The 23 Artists to Watch in 2023

The contemporary art market is officially back in motion after another strong year of auction sales in 2022. At Artsper, we have selected 23 promising artists to watch in 2023 who have seen a significant rise in interest from collectors over the last year. Last year, we saw particularly notable increases in interest in street artists, abstract painters, fine art photographers, and expressive portraiture. Producing quality and thought-provoking work, the artists on this list are making waves in the contemporary art world. Join us to discover the artists that should be on your radar in 2023, from Tiemar Tegene to Charlotte Abramow!

1. Françoise Pétrovitch

High on our list of artists to watch this year is French artist Françoise Pétrovitch. With drawing at the heart of her practice, Pétrovitch also uses a range of other mediums including ceramics, glass, painting, and video. Her works often represent ambiguous beings that appear to be consumed by their thoughts.

3. Javier Rey

Photographer Javier Rey pushes the boundaries of photography and sculpture, exploring the possibilities of each art form in a unique way. The young Colombian artist’s work is not confined to one style or subject, demonstrating the breadth of his approach.

4. Okuda

Beneath the colorful surface of Spanish artist Okuda‘s works lies a deeper meaning. Switching between digital art and traditional methods like embroidery, Okuda explores the meaning of life and the conflicts that exist in humanity. Okuda is certainly on our list of artists to watch in 2023!

5. Maria Esmar

Abstract painter Maria Esmar‘s expressive canvases brighten up any interior space with their colorful and harmonious compositions. The artist’s impressive output has drawn attention to her work over the last year, and we are looking forward to see her evolution in 2023!

6. Yoshimoto Nara

Yoshimoto Nara belongs to the Japanese Pop art movement of the 1990s. His work pulls inspiration from various aspects of popular visual culture, such as graffiti, manga and cartoons. Somewhere between naïvety and mischief, his characters are elusive and spark the curiosity of their viewer.

Collage artist Pascal Marlin experiments with the superimposition of various materials. Repeated in his work is a combination of strange and deformed characters with a soft, pastel color palette. With a steep rise in interest throughout the last year, Marlin is on our radar in 2023.

8. JonOne

Artist JonOne, one of Artsper’s bestselling artists this year, cites some of his main influences as hip hop, street culture and modern painting. His work is innovative in its style, pushing the boundaries of graffiti art and privileging freedom and expression.

9. Yaacov Agam

Israeli artist Yaacov Agam is an experimental artist renowned for his colorful geometric works and contributions to optical and kinetic art. A bestselling artist on Artsper in 2022, Agam should be on your list of artists to watch in 2023!

11. François Morellet

Another artist on our to-watch list for 2023 is French artist François Morellet. Beginning his art career as a figurative artist, Morellet later became a major figure in geometric abstraction, an art form that rejected romanticism. His visually powerful works are based on principles of mathematics and employ simple compositions.

Photographer Charlotte Abramow‘s striking photographic works address subjects such as feminism and the treatment of women in contemporary society. Often with a touch of humor, Abramow uses her own poetic visual language to tell stories through her art.

14. Reda Amalou

French architect and designer Reda Amalou blends disciplines and cultures in his beautifully crafted works, ranging from decorative design objects to furniture. His art and design works are inspired by stories from throughout his life, whether his childhood in Algeria or his studies in London, and echo his architectural work.

15. Thandiwe Muriu

Kenyan artist Thandiwe Muriu has been creating photographs since she was a teenager, inspired by the front covers of Vogue magazine. First gaining attention through social media, Muriu’s striking photographic works highlight Black identity and femininity through fashion, hairstyles and her subjects.

16. Ivan Tzonev

Bulgarian artist Ivan Tzonev was Artsper’s highest selling artist in Morocco in 2022. His portraits are influenced by the expressionist painting of Chaïm Soutine and Kees van Dongen, mostly depicting people and country landscapes. His energetic-yet-controlled brushstrokes combined with black lines and contrasts in color imbue his works with a sense of movement, depth, and emotion.

17. Dongi Lee

Inspired by images from pop culture, South Korean artist Dongi Lee should be on your radar in 2023. The character Atomaus appears frequently in his work, inspired by Mickey Mouse and the Japanese character Atom. Through Atomaus and the situations he is depicted in, Dongi Lee references aspects of the modern world.

18. Baptiste Laurent

French artist Baptiste Laurent‘s primary art forms are painting and sculpture. With literary, anthropological and social currents behind his work, Laurent has gained significant traffic from European and US-based collectors over the last year. His eclectic blend of styles and techniques places him on our list of artists to watch in 2023.

19. Marble Balloon

At Marble Balloon, a high-end furniture brand based in Istanbul, quality craftsmanship and materials are key. Their design objects are at once sophisticated and playful, adopting a design philosophy that privileges organic and fluid forms while using top-quality natural materials.

20. Kaws

New York-based Kaws is a street artist, illustrator, painter and sculptor, interested in everything to do with the world of Pop Art. Depicting characters from pop culture with his signature crossed-out eyes motif, Kaws’ works are universally recognizable. It is no surprise that Kaws is one of Artsper’s highest-selling artists of 2022!

21. Maude Ovize

Painter Maude Ovize is currently working on a series in which she explores the aesthetic qualities of water. Her works aim to transmit the light, colors and forms of water, creating a sensory viewing experience. Ovize also produces prints at lower prices than her original works, making her the ideal investment for any budding art collector.

22. Éric Odartey

The self-taught artist Éric Odartey has been on our radar, as well as collectors’, throughout 2022. His expressive portraits aim to represent elements of Black identity, using lines to reference basket patterns used by the artist’s ancestors as well as to transmit mood and feelings.

23. Felipe Pantone

For all fans of color and geometric forms, Felipe Pantone‘s works are the ideal art investment. Gaining attention from German and Spanish audiences throughout 2022, Artsper will be keeping our eye on Pantone over the coming year.

A promising year to come…

Following another strong year of contemporary art sales, we can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store. The scope of artists gaining traction from collectors is diverse, from abstract painters to street art sculptors. We have reached the end of our list of 23 artists to watch in 2023 — who will you be keping your eye on this year?