ENThis paper presents a phenomenological study of aesthetic experience. The author focuses on three well known phenomenological authors: Ingarden, Merleau-Ponty and Dufrenne, reviews their works and introduces their research on aesthetic experience. The author tries to answer questions such as: What is the basic structure of aesthetic experience? What, if anything, is unique in aesthetic experience, making it incomparable to any other type of experience? The author shows that aesthetic perception happens before any analysis by the mind; therefore, everything that we find in aesthetic experience is given immediately. According to the account defended in this paper, aesthetic perception and experience are closely related to aesthetic objects, which, as aesthetic objects, exist only for the perceiver. As part of the analysis of this aspect of aesthetic experience, the author describes and explores the differences between a work of art and that work as an aesthetic object. Keywords: fenomenologija; estetinis patyrimas; meno kūrinys; estetinis objektas; phenomenology; aesthetic experience; phenomenological authors: Ingarden; Merleau-Ponty and Dufrenne; differences between a work of art and that work as an aesthetic object. [From the publication]