Would you be able to recognize any modern art artists if you saw a list of names and works? How much do you know about art, artists, and the different time periods and styles of art to begin with?

It may not have been something ever to spark your imagination, but the works of modern art artists are found all over, used iconically, ironically, and for things as paltry as television commercials. Being able to learn to recognize these modern art artists and their work is a sure sign that you are learning your modern arts and artists, and now is the time to start learning.

• What Is Modern Art?

Modern art is classified as the art that is produced during a roughly 100 year period, from about 1860 to around 1970, and it refers to the style and philosophy of the art of that time period as well. The term is associated with the art styling that throws aside previously established artistic traditions in lieu of a spirit of experimentation instead.

The modern artists experimented with new ways of seeing, and fresh ideas about the nature of materials and the overall function of art. They moved away from narrative, a characteristic of more traditional arts, and moved toward abstraction.

• Famous Modern Artists

A list of modern artists will leave you saying: “Oh! I know every single one of them, I just had no idea what you called the art that they did.” Even though they are all modern artists, their styles still vary from one another, and you may not be able to place them all in the same stylistic bubble.

Such modern art classics and favorites are Van Gogh, Rodin, Cezanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Munch. Of course, there was also Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Duchamp, and even Georgia O’Keefe. They all span years and styles to fall into that modern art time period.

• Contemporary Artists

Modern art is sometimes confused with contemporary art, as they can often overlap in time periods and styles. But contemporary art is predominantly categorized as art that has been produced after the second World War, and the artists are still alive and producing art. A contemporary artist can also be a modern artists, but the farther we get from 1970, the less likely that is to be the case.

There you have a it. A quick, but brief, run down on the art that you see everywhere. Take a stroll through a museum, or just open an art history textbook and you will see a flood of these artists and their works. Now you know who and what they are, so you can sound educated when you do go into that museum.

Did you know that, in 2012, art auctions raked in as much as $11.5 billion? Profits increased by as much 21%, from just two years earlier, in 2010. Everyone knows art’s greatest. Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Salvador Dali, and Andy Warhol are household names. Modern art, however, is not so clear cut. It can be difficult to keep up with the growing number of contemporary artists, and it can be even more challenging to pick out the noteworthy ones. Who is making waves in the world of modern art, and why?

Abstract Artists

Famous modern artists rarely use traditional methods, like a canvas and brush. Three dimensional objects are in, and the art based on them is selling for a good deal of cash. Some examples are works by Urs Fischer, and Damien Hurst. In 2007, Fischer literally dug a 38-foot-by-30-foot cater in a New York gallery. New York Magazine described the work, dubbed “You,” as, “Experientially rich, buzzing with energy and entropy, crammed with chaos and contradiction…” Another work by Fischer, a fusion of a desktop lamp and a giant yellow teddy bear (untitled), sold for nearly $7 million.

Damien Hurst’s works, on the other hand, strike eerie notes on death. Hurst creates anything from diamond-studded skulls to exhibits with a number of different animals artfully preserved in formaldehyde. His works range from 2005’s “The Immortal,” a shark preserved in formaldehyde, to 2008’s “The Dream,” a white baby horse, also in formaldehyde, with a silicone unicorn horn.

Photographers

Photography is going in a number of different directions. Some famous modern artists, like Andreas Gursky, prefer to stick to tradition, and it is safe to say that Gursky’s decision paid off. In fact, his 1999 print “Rhein II” sold in a 2011 auction for more than $4 million. The Telegraph reaffirmed the value of the photograph, stating, “The scale, attention to color and form of his photography can be read as a deliberate challenge to painting’s status as a higher art form.”

Other artists however, like Gillian Wearing, are testing the boundaries of the art form. For many years, Wearing created a series of life-like masks. Wearing created masks of her family members, including her brother, sister, and father, and a mask of her own face at 17 years old. She then photographed herself wearing the masks, with a notable gap near her eyes, only. The effect is chilling, and a far cry from Gursky’s classic landscape.

