In: Advertising and Design. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on a Cultural Field. Hrsg. von Beate Flath und Eva Klein. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag 2014 (Reihe Kultur- und Medientheorie), S. 201-225. ›… things that people don’t need to have but that – for some reason – would be a good idea to give them.‹ 1 Discussions on drawing the line between art and advertising BERNADETTE COLLENBERG-P LOTNIKOV 1. ART, ADVERTISING, AND ART HISTORY Were you to ask the much quoted common man – or even the less often quoted common woman – about the relation between art and advertising, you might encounter reactions of perplexity more often than not. What could, let's say, the Mona Lisa possibly have to do with the recommenda- tion of mundane things such as washing powder, TV meals or the latest trend in fashion? Common sense, a conviction that is generally known to have a strong tendency towards conservatism, finds its scientific counter- part in traditional art history research, which understands itself as the schol- arly custodian of ›high‹ art which is beyond daily life and its objective manifestations. So, although advertising is a legitimate field of research for 1 »An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need to have but that he – for some reasons – thinks it would be a good idea to give them.« (Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: [From A to B and Back Again], New York/ London 1975, 144.)