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.

---

Etymology

Origin of modern art

First recorded in 1800–10, for an earlier sense

Example Sentences

The album is experimental, merging modern art with Romanticism.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026

“If you went to Vienna in 1900 or Berlin in 1920, you were in the epicenter of the developments of modern art, and Ronald understood this deeply. It’s a hugely generous gift.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 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

In my rare visits to modern art museums, I mumble: “This piece represents an indictment of societal norms.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

She’s on a hot-pink Electra with brightly colored stencils on the fenders that remind me of one of the modern art paintings we saw on our class trip to the Norton Museum last year.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina