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

Baseman’s work melds the worlds of fine art and toymaking.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

With sculptures by Daniel Chester French, the monument on the eastern edge of Central Park is a work of serene classicism that puts architecture on the same level as fine art.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

“I’m interested in touch, activity, humanness — the character of being alive and human — and connection,” said Haendel, who grew up on the East Coast and completed a master’s of fine art at UCLA.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

Marc Bernstein, who frames and hangs fine art in Charleston, S.C., views it as a novelty for which he has no use.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Le Fevre argued that the picture was fine art, and that his intention was to make Greek mythology come alive.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut