory" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a white horse reflected in a rear view mirror with a pink sunset in the distan...
Oil, Panel
Untitled - Paint by Porfirius - 1962
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is a modern artwork realized by the artist Porfirius in 1962 Mixed media on paper. Hand signed and dated on the lower margin Includes frame
Mixed Media
Bunnies on White Diamond Dust
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Hunt Slonem, American, included in 250+ museum collections Unique oil and diamond dust on canvas painting, signed and dated verso Inspired by nature and his 60 pet birds, Hunt Slon...
Gold Leaf
Bison Beneath the Light, Oil Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A herd of bison descends into a ravine, moving through a misty landscape. These majestic animals symbolize strength, power, and resilience as ethereal light s...
Oil
Hunt Slonem "Love Child" painting of monkeys on canvas
By Hunt Slonem
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Slonem, Hunt Title: Love Child Date: 2025 Medium: Oil on canvas Unframed Dimensions: 12" x 9" Signature: Signed by Artist on Verso Edition: Unique Hunt Slonem is an i...
Oil