tramp art

American  

noun

1. folk art of the 19th and 20th centuries utilizing recycled found materials, as cedar or mahogany cigar boxes, shaped into containers, lamps, picture frames, or other objects by a technique involving the gluing or nailing together of successive thin layers of wood that are then whittled into intricate geometric designs to produce a protruding multifaceted surface.

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Other Word Forms

• tramp artist
  noun

Example Sentences

This space is featuring Harry Gould Harvey IV’s intricate and peculiar driftwood dioramas — tramp art à la Brancusi.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2018

The result, the Ken Fulk Collection, includes furniture such as cognac-colored tufted leather sofas, handsome brass lighting fixtures and accent pieces like a cast-iron elephant bust and a tramp art mirror.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2015

Here you will find whirligigs, toys, tramp art and strange sculptures.

From New York Times • Jan. 20, 2011