This essay's objective is to identify the productivity of several of Pierre Bourdieu's formulations regarding art and aesthetics in allowing for a properly anthropological reflection on this theme, situating it in the realm of contemporary discussions exploring its comparative dimension. Based on a parallel with the theory of magic proposed by Marcel Mauss, the essay is constructed along three lines: identifying the perspective underlying Bourdieu's theoretical effort; mapping out some of its main developments; and investigating its theoretical breadth. This approach permits one to demonstrate the methodological statute of "distinction" in its connection to Bourdieu's sociological relativism, as well as to perform a critical assessment of the contemporary debate over the conditions allowing for an anthropology of art and/or aesthetics in terms of a counterpoint between particularism and universalism.