Exhibitions: Contemporary Art

Filter the exhibitions:

© light art collection

contemporary art

Light Art Collection

read more

Light Art Collection originated from the annual Amsterdam Light Festival, wants to connect, move, and enlighten people all over the world through the universal language of meaningful light art experiences. The organization delivers cultural value in the forefront of light art experiences through their exceptional light art collection, tailored consulting, meaningful curation, and high-standard production. The collection consists of a great variety of light art installations. Over the past ten years, international artists from different disciplines and backgrounds created these artworks. Many of the light artworks become part of an internationally travelling collection. Artists include: VENIVIDIMULTIPLEX, Yasuhiro Chida, Felipe Prado, Gali May Lucas, OGE Group, Streetart Frankey, Viktor Vicsek, Aleksandra Stratimirovic and many more. As of today, the works have travelled from London to Baltimore and from Athens to Riyadh.

read less

© dpa picture alliance archive

contemporary art

Jean-Michel Basquiat

read more

Basquiat played an important and symbolic role in the New York art scene during the 1980s, and he quickly became one of the most popular artists of our times. Nowadays, his artistic language continues to fascinate the public all over the world. Like Keith Haring, his work is attributed to pop art, neo expressionism and graffiti art. Between 1981 and 1987 he made very 'explosive' works on canvas. His works are usually of large format made with acrylic with line drawings and texts with oil-paintstick on top. Much of his work was an indictment of racism. He also had a lot to do with this and his work was often referred to as 'primal'. Basquiat used social commentary in his paintings as a tool for introspection and to identify with his experiences in the black community of his time, as well as attacks on power structures and racist systems. During these years, Basquiat’s tormented soul unfolded into a successful career. He also worked for a number of years with Andy Warhol, whom he saw as a great example at that time. Their collaboration was equal.

read less

© iris van herpen

contemporary art

Iris van Herpen

read more

Widely heralded as one of fashion’s most forward-thinking designers, Iris van Herpen discovered fashion for the first time in her grandmother’s attic, where she unearthed a mini-museum of garments and costumes that opened her eyes to another decade. Trained in classical ballet and throughout her career, the designer has been fascinated by fluidity and the entangled art of movement. The mercurial dance in which the body and mind intersect have perpetually propelled Van Herpen’s sensorial design philosophy and paved the way for more conscious forms of fashion. Contemplating movement as a metamorphic force enables these ethereal garments to extend from the human body, sculpting their forms into multi-dimensional silhouettes. Movement adds another layer to Van Herpen's craft. Her vision is guided by the human anatomy and the way the woman moves, making these other-worldly looking garments adored by clientele worldwide.

read less

© anthony weller

contemporary art

Jeff Koons Sculptures

read more

The work and career of artist Jeff Koons explores the meaning of art and spectacle in a media-saturated era, while adopting an aesthetic that accentuates the consumer culture that emerged at the time. Koons' work undermines the division between 'good taste' and 'bad taste', mixing 'high', 'low' culture and kitsch. His works (from the 1980s to the present) span a wide spectrum of media and techniques - from his pop art sculptures depicting everyday objects from balloon animals to teddy bears.

read less

© nikolay vinokurov

contemporary art

Tom Wesselmann

read more

The artist Tom Wesselmann worked in painting, collage and sculpture and developed into one of the best-known pop art artists in the 1960s. Wesselmann's works often stylized the feminine form, encapsulating elements of American life and consumer culture. Wesselmann initially started as an illustrator of comics and men's magazines. In his early years he made small collages of photos from magazines and later devoted himself to the female nude which he portrayed in many forms. He combined figurative painting with large, enlarged representations of everyday objects, giving his work a stylized character. He was acclaimed in the art world for his series Great American Nude, in which he depicts numerous patriotic scenes.

read less

© mihail ivanov

contemporary art

Andy Warhol’s legacy

read more

Andy Warhol is one of the main figures of American pop art in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century. He is also known as the father of an important New York art movement in the 1980s, in this period he experienced a revival of fame. Partly because of his friendships with several upcoming younger artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat. The 1980s were a time when Warhol was criticized for becoming just a 'business artist', this criticism can also be seen as 'the most brilliant mirror of our time'. Warhol's works are known for exploring the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished in the 1960s. His works are very diverse in media, including painting, screen printing, photography, film and sculpture. Despite the great diversity, Warhol's portraits form one of the most central categories within his oeuvre. He has portrayed numerous celebrities and well-known figures in high society including Aretha Franklin, John Lennon, Dolly Parton, Man Ray and many others. With this Warhol has shown the power of the media as the photographic image serves as an aesthetic system that is implemented in society. Over time, some works have become so much more than the symbol of an artistic movement. It may be said: Warhol created masterpieces that are not bound by time or place.

read less

© stock italia

contemporary art

Keith Haring ‘art for all’

read more

Keith Haring’s rise to fame in the eighties is attributed to pop art, neo expressionism and graffiti-like drawings in New York City’s subways. This decade was ripe for an explosion of creativity brought about by a group of young, outsider artists who used the streets as their canvas. With his unmistakable style, Haring, protégé of Andy Warhol, unleashes a revolution in the art of the eighties. He is inspired by graffiti, comics, music, dance, 'high' art and popular culture, and develops a recognizable visual language. Keith Haring is a leader in the New York downtown community in the eighties, which derives its creativity from urban street culture. He sees it as his mission to expose social wrongs through art. His cartoon-like paintings and drawings were about AIDS, drugs and apartheid.

read less

© hemis

contemporary art

Pop Art: artists & artworks

read more

In the 50s and 60s, pop art arose from a hunger for images built up over time. But also the idea that a work of art is not just a flat surface full of color, but an image that wants to be recognized. The development starts with artists like Andy Warhol and ends with Jeff Koons. Other key figures include Johns, Rauschenberg, Wesselman, Lichtenstein, Gilbert & George, Arman, Chamberlin, Pistoletto, Anselmo and many others. They worked with contemporary expressions of comic strips, cinema, commercial design, nudes, cheap sets and other devices. All symbols of modern consumer culture. This new art form reached its full development and height in America. It can be seen as an expression of the cheerful and free spirit of the 1960s, which began with the election of John F. Kennedy and ended with the Vietnam War.

read less

© amer ghazzal

contemporary art

Gilbert & George

read more

The artist duo Gilbert & George, consisting of the Italian Gilbert Prousch and the English George Passmore, has been active since 1969. They have become known for their performance art and brightly colored graphic-style photo-based artworks. They themselves act as sculptures for all their work, including their photos, drawings films and performances. Their work reflects moral factors, such as life, death and evil. Their motto is 'Art for All', because art should be something for everyone and not just for a select elite group of people. With their work Gilbert & George had a lot of influence on the Young British Artists, such as Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and Marc Quinn.

read less

© perry van munster

contemporary art

Arte Povera – Material Explorations

read more

The history of Arte Povera movement (literally 'poor art') took place between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s in major cities throughout Italy. It emerged as a radical reaction to modern art to become one of the seminal art movements of the 20th century. Artists began attacking the values of established institutions of government, industry, and culture. Key figures are amongst others: Pistoletto, Schifano, Manzoni. Paolini, Kounellis, Calzolari, Merz and Anselmo.

read less