I owe this comment to Dappolonia, who comments on this blog.  Thank you!

A gentleman called Marion Maneker, an art promoter, blogging on the Reuters blog site, recently opined that the German artist, Gerhard Richter, has “emerged as an artist whose work can be used as social currency (literally like the Swiss franc) to gain access  to an emerging social class of global capital” .  In other words, the work of Gerhard Richter is used for social climbing.  In doesn’t matter whether Richter’s work has merit or not (some critics think it colourful, pretty or whatever, but nothing new).  It is a commodity or a currency.  If it suits your decor, it is suitably scaled  to about 122 x 102 cms, and you have a spare $6 million to spend, then this will allow you to hobnob and network with other people who have been in the right place at the right time, or have the right Daddies, and have made huge fortunes .

Anyone who has seen modern art installations, where all that matters is “has it been done before or no”, will already be conversant with the huge con-job being inflicted on the public.  Speaking as someone who can draw a bit and  colour in a hippopotamus, I admit to being mildly envious.   I never learned at art school what they learn now, viz.  how to string together a poetic succession of hyberbolic descriptive words for artwork that would do justice to a used car salesman.

But the sound of wool being pulled over eyes isn’t the point.  The point is that good old Epicurus, bless him, would have had a fit.  It was just this striving and manoeuvering for place, power, and influence that he thought was very bad for all concerned, and never made you happy.  The fate of the super-rich does not keep me awake at night, but when you really think what it must be like: the constant competition, the worry about who is making off with your money or your blonde bombshell of a wife, the sheer cost of that eight man crew on the yacht, never having quite enough………..

Moral:  be thankful for what you have and be content with it.