Lewis Hyde Quote

What is it about a work of art, even when it is bought and sold in the market, that makes us distinguish it from... pure commodities? A work of art is a gift, not a commodity... works of art exist simultaneously in two economies, a market economy and a gift economy. Only one of these is essential, however: a work of art can survive without the market, but where there is no gift, there is no art.

The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World (ed. Vintage, 2009) - ISBN: 9780307567604