1. a person who practices or advocates exoticism; someone who is fascinated by or emphasizes the exotic qualities of foreign cultures or places
Usage: often used in art history and cultural criticism; can carry neutral or critical connotations depending on context

Examples

• The 19th-century exoticist painters were drawn to Oriental and African themes.
• Critics accused the filmmaker of being an exoticist for romanticizing the local culture without understanding it.
• As an exoticist, she collected artifacts from across Asia and displayed them in her home.
• The exoticist movement in literature often portrayed distant lands through a Western lens.
• Some scholars argue that exoticists contributed to cultural misunderstandings through their idealized depictions.