An assemblage is an artistic composition, similar to collage, in which disparate elements, such as scraps, junk, “found objects” or other odds and ends, are assembled to create a piece of art.
Assemblages can be three-dimensional or two-dimensional and may incorporate traditional art media such as paint, pencil, charcoal, or collage materials. However, the use of non-traditional materials is also common in assemblages, such as buttons, bottle caps, fabric, paperclips, or even trash.
The term “assemblage” was first coined by French artist Jean Dubuffet in 1945 and has since been used by a variety of artists, including Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso, and Joseph Cornell. Assemblages often have political or social commentary as their central theme and can be seen as a type of found object art.
