Making Eyes at Art

A few months ago a visitor to Art News Blog started a lively debate by asking for advice on whether he should enter art school. My view was that he should, and here's an example to prove the point. How many amateurs would have the cheek to submit this mediocre, schoolgirlish graphic design to a wallpaper manufacturer, let alone to an art gallery? Takashi Murakami earned such cheek by gaining the qualifications to convince himself and others that he is an artist: BFA (1986), MFA (1998) and PhD (1993) from the National University of Fine Arts and Music, Tokyo, Japan. His diplomas don't convince Mr Grumpy here, but they convinced somebody, because Jellyfish Eyes (2002) now plasters the walls of Puck’s Café at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, USA. Yuk! Maybe the idea is to make you wolf your coffee and doughnut and dash out, in order to free your table for the next punter.