Another brick for the wall

UCTIONS, as I have mentioned in recent columns, have been going gangbusters ever since the start of the lockdown and, on present evidence, there is little sign of this buying splurge dying off any time soon. Which leaves me perplexed. I’d have thought that half-sensible buyers, unable to pick up and inspect items on which they might bid many thousands of pounds, would be circumspect lest the catalogue camera ‘that never lies’ has told a blatant porky and presented something dull or unlovely in the flesh as an object of rare beauty and desirability. Previously, I put this wilful ignoring of that first principle of buying ‘art’ – look at it (carefully) – down to prolonged and intense tedium, combined with the addictive attraction of the online ‘Buy Now’ button. However, a delighted auctioneer who has seen his sales jump 20% since the virus started messing with our lives has