Modern Art
The first decades of the 20th century were a period of artistic upheaval, with modern art movements including Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism and Dadaism questioning centuries of traditional views of what art should be. Using abstraction, experimental forms and interdisciplinary techniques, painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers and performance artists all pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
Major exhibitions, like the 1913 Armory Show in New York City — also known as the “International Exhibition of Modern Art,” in which works like the radically angular Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp caused a sensation — challenged the perspective of viewers and critics and heralded the arrival of modern art in the United States. But the movement’s revolutionary spirit took shape in the 19th century.
The Industrial Revolution, which ushered in new technology and cultural conditions across the world, transformed art from something mostly commissioned by the wealthy or the church to work that responded to personal experiences. The Impressionist style emerged in 1860s France with artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Edgar Degas quickly painting works that captured moments of light and urban life. Around the same time in England, the Pre-Raphaelites, like Edward Burne-Jones and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, borrowed from late medieval and early Renaissance art to imbue their art with symbolism and modern ideas of beauty.
Emerging from this disruption of the artistic status quo, modern art went further in rejecting conventions and embracing innovation. The bold legacy of leading modern artists Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Piet Mondrian and many others continues to inform visual culture today.
Find a collection of modern paintings, sculptures, prints and other fine art on 1stDibs.
1960s Modern Art
C Print, Color
2010s Modern Art
Black and White, Archival Pigment
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Resin
1960s Modern Art
C Print
2010s Modern Art
Pastel, Ink, Watercolor
1950s Modern Art
C Print
1960s Modern Art
C Print
1950s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1960s Modern Art
C Print
1960s Modern Art
C Print
1950s Modern Art
C Print
1950s Modern Art
C Print
1960s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1970s Modern Art
C Print
20th Century Modern Art
Watercolor
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Mixed Media, Photographic Paper
2010s Modern Art
Photographic Film
2010s Modern Art
Earthenware
Early 2000s Modern Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Papier Mâché
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Polaroid
20th Century Modern Art
Mixed Media
20th Century Modern Art
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Oil
20th Century Modern Art
Graphite, Paper
1970s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1980s Modern Art
Chalk, Conté, Charcoal, Watercolor, Gouache
1930s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Modern Art
Black and White, Photographic Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Resin
1960s Modern Art
Lithograph
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
C Print
1960s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
2010s Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1950s Modern Art
C Print
1970s Modern Art
C Print
1960s Modern Art
C Print
1960s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1970s Modern Art
C Print
1980s Modern Art
C Print
1920s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
1930s Modern Art
Oil
Late 20th Century Modern Art
Screen
1960s Modern Art
C Print
1960s Modern Art
C Print, Color
1970s Modern Art
C Print
1960s Modern Art
C Print
1960s Modern Art
Silver Gelatin
Early 20th Century Modern Art
Drypoint, Etching
20th Century Modern Art
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Modern Art
Color, Lambda, Photographic Paper, C Print
1940s Modern Art
Tempera, Board
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Art
Archival Ink, Rag Paper, Giclée
20th Century Modern Art
C Print, Lambda, Photographic Paper, Color