Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced since World War II. This article is an overview of the history of art worldwide. ... In the history of art, prehistoric art is all art produced in preliterate cultures (prehistory), beginning somewhere in very late geological history. ... Arts of the ancient world refers to the many types of art that were in the cultures of ancient societies, such as those of ancient China, India, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome // The earliest figurine the Venus of Tan-Tan discovered to date originated somewhere between 500,000 and 300... Also see articles: History of painting, Western painting Clio, muse of heroic poetry and history, by Pierre Mignard, 17th century. ... Eastern art history, devoted to the arts of the Far East includes a vast range of influences from various cultures and religions. ... The Taj Mahal, Agra. ... See also Western art, History of painting, History of art, Art history, Painting, Outline of painting history Jan Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, known as the Mona Lisa of the North 1665-1667 Édouard Manet, The Balcony 1868 The history of Western painting represents a continuous, though disrupted, tradition... // The history of painting reaches back in time to artifacts from pre-historic humans, and spans all cultures. ... This article is about the academic discipline of art history. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The institutions of contemporary art

Contemporary art is exhibited by commercial contemporary art galleries, private collectors, corporations, publicly funded arts organizations, contemporary art museums or by artists themselves in artist-run spaces. Contemporary artists are supported by grants, awards and prizes as well as by direct sales of their work. Contemporary art is often shown and sold in galleries. ... Contemporary art museums around the world specialize in collecting and exhibiting contemporary art. ... An artist-run space is a gallery space run by artists, thus circumventing the structures of public and private galleries. ...

There are close relationships between publicly funded contemporary art organisations and the commercial sector. For instance, in Britain a handful of dealers represent the artists featured in leading publicly funded contemporary art museums.^[1]

Individual collectors can wield considerable influence. Charles Saatchi has dominated the contemporary art market in Britain since the 1980s; the subtitle of the 1999 book Young British Artists: The Saatchi Decade uses of the name of the private collector to define an entire decade of contemporary art production.^[2] Charles Saatchi Charles Saatchi (born June 9, 1943) was the co-founder with his brother Maurice of the global advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, which became the worlds biggest before the brothers were forced out of their own company in 1995. ...

Corporations have attempted to integrate themselves into the contemporary art world: exhibiting contemporary art within their premises, organising and sponsoring contemporary art awards and building up extensive collections.^[3]

The institutions of art have been criticised for regulating what is designated as contemporary art. Outsider art, for instance, is literally contemporary art, in that it is produced in the present day. However, it is not considered so because the artists are self-taught and are assumed to be working outside of an art historical context.^[4] Craft activities, such as textile design, are also excluded from the realm of contemporary art, despite large audiences for exhibitions.^[5] Attention is drawn to the way that craft objects must subscribe to particular values in order to be admitted. "A ceramic object that is intended as a subversive comment on the nature of beauty is more likely to fit the definition of contemporary art than one that is simply beautiful."^[6] Adolf Wölflis Irren-Anstalt Band-Hain, 1910 The term Outsider Art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for Art Brut (which literally translates as Raw Art or Rough Art), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created...

At any one time a particular place or group of artists can have a strong influence on globally produced contemporary art; for instance New York artists in the 1980s.^[7]

Public attitudes

Contemporary art can sometimes seem at odds with a public that does not feel that art and its institutions share its values.^[8] In Britain in the 1990s contemporary art became a part of popular culture, with artists becoming stars, but this did not lead to a hoped for "cultural utopia".^[9]

Concerns

A common concern since the early part of the 20th century is the question of what constitutes art. This concern can be seen running through the "modern" and "postmodern" periods. The concept of avant-garde^[10] may come into play in determining what art is taken notice of by galleries, museums, and collectors. Serious art is ultimately exceedingly difficult to distinguish definitively from art that falls short of that designation. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Dejeuner sur lHerbe by Pablo Picasso At the Moulin Rouge: Two Women Waltzing by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1892 The Scream by Edvard Munch, 1893 I and the Village by Marc Chagall, 1911 Fountain by Marcel Duchamp, 1917 Campbells Soup Cans 1962 Synthetic polymer paint on thirty-two... Postmodern art is a term used to describe art which is thought to be in contradiction to some aspect of modernism, or to have emerged or developed in its aftermath. ... A work similar to Marcel Duchamps Fountain Avant garde (written avant-garde) is a French phrase, one of many French phrases used by English speakers. ...

