Art Prices As Distraction

Ralph Rugoff, director of London’s Hayward museum says the soaring art market is a distraction. “All the attention of it — how much money is paid for a Peter Doig or a Damien Hirst — distracts us from thinking about what the work is about. It’s amazing that these contemporary artworks are selling for as much money as they do, but I don’t think it necessarily helps anybody appreciate what’s interesting about contemporary art.”