Noun. Appropriation in modern art often causes creators to avoid taking full responsibility for their art. Authorship is an important part of creation; in claiming a piece of art as their own, artists claim the work as original. If and when artists borrow styles from cultures that aren’t their own, it is necessary for them to give credit to the original content; authorship must be extended to the original creators and traditions that inspire them.

Examples

“Authorship…determines a responsibility for what is created by that author. The practice of appropriation is often thought to support the point of view that authorship in art is an outmoded or misguided concept.”

Rowe, Hayley A. “Appropriation in Contemporary Art.” Inquiries Journal 3, no. 6 (2011). http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1661/appropriation-in-contemporary-art.