March 29, 2024

The world of contemporary art is now a big market and is forever expanding with more and more artists showcasing their work to the world, and as much as I’m in full support of new up and coming artists and follow their work with keen interest, there’s so many well-renowned contemporary artists that I think are worth knowing about.

Whether you’re new to the contemporary art industry or you want to delve further back into the history of contemporary art, I’m going to be sharing with you three iconic contemporary artists who I think have forever been at the forefront of the unique and modern art industry.

Takashi Murakami
I personally feel Asian contemporary artists have a very unique style, colour is often at the core of their work which gives their designs a sense of vibrancy which I love. Takashi Murakami is an iconic Asian contemporary artist, born in Japan in 1962, Murakami graduated from the Tokyo School of Art before heading out of Japan and into the western world to further his art career.

After spreading his artistic influence across America and Europe, Murakami headed back to Japan to be at the forefront of the modern art world in Asia; he wanted to assist with the growth of contemporary art in Japan as he felt there wasn’t enough outlets and encouragement for artists in the country.

Murakami’s vibrant work led him to become the inspiration behind the designs of women’s clothing and accessories by designers such as Louis Vuitton and Issey Miyake.

Rudolf Stingel
A more subdued artist, Rudolf Stingel is an Italian born contemporary artist who has been based in New York city for many years. This combination of cultures is apparent in his work which is infamous for being abstract and monochrome.
Unlike many other contemporary artists, Stingel shies away from the traditional methods of art such as painting and drawing and embraces unusual materials such as metal, carpet and cork to create his pieces.

Stingel’s work is renowned for being thought provoking due to the abstract nature of it, the theme of the pieces is never obvious and are designed to get the viewer to create their own interpretation, a skill that is easier said than done.

Yayoi Kusama
Known around the globe for being a vibrant and slight eccentric contemporary artist, Yayoi Kusama was born in Japan in 1929 and share the same colourful and creative flare as fellow Japanese artist, Murakami. Although a multi-talented artist with various kinds of work such as painting, sculptures and fashion designs, Kusama’s most famous creation is the ‘Infinity Mirrors’ concept.

Taking various of her individual paintings, she took over exhibition spaces across the world by using mirrors to reflect one piece of artwork around the whole space to create a testing and immersive experience for visitors.

The Infinity Mirrors concept has been used with multiple of her paintings and has been created as both permanent and temporary displays around the world, becoming a concept that many other artists have become inspired by.

As much as Yuri feel we should embrace the up and coming artists in the contemporary art world, Yuri also think it’s essential to be knowledgeable about where this artform started by embracing the longstanding influences in contemporary art.

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