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