Contemporary Art 

Dating from the 1950s to the present, the contemporary collection embraces the full range of media used by living artists, from painting to video. Emphasizing European and American art—with a focus on Chicago, it has expanded to encompass Asian art—with a focus on China. It showcases the persistence of figurative traditions, the emergence of idea—and process-based art, and artists' strategies for addressing the pressing issues of their time.

Explore the contemporary art highlights below or search the entire collection.

Note: the Smart Museum's new collections database is a work in progress. We are regularly updating records and adding new objects. Thanks for your patience as we make these enhancements. Please contact us to suggest corrections or improvements.