Contemporary paintings
Work being made right now, by artists you can meet.
A contemporary painting is not a style, it is a date: work made by artists living and painting today. That is the entire catalogue at L'Original, and it is what separates us from a shop selling reproductions of painters who died a century ago.
In practice the field runs from gestural abstraction to street art brought indoors, from stripped-back minimalism to saturated colour. What the pieces share is that each one is an original, signed, and that the artist can still tell you what they were painting about.
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Painted by real professional artists
Every painting is an original, signed by one of the 249 professional artists represented by L'Original.
Meet the artists
Written by
Dorian Verdier
Founder of L'Original · HEC academic author on the democratization of art
Dorian Verdier founded the first gallery of its kind in North America and has spent ten years making original art accessible. His academic work at HEC focuses on the democratization of art, the same conviction that guides every collection on L'Original.
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Frequently asked questions
What makes a painting contemporary?
Its date, not its look.
Art history generally places contemporary art from around 1970 onward, which is why an abstract, a figurative portrait and a street-art piece can all be contemporary at once. Museums such as the Tate use the same convention.
Is a contemporary painting a good first purchase?
It is usually the easiest one. The artist is alive, the provenance is short and verifiable, and you buy at the price the artist sets rather than at a price set by a resale market.
Our catalogue starts under 500 $.
Can I meet the artist?
Often, yes. The artists we represent are based in and around Montréal, several of them show at our two locations, and a commission usually involves speaking with them directly.
That is also what makes the provenance of a contemporary piece short and verifiable: the chain between the studio and your wall has one link.
Go further
Trusted resources to deepen your understanding of painting and wall art: