Well there's actually a HUGE call for photorealism in CG these days, particularly in arch-viz and advertising.
There is so much you see in ads in magazines, on TV and elsewhere that is CG, because in a whole lot of cases it's cheaper to make a CG ad for a client than it is to set up a studio to photograph the real deal.
And in the case of things like car ads on TV, far more practical, since you can do animations with wild stunts and not risk damaging the vehicle or injuring a stunt driver, not to mention the cost of setting up an actual shoot, plus the insurance costs.

And then of course there also is product visualization of all sorts. It's cheaper and easier to make a 3D model and a good render of something than it is to build an actual prototype to show a client.

So while in a lot of cases, photorealism may not be art, it IS a highly sought-after ability.