LibGuides: American Artist Appreciation: Contemporary Artists

The Modern-Day Movement

"In it's most basic sense, the term contemporary art refers to art-namely, painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, and video art- produced today. Though seemingly simple, the details surrounding this definition are often a bit fuzzy, as different individuals interpretations of "today" may widely and wildly vary. Therefore, the exact starting point of the genre is still debated; however, many art historians consider the late 1960s or early 1970s to be an adequate estimate." -- My Modern Met

Major movements that composed contemporary art are pop art, photorealism, conceptualism, minimalism, performance art, installation art, and street art.

Below is a very brief look at of some American contemporary artists! We encourage you to check out the library's materials on each artist & topic!

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988)

Untitled, 1982 by Jean-Michel Basquiat

"A poet, musician, and graffiti prodigy in late-1970s New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat had honed his signature painting style of obsessive scribbling, elusive symbols and diagrams, and mask-and-skull imagery by the time he was 20. "I don't think about art while I work," he once said. "I think about life." Basquiat drew his subjects from his own Caribbean heritage- his father was Haitian and his mother of Puerto Rican descent- and a convergance of African-American, African, and Aztec cultural histories with Classical themes and contemporary heroes like athletes and musicians.

In 1983, he met Andy Warhol, who would come to be a mentor and idol. The two collaborated on a series of paintings before Warhol's death in 1987, followed by Basquiat's own untimely passing a year later." -- Artsy

"Basquiat's art focused on dichotomies such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation, and inner versus outer experience. He appropriated poetry, drawing, and painting, and married text and image, abstraction, figuration, and historical information mixed with contemporary critique. -- MoMA

To see more of his works: click here!

Jean-Michel Basquiat Books/DVD at MPL:

Art Masters: Basquiat by Julian Voloj (Text by); Søren Glosimodt Mosdal (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781910593653
Publication Date: 2019-07-02
The dazzling, provocative work of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) would come to define the vibrant New York art scene of the late '70s and early '80s. Punk, jazz, graffiti, hip-hop: his work drew heavily on the cultural trappings of lower Manhattan, to which he fled--from Brooklyn--at the age of 15. This stunning graphic novel captures the dramatic life and exhilarating times of this archetypal New York artist, covering everything from the SAMO graffiti project to his first solo show, from his relationship with Andy Warhol to the substance abuse that would cost him his life. Today, Basquiat's influence can be seen not only in fine art but in fashion, design, and music. Now, for the first time, his remarkable story is told in graphic novel form. This playful, authoritative biography shows Basquiat's work to be more important, his themes more urgent, than ever before
A-Z Great Modern Artists by Andy Tuoh
ISBN: 9781844037803
Publication Date: 2015-06-02
A fun introduction to the world of modern artists, from Albers to Zox, via Basquiat, Kahlo, Warhol and more.
Jean-Michel Basquiat : the radiant child
ISBN: 1422988228
Director Tamra Davis delves into the life of the artist whose status as a cult figure began to overshadow his neoexpressionist output, and whose friendship with Andy Warhol cemented his role in pop-culture history. In the late '70s, a Lower East Side graffiti artist who signed his work "Samo" emerged the darling of the New York art scene. Samo's real name was Jean-Michel Basquiat, and in just a few short years, Basquiat would be an internationally celebrated artist. But being a black artist in the 1970s wasn't all fun and fame; despite all of his success, Basquiat found intolerance and misconceptions dogging him at every turn. In this film, Basquiat's friend Davis uses her talents as a filmmaker to offer a better look at both the man and the iconoclast.

Kara Walker (1969-)

Emancipation Approximation, 1999 by Kara Walker

"Kara Walker is among the most complex and prolific artists of her generation. She has gained national and international recognition for her cut-paper silhouettes depicting narratives haunted by sexuality, violence, and subjugation. Walker has also used drawing, painting, text, shadow puppetry, film, and sculpture to expose the ongoing psychological injury caused by the tragic legacy of slavery. Her work leads viewers to a critical understanding of the past while also proposing an examination of contemporary racial and gender stereotypes." -- Walker

To see more of her works: click here!

Books on Contemporary Art at MPL:

Who's Afraid of Contemporary Art? by Kyung An; Jessica Cerasi
ISBN: 9780500292747
Publication Date: 2017-03-21
What is contemporary art? What makes it contemporary?" What is it for? And why is it so expensive? From museums and the art market to biennales and the next big thing, Who's Afraid of Contemporary Art? offers concise and pointed insights into today s art scene, decoding Artspeak," explaining what curators do, demystifying conceptual art, exploring emerging art markets, and more.
Modern Women: Women Artists at the Museum of Modern Art
ISBN: 9780870707711
Publication Date: 2010-06-30
This landmark survey represents the first effort by a major North American museum to examine its collection by highlighting the production of modern and contemporary women artists. Featuring essays by nearly 50 writers, including both MoMA curators and outside scholars, among them many of the strongest voices in current research on art and gender, this groundbreaking publication presents a variety of generational and cultural perspectives.

Jeff Koons (1955-)

Ballon Dog (Blue), 1994-2000 by Jeff Koons

"Jeff Koons is one of America's most popular contemporary artists. His Neo-Pop aesthetics and wry appropriations of consumer objects, express a reverence for popular culture... He is perhaps best known for his over-sized sculptures of kitschy souvenirs, toys, and ornaments that are bright and shiny. With his choice of materials, Koons lends a heft and permanence to otherwise ephemeral items." -- Artnet

Koons uses ideas of celebrity and commerce in his works that are often seen as ironic or tongue-in-cheek.

To see more of his works: click here!

Books on Pop Art at MPL:

Pop Art by Judith Perry
ISBN: 0765192233
Publication Date: 1997-09-01
Pop art accepted, symbolised, and acknowledged the growth of a new "popular culture."
Andy Warhol and the Can That Sold the World by Gary Indiana
ISBN: 9780465002337
Publication Date: 2010-02-09
In the summer of 1962, Andy Warhol unveiled 32 Soup Cans in his first solo exhibition at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles - and sent the art world reeling. The responses ran from incredulity to outrage; the poet Taylor Mead described the exhibition as "a brilliant slap in the face to America." The exhibition put Warhol on the map - and transformed American culture forever. Almost single-handedly, Warhol had collapsed the centuries-old distinction between "high" and "low" culture, and created a new and radically modern aesthetic." "In Andy Warhol and the Can That Sold the World, Gary Indiana tells the story of the genesis and impact of this iconic work of art. With energy, wit, and tremendous perspicacity, Indiana recovers the exhilaration and controversy of the Pop Art Revolution - and the brilliant, tormented, and profoundly narcissistic figure at its vanguard.