Letter: Woolf pack

Sir: The organisers of the Post-Impressionist exhibition of 1911 performed an act of cultural heroism that shames the shallow, sentimental analysis afforded them by Philip Hensher in his article "Does anyone actually like any of this Bloomsbury Group rubbish?" (4 November).

He claims that "for heaven's sake, someone else would have done the same thing". Who does he suggest? The hundreds of thousands of working people who fought for life in the post-industrial slums? The gung-ho, xenophobic bourgeoisie and aristocracy who forbade their women to attend the exhibition? The hostile press who lampooned the paintings and their patrons? No one would deny that Bloomsbury was often as silly as it was interesting. But the exhibition, in both aims and content, was the work of pioneers. Which is more than can be said of Mr Hensher's article. Cultural fascism has been done.

JUSTIN TREFGARNE

Frant, East Sussex