Modern art, and famous modern artists, are testing the waters. Abstracts artists focus on three dimensional objects, and, sometimes, as in Hurst’s works, featuring subjects that were once alive. Photographers are just as far-reaching, some challenging traditional painting, and others twisting reality.

We have all seen the guy in the beret standing unmoving at the same painting for twenty minutes, just staring. If you have not had much experience in art, you may not know the artist that he is looking at, much less what he is looking for in the painting. But, with a rudimentary knowledge of art, anyone can learn to appreciate art for what it has to offer. The following are three terms that you can easily discuss and learn more about, and they act as a great springboard into the deeper world of art.

1. Contemporary Art

You will find no contemporary artists from hundreds of years ago. And all artists now are contemporary artists. Contemporary art is happening right now. It is the period that developed from postmodern art. All you need to remember is that all art today is contemporary art, no matter the style. Like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight are contemporary literature even though they differ in styles.

2. Abstract Art

This can be one of the hardest art concepts to grasp. The technical definition is a use of visual language of form, line and color, to create composition that may exist with a degree of independence from visual references to the world. This simply means that it does not have to be a picture of an apple, it can be squiggles, swirls, splashes of color, and nothing recognizable as coherent, but still be art representing an apple. A lot of people tend to argue this as art, as it does not have that definitive, obvious image present. But you can find some truly moving abstract art that is much more beautiful or horrifying or heartbreaking than any actual image could produce. I like to think of abstract art as painting emotions, not images. Some famous Abstract artists are Barnett Newman, Pier Mondrian, and Theo van Doesberg.

3. Modern Art

Modern artists created somewhere in the time between the 1860s to the 1970s. It is best known as a time in which the modern artists experimented more, and threw aside past conventions of what art actually was in history. The artists not only expanded their styles of painting, but the very nature of materials and functions of art as well. They tended to stray from straight narrative and even dabbled in the abstract concepts. And this art style led to Postmodern, which then gave us Contemporary. So Modern Art is the grandaddy of Contemporary. Some famous Modern artists include Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Cezanne.

Art can be accessed by millions all over the globe, right through their internet connections. Some is more easily understood and appreciated than others, but any exposure is a good start. Plus, learning little aspects here and there can open up whole new worlds of appreciation, allowing you to look at the same piece in a variety of ways. Start out small and work your way into the art world, you will not regret it.

This fall might be a great time for art collectors who are looking to fill their home or gallery with works completed by their favorite contemporary artists. The Artist Pension Trust has decided that it wants to sell some 5,000 items from their collection. While not every item will be for sale, and nothing will be auctioned, the sale presents great opportunities for some collectors and institutions hoping to add a greater aesthetic to their properties.

The Artist Pension Trust is the largest collection of work by contemporary artists in the world, and features thousands of unique pieces. In fact, it contains more than 10,000 works from over 1,600 different artists who come from 75 different countries. The collection is so unique and complete that its value is estimated at greater than $100 million. It contains works from both famous modern artists and ones whose names are not well known. As a result, it is not only the biggest, but also, one of the most eclectic, art collections.

Surprisingly, no items from the ten year old collection, that features traditional and abstract artists, have ever actually been sold. The fact that sales benefit both the artist and the trust itself make the lack of sales a bit more interesting. The agreement is that, when a sale is made, the artist will get 40%, a general pool for all artists will get 32%, and the remainder will go to managing the Trust and the artwork it cares for. As a result, the sales should benefit everyone who contributes to the organization.

Multiple factors contribute to the decision to make the sales, but the greatest might be expansion. According to Moti Schniberg, co founder of the Trust, funds will be used to develop a new Global Art Trust. That would add another 600 or so artists to the books of the Trust, helping to expand what is already an impressive collection. While the curators will work to sell to institutions, any collector can visit the website of the Trust and check out all of the available works.