Art Critics and Art Publics: A Study in the Sociology and Politics of Taste

Abstract

This article examines theoretically and empirically a central question in the sociology of art: the role of art critics and their influence on artists, art works, and art publics. The study compares two taste subcultures: the artistic tastes of professional theater critics and the lay public. It is based on empirical research on critics' and publics' assessments and reactions to theatrical productions in Israel over a period of half a century, from 1918 to 1968. These differential reactions are described and explained in terms of three variables: the type of publication in which the plays were reviewed (mass versus elite publications), the historical time-period (the pre-statehood versus the post-statehood era), and the type of play presented (specifically Jewish versus non-Jewish plays). Patterns of agreement and disagreement among the critics, and between the critics and the larger public are described and analyzed. The article concludes with a discussion of the changes in the roles of critics and in the functions of the theatrical institution, which are examined in relation to Israel's changing political, demographic, and social settings from 1918 to 1968.