Modern Art - A Mother's Deception

"My child could do that" is a phrase often uttered by art philistines when describing some works hailed as masterpieces. Estelle Lovatt, a lecturer at Hampstead School of Art and a freelance art critic, decided to put the idea to the test by posting her two year old son’s blotches of color into an on-line art gallery#. By using such catchphrases as, "The striking use of oriental calligraphy has the kanji-like characters stampeding from the page, showing the new ascent of the East. It is one of Linsky’s most experimental works," Freddie Lovatt, her son, was able to sell some of his pieces to bidders and was even offered a feature in a Berlin gallery. Estelle commented, "I thought people would figure it out. But a collector paid £20 for The Best Loved Elephant. He said he liked the flow and energy of the picture."