tue 21/05/2013

Video: The Arts Desk/London Art Fair Debate | Visual arts reviews, news & interviews

Video: The Arts Desk/London Art Fair Debate

Watch the video of TAD's live panel discussion Art Crazy Prices

From left: Fisun Güner, Melanie Gerlis and Mark Hudson at the London Art fair 2013

Matthew Collings was snowed in in Norfolk, so was sadly unable to join us, but the weather didn’t defeat The Arts Desk/London Art Fair debate. The Art Newspaper’s market expert Melanie Girles and TAD critic Mark Hudson rose to the challenge, while I did my best to steer the lively conversation. 

Under discussion was the question of whether art as commodity had finally taken over from art as art, as Robert Hughes had predicted over 30 years ago, and whether crazy prices at auction ultimately changes our viewing experience.

Along the way we discussed art under totalitarian regimes, Carl Andre’s bricks, whether Damien Hirst still deserves to be taken seriously and whether major success and superstardom damages an artist’s creative impulse.

Watch the video 

Loading the player ...
 

Follow Fisun Guner on Twitter

We at The Arts Desk hope that you have been enjoying our coverage of the arts. If you like what you’re reading, do please consider making a donation. A contribution from you will help us to continue providing the high-quality arts writing that won us the Best Specialist Journalism Website award at the 2012 Online Media Awards. To make a one-off contribution click Donate or to set up a regular standing order click Subscribe.

With thanks and best wishes from all at The Arts Desk

Add comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Use to create page breaks.

More information about formatting options

By submitting this form, you accept the Mollom privacy policy.

Latest in today

Relatively Speaking, Wyndham's Theatre

Early Ayckbourn play fizzes anew 46 years on

Sylvie Guillem, 6,000 Miles Away, Sadler's Wells Theatr...

Guillem weaves her game-changing magic in Forsythe and Ek

CD: StooShe - London With The Lights On

Mouthy London trio's debut is loaded with enjoyable bawdiness and atti...

Lubomyr Melnyk, Village Underground

The pioneer of continuous music astonishes while Bon Iver’s preferred artis...

Helen Chadwick, Richard Saltoun

Her obsession with death and decay was leavened by a wicked sense of humour

10 Questions for Artist Michael Landy

On the eve of a new exhibition of his kinetic saints, the artist talks abou...

Case Histories, BBC One

The brooding private detective is back

Falstaff, Glyndebourne Festival Opera

Comedy is king in a Falstaff revival which is consistently enjoyable but co...

The Man Who Shot Beautiful Women, BBC Four

The welcome return of the legacy of photographer Erwin Blumenfeld

DVD: Chronicle of a Summer

BFI reissue of the mother of all vérité docs

Free Newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday - free!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters