Found Object
A found object is a natural or man-made item that an artist discovers or acquires and keeps due to its inherent artistic value.
Found objects, called ‘objet trouvé’ in French, can be displayed as art pieces themselves or serve as inspiration for artists. For instance, sculptor Henry Moore collected bones and flints, treating them as both natural sculptures and sources of creative ideas. Artists may modify found objects and present them as art, either in their original state or as part of an artistic arrangement.
Picasso was one of the pioneers in this practice, incorporating newspapers and items like matchboxes into his cubist collages and constructing cubist works from various scavenged materials starting in 1912.
Many artists, including dadaists, surrealists, and pop artists, as well as later creators like Carl Andre, Tony Cragg, Bill Woodrow, Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, and Michael Landy, have extensively used found objects in their art.
6 results found for "Found Object"
The art movement that redefined Britain
What does it mean to be a British artist? The British Black Arts Movement introduced the world to a side of Britain that had been previously kept out of museums and galleries.
Butt plugs, Santa Claus & Paul McCarthy
"A joke, but serious."
Tom Sachs
Tom Sachs (he/him) was born 1966 in New York, United States, where he continues to live and work.
Bäst
Michael “Bäst” Polimeni (he/him) was born in Coney Island, New York in 1970. He lived in Brooklyn until his death in 2021, and spent many years working at nearby JFK Airport.
Tau Lewis
Tau Lewis was born in 1993 in Toronto, Canada, now living between here and New York, USA.
The Morning Light
Rich with symbolism, Arghavan Khosravi’s multilayered artworks draw upon personal experience to explore diasporic identity.During Covid-19 lockdown Khosravi began working with found objects, juxtaposing the flat plane of her canvases with intricate three-dimensional assemblage. Our debut collaboration explores this practice in edition form, combining an archival pigment print with a book, leather cord and air-brushed details. A motif found throughout the artist’s practice, in this case the vibrant red cord serves to steer the viewers eye and connect the artworks various layers and details.The work’s title nods to its seamless yellow gradients, and to the sense of quiet optimism emanating from it subject.International Women's Day
The Morning Light is the third in a series of 6 editions drawn together by Avant Arte Chief Curator Gemma Rolls-Bentley to coincide with International Women's Day. Read the journal.
Other words in the glossary
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Your questions, answered
We collaborate with artists to create both limited editions and works on paper.
A limited edition is a set number of similar or identical artworks. The size of the edition denotes the total number of artworks that will ever be made, underscoring their value.
Framing options vary for each piece and are listed on the individual artwork pages. Our standard glazing offer is a minimum 90% UV acrylic plexiglass, or you can upgrade to an anti reflective Optium museum plexiglass.
Yes, 100%. We work directly with our artists to create editions that accurately represent their body of work. Additionally, every artist personally reviews and approves their final editions.
Every artwork is signed or stamped, and individually numbered. You will also receive a stamped and numbered certificate of authenticity.
No—the copyright is not transferred to the purchaser of the edition.
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