Institutional Theory of Art
A work of art is an artifact on which the artworld has conferred that status.
What it claims
The institutional theory of art holds that what makes something a work of art is not its perceptible properties. What makes a work of art is the status conferred on the thing within the social practice called the artworld. The theory denies that art can be defined by intrinsic features such as aesthetic properties or expression.
Nearby positions
Goes together with
Key thinkers
Arthur C. Danto · George Dickie · Timothy Binkley · Howard S. Becker