The art world is always evolving and changing, which is why it’s important to stay on top of the latest trends. The more you know about all the new artists coming out of the scene, the more chance you have of staying ahead of things.
The more people who know about a particular artist, the better chances they have of being recognized in the industry. And with so many brilliant thinkers and creators working within this field, it’s no surprise that there are so many great contemporary artists out there right now. From conceptual artists to realist painters, here are 5 artists you need to know right now.
Lucian Freud
The late British painter Lucian Freud is a master of portraiture, and his works feature some of the most iconic figures in the history of art. Freud was born in London in June 1922 and began his career as a commercial artist in the 1930s. From the early 1950s, he devoted himself to painting, and he died at the age of 86.
His portraits of celebrities include the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Princess Diana. In his paintings, he often used the same colours and formats, which gave his work an air of predictability and sameness. Although many of his paintings are now valuable collectables, Freud’s works are also widely appreciated for their ability to provoke thought and discussion.
Sigmar Polke
German painter Sigmar Polke was born in Weimar, Germany, in 1946 and began his artistic career in the late 1960s when he was a student at the German University of Art, in Berlin. His paintings often focus on the human figure and feature vivid colours, sometimes painted onto the canvas with brushes or splashed onto the surface with water. His paintings are typically abstract and convey emotion through their use of colour and form. Polke is considered one of the leading figures of German Pop, a movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s.
His work is represented in collections around the world, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Polke is known for his use of bright and bold colours, which add vibrancy to his works and convey feelings of joy and exhilaration. He has created many large-scale paintings, including “Valleys’ and “Valleys.” His large-scale works often feature elaborate and brightly coloured patterns that help to unify the painting and add a sense of energy.
Anselm Kiefer
German painter Anselm Kiefer was born in Lauterach, near Karlsruhe, in 1945. Kiefer studied art at the Karlsruhe Art Academy, and he was one of the leading figures in the German Neo-Expressionist movement that emerged in the 1960s. His paintings typically feature impasto brushstrokes and bold, solid colours, as well as figurative images, landscapes, and portraits.
While Kiefer began his career as an Expressionist painter, he developed a style that was uniquely his own by the late 1970s. He is known for his emphasis on the human body, often depicting it in a state of intense physicality. Many of his paintings include images of bodies in sexual or violent situations, which can be seen as either expression of anger or as explorations of human sexuality and violence. Kiefer’s work has been exhibited in museums around the world, and his paintings are found in many prominent private collections, including those of Yoko Ono, Richard Branson, and the Sultan of Oman.
Sarah Turkel
Modernist painter Sarah Turkel was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1934, and she began her artistic career as a painter with abstract expressionist styles. During the 1950s, she moved away from expressionism and towards a more abstract form of abstraction, which is the style she is best known for today. Turkel’s work explores themes of the human figure, often depicting the body in a state of physical or emotional stress.
Her paintings often feature bright, primary colours and thick impasto brushstrokes that depict a sense of energy. Turkel’s work is represented in many prominent public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Turkel’s paintings are often recognized as being among the most valuable in the world. Her works are also prized for their rarity, with many of them having been created in limited editions of only 10 or 20 paintings.
Emma Schimoler-Fendt
German artist and sculptor Emma Schimoler-Fendt was born in 1973 in the town of Stuttgart and began to paint at the age of 16. She is best known for her large-scale figurative sculptures, many of which depict subjects engaged in activities such as dancing, swimming, playing sports, and engaging in sexual acts. Although Schimoler-Fendt began painting in the early 1990s, it was not until the late 2000s that she was able to establish herself as one of the leading contemporary artists working in the field of figurative sculpture.
Her works are often recognized for their vivid colour combinations, which are often based on primary colours. Many of Schimoler-Fendt’s sculptures are made of bronze, and some of them have been exhibited in prominent public collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Her work is also represented in many prominent private collections, including those of the New York City philanthropists Pierre and Céline Sulzberger.
Final Words
These artists are all doing amazing work right now, and it’s important to keep up to date with their work and where it is being shown. With so many brilliant thinkers and creators working within this field, it’s no surprise that there are so many great contemporary artists out there right now. These five are just a few of the many out there, but they are all worth knowing.
