performance art

noun

: a nontraditional art form often with political or topical themes that typically features a live presentation to an audience or onlookers (as on a street) and draws on such arts as acting, poetry, music, dance, or painting
performance artist noun

Examples of performance art in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Lisa Sowa-Downs, of Hegewisch, Illinois, said her son’s lifelong passion for performance arts began with the Genesius Guild. Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026 Maya, like Bassichis, did an act that was a bit standup, a bit performance art, broken up by dreamy, oddball songs. Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 4 June 2026 At the center of the record is Dunham’s voice, which makes basic songwriting come off as performance art. H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 2 June 2026 Nitsch, who died in 2022, is often thought of as the father of the 1960s radical performance art movement Viennese Actionism, whose ethos Holzinger discussed in relation to her own in a New York Times article following the performance. Lilyanna D'amato, ARTnews.com, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for performance art

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of performance art was in 1971

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Cite this Entry

“Performance art.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/performance%20art. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.

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