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Modern art is the name given to artistic works that were produced between the period 1860 to 1970 and it denotes the philosophy and style of the art produced during these years. In the spirit of experimentation the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in Modern Art. The artists experimented with fresh ideas and new ways of seeing things, i.e. the materials and the function of art. Abstraction is very much characteristic of many modern artworks. Contemporary art or Postmodern art is used to describe more recent artistic productions.

The birth of the Modern art movement is widely accepted as 1863 when Edouard Manet exhibited his work in Paris. But it wasn't a completely new beginning - it was a gradual metamorphosis - that took place over the course of a hundred years. However, the seeds of thought that eventually led to modern art can be traced back to the Enlightenment and possibly the 17th century. The Pioneers of Modern Art were the Impressionists, the Romantics and the Realists. By the end of the 19th century other movements which were to be very influential in Modern art began to emerge. These movements became known as Symbolism and Post Impressionism.

As the 20th century began new movements were spawned and flowered. These movements included Futurism, Cubism, Expressionism and Fauvism. However, World War 1 brought and end to this phase but at the same time heralded the begining of anti-art movements including the work of Marcel Duchamp and, of Surrealism. The Armory Show of 1913 introduced Modern Art to the USA along with European artists who settled there. Abstract Expressionism, Pop art, and Post Realism emerged in the 1950s and 1960s as new styles born from the history and great artist that came before them.