Contemporary art covers everything produced from about 1970 to the present day. It resists a single definition. Unlike earlier movements that shared a common technique or manifesto, contemporary practice is defined by its refusal to settle into one style. Artists draw on installation, performance, video, digital media, street art and traditional painting…
Works of Contemporary are held in 142 museums worldwide, including National Gallery of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Vanderbilt Museum of Art.
Key artists
Work by these painters is spread across the museums listed below.
🇦🇺 Australia
1 museum
Also in AustraliaNational Gallery of Victoria (11)
🇧🇪 Belgium
3 museums
Also in BelgiumStedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (74)M HKA - Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen (32)Mu.ZEE - Kunstmuseum aan Zee (6)
🇫🇷 France
1 museum
Also in FranceMusée National d'Art Moderne (13)
🇩🇪 Germany
6 museums
Also in GermanyBavarian State Painting Collections (157)Museum Ludwig (44)Wallraf–Richartz Museum (20)Städel Museum (13)Museum Frieder Burda (12)Sprengel Museum (12)
🇮🇱 Israel
1 museum
Also in IsraelIsrael Museum (17)
🇳🇱 Netherlands
8 museums
Also in NetherlandsDe Pont (64)Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (29)Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (27)Groninger Museum (14)Museum van Bommel van Dam (11)Centraal Museum (10)Van Abbemuseum (10)Kröller-Müller Museum (8)
🇪🇸 Spain
1 museum
Also in SpainMuseo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (16)
🇨🇭 Switzerland
1 museum
Also in SwitzerlandKunsthaus Zürich (11)
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
5 museums
Also in United KingdomTate (108)National Galleries Scotland (42)British Council (10)Royal College of Art (7)Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre (7)
🇺🇸 United States
23 museums
Also in United StatesNational Gallery of Art (4784)Metropolitan Museum of Art (174)Vanderbilt Museum of Art (168)Museum of Modern Art (129)San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (44)Art Institute of Chicago (36)Whitney Museum of American Art (30)Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (28)Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (20)Buffalo AKG Art Museum (18)Seattle Art Museum (16)Carnegie Museum of Art (16)Los Angeles County Museum of Art (15)Museum of Fine Arts Boston (12)Yale University Art Gallery (10)Saint Louis Art Museum (9)Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (9)The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (9)Smithsonian American Art Museum (8)Cleveland Museum of Art (8)Detroit Institute of Arts (7)Minneapolis Institute of Art (7)Princeton Art Museum (6)
92 more museums hold Contemporary works with smaller collections, not listed here.
Can't travel? Bring Contemporary home.
Browse Contemporary Prints →Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I see Contemporary paintings?
Contemporary works are held in 142 museums worldwide, including National Gallery of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Vanderbilt Museum of Art.How many museums have Contemporary artworks?
142 museums worldwide hold works by Contemporary artists.Which is the best museum for Contemporary?
National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. holds the largest Contemporary collection with 4784 works.