No authoritative definition of contemporary art exists. Does it begin with minimalism? Does it date to the 1980s? Or is there some other marker?
The answer depends on the art expert one consults. Cydney Payton, director/curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver, sees it as art created in the past 20 years – a period that advances every day.
“We are chasing history,” Payton said. “So I think the museum is more interested in the provocative ideas and concepts and work that are more representative of a 20-year window.
“And beyond that, on occasion, you find something that dates further back and is so exciting to look at today, but that’s because those ideas are back on the table.”
Although many contemporary artists still work in centuries-old media such as painting, drawing and sculpture, much of today’s most exciting work is being created in such realms as video art, digital photography and installations.
Here are five prominent contemporary artists:
- John Currin combines old-master virtuosity with an affinity for vintage pinup girls in sometimes subversive portraits.
- Tony Oursler takes video art away from conventional screens, projecting otherworldly, talking faces onto figures.
- Takashi Murakami reinvigorates pop art with his anime-inspired smiling flowers and other signature imagery.
- Richard Serra manages to imbue huge, molded chunks of steel with extraordinary grace and sensuousness.
- Katy Grannan uses everyday people as models in her unsettling images, exploring the nature of posing and photography.
