There are plenty of people who like paintings for the way they look, and would happily buy the work of a lesser-known artist at a cheap price if they liked it. Yes, some people use art to status-signal, but some people also actually like art. (There may even be a nonempty intersection!)

Sorry if I sound dodgy here, but I don't think I've said anything that contradicts this. My criticism is of these two things:

1) the idea that the elite-designated "high art" is non-arbitrary. (I claim it's a status-reinforced information cascade that wouldn't regain the designation of high-art if you deleted knowledge of which ones had been so classified.)

2) the excessive premiums paid for artworks based on both 1) and the fact that they are the originals (a "piece of history").

Never have I criticized or denied the existence of people who buy artworks because they simply like it and it appeals to them. I just criticize the way that we're expected to agree with the laurels attached to elite-designated high art. As I said before, I would have no problem if art were just a matter of "hey, I like this, now get on with your lives" (as it works in e.g. video games).