The book is devoted to the problems of the social functioning of an art museum in society. Based on an analysis of the exhibition policy of the State Russian Museum, the dynamics of attendance, and many years of sociological research of the museum public, the authors were able to look at the relationship between the museum and society not only from the position of the museum itself (which is typical for the vast majority of museum research). They tried to analyze these relationships both from the point of view of the audience and from the position of the creators of works of art themselves (one of the authors is a famous artist who managed to combine artistic talent with the professionalism of a social analyst). Significant attention is paid to the artistic policy of the museum and the role of the state in its formation. The book is addressed to a wide range of sociologists, cultural scientists, art historians and everyone interested in the social aspects of the functioning of art.