Take a pile of junk and hang it on the wall of an art gallery and it becomes art. If, instead, you put it in a skip and transport it to the local dump it is rubbish.

From what I can gather that is the essential difference between the two. Now I could say modestly that I don’t know much about art but I know what I like. Actually, I have studied art and have some familiarity with the subject even though I am far from being an expert.

I wish that artists would not be so keen to shock in order to get publicity. It degrades them. Henson’s photos of that prepubescent girl do not deserve any more respect than porn sites on the web. Surely it is the result rather than the supposed intention of the artiste that should be considered.

I find that empty frames with the title “Nothingness” leave me with the feeling that I have been conned. Anyone can do nothing. It’s no particular achievement.

It bothers me that laundry bills by Picasso could achieve high prices. It bothers me that art depends on who did it rather than whether it is any good. Just because something is by Picasso does that necessarily mean that it has to be good?

Sadly, the truth behind this art business is Business with a capital B. An empty canvas attributed to Picasso will fetch more money than a delightful painting by a nobody. That’s how Art imitates Life.