modern art

American  

noun

1. art that was produced in the late 1860s through the 1970s and that rejected traditionally accepted forms and emphasized individual experimentation and sensibility.

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Etymology

Origin of modern art

First recorded in 1800–10, for an earlier sense

Example Sentences

“So are people that have been obsessing on modern art and modernism all their lives — they’re gonna be confounded by it.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

He lives in a company-owned apartment full of dark, polished surfaces and bad modern art; she lives in a rundown apartment furnished with termites.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

The world of art in the 21st century—the world of modern art, as we still call it—does not respond comfortably to the idea of a masterpiece.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

For all their differences, all the creatives represented have at least one thing in common, Bonsu says - "fashioning radical visions of what modern art could be".

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2025

He’s so frustrated with his bosses, who won't let him sell modern art in the gallery.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman