kitsch meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

kitsch

noun

UK, US /kɪt͡ʃ/

Etymology From German Kitsch, from dialectal kitschen (“to coat, to smear”); the word and concept were popularized in the 1930s by several critics who contrasted it with avant-garde art.

Usually Art, decorative objects, and other forms of representation of questionable artistic or aesthetic value; a representation that is excessively sentimental, overdone, or vulgar.

Because it can be turned out mechanically, kitsch has become an integral part of our productive system in a way in which true culture could never be, except accidentally.1939, Clement Greenberg, “Avant Garde and Kitsch”, in The Partisan Review, archived from the original on 13 Oct 2007:

Derived terms: Holo-kitsch, kitschify, kitschly, kitschness, kitschy

kitsch

adj

Etymology From German Kitsch, from dialectal kitschen (“to coat, to smear”); the word and concept were popularized in the 1930s by several critics who contrasted it with avant-garde art.

Of art and decor: of questionable aesthetic value; excessively sentimental, overdone or vulgar.

[…] a picture of lemur-eyed children of the sort one sees in the kitscher sort of Italian restaurant […]1989, Graham Greene, Yours etc: Letters to the Press 1945-1989, →ISBN, page 243:
Abe Lincoln, Paul Bunyan and kitsch souvenir coconut heads come across as icons of masculinity.June/July 1996, Robert Silberman, “The stuff of art: Judy Onofrio”, in American Craft, pages 40–45:

1 more example

I recognized her at once even though she wasn't wearing the tweed hunting outfit and the kitsch headwear.spring 2005, Ronald Frame, “Critical Paranoia”, in Michigan Quarterly Review, page 285:

Synonyms: corny