Word of the Day

: August 27, 2007

objet trouvé

noun AWB-zhay-troo-VAY

What It Means

: a natural or discarded object found by chance and held to have aesthetic value

objet trouvé in Context

The museum's latest show, which features objets trouvés, is a dramatic change from last year's exhibition of medieval religious art.

Did You Know?

"Objet trouvé" comes from French, where it literally means "found object." The term entered English during the early 20th century, a time when many artists challenged traditional ideas about the nature of true art. Surrealists and other artists, for instance, held that any object could be a work of art if a person recognized its aesthetic merit. "Objet trouvé" can refer to naturally formed objects whose beauty is the result of natural forces as well as to man-made artifacts (such as bathtubs, wrecked cars, or scrap metal) that were not originally created as art but are displayed as such.