Marx, le merci e l’opera d’arte=Marx, commodities and the work of art

Abstract

Marx, commodities and the work of art. Could a work of art be a commodity? In this essay I will discuss this question through a Marxist “logicist” approach, attempting to point out how the work of art is related to the prodrome of the Marx’ theory of Capital, i.e. the value theory and the sphere of simple circulation. I will try to pinpoint that there is not dialectical contradiction between the concepts of “commodity” and “work of art”. In order to achieve my aim, i will follow two steps: i will a) define the concept of “commodity” within the theory of value in Das Kapital and b) i will comment some previous Marx’ utterances about art and the role of artists within capitalism. I conclude by suggesting that the semantic problem of “work of art” in capitalism can be solved from a different perspective concerning art itself.