Museums and art galleries appear to be and would claim to be opento all, and yet, in fact, they are visited only by a small segmentof the population. Who are those whose love of art brings them intomuseums? What distinguishes them from the majority of people whoexclude themselves or who are effectively excluded? In this classic study, Bourdieu, Darbel and Schnapper addresssuch questions on the basis of a wide-ranging survey of museumvisitors throughout Europe. By examining the social conditions ofmuseum practices, they show that cultivated taste is not a naturalgift but a socially inculcated disposition which is distributedunevenly, and which predisposes some to distinguish themselvesthrough their love of art, while others are deprived of thisprivilege.