Contemporary Art

Contemporary art is the art of our lifetime—the art being made now and about this moment. As an art historical movement it eludes easy definition, often characterized as contradictory, confusing, and open ended. Contemporary art tends to be tied to conceptual practice, and while it may manifest through any materials and methods, it often directly challenges traditional notions of what art can and should be. Contemporary artists emphasize the importance of context in making and viewing art, with many vesting power in the eyes of the viewer, where their work’s true significance comes to life.

Though the end of World War II and the social upheaval of the 1960s are often cited as key moments in the emergence of “the contemporary,” artists like Marcel Duchamp were already hard at work, breaking the rules long before the term was coined. Modern art was categorized by medium; contemporary artists work across sculpture, painting, video, or performance freely and as they see fit. They are often equally comfortable presenting their oeuvre both outside and within the “white cube”— the stark, brightly lit exhibition space.

From identity politics, the body, globalization and migration, technology, and popular culture: TASCHEN art books explore the plethora of themes permeating contemporary art. Featuring some of the most famous artists of our day, TASCHEN Books offer comprehensive monographs on the likes of Olafur Eliasson, Ai Weiwei, Darren Almond, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Martin Kippenberger, Jeff Koons, Yves Klein, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ren Hang, Mark Ryden, and many, many more. These publications bring together biographical information, critical essays, and immaculate reproductions of key artworks to present the ultimate journey through an artist’s practice.