Found objects

Q. What, in art terminology, are 'found objects'

A. More properly called objets trouv�s, this is the term applied to existing objects - manufactured or of natural origin - used in, or as, works of art. These can be anything from driftwood to fossilised bones to a hub cap. The objet trouv� is most often used as raw material in an 'assemblage', with the item juxtaposed to other objects - such as a bicycle wheel paired with a stool - or against parts of the work in more traditional media, such as paint.

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Objets trouv�s are not to be confused with ready-mades, however.

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Q. Ready-mades

A. A ready-made is an artwork in which a manufactured object is presented on its own. The 'artistic' element comes from the fact that the bicycle chain, for example, is being offered as a work of art, something it was not designed to be.

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Q. What's the history of the technique of objets trouv�s

A. Prior to the 20th century unusual objects were collected in 'cabinets of curiosities', but it was only in the early 20th century that found objects came to be appreciated as works of art in their own right. An early example of this is in the decoration for the Parque G�ell in Barcelona (1900-14) by Anton� Gaud�, in which broken pieces of pottery were used to decorate the exterior surfaces of the buildings.

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The development of collage as a Cubist technique in the first decade of the 20th century heralded a greater dependence on found objects. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque used real items in their paintings and constructions as a way of commenting on the relationship between reality, representation and illusion.

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Objets trouv�s were used to great effect by the Dadaists and the Surrealists, who sought to create whole environments out of found objects, revelling in the 'surrealistic' incongruity of the pieces and the irrationality of the whole effect. Post-war artists have also made use of the technique. In the 1970s objects featured prominently in the work of Joseph Beuys and of the artists associated with Arte Povera, notably Jannis Kounellis. Some artists working in the 1980s, such as Julian Schnabel, used objects in addition to painted forms.

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Q. Who are the other main proponents of using objets trouv�s

A. Many of the biggest names in 20th-century art have used objets trouv�s in their work, such as: Hans Arp, Man Ray, Andr� Breton, Salvador Dal�, Robert Rauschenberg and Jean Tinguely.

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Q. Isn't this, then, by definition, just a load of old rubbish

Only in a literal sense; used intelligently it can be a powerful means of expression. The example of Kurt Schwitters, perhaps the artist who best made use of the technique, serves to illustrate the point. Schwitters used damaged and reclaimed materials as a potent image of the futility of World War I.

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Calling his technique Merz, or 'rubbish', he sought to redeem the beauty and history of everyday items selected by chance but carefully arranged according to his own strict principles of composition. He was even in the process of constructing a complete Merz environment within his house in Hanover, when, having so enraged the Nazis with his 'degenerate' art, he was forced into exile in 1937, although neither a Jew nor a Communist.

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By Simon Smith