The sociology of art first distinguished itself as a separate subdiscipline in Europe. In his work Questions of Literature and Aesthetics (1975), Mikhail Bakhtin, a Russian literary critic, expressed the view that the novel, as a literary form, is, above all, a dialogical form of art. He believed that the novel since it is constantly in a state of change and renewal, absorbs less flexible forms of expression. 

Walter Benjamin studied various aspects of art, but his most influential concept is the “aura” of artwork, which he explores in his seminal essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” (1936). In this text, he argues that traditional works of art possess an aura, a unique presence that is tied to their authenticity and history. This aura is diminished in the age of mechanical reproduction, such as photography and film, which allows for mass production and distribution. Benjamin sees this shift as both liberating and problematic; while it democratizes access to art, it also alters the way we engage with it, stripping away the contemplative experience that comes from encountering a unique piece in its original context.

Hungarian art historian and sociologist Arnold Hauser is significant for the sociology of art because he discovered that there is a close connection between social structures and processes, on the one hand, and art and literature, on the other hand, so it is necessary to sociologically study art, literature, and their historical development. The main tenets of Hauser's sociology of art are presented in the books Social History of Art and Literature (1951), The Philosophy of Art History (1958a), and Sociology of Art (1974).

                  The Sociology of Art in the United States

In the United States, the sociology of art started to develop only in the late 1960s. One of the first books that explored how art can be studied within its socio-historical context Canvases and Careers (1965), was written by art historian Cynthia White and sociologist Harrison White. Another book important for the sociology of art was edited by Milton Albrecht, James Barnett, and Mason Griff - The Sociology of Art and Literature (1970).

Sociologist Howard Becker introduced the concept of art worlds in his book Art Worlds (1982). The concept of an art world refers to the approach that sees art as a collective activity, rather than as the product of gifted individuals. The main hypothesis is that art worlds, as collective endeavors, are based on shared commitments to artistic conventions between actors engaged in the production of art. The second important aspect of an art world is that the production and distribution of art are organized through elaborate division of labor. In the field of painting, for example, labor is divided between manufacturers of painting equipment, art dealers and collectors, aestheticians, museum curators, state bureaucrats, critics, painters, and members of the public. This approach breaks with conventional analysis of art because it is not concerned with aesthetic value, social context, or social commentary of an art piece. The focus is on the shared conventions of the art world and how it define what art is.

Becker argues that there are four categories of artists, differentiated by their relationship with the art world: integrated professionals, mavericks, folk artists, and naïve artists. Integrated artists create art that conforms to the prevailing shared conventions of an art world; while mavericks work and create outside those conventions. Folk artists create pieces of art within local communities and are isolated from the art world. naïve artists create art for themselves and are separated from the official art world. Some authors argue that there are multiple parallel art worlds, so it is hard to define who are insiders and who are outsiders in art worlds. For an aspiring artist to become an integrated professional she or he has to pass the „gatekeepers”, people and organizations who determine who will become a successful artist. The most important gatekeepers are museums, critics, art galleries, collectors, art journals, and corporations. According to Becker’s ‘‘the conventional theory of reputation’’ gatekeepers use artistic conventions to appraise the art of upcoming artists.

            Connection Between Class and Art Consumption

In Popular Culture and High Culture (1974), Herbert Gans explores the many different cultural tastes that exist in the United States and advocates for cultural pluralism. He recognized five different types of culture: 1) high culture - it is consumed by the upper class, and the creative and abstract aspects of art are emphasized; 2) upper middle culture - it is consumed by the upper middle class, this culture is less innovative, so too experimental and too "simple" content is rejected; 3) Lower Middle Culture - this is the dominant culture in America and it emphasizes easy-to-understand and easy-to-consume content; 4) lower culture - it is consumed by workers, and the most characteristic contents are action movies, rock and country music, family series and the yellow press; 5) low culture - it is consumed by the poorest people from the countryside, and the emphasis is on very easy and receptive content. Gans studied both youth and ethnic cultures. The hierarchy of cultures and tastes is closely linked to differences in wealth, reputation, and power. The upper class finances and protects its culture, wanting to keep it to itself, while the differences in cultural spending between the middle and working class are still large.

Pierre Bourdieu, similarly to research that Herbert Gans had previously done, explores the relationship between cultural consumption and class in the book Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment Taste (1984). This book is based on a large empirical study of cultural consumption, including newspapers, music, food, and other forms of consumption. He concluded that there are three hierarchically ordered types of aesthetic taste or style of cultural consumption: elite (legitimate), middlebrow, and popular (mass). Elite aesthetic taste characterizes, first of all, the dominant class, although Bourdieu found that in this class there is an inverse relationship between the size of economic and the size of cultural capital. Each type of cultural consumption and taste serves to give individuals a sense of place within the social structure. The aesthetic taste of a person (elite, middlebrow, or mass) in one of the areas of cultural consumption (e.g. art) usually corresponds to the type of taste in other areas (e.g. fashion, sports, literature).

Howard Becker also studied the relationship between the consumption of art and social class. He found that art intended for audiences from the middle or upper was defined as ‘‘high culture,’’, while art defined as ethnic or popular culture was aimed at minorities or lower class. Some recent works tend a synthesis of Becker’s and Boudieu’s approaches to art.

