The Evolution of Contemporary Art

A banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $120,000. This is contemporary art.

But how did we get here? Contemporary art didn't appear overnight. It's the result

of decades of artistic rebellion and innovation. It started in the 1960s when

artists began rejecting traditional painting and sculpture. They wanted art

that reflected modern life, pop culture, technology, social issues.

The 1980s brought conceptual art, where the idea became more important than the

object itself. Artists like Damien Hirst preserved sharks in formaldehyde,

challenging what art could be. The 1990s introduced installation art and digital media.