Arte Povera USA - Photography Terms & Glossary

Glossary Of Art Terms [1]

Arte Povera Arte Povera, which translates to "poor art" in Italian, is an avant-garde art movement that emerged in Italy during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Rejecting the commercialism and consumerism of mainstream art practices, Arte Povera artists sought to challenge conventional notions of artistic materials, techniques, and institutional norms by embracing humble, everyday materials and processes in their work.

Characterized by its emphasis on simplicity, ephemerality, and the poetic resonance of mundane objects, Arte Povera encompassed a wide range of artistic practices, including sculpture, installation, performance, and site-specific interventions. Key figures associated with Arte Povera include artists such as Giovanni Anselmo, Mario Merz, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Jannis Kounellis, whose innovative use of found materials, organic forms, and conceptual strategies transformed the boundaries of artistic expression and paved the way for subsequent generations of experimental artists exploring the intersections of art, nature, and human experience.