Art Object – Jeff Zischke

What is an art object? If we put something on a pedestal, does the thing become elevated in stature? Become more precious? Become more desirable?

A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an aesthetic physical item or artistic creation.

Objet d’art (plural objets d’art) means literally “art object”, or work of art, in French, but in practice the term has long been reserved to describe works of art that are not paintings, large or medium sized sculptures, prints or drawings. It therefore covers a wide range of works, usually small and three-dimensional, of high quality and finish in areas of the decorative arts, such as metalwork items, with or without enamel, small carvings,statuettes and plaquettes in any material, including engraved gems, hard stone carvings, ivory carvings including Japanese netsuke and similar items, non-utilitarian porcelain and glass, and a vast range of objects that would also be classed as antiques (or indeed antiquities), such as small clocks, watches, gold boxes, and sometimes textiles, especially tapestrie.