--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is it about a work of art, even when…" description: "\"What is it about a work of art, even when it is bought and sold in the market, that makes us distinguish it from . . . pure commodities? A work of art ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/lewis-hyde-19548_art_what-is-it-about-a-work-of-art-even-when_95073.jpg" --- # What is it about a work of art, even when it is bought and… ![“What is it about a work of art, even when it is bought and sold in the market, that makes us distinguish it from . . . pure commodities? A work of art is a gift, not a commodity. . . works of art exist simultaneously in two “economies”, a market economy and a gift economy. Only one of these is…” quote by Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/lewis-hyde-19548_art_what-is-it-about-a-work-of-art-even-when_95073.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/lewis-hyde-19548_art_what-is-it-about-a-work-of-art-even-when_95073.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/lewis-hyde-19548_art_what-is-it-about-a-work-of-art-even-when_95073.jpg) > “What is it about a work of art, even when it is bought and sold in the market, that makes us distinguish it from . . . pure commodities? A work of art is a gift, not a commodity. . . works of art exist simultaneously in two “economies”, a market economy and a gift economy. Only one of these is essential, however: a work of art can survive without the market, but where there is no gift, there is no art.” [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art functions as a gift that creates relational value beyond market price, sustaining cultural meaning independently of commerce. **In simple terms:** Art is a relational gift, not a commodity. Key Takeaway Gift economy preserves artistic essence. Themes value economy culture meaning exchange Mood contemplative critical Type philosophical sociological When to use this quote - museum curation - artist patronage - private collecting - public funding Key Concepts gift economy market dynamics artistic autonomy Practical Applications - educational curricula on art economics - policy advocacy for arts funding Questions to Reflect On - How does treating art as a gift change its societal role? - What mechanisms protect art from market commodification? A Different Perspective null ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Market economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market-economy/) [Works of art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works-of-art/) ## Related quotes > [Writers in a profit making economy are an exploitable commodity whose works are products to be marketed, and are so judged and handled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-olsen/writers-in-a-profit-making-economy-are-an-exploitable-commodity-whose/) [Tillie Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-olsen/) > [Poetry is probably the last gift economy. Part of the negotiation is to understand that you're going to do something you really want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-rankine/poetry-is-probably-the-last-gift-economy-part-of-the-negotiation-is/) [Claudia Rankine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-rankine/) > [The gift economy represents a shift from consumption to contribution, transaction to trust, scarcity to abundance and isolation to community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-gift-economy-represents-a-shift-from-consumption-to-contribution/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [In a gift economy, the more you give, the richer you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/in-a-gift-economy-the-more-you-give-the-richer-you-are/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [“They built a city of their dreams, with a thriving gift economy and vibrant culture that encouraged all participants to let loose their wildest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-talat-phillips/they-built-a-city-of-their-dreams-with-a-thriving-gift-economy-and/) [Jonathan Talat Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-talat-phillips/) > [“Art cannot be bought or sold. It can only be created or destroyed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iimani-david/art-cannot-be-bought-or-sold-it-can-only-be-created-or-destroyed/) [Iimani David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iimani-david/) > [New York is more where art is bought than where art is made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-portman/new-york-is-more-where-art-is-bought-than-where-art-is-made/) [Natalie Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-portman/) > [The first piece of art that I ever bought-when I could afford it-was a Warhol sketch from the period when he was just getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-franco/the-first-piece-of-art-that-i-ever-bought-when-i-could-afford-it-was/) [James Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-franco/) > [I remember when I first went to the Baltimore Museum of Art and I bought this little Moreau print in the gift shop. 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But because the political system remains unchanged, the great changes in the economic and social sphere have resulted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yang-jisheng/china-has-undergone-an-enormous-transformation-but-because-the/) Yang Jisheng > [There is no kind of freedom and liberty other than the kind which the market economy brings about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/there-is-no-kind-of-freedom-and-liberty-other-than-the-kind-which-the/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Mexico is a market economy, but we should have better markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-videgaray-caso/mexico-is-a-market-economy-but-we-should-have-better-markets/) [Luis Videgaray Caso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-videgaray-caso/) ## More by Lewis Hyde > [We are only alive to the degree that we can let ourselves be moved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/we-are-only-alive-to-the-degree-that-we-can-let-ourselves-be-moved/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [Erik Erikson has commented: Potentially creative men like (Bernard) Shaw build the personal fundament of their work during a self-decreed moratorium, during which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hyde/erik-erikson-has-commented-potentially-creative-men-like-bernard-shaw/) [Lewis Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hyde/) > [“All cultures seem to find a slightly alien local population to carry the Hermes projection. 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