Art that wastes away
March 20 2015
Picture: Guardian
Further to the news that Van Gogh's