Wise to Art

It’s now almost a century ago that the Dadaist movement introduced absurdity into the art world and it’s only logical that the ultimate consecration of nonsense, pecuniary compensation, is now gaining widespread acceptance. Damien Hirst is the emblematic figure of our times. Mr Hirst is certainly a genius of some kind. With Hirst the fusion between art and non-art is complete and the new art metaphor is a stuffed calf in gold sheathing. Let’s call this new art ‘Tart’ and accept that tart is money, money is art and art=tart. The desire of ‘buying the price” has become the ultimate drive for the new tart-collectors.

Now that art definitely is becoming tart, what with that old museum inventory? Well, even if not yet treated as tart, the old art is efficiently monetized by our tart-loving market forces. In this respect it is very instructive to read eminent art critic Souren Melikian’s article on ‘the divergent fates of works that benefit from celebrity and masterpieces that have only their quality in their favor.’ The art market has become very much like the real estate market, the commodities market or the stock exchange; pure pecuniary speculation detached from any artistic merit. And it works to an astonishing degree.

But who are all these people buying those massive amounts of tart? Well, people interested in making money on the short term. As the whole interest of buying tart is in the subsequent selling, stimulating the fable that tart is art is necessary for healthy resale profits. At the moment there are buyers everywhere thanks to the buoyant economies of emerging nations with cheap labour cashing in on the ongoing globalisation. It is perfectly clear to everyone that this golden period will come to an end and that the herds of ‘newly rich’ one day will discover that their so called art is…simple tart. But who cares? It’s only the very last in the chain of suckers that will be ripped off… The crash is inevitable, but not yet in sight and this explains the frenetic activity these days at Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

Is tart-collecting worth our contempt? Not really, today everything is equal and money-making is the corner-stone of our society. But please, give us a break with the word ‘art’, name a tart a tart and art art.