Contemporary art prizes

Some competitions, awards and prizes in contemporary art are

• Emerging Artist Award awarded by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
• Hugo Boss Prize awarded by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
• Factor Prize in Southern Art
• Turner Prize for British artists under 50
• Jindrich Chalupecky prize for Czech artists under 35 [1]
• Participation in the Whitney Biennial
• Vincent Award, The Vincent van Gogh Biennial Award for Contemporary Art in Europe, founded by The Broere Charitable Foundation and hosted by Stedelijk Museum.
• Marcel Duchamp Prize awarded by ADIAF and Centre Pompidou.
• The Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramists, awarded by the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery
• Ricard Prize for a French artist under 40.
• Deste Prize for young Greek artists, held every two years; funded by Dakis Joannou ^[11].
• John Moore’s Painting Prize

Overview One of the first contemporary art museums in America, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum was opened to the public by founder Larry Aldrich in 1964. ... The Hugo Boss Prize is awarded every other year to an artist (or group of artists) working in any medium, anywhere in the world. ... The front of the Guggenheim Museum from 5th Avenue This article refers to the Guggenheim Museum in the upper east side of Manhattan (New York). ... The Factor Prize for Southern Art was established in 2007 by Elizabeth and Mallory Factor and The Gibbes Museum of Art. ... Tate Britain: the venue for the Turner Prize. ... The banner of the 2006 Whitney Biennial: Day For Night in front of the Whitney Museum of American Art. ... The Vincent Award (or The Vincent van Gogh Biennial Award for Contemporary Art in Europe) is awarded every two years to a European artist that judges believe will have significant, enduring impact on contemporary art. ... The Stedelijk Museum (lit. ... The Marcel Duchamp Prize (in french : Prix Marcel Duchamp) is an annual award given to a young artist. ... The Pompidou Centres famous external skeleton of service pipes. ... The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery (CCGG or C2G2) is an art gallery located in Waterloo, Ontario. ... The RIcard Prize (or Prix Ricard S.A.) was founded in 1999 and in 2006 its name changed to Prix Fondation d’Entreprise Ricard. ... Greek industrialist Dakis Joannou is considered to be one of the leading collectors of European contemporary art (the earliest work in his collection is from 1985). ... Named after the Liverpool philanthropist, John Moores Painting Prize, is a prestigious bi-annual open painting competition with shortlisted entries exhibited at the Walker Art Gallery Liverpool. ...

History

This table lists art movements by decade. It should not be assumed to be conclusive.

