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

Many modern art historians, such as Dr Bendor Grosvenor, accept the label on this drawing is correct and that it is a surviving contemporary likeness of her.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

“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

The design would stand out from other new stadiums around the world, many of which look like experimental modern art projects.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

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

But its theft sparked a series of events that would threaten to derail the highest achievements of modern art.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day