Neurotic Paintings

This block of colours is my version - 107 Colours (2008) - of a painting by Gerhard Richter for his show Gerhard Richter 4900 Colours: Version II (2007) which opened today at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens. Richter is "one of the world’s greatest living artists" claims the gallery, a sentiment echoed by the BBC: "Acclaimed German artist Gerhard Richter has created a major new work, 4900 Colours: Version II..."! Auntie goes on "In 2003, the artist was second on a list of the worlds top-selling living artists, with sales worth £80.9m." That any artist can sell colour charts at all shows how desperate the art market is for novelty and trademark brands. This isn't art; it's art therapy. Such rigidity serves only to help the neurotic assuage his feelings of insecurity. A patient who does this sort of thing for 20 years will have his shrink in despair. But the BBC laps it up! (CLICK for its collection of charts.) Why? Why must the BBC promote tripe as art? Does it get a percentage when rich saps like Roman Abramovich are fleeced?