Kitsch Value

 Clement Greenburg’s concept of Kitsch brings value to traditional notions of art and taste. Kitsch is unoriginal, nostalgic, and for the ordinary person. Conventional notions of art are elevated for its originality and for having meaning behind it. For example, when looking for décor in the living room, an individual can buy a Kitsch piece of art from a department store. There are multiple copies of the same pieces of art that many people will own. Or a person could go to a local art gallery and get a one-of-a-kind piece of art handmade by the artist. It evaluates the originality of the art and how rare the piece is. Contemporary art can be sold for millions due to the originality and meaning behind the work that Kitsch is not able to compare to.

    Kitsch is a relatively new concept. Art was mainly formal or folk before the Industrial Revolution. Greenberg states, “Kitsch is a product of the industrial revolution which urbanized the masses of Western Europe and America and established what is called universal literacy” (pg. 9, 1939). Kitsch art is popular, mass-produced, and uses formulas to be something almost mundane for everyone. 

The difference between Kitsch and art is how they are created. Art has a greater meaning or context behind the work itself. It elevates the viewer beyond its form into a metaphysical realm. Kitch is stagnant and what you see is what you get. It also has one purpose, and it is to be ‘cute” and make its viewers become overwhelmed with feelings of “awe” and nostalgia. Art has many different meanings and purposes behind it. Art is created without calculations or a formula for the public and is an expression of the artist. Kitsch does not reflect the artist or machine that created it and does not allow for emotions to flow through, while art can also be logical and exact replicas of another form, there are style many styles included within art that Kitsch does not allow for. Kitsch is a specific style and does not have flexibility. 

“Precious Moments’ is an example of Kitsch. They are nostalgic and collectible porcelain figures mostly collected by the older generation. They are meant to be appreciated as cute and wholesome. There is no other meaning behind them and the dolls are meant to be cozy items for the public. 

Greenberg, C. (1939). Avant-Garde and Kitsch.