Contemporary is a relative term. If you take a quarter of a century, i.e. around 25 years, a lot has happened in Wiesbaden during this period that has contributed to the presentation of contemporary art, sometimes in completely new locations.

During this time, the Museum Wiesbaden has not only been remodeled with a considerable increase in exhibition space for the art collection, but has also shown a series of important exhibitions, including Women Artists in the 20th Century (1990), Donald Judd (1993), Eva Hesse (2002). In its acquisitions, the museum concentrated on a "silent avant-garde". In addition, the awarding of the Alexej von Jawlensky Prize to Agnes Martin (1991), Robert Mangold (1998), Brice Marden (2004), Rebecca Horn (2007) and Ellsworth Kelly (2012) was each associated with extensive exhibitions and purchases. This also applies to the Otto Ritschl Prize, which has been awarded to Gotthard Graubner, Ulrich Erben, Kazuo Katase and Katharina Grosse since 2002 and 2015 respectively.

The Kunsthaus has been expanded to include the adjacent Kunsthalle, giving the city an important new exhibition venue. The Nassauischer Kunstverein e.V. (NKV) and the Kunstverein Bellevue-Saal, which has been staging exhibitions in the Bellevue-Saal since 1993, have been added as exhibition venues for experimental contemporary art in Wilhelmstraße. The offer is supplemented by the thematic exhibitions of the Walkmühle Artists' Association (since 2003), the exhibitions in the Kunsthaus, in the Artothek also located there, in the thalhaus and in the foyer of the new town hall with a stronger emphasis on regional art.

Art scholarships primarily bring foreign artists to the city for a period of time, thus creating opportunities for dialog.

There is also a lively gallery scene. For several years in the fall, a number of galleries agreed to "collaborate on art" and show exhibitions under a common theme, or invite visitors to visit the exhibitions together with various institutions in the "Short Night of Galleries and Museums" at the end of March. The Forum of the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art is added as an exhibition venue.

Due to their special focus, the Aktives Museum für deutsch-jüdische Geschichte and the frauen museum wiesbaden occupy a special position with regard to contemporary art. This also applies to the Harlekinäum in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim.

Since 2002, the Wiesbaden Photo Days have been organized under a specific theme. The participants are selected by a jury following an open call for entries. The BBK Wiesbaden is also active in the exhibition sector with member and themed exhibitions, which are usually shown in the auditorium of the Kunsthaus.

Contemporary art can also be found in public spaces in Wiesbaden, some of it purchased from the Wiesbaden Art Summer, which has been held every two years since 2000 (until 2014) and was dedicated to the Fluxus movement in 2002, for example, under the motto "40 years: Fluxus and the consequences", or in 2008 set up a sculpture trail "12 am Ring" on the busy First Ring Road. 26 sculptures can be seen in the inner area of the city of Wiesbaden, which were acquired between 1960 and 2011 or came into the possession of the city as gifts. The artists are mentioned and their respective works illustrated in a leaflet published by the Wiesbaden Department of Culture.