The paper deals with key issue of sociology of art — the problem of autonomy. Analysis of origins and overview of main theoretical and methodological approaches in sociology of arts in regard to the autonomy problem is given. Within the production of culture perspective autonomy is reduced to social conditions of art production and is regarded in terms of an ideology of dominant social groups. The limits of this approach are discussed. Cultural sociological program presented by Robert Witkin’s research aims to overcome the reductionist perspective by redefining the notion of aesthetic and turning to anthropological dimension of art perception.