I have posted several times already on the 'celebrity' art market, with a bit of an obsession with what Damien Hirst signifies for all that is revered for its pseudo-profundity. See Mad Men on Mark Rothko, Art and democracy, and The Rules of the Game. About a week ago appeared another interesting piece on Hirst's art as failed send-up of the crass celebrity commodification of 'art'. "Failed" in the sense expressed by fed-up art critic Robert Hughes when he says: "The common defence is that Hirst's work mirrors and subverts modern decadence: 'Not so. It is decadence,' says Hughes." Take a gander at Vanessa Thorpe (guardian.co.uk), Top critic lashes out at Hirst's 'tacky' art -- Slamming the dead shark and diamond skull as 'absurd', outspoken Australian Robert Hughes says such commercial pieces have made art meaningless - apart from its price tag". For those with access to the UK's Channel 4, look out for Hughes' film called 'The Mona Lisa Curse' to be shown on Channel 4 on 21 September at 6.30pm (Greenwich Mean Time, of course).
By way of balance, see a defence (albeit with faint praise) of Hirst's right to take a pile of churned out pieces of art to direct auction at Sothebys this week: Jonathan Jones (guardian.co.uk), "Hirst's auction does not demean the art world."
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