This term was purportedly coined in the early 1950s by the French artist
Jean Dubuffet
(1901–1985) initially for lithographs made from paper Collages and then for small sculptures made from papier-mache, scraps of wood, sponge, and other debris. The word was popularized by a 1961 exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art, whose catalog spoke of works that are predominantly assembled rather than painted, drawn, modeled, or carved.
On display were by-then classic collages along with sculptures...
