what is art?

J. P. Getty - who was not only an avid collector of art but so much so that he created an entire museum: The Getty Museum which I am sure plays a great role in our society today as to what is perceived as art says this: " Like most serious collectors, I by no means consider the works of art I own as inanimate ornamental possessions. To me they are vital embodiments of their creators. They mirror the hopes and frustrations of those who created them-and the times and places in which they were created. Although the artist may be long dead, and even the civilizations in which they worked long since disintegrated, their art lives on."