                        Art in the Period of Postmodernism

Frederic Jameson, in his book Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (1991), explores how postmodern culture is linked to the advanced stage of capitalism. After 1945, the period of late capitalism begins and it represents the purest form of capitalism. The expansion of multinational capital leads to the penetration of culture into all areas of society. Thus postmodern cultural production penetrates all areas of late-capitalist society, erasing the boundaries between different structures. Postmodernism is based on reducing the differences between all social areas that become accultured and prevent the emergence of independent forms. Postmodernism is a cultural field of force where coexisting and diverse elements are brought together in structural unity. There is totalizing and pervasive acculturation at work that assimilates and integrates all different cultural forms.

Daniel Bell, in books The Coming of Post-Industrial Society (1973) and The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism (1976) argues that the hedonistic culture of capitalism, in the most developed countries, is not in line with the dominance of rationality required by the economic system. There is a growing divergence and alienation of the economy, as an area of ​​social structure, on the one hand, and culture, on the other. The Postmodern culture celebrates the hedonistic world of mass consumption, fashion, photography, and travel, the consumerist culture is built around play, entertainment, and show.

Books:

Adorno. Philosophy of New Music (1949);

     -     Introduction to the Sociology of Music. 1976

     -     Aesthetic Theory (Theory and History of Literature) (1997);

     -     Essays on Music (2002);

Albrecht, M. C., J. H. Barnett, and M. Griff (eds.) The Sociology of Art and Literature: A Reader (1970);

Alexander, V. Sociology of the Arts: Exploring Fine and Popular Forms (2003);

Alexander, Victoria D. Museums and Money: The Impact of Funding on Exhibitions, Scholarship, and Management (1996);

Bakhtin.  Rabelais and His World (1968);

     -     Questions of Literature and Aesthetics (1975); 

     -     Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics. (1984); 

     -     Speech Genres and Other Late Essays. (1986); 

     -     Art and Answerability. (1990); 

Balfe, Judith Huggins (ed.) Paying the Piper: Causes and Consequences of Art Patronage (1993);

Barthes. The Fashion System (1967);

     -     Writing Degree Zero (1968);

     -     Mythologies (1972);

     -     The Pleasure of the Text (1975);

     -     Image—Music—Text (1977);

     -     Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography (1981);

Bataille. Literature and Evil (1973); 

Becker. Art Worlds (1982);

Bell, Daniel. The Coming of Post-Industrial Society (1973);

     -     The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism (1976);

Bourdieu. Photography: The Social Uses of an Ordinary Art (1990);

     -     The Love of Art: European Art Museums and Their Public (1991);

     -     The Field of Cultural Production (1993);

     -     Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste (1984); 

Crane, D. The Production of Culture: Media and Urban Arts (1992);

Derrida. The Truth in Painting 1987

Diana Crane, ed. Sociology of Culture (1994);

Elias. Mozart. Portrait of a Genius, Cambridge: Polity Press, 1993).

Fine, Gary Alan. Talking Art: The Culture of Practice and the Practice of Culture in MFA Education (2018);

Foster, Arnold W., and Judith R. Blau (eds.) Art and Society: Readings in the Sociology of the Arts (1989);

Gans. Popular Culture and High Culture (1974);

Gilroy. Small Acts: Thoughts on the Politics of Black Cultures (1993);

     -     Darker Than Blue: On The Moral Economies of Black Atlantic Culture (2010).

Goldmann. Towards a Sociology of the Novel (1975);

     -     Cultural Creation in Modern Society  (1976);

Greenfeld, Liah  Different Worlds: A Sociological Study of Taste, Choice and Success in Art (1989);

Hauser, Arnold. Social History of Art and Literature (1951);

    -    The Philosophy of Art History (1958a); 

    -    Sociology of Art (1974);

Hall. The Popular Arts (1964);

Hoggart. Contemporary Cultural Studies (1969);

Jameson, Frederic. Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (1991);

Kellner. Media Culture (1995, );

Lukács. The Theory of the Novel (1971);.

Marcuse. The Aesthetic Dimension: Toward a Critique of Marxist Aesthetics (1978).

Millet. The Politics of Cruelty: An Essay on the Literature of Political Imprisonment (1993).

Mumford.  Art and Technics 1952

Nisbet. Sociology as an Art Form (1971);

Peterson, Richard A. (ed.) The Production of Culture (1976);

Plekhanov. Art and Social Life (1912–1913)

Said. Literature and Society (1980);

     -     Nationalism, Colonialism, and Literature (1998);

Sadgwick. Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire (1985);

     -     Novel Gazing: Queer Readings in Fiction (1997);

Sorokin. Social and Cultural Dynamics, 4 vols. (1937-1941);

Spivak. An Aesthetic Education in the Era of Globalization (2012);

Virilio. The Accident of Art (2005):

Weber A. Kulturgeschichte als Kultursoziologie (1935);

White, Harrison C., and Cynthia A. White. Canvasses and Careers: Institutional Change in the French Painting World (1965);

Williams. Drama from Ibsen to Brecht (1961);

     -     Marxism and Literature (1977);

Willis. Culture, Media, Language (1980);

Wilson, Robert N. (ed.) The Arts in Society (1964);

Zolberg, Vera L. Constructing a Sociology of the Arts (1990).