Contemporary art refers to art produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. It is the art of today, made by living artists. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world, and their art is a dynamic combination of materials, methods, concepts, and subjects that continue to challenge boundaries. Contemporary art is part of a cultural dialogue that concerns larger contextual frameworks such as personal and cultural identity, family, community, and nationality.
Contemporary art is distinguished by the lack of a uniform, organizing principle, ideology, or "-ism". It is a diverse and eclectic art form that reflects the complex issues that shape our diverse, global, and rapidly changing world. Contemporary artists often explore personal or cultural identity, offer critiques of social and institutional structures, or even attempt to redefine art itself. They may question traditional ideas of how art is defined, what constitutes art, and how art is made, while creating a dialogue with—and in some cases rejecting—the styles and movements that came before them.
The exact starting point of contemporary art is still debated, but many art historians consider the late 1960s or early 1970s to be an adequate estimate. Some define contemporary art as art produced within "our lifetime," recognizing that the definition of "today" may vary widely. The most widely accepted definition of contemporary art is that it refers to artworks created between 1945 and the present day. However, some art historians set the start date of contemporary art in the 1960s with the emergence of pop art, an artistic movement that represented a radical break from modernism. Finally, a third definition of contemporary art is that it must be an artwork that either relates to practices and aesthetic designs that convey ideas or concepts (such as conceptual art), transcends boundaries between art and what traditionally is not considered art, or challenges the notion of what art is.
