Contemporary art vs. modern art - what’s the difference? Modern art…, contemporary art…, for majority of people, the two words are used almost mutually in conversations about current events or fashion. However, in the art world, there is, indeed, a difference between the two… First of all, the two terms are not interchangeable. There is a difference, and it is based on rough date ranges established by art historians, art critics, curators and the like. They recognized a distinct shift that took place, marking the end of Modernism and the beginning of the contemporary age. Modern art is that which…