Top 7 Contemporary Painters You Should Know in 2025

One of the most exciting things about being immersed in the world of art is realizing that history isn’t just something we look back on—it’s also being made right now.

Every time I visit a new exhibition, scroll through emerging artists online, or walk through an unexpected gallery, I’m reminded of this: painting is very much alive. And today’s painters aren’t just copying old techniques or riding trends—they’re breaking rules, bending genres, and creating work that challenges, heals, and provokes.

So if you’re looking to discover the voices shaping the future of painting, here are seven contemporary painters in 2025 who are not just “ones to watch”—they’re artists you need to know now. Each brings something striking, original, and deeply relevant to the moment we’re living in.

1. Amoako Boafo

I first encountered Amoako Boafo’s work through an image shared online—and even through a screen, it stopped me in my tracks. His portraits are vibrant, tender, and unapologetically Black. What sets his work apart is his signature finger-painting technique—he literally uses his fingertips to sculpt faces and flesh with bold, expressive strokes.

Boafo’s work explores identity, presence, and celebration of the African diaspora. His figures stare back at you with grace and power. It’s intimate, tactile, and impossible to ignore.

He’s already been featured at major institutions like the Rubell Museum and collaborated with Dior, but trust me—he’s just getting started.

2. Julie Mehretu

Whenever someone tells me they don’t “get” contemporary painting, I show them a Julie Mehretu. Her large-scale works are layered with architectural lines, sweeping gestures, and bursts of color that feel like controlled chaos. They’re visual symphonies.

Mehretu blends abstraction with cartography, history, and politics. You’ll find traces of maps, cities, conflicts, and dreams within her canvases. Standing in front of one of her paintings feels like being caught in a storm of memory and possibility.

She’s been a trailblazer for years, but in 2025, her voice feels more relevant than ever.

3. Cinga Samson

There’s something haunting and magnetic about Cinga Samson’s work. His surreal, hyper-stylized portraits feature dark-skinned subjects with bright, glowing eyes—figures that look like they belong to both the future and the past.

Samson’s compositions are clean and formal, often inspired by classical painting, yet deeply rooted in contemporary African life. They evoke themes of spirituality, tradition, masculinity, and power—yet they leave so much open to interpretation.

I was lucky enough to see one of his works in person recently, and I couldn’t stop staring. His quiet confidence as an artist is matched only by the intensity of his vision.

4. Salman Toor

If I had to name a painter whose work feels like poetry on canvas, it would be Salman Toor. His moody, green-toned paintings depict queer South Asian men navigating daily life—sharing wine, scrolling phones, daydreaming, existing with vulnerability and softness.

Toor’s work is personal, tender, and politically resonant. He invites us into intimate moments we rarely see represented in traditional Western art. His figures feel at once classical and deeply contemporary.

I love how he flips the old museum narrative on its head—placing queer brown bodies in spaces once reserved for kings and saints. It’s radical and incredibly moving.

5. Danica Lundy

Danica Lundy’s paintings feel like walking into a vivid memory, a fever dream, or a moment caught just before it explodes. Her large-scale works are filled with chaotic compositions—bodies in motion, tangled limbs, glowing light, and fragmented perspectives.

What draws me to Lundy’s work is how visceral it feels. Her brushstrokes are charged with energy and detail, and her themes often explore youth, pressure, and the chaos of modern life.

She’s young, fearless, and pushing figurative painting into strange and powerful new directions. Keep your eye on her—she’s not afraid to get messy, and the results are unforgettable.

6. Toyin Ojih Odutola

Ojih Odutola’s portraits are mesmerizing. Her use of line and texture to depict skin is unlike anything I’ve seen. Her figures don’t just exist on the canvas—they emerge from it with presence and depth.

Her paintings often explore fictional narratives, reimagining histories and constructing imagined aristocracies in West African settings. But beyond the concept, it’s her technique that captivates me. Her works on paper feel like tapestries—layered, lyrical, and alive with detail.

She’s redefining what portraiture can be, both technically and culturally.

7. Huang Yuxing

Huang Yuxing creates luminous, psychedelic landscapes that blend traditional Chinese art with futuristic color palettes. His use of neon pinks, electric blues, and intricate layering feels both meditative and electric.

His paintings often explore themes of time, memory, and nature—but through a lens that feels almost dreamlike. I was completely captivated the first time I saw one of his river scenes, where glowing currents flow through imaginary worlds.

In a global art market that’s increasingly saturated, Huang’s work stands out for its uniqueness, precision, and emotion.

Why These Artists Matter Right Now

These painters don’t just create beautiful work—they create necessary work. Each one is pushing the boundaries of form, content, and cultural identity. They’re expanding what painting can be in 2025 and who gets to be represented on canvas.

And they’re not just confined to galleries anymore. These artists are on Instagram, in digital exhibitions, in fashion collaborations, in conversations about climate, race, gender, and history. They’re proof that painting, far from being an old medium, is more vital than ever.

What I love most about this moment in art is its diversity—in technique, voice, background, and vision. There’s no longer one way to paint, one story to tell, or one standard to follow. The canvas is open—and it’s exciting.

How to Follow These Artists

If you’re new to contemporary art, the best way to start is simply to explore. Follow these artists on social media, read interviews, watch their process videos, and—when possible—see their work in person.

And don’t be afraid to form your own interpretations. That’s what art is for.

In a world that’s constantly changing, these painters are helping us make sense of it all—not by giving us answers, but by asking deeper questions.

Final Thoughts

Discovering these contemporary painters has reignited my love for painting all over again. They remind me that art doesn’t have to be distant, historical, or hard to understand. It can be now. It can be us.

So whether you’re a collector, a creator, or just someone looking for inspiration, I encourage you to dive into the work of these artists. Let their colors challenge you. Let their stories move you.

And most importantly—keep looking. Because the next iconic painter might be just one brushstroke away.