decorative art

noun

1
: art that is concerned primarily with the creation of useful items (such as furniture, ceramics, or textiles)
usually used in plural
2
: objects of decorative art

Examples of decorative art in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Four floors with more than 40 galleries display a broad collection with pieces ranging from ancient decorative arts to Renaissance paintings and documentary photography. Terri Colby, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2024 The Getty’s collection of 17th and 18th century French decorative arts is arguably America’s finest. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024 Ideal for travellers with an eye for beauty, the glamorous Hotel de Berri Champs-Élysées, a Luxury Collection Hotel celebrates the 20th Century's greatest names in decorative art by exhibiting its own esteemed private art collection within the hotel. Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024 Over many years of art collecting — Ms. Resnick is a life trustee at LACMA and a trustee emeritus at the Philadelphia Museum of Art — the couple has amassed a trove of paintings, sculptures and decorative arts from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Robin Pogrebin, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 The museum’s Fabergé and Russian decorative arts collection was gifted by Lillian Thomas Pratt and includes about 200 objects by or attributed to the Fabergé firm. Gary Stoller, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 The Wrightsman Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are full of the gilded furniture and ornate chandeliers that typify the decorative arts of 17th- and 18th-century France. Ella Riley-Adams, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024 The auctions include a diverse array of superlative fine art, furniture, fashion, decorative arts, folk art, historic maps, books, whiskey, manuscripts and more. Anna Tingley, Variety, 12 Jan. 2024 Huang joins Dastur and Gourlay in referring to decorative art, in his case Zhuang-style brocade embroidery. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decorative art.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of decorative art was in 1853

Dictionary Entries Near decorative art

Cite this Entry

“Decorative art.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decorative%20art. Accessed 31 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!