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Philosophy

The Aesthetics of Kitsch and the Politics of Taste

Quick fact

The term 'kitsch' emerged in the 1860s among Munich art dealers, derived from the German word 'verkitschen' (to make cheap), and it was originally a label for commercially produced sentimental art that imitated high-art styles without original vision.

Why this is interesting

We all know kitsch when we see it—a velvet painting of Elvis, a garden gnome, a prefab 'live, laugh, love' sign. But why do we sneer at these objects, and what does that sneer really protect?