Artistic work has been mainly defined in modern industrial societies by its atypical features vis à vis standard productive work; in post-industrial societies, however, it becomes increasingly considered as paradigmatic of a new “creative class”, including workers within a variety of knowledge and creative sectors. The article discusses this paradox offering a sample of key contributions offered by sociology to the study of artistic work and professions, useful to uncover the ideological bias hidden behind the supposedly new significance of artistic work within creative economies. It thus introduces and discusses the essays collected in the special issue linking them to the ongoing changes on the nature of work in contemporary societies