LETTER:'Artist' at work

From Mr Paul Brewer

Sir: Waldemar Januszczak (letter, 3 November) makes two ridiculous and unprovable claims concerning Damien Hirst's Mother and Child Divided; first, that it is an important work of British art and second, that, I quote, "all of us want it to last not one year or 10 years, but hundreds of years".

Why is it important, and to whom, I wonder? Will its presence increase the day-to-day quality of life of the average person, if indeed such a being actually exists? And who are the "all of us" who wish this so-called work of art to last hundreds of years?

Art lovers of the future referred to by Mr Januszczak will probably be laughing up their sleeves at the pretentious nonsense perpetrated by Damien Hirst and lauded by "luvvies" who pass themselves off to a not-so-gullible public as experts and art lovers.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Brewer

Freeland,

Oxfordshire

3 November