For Pierre Bourdieu, modern art is not merely a matter of personal taste; it also serves as a social marker. In *Distinction*, he explains that the ability to understand and appreciate contemporary, abstract, or conceptual art often depends on “cultural capital” acquired through education and social background. Possessing this capital allows one to distinguish oneself from the working classes and to signal one’s affiliation with cultured or dominant circles.
Modern art thus becomes a marker of social status: frequenting galleries, collecting abstract works, or mastering the language of art criticism can accompany social and symbolic advancement. According to Bourdieu, artistic tastes are therefore never entirely neutral; they also serve to establish hierarchies among social groups. Thus, an interest in modern art can function as a tool of distinction and an indicator of integration into cultural and economic elites.