fine art

American  

[fahyn ahrt] / ˈfaɪn ˈɑrt /

noun

1. a visual art considered to have been created primarily for aesthetic purposes and judged for its beauty and meaningfulness, specifically, painting, sculpture, drawing, watercolor, graphics, and architecture.

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fine art British  

noun

1. art produced chiefly for its aesthetic value, as opposed to applied art

2. Also called: beaux arts.  (often plural) any of the fields in which such art is produced, such as painting, sculpture, and engraving

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fine art Idioms  

1. Something requiring highly developed techniques and skills, as in He's turned lying into a fine art, or The contractor excels in the fine art of demolition. This term alludes to the fine arts, such as music, painting, and sculpture, which require both skill and talent. It is now often used to describe anything that takes skill to do. [First half of 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of fine art

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

Fine art, video pieces, mixed media — who knows?

From The Verge • Nov. 24, 2021

Fine art, furniture and other valuables are stored in floor-to-ceiling crates throughout the company’s 88,000-square-foot warehouse near Griffith Park, which resembles the famous final scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2018

Fine art museums have a lot to learn from its example.

From New York Times • Dec. 18, 2017

Fine art, portrayed as cold and unfeeling, is at odds with our emotional reality.

From Salon • Jan. 16, 2017

"Fine art is not real art till it is free"; that is, till its value is recognized as lying wholly within itself.

From Browning as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher by Jones, Henry, Sir