In the mid-eighteenth century, Charles Batteux, in his treatise Les Beaux-Arts réduits à un même principe," drew for the first time a precise and hierarchical boundary between the arts created “solely for pleasure” and those that pursue “utility” alongside—or instead of—pleasure. This seemingly theoretical distinction in fact laid the foundation for one of the most enduring debates...

With the emergence of the global art market in the latter half of the 20th century, art itself became a commodity. The financial volume exchanged in buying and selling artworks surpassed all expectations. As a result, art began to gain more recognition not only through aesthetic standards but also through its rising material value. This shift—the transformation of the art world into...