Speaking of contemporary art...

... did you know that the Royal Academy this year accidentally gave an award to a base that somehow got separated from the artwork it was meant to display -- but stands by its award on the grounds that the slate slab and a bit of wooden prop found with it were "thought to have merit"? Lionel Shriver has the story. (He also thought the sculpture that went with the base was well rendered, and "exudes a sense of joy and hilarity." The laughing head, though, got no award, alas...)

Parental note: Mr. Shriver lampoons the Royal Academy by doing a high-falutin' review of a brick placed on his desk. Staying true to such things, he finds things to say that are, uhm, odd, let's say, moving this article from what some parents I know would consider a G to a PG.

Update: The Common Room has more, much more, on this, using other sources.

Addition: Somewhat-related previous post. (I am, by the way, still waiting for someone to tell me if that plaque Billy Rose wrote about is still there "on the house next to the corner, Fifth Avenue and 86th Street" in New York. And if it is, if people remember the story behind it?)