noun

aesthete

ES-theet/ˈesθiːt/

A person especially devoted to beauty and art.

The aesthete studies the painting with an absorbed, admiring smile.

A gallery visitor visibly absorbed in the beauty of a painting, leaning slightly toward its rich brushwork with an admiring smile and one hand resting over her heart.

Etymology

Greek aisthētēs, “one who perceives,” connects artistic appreciation with heightened sensibility. This derivation is uncertain: aesthete may instead have been formed from aesthetic on the model of athlete.

More examples

As an aesthete, she valued the book's design as much as its story.
The gallery attracted collectors, critics, and aesthetes.
An aesthete may prize elegance over practical convenience.

Forms

aesthete · aesthetes

aesthetic adjective — Concerned with beauty and artistic taste.

Similar words

connoisseur: Emphasizes informed judgment in a particular field of taste.
art-lover: Describes enjoyment of art without implying a wider aesthetic philosophy.