The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... Jackson Pollock, No. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Lyrical Abstraction is an important American abstract art movement that emerged in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington DC and then Toronto and London during the 1960s - 1970s. ... The New York School (synonymous with abstract expressionist painting) was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s in New York City. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969. ... Jackson Pollock, No. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Color Field painting is an abstract style that emerged in the 1950s after Abstract Expressionism and is largely characterized by abstract canvases painted primarily with large areas of solid color. ... This computer generated image was created using the program Sterling Fractal, which uses a fractal to seed the colouring algorithms and filters. ... Joseph Kosuth, One and Three Chairs (1965) Conceptual art is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. ... Fluxus—a name taken from a Latin word meaning to flow—is an international network of artists, composers and designers noted for blending different artistic media and disciplines in the 1960s. ... A happening is a performance, event or situation meant to be considered as art. ... The Hard-edge painting style can be considered a subdivision of Post-Painterly Abstraction, which in turn emerged from Color Field painting. ... Lyrical Abstraction is an important American abstract art movement that emerged in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington DC and then Toronto and London during the 1960s - 1970s. ... For other uses, see Minimalism (disambiguation). ... Neo-Dada is a label applied primarily to the visual arts describing artwork that has similarities in method or intent to earlier Dada artwork. ... The New York School (synonymous with abstract expressionist painting) was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s in New York City. ... New Realism (in French: Nouveau Réalisme) refers to an artistic movement founded in 1960 by Pierre Restany and Yves Klein. ... Op art is a term used to described certain paintings made primarily in the 1960s which exploit the fallibilty of the eye through the use of optical illusions. ... This article is about Performance art. ... Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing? (1956) is one of the earliest works to be considered pop art. ... Postminimalism is a term utilized in various artistic fields for work which is influenced by, or attempts to develop, the aesthetic of minimalism. ... A visual-art movement of the 1960s, the Washington Color School was originally a group of painters who showed works in the Washington Color Painters exhibit at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art in Washington, DC from June 25-September 5, 1965. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... The term Arte Povera (Italian for poor art) was introduced by the Italian art critic and curator, Germano Celant, in 1967. ... ASCII art, an artistic medium relying primarily on computers for presentation, consists of pictures pieced together from characters (preferably from the 95 printable characters defined by ASCII). ... Complex Kadakali makeup is a form of body art Body art is art made on, with, or consisting of, the human body. ... Bob Cobbings Processual: collected poems volume ten (New River Project, 1987) Artists Book by Cheri Gaulke and Sue Maberry called Offerings at the Crossroads, 2006. ... The Feminist Art Movement refers to the efforts and accomplishments of feminists internationally to bring more visibility to women within art history and art practice. ... Installation art uses sculptural materials and other media to modify the way we experience a particular space. ... The Spiral Jetty from atop Rozel Point, in mid-April 2005. ... Cover Art by Mark Ryden Cover Art by Joe Coleman Todd Schorr, Futility in the Face of a Hostile World, 2003. ... This article is about the artistic movement. ... Postminimalism is a term utilized in various artistic fields for work which is influenced by, or attempts to develop, the aesthetic of minimalism. ... Process art is an artistic movement as well as a creative sentiment and world view where the end product of art and craft, the objet d’art, is not the principal focus. ... Video art is a type of art which relies on moving pictures and is comprised of video and/or audio data. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, also called The Eighties. The decade saw social, economic and general upheaval as wealth, production and western culture migrated to new industrializing economies. ... Definition To appropriate something is to take possession of it. ... The demoscene is a computer art subculture that specializes itself on producing demos, non-interactive audio-visual presentations, which are run real-time on a computer. ... Electronic art is art which makes use of electronic media or, more broadly, refers to technology and/or electronic media. ... The “Figuration Libre” is an artistic movement of the beginning of the years 1980, appeared in a context of “serious” art, minimalist and conceptual. ... For the handwriting system, see Graffiti (Palm OS). ... Live Art is an art form where an artist makes art in front of an audience. ... Mail art is art which uses the postal system as a medium. ... Postmodern art is a term used to describe art which is thought to be in contradiction to some aspect of modernism, or to have emerged or developed in its aftermath. ... Neo-conceptual art describes art practices that derive from the conceptual art movement of the 1960s and 70s. ... Sandro Chia: Incident at the Café Tintorett, oil on canvas, 1981 Neo-expressionism was a style of modern painting that emerged in the late 1970s and dominated the art market until the mid-1980s. ... Transgressive art refers to art forms that transgress; i. ... Video installation is a contemporary art method that combines video technology with installation art. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Information art is an emerging field of electronic art that synthesizes computer science, information technology, and more classical forms of art including performance, visual art, and media. ... Internet art (often called net. ... ABOVE: Untitled By James Seehafer. ... New media art (also known as media art) is a generic term used to describe art related to, or created with, a technology invented or made widely available since the mid-20th Century. ... The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living by Damien Hirst (1991). ... This article is about the decade of 2000-2009. ... Main articles: Pluralism and Multiculturalism Cultural pluralism exists when all groups within a larger society maintain their unique cultural identities. ... As defined in the glossary of Nicolas Bourriauds book Relational Aesthetics, Relational (Art) is: a set of artistic practices which take as their theoretical and practical point of departure the whole of human relations and their social context, rather than an independent and private space. ... Software art refers to works of art where software, or concepts from software, play an important role; for example software applications which were created by artists and which were intended as artworks. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, in the streets — though the term usually refers to art of an illicit nature, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives. ... The logo on the Stuckism International web site Stuckism is an art movement that was founded in 1999 in Britain by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting in opposition to conceptual art. ... Superflat is a postmodern art movement influenced by manga and anime. ... Videogame art involves the use of patched or modified computer and video games or the repurposing of existing games or game structures. ... A VJ is a performance artist who creates moving visual art (namely video) on large displays or screens, often at events such as concerts, nightclubs and music festivals, and usually in conjunction with other performance art. ...

References

See also

• Art for art's sake
• Classificatory disputes about art
• Medium specificity
• Contemporary art museum
• Plop art
• Wabi-sabi

Art for arts sake is the usual English rendition of a French slogan, lart pour lart, which is credited to Théophile Gautier (1811–1872). ... Fountain by Marcel Duchamp. ... Medium specificity is a principle in aesthetics and art criticism that developed during the period in art history called Modernism. ... The Niterói Contemporary Art Museum (Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói — MAC) is situated in the city of Niterói, Brazil, and is one of the city’s main landmarks. ... Plop art is a derogatory term for public art sculptures made for corporate office plazas, the spaces in front of government buildings, and other public areas, including parks. ... A Japanese tea house which reflects the Wabi-Sabi aesthetic Wabi-sabi (in Kanji: 侘寂) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centred on the acceptance of transience. ...

External links

• Studio International – Journal of contemporary art, design and architecture
• Tate gallery