Art dolls are objects of

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

, rather than children's

toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

s, created in a wide variety of styles and media, and may include both pre-manufactured parts or wholly original works.

History

Art dolls production demand a wide range of skills and technologies, including sculpting, painting, and costuming. They are often multimedia objects made from materials such as fabric,

paperclay Paper clay (sometimes referred to as fiberclay) is any clay body to which processed cellulose fiber (paper being the most common) has been added. Earthenware, terra cotta, stoneware, porcelain and bone china clay bodies can be made into paper ...

, polymer clay, wax, wood, porcelain, natural or synthetic hair, yarn, wool, and felt. As works of art, art dolls can take weeks or months to finish. One-of-a-kind (

OOAK The abbreviation OOAK stands for the expression, "one of a kind." The term originated in yachting in 1949 in relation to regatta races where yacht builders were allowed to enter as many different kinds of yachts into the regatta as they produced, bu ...

) art dolls may command prices in the thousands of dollars; publications featuring established and emerging doll artists support collection, and artist groups, such as the

National Institute of American Doll Artists National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

(NIADA), promote the art form. There is an entire industry related to the mediums used in creating art dolls. Sculpting from clay is very prevalent. There are many varieties including air-dry, polymer clay, modeling clay to paperclay. Some top brands include ProSculpt, Sculpey, La Doll, and Creative Paperclay.

Selected examples

2008's

Melbourne Fringe Festival The Melbourne Fringe Festival is an annual independent arts festival in Melbourne, Australia, usually over three weeks from late September to early October. Held since 1982, the Festival includes a wide variety of art forms, including theatre, com ...

featured the work of Rachel Hughes and curator Sayraphim Lothian, amongst others. The elaborate ball-jointed ceramic dolls of Marina Bychkova fetch prices from $5,000 to $45,000, and are collected by the likes of

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its produc ...

designers. In 2010,

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

banned images of an art doll by Bychkova posted by

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

jeweller Victoria Buckley; included were images of a semi-naked doll used to display jewellery in her shop window. Eco-designer,

Ryan Jude Novelline Ryan Jude Novelline ( ) is an Italian–American contemporary artist and clothing designer. He is known as the ''Prince Charming'' of avant-garde and eco fashion. Early life and education Novelline is the second of four male children born to ...

, created a commemorative art doll from a vintage Barbie recognizing marriage equality in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in June 2015.

References

External links

{{Commonscatinline, Doll art and artists
National Institute of American Doll Artists

Art Dolls Only

Original Doll Artists Council of America

Art Doll Quarterly

OOAK Doll Art
Dolls

History

Selected examples

See also

References

External links