Art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way. Mass-produced items that appeal to popular or lowbrow taste.
From German 'kitschen' meaning 'to throw together' or 'to make cheaply.' The term entered art criticism vocabulary in the 1920s Munich art scene, describing mass-produced, commercially oriented art that pandered to popular sentiment.
Think of those velvet Elvis paintings or plastic pink flamingos - that's kitsch! It's so bad it's almost good. The word sounds like 'kitch-en' where you might find tacky decorative items like roosters and country sayings.
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