9 cartoons about modern art

Art for art’s sake; money for God’s sake. So went the line from the old 10CC song. These days, art has become something of a money circus for a cultural and moneyed elite. There is a lot of substandard, over-hyped dross out there. But for me, visits to art galleries are still rewarding and for two reasons: First reason; The rare gems of aethetic, imaginative, intellectual and sensual delight that are to be had. And the second reason… for the ongoing challenge to our notions of just what consitutes art. Well, what IS art exactly? Does anybody really know?

PIcasso once said “Art is a lie that helps us realise the truth”. Someone else lauded the “magical uselessness of art”. A lovely oxymoron. I would agree with both of these statements. Away from the overpriced arcane world of mega-bucks art dealers, art fairs, gallerists and agents, contemporary art still has the power to move, entertain, bewitch and beguile.

The Andy Warhol spoof here, at the top, was originally published in Punch magazine. The cartoon “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a fake!” was originally published in my second book, ‘Cashtoons’, now available as a eBook on Amazon. A long-term project of mine is a book, focused solely on cartoons about art.