ART OR KITSCH - A DISTINCTION QUESTIONABL E SOCIOLOGICAL-ASPECTS OF AESTHETIC

In the opening section of this paper the usual patterns of the scienti fic discussion about aesthetic values are described. The oppostion art versus Kitsch, high versus low culture seems to be the predominant pa ttern in the analyses, as a pattern that is perpetuated by the selecti ve application of aesthetical criteria. The social construction of thi s borderline is demonstrated by two short case studies dealing with Je ff Koons and Johannes Mario Simmel. On the background of the cultural sociology of Pierre Bourdieu and others, the opposition of art versus Kitsch is understood as a code structuring the artistic field. Finally , the social functions of aesthetical evaluation are described and a p arallel is drawn between crimimal sociology and aesthetics.