Contemporary Artists

Artsper now lists nearly 200,000 works from galleries all over the world and every day, new gallerists join us. They trust us to represent their artists to the best of our abilities. Discover the major artists who have changed the history of art, hundreds of artists (painters, photographers, engravers, sculptors, visual artists) who influence contemporary art as well as the rising stars of today’s art world and art fairs. They’re all on Artsper!

Although the majority of the artists listed in our virtual gallery’s catalogue are contemporary artists, modern art is also well represented on the website.

In 1907, Cubism became the first movement to free itself art from the need to represent its subject realistically. The movement’s leaders were Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger.

In 1924, Surrealism followed in the Cubist movement’s footsteps and aimed to remove the limits between the real and unreal. Artists such as Dali, Magritte and Ernst put forward their conception of the world which was deformed according to each individual’s personal desires. Their unique processes and artistic practices continue to inspire young artists today.

From 1945 onwards, it is generally believed that there was a shift from modern to contemporary art with the key difference being that artists now give less importance to the object created than to the creative idea behind it.

Pop Art opened the way for this new pictorial trend in the visual arts. This artistic movement was conscious of the consumer society in which it evolved and used the latest technology to create its highly coloured works which, among others, depicted pop culture personalities. The great masters of Pop Art are of course Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

Inspired by the revolutionary thinking of the great Surrealist, Cubist and Dadaist (Marcel Duchamp) masters, artists in the 1950s and 60s took ideas about abstract art even further. Movements such as Minimalism and Conceptual Art appeared. Influential artists working in these movements included Frank Stella, Sol Lewitt and Lawrence Weiner. They were somewhat set in opposition to the abstract expressionist movement and artists such as Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock.

Since the 80s, the role of street artists has continued to become more prominent on the art market. Long considered as vandalism, street art has earned its reputation thanks to museums and galleries recognising the work of artists such as Keith Haring, Shepard Fairey (Obey), Banksy and others. Important and emerging artists include the photographer JR who creates giant collages all over the world based on his photographs, JonOne, Blek Le Rat, Miss Tic and Death NYC.

Don’t forget that sculptors also make up a large part of the artists available on our online artwork sales platform. Small or large in size, they work with all types of materials (hardwood, steel, bronze) and use all colour palettes. You’ll also find very well-known artists. You can own an original piece by Niki de Saint Phalle, Takashi Murakimi or even the most expensive artist in the world, Jeff Koons, as well as works by emerging artists.