Etymology

Arte Povera

Today it means: A radical Italian modern art movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, making use of worthless or common materials such as earth or newspaper, in the hope of subverting the commercialization of art. Full definition →

Italian arte povera
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The story

  1. Italian · borrowed fromarte povera
  2. English todayArte Povera

Borrowed from Italian arte povera (literally “poor art”). The term was coined by Italian art critic and curator Germano Celant and introduced in Italy during the period of upheaval at the end of the 1960s, when artists were taking a radical stance.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.