Letter: Toilet humour

STUART Kelly’s otherwise excellent article on Damien Hirst (3 April) makes the mistake of declaring that Mr Hirst is clearly an artist because his work is exhibited in art galleries and commented on by art critics.

This is an interesting and novel way of defining art, but it is more of an argument for closing art galleries and not listening to self-appointed art critics, if this is what we end up with.

As Julian Spalding points out, Hirst is more of a con-artist whose greatest trick has been to persuade millionaires that his “works” are worth investing in.

And such is the pathetically conservative state of so much of the modern “art” scene that where the money goes, the art establishment follows.

Mr Hirst recently pointed out that he hates art you have to think about. It shows. Little did Marcel Duchamp realise that his toilet-seat joke was to be such a prophetic symbol of the denigration of the once beautiful and meaningful art of art.

David A Robertson

Solas CPC

St Peter’s Free Church

St Peter Street

Dundee