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Mass-produced art (also known as factory art or kitsch) is a popular and affordable type of art found in homes, businesses, and public places, but not in museums. In order to understand more about this little studied form of art, and to verify its appeal to a mass audience, slides and photos of mass-produced art were rated in three studies. Subjects differed in sex and age (ranging from teen-agers to older adults), and in educational and art backgrounds. Across all studies, mass-produced art was generally liked, irrespective of individual differences. Other evaluative responses (whether the art was good, would be hung at home, and recommended for museum purchase) were also generally positive; familiarity and complexity were high; and all variables correlated with one another. Scenes from nature were most preferred, while still-lifes and cityscapes were not. The relationship of mass-produced to museum-caliber art, and the contribution of popular art to the psychology of art and aesthetic theory, are discussed.
Martin S. Lindauer (Sun,) studied this question.