The article analyses mass culture to define a place of art tradition in “the consumption environment”, considers the tradition of book graphics in Altai, reveals the concepts “mass and art production”. The author addresses to the problem of the art demand in the XXI century on the example of illustrations to the “art” and “mass” book. The author considers the industry of leisure in a historical context, the main features of this phenomenon, studies its magnitude in modern society. The fact that mass production exploits the area of culture because of the universality of the values of this phenomenon and the existence of the leisure industry is not evidence of a crisis in culture. The book art exemplifies the phenomenon of elite art developing in line without giving way to mass production. There are models of book art now which meet all art criteria. Models of book art are widely presented in Altai in works of the graphic artists following the tradition established in the XX century. However, there is a large number of stereotyped production. One of important questions of the present is how to how to draw line and to overcome contradictions between system of art values and mass culture. The main idea of the research t is hat technological production will never replace man-made creativity and the only way of harmonious coexistence is the subordinated role of the first to the second.