IN "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," Walter Benjamin argues that it is because we have built up an aura around art. It is the same thing as valuing antiques simply because they are old and not because they are better or beautiful. It is the same reason why people line up to see the Mona Lisa even though we have all seen pictures of it a million times. Or why people go visit some where George Washington slept.
That is true. Thank you for adding this very relevant viewpoint!
Walter Benjamin also saw this not as something negative, but rather something neutral, even positive.
