Painters and sculptors have not always enjoyed the same status in society : their work conditions, legal status, professional training, hierarchical position, financial resources, lifestyle, reputation, standards of excellence, end even their characters and physical aspects have changed substantially over the centuries, from the Middle Ages to the present day.
These are the various factors that, considered as a whole, comprise the « status » of such artists : a status that encompasses not only the material conditions of their work, but also the perceptions associated with that status and the symbolic dimension of the various meanings of the word « artist ». The research finding presented in this book thus have as much to do with the anthropological aspects of what constitutes an artist as with the sociological ramifications — or social history — of art.

Nathalie Heinich is a sociologist at the CNRS.