Letter: Saatchi's appropriation of art

Sir: Your front-page story on Charles Saatchi's bulk purchases of art and his ability to make or break the career of an artist shows the extent to which modern British art is influenced by the wrong people.

Many of us regret the passing of a period when progressive art in Britain was made by artists such as Ben Nicholson and Henry Moore, and supported by inspired scholars such as Herbert Read. Today, thanks to the influence of Mr Saatchi, avant-garde art is represented by a rotting cow's head in a pool of blood and a box containing a thousand maggots.

Yours sincerely,

STASS PARASKOS

Principal

Cyprus College of Art

Paphos,

Cyprus

6 March