This article examines class position in modernist art. It discusses Ezra Pound and Alexandr Rodchenko's views on modernism and art, which suggest possible positions that could be adopted by modernists vis-à-vis the question of art's function in the modern world. These include defences of artists' superiority to society, justifications of the value-conferring power of their work, and arguments in favour of art's isolation from politics on the grounds that it depended on its freedom from non-aesthetic concerns. The article highlights the importance of considering social and cultural conditions in providing an account of modernism's relationship to issues of class.