Contemporary Mixed Media
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.
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Enamel
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Plexiglass, Wood
Early 2000s Contemporary Mixed Media
Linen, Mixed Media, Screen
1990s Contemporary Mixed Media
Found Objects, Acrylic, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Wire
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Gesso, Paper, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Gouache
1980s Contemporary Mixed Media
Fabric, Paper, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Acrylic, Digital
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Panel
Artist Comments
A regal buck poses in a green field under a clear sky. The animal's gold antlers point up to the twinkling stars. Part of artist Scott Dykema's ongoing series...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Gesso, Mixed Media, Oil, Plastic
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Monotype
Early 2000s Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Latex, Ink, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Acrylic, Spray Paint
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Ceramic
Artist Comments
Two horses stand side by side, bathed in the glow of a full moon. Artist Jennifer Ross titled this piece after the expression, “I love you to the moon and back.†She used her signature eggshell collage technique combined with acrylic paint and paper to add texture and depth to the composition. By extending the artwork to the sides, Jennifer enhances its dimensionality.
About the Artist
Artist Jennifer Ross finds inspiration in gathering and replicating fragments of nature. "Birds, nests, eggs, and horses represent my realization that life embodies a tension between wanting security and the love of freedom," says Jennifer. Through her art, she aspires to convey a healing power inspired by the living world. Jennifer initially aspired to follow her mother and grandfather's artistic path but took a detour and began a decade-long career working in art galleries, selling the artwork of others, and doing framing design. Eventually, her creative soul persisted. She began experimenting with small pastel...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Glaze, Oil
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Monotype
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Panel
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Color Pencil
Late 20th Century Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Mesh
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
Early 2000s Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Newsprint, Pencil, Stretcher Bars
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
Early 2000s Contemporary Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas, Permanent Marker
Early 2000s Contemporary Mixed Media
Acrylic, Canvas, Spray Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Glue, Sumi Ink, Wood Panel, Washi Paper, Pigment
1980s Contemporary Mixed Media
Plywood, Paint
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Porcelain, Paint, Wood Panel
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Felt, Thread, Mixed Media, Screen
Early 2000s Contemporary Mixed Media
Paper
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Wood, Acrylic
Late 20th Century Contemporary Mixed Media
Porcelain
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Ink, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Resin
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Oil
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Ink, Oil, Newsprint, Resin, Paper, Mixed Media, Stretcher Bars
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Gesso, Paper, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Gouache
Artist Comments
A male and female form face forward in an abstract landscape, the sunset glows brilliantly behind them. The figures are together, but there is a space between them. "The figures are fragments of faded, bittersweet memory - fondness and nostalgia," explains Gena. "The color schemes are a mixture of pastels and bold primaries - found in childhood - against a dark horizon and foreground. Contrasting light rests on the shoulders and edges of the figures, evoking an ambiguous, even mysterious mood." Part of Gena's ongoing Illumination series, exploring mood and emotion through abstract portraits. She begins each piece with a dark background, adding fast, autonomous and broad marks. As the work progresses, she reveals and wipes away a history of her mark-making, selectively deciding what imagery to keep and what to discard. She continues the process until recognizable imagery and figures materialize. Her reference material for these portraits is mostly color schemes observed in nature or from memory.
About the Artist
Gena Brodie Robbins...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Acrylic, Panel, Etching, Aquatint
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Gold Leaf
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Graphite
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media, Mosaic
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Glitter, Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Thread, Found Objects, Photographic Paper
