Artists have always been at the forefront of human history, and nothing says contemporary style more than contemporary art. Contemporary art is a new term that describes art made now instead of made centuries ago. While art has always been made with purpose and meaning, contemporary art has a focus on technique and process. Contemporary artists create art that engages contemporary issues and grabs the eye of today’s society.
There are so many contemporary artists that you might struggle to find them all. So, to help you narrow your artist search, here are some of the most popular contemporary painters and sculptors.
Pablo Picasso
Picasso’s paintings are still being reproduced and sold today. Some of their most popular paintings include the Blue and Rose Periods, as well as the series of 29 etchings he made after visiting African tribes.
Vincent van Gogh
Considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Vincent van Gogh was known for his distinctive use of color. His most recognizable painting, The Starry Night, was created in 1889 and depicted the night sky over the town of Arles, France. The popularity of Vincent van Gogh and The Starry Night led to its inclusion in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Henri Matisse
Matisse was a visual artist and painter whose work spanned from 1893 until he died in 1954. His works, which include paintings, collages, and sculptures, are multi-layered and, like Picasso, have been reproduced
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol, an American artist, began his career in 1940 in New York City, receiving recognition for his bold, colorful paintings that combined commercial imagery and abstract expressionism.
Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein (1923 – 1997) was one of the most influential Pop artists of the 20th century, known for creating paintings of cartoon-like figures and comic strips. Lichtenstein’s paintings typically featured comic-like figures and comic strips. His most famous pieces were his self-referential 1951 painting and his earlier painting Popeye, which took the cartoon and gave it life by physically boxing in character.
Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock is one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Though his paintings often featured abstract, sometimes violent, depictions of human anatomy, Pollock’s work also explored a variety of themes, from landscapes to seascapes, from flowers to birds. He was also known for innovative techniques, such as dripping paint, which he used in order to explore the relationship between painting and sculpture.
Cy Twombly
Cy Twombly. His paintings are some of the most innovative and thought-provoking of the modern era. His oeuvre, which spans 50 years, has been the subject of numerous exhibitions across the globe. His pieces have been included in most major museum collections. Twombly’s famously abstract style has been described as “a form of expression that straddles the divide between the abstract and the representational.”
Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns was known for the painting “Untitled,” which is generally considered to be one of the most famous paintings of all time. Johns, an avowed non-conformist, is famous for his use of everyday objects in his paintings and for often re-appropriating existing images. He, in fact, was best known for his drawing of the American flag in the mid-1950s, which was inspired by a September 1954 issue of Life magazine that featured a painting of the same subject. Other works by Johns include “Target,” “Slow Down,” and “Bird with Eggs.”
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko’s work has been a fixture of the New York art world since his death in 1970 and remains one of the most popular on the contemporary art scene today. Rothko’s paintings are highly detailed, with rich, bold colors that leave viewers feeling emotional and contemplative. His work, like much abstract art, can be difficult to describe, but it’s rivaled in impact only by the bold and colorful work of artists like Joan Mitchell.
Anish Kapoor
Anish Kapoor’s work is diverse and captivating, so much so that it’s hard to pick out a favorite. Kapoor imagines scenarios where man-made structures merge with the natural world, posing questions about our place in both the natural and built environments. He’s created sculptures from human waste, often using that as his medium. (The New York Times once called his work “a marriage of industrial and biomorphic art.”)