arte povera

noun

ar·​te po·​ve·​ra ˈär-tā-pō-ˈver-ə 

variants or Arte Povera

: an art movement originating in Italy in the 1960s characterized by experimentation with simple, everyday materials (such as paper, rags, or twigs) and concerned with challenging conventional elitism in the mainstream art tradition

… the metaphysical yearnings of the Surrealists and the material curiosity of Arte Povera.

—New York Times, 6 June 2008

also : art associated with this movement

Some of the sculpture she produced showed the "getting back to essentials" that characterizes work known as Arte Povera.

—Alan G. Artner, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 1988

… an exhibition of over 140 works by young, relatively unknown European artists that will concentrate heavily on arte povera, conceptual art and all the other latest attempts to make news.

—New York Magazine, 11 Sept. 1972

Once again, this ageing master of arte povera is seeking to fashion some fragile poetry out of the meetings of inglorious factory substances.

—Jannis Kounellis, Sunday Times (London), 2 May 2010

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, literally, "impoverished art"

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!