@trinsec Contemporary means 'ultra modern' or 'stuff that's happening right now.'

But 'contemporary art' has a slightly more specific meaning. I suppose you could just say 'modern art' because that kinda means the same thing.

But modern art is mostly art from late 19th Century to, say, 1970. The term contemporary art came into use in the 70s I think.

I think the term 'contemporary art' came about because high art advanced and diversified from the 1950s onward and 'modern' was maybe ...

@trinsec ... too old fashioned a term.

Other than that it's creative practices associated with certain galleries and certain universities and certain buyers and certain dealers and it is (supposedly) at the forefront of cultural creative thinking.

I suppose contemporary art is a self-governing collective of practitioners, museums and commercial agents who, through various inside influences, decide what is 'great' and 'exceptional' art.

@lydiaconwell That... was kinda hard to grasp.

So basically it is just 'modern art, but they're too snobbish to still call it that'?

I think in Dutch we just kept calling it 'modern art' (moderne kunst).

@trinsec It's not about snobbery as such. I suppose it's a kind of rebranding - to differentiate from older styles and newer ones.

Contemporary art is more about the conceptual whereas modern art brings to mind early 20th C oil paintings - Van Gogh, Picasso, etc.