"Art is permitted to survive only if it renounces the right to be different, and integrates itself into the omnipotent realm of the profane"
- Theodor Adorno
About this Quote
Theodor Adorno is suggesting that for art to endure and continue to exist in society, it should desert its individuality and end up being absorbed into the traditional culture. In other words, art must lose its distinctive qualities to suit the all-inclusive world of the ordinary. Adorno seems critical of this, as he acknowledges the threat of art losing its autonomy and being reduced to a mere product.