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

The album is experimental, merging modern art with Romanticism.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 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

She turned out to be the perfect artist for this age of identity—and perhaps one of the most influential figures in modern art history.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 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