Art in the 21st Century: Biographies

The following list includes 66 significant 21st-century artists featured in Grove Art Online; it is a selective list, meant as a starting point for exploration of contemporary art in this century. The group is international in scope, reflecting the globalized world of contemporary art. It focuses on artists born after 1960 and includes many mid-career and emerging artists who have been particularly active or influential over the past decade or so. When available, links are provided to individual artists’ websites and video excerpts featuring the artists produced by the PBS series Art21.

Abdul, Lida (b Kabul, 1973)

Ali, Laylah (b Buffalo, 1968)
Art21

Allora & Calzadilla (b Philadelphia, 1974 and Havana, Cuba, 1971)
Art21

Amer, Ghada (b Cairo, Egypt, 1963)
Artist website

Ataman, Kutluğ (b Istanbul, 1961)

Banksy (b Bristol, 1974)
Artist Website

Barney, Matthew (b San Francisco, CA, 1967)
Art21Artist Website 1
Artist Website 2

Beecroft, Vanessa (b Genoa, 1969)
Artist Website

Bruguera, Tania (b Havana, 1968)
Artist Website

Cotton, Shane (b Upper Hutt, New Zealand, 1964)

Critical Art Ensemble (founded 1987)
Artist Website

Deller, Jeremy (b London, 1966)
Artist Website

Delvoye, Wim (b Wervik, 1965)
Artist Website

Dion, Mark (b New Bedford, MA, 1961)
Art21

Ezawa, Kota (b Cologne, Germany, 1969)

Gladwell, Shaun (b Sydney, 1972)

Gupta, Subodh (b Patna, India, 1964)

Hirst, Damien (b Bristol, 1965)
Artist Website

Höller, Carsten (b Brussels, 1961)

Huyghe, Pierre (b Paris, 1962)
Art21

Jacir, Emily (b Bethlehem, 1970)

Jankowski, Christian (b Gottingen, 1968)

Jungen, Brian (b Fort St John, BC, 1970)

Kac, Eduardo (b Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1962)
Artist Website

Koo Jeong-A (b Seoul, 1967)

Landau, Sigalit (b Jerusalem, 1969)
Artist Website

Lê, Dinh Q. (b Ha Tien, Vietnam, 1968)

Lee Bul (b Yongwoi, Kangwon Province, 1964)

Lee Mingwei (b Taichung, 1964)
Artist Website

Lee, Nikki S. (b Key-Chang, Korea, 1970)

Lou, Liza (b New York City, 1969)
Artist Website

Manglano-Ovalle, Iñigo (b Madrid, Spain, 1961)
Art21
Artist Website

Mehretu, Julie (b Addis Ababa, 1970)
Art21

Menezes, Marta de (b Lisbon, 1975)
Artist Website

Mir, Aleksandra (b Lubin, Poland, 1967)
Artist Website

Mori, Mariko (b Tokyo, 1967)

Murakami, Takashi (b Tokyo, 1962)
Artist Website

Mutu, Wangechi (b Nairobi, 1972)
Artist Website

Neto, Ernesto (b Rio de Janeiro, 1964)

Neuenschwander, Rivane (b Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 1967)

Ocampo, Manuel (b Quezon City, Philippines, 1965)

Orozco, Gabriel (b Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, 1962)
Art21

Pfeiffer, Paul (b Honolulu, HI, 1966)
Art21

Piccinini, Patricia (b Freetown, Sierra Leone, 1965)
Artist Website

Quinn, Marc (b London, 1964)
Artist Website

Raqs Media Collective (India)
Artist Website

Rawanchaikul, Navin (b Chiang Mai, Thailand, 1971)
Artist Website

Ritchie, Matthew (b London, 1964)
Art21
Artist Website

Rockman, Alexis (b New York, 1962)
Artist Website

Shonibare, Yinka (b London, 1962)
Art21
Artist Website

Sikander, Shahzia (b Lahore, 1969)
Art21
Artist Website

Simmons, Gary (b New York, 1964)
Artist Website

Song Dong (b Beijing, 1966)

Suda, Yoshihiro (b Japan, 1969)

Suh Do-Ho (b Seoul, 1962)
Art21

Swallow, Ricky (b San Remo, Victoria, Australia, 1974)
Artist Website

Sze, Sarah (b Boston, MA, 1969)
Art21
Artist Website

Tiravanija, Rirkrit (b Buenos Aires, 1961)

Twomey, Clare (b Ipswich, Suffolk, 1969)
Artist Website

Varejão, Adriana (b Rio de Janeiro, 1964)
Artist Website

Walker, Kara (b Stockton, CA, 1969)
Art21

Wiley, Kehinde (b Los Angeles, CA, 1977)
Artist Website

Yanagi, Miwa (b Kobe, Japan, 1967)
Artist Website

Yang Fudong (b Beijing, 1971)
Artist Website

Zhang Huan (b Anyang, China, 1965)
Artist Website

Zittel, Andrea (b Sausalito, CA, 1965)
Art21
Artist Website