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

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

Maybe modern art doesn’t lead toward utopia, but there’s an important place in our world for nonconformists.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 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

Who knows what faces I’m making, what kind of modern art I’m drawing onto myself?

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood