The Social 'Face' of Art and Culture.

The research project investigate the place of art and culture within society. this interdisciplinary investigation will not direct all attention to monocausal relations, but instead study art and culture with the premise that they are societal activities that are strongly tied to society in general and societal structure in particular. We maintain the basic view that art and culture are not only essential, but also necessary activities that determine in a high degree societal mechanisms and structures. The first part of the project is devoted to a historical investigation of the development of the concept of art its relation to changing society structures. The second part is concerned with an economic analysis of the demand for art and culture. The third part deals with the relation between art and reality and investigates the representation of reality by the picture and the interpretation of reality through the picture. We hope that these interdiscilinary investigations lead to global conclusions regarding the social 'face' of art and culture, that enable us to develop policy conclusions. The fourth part of this research project consists therefore the establishment of a larger research group onthis issue, which would include colleagues from cultural practive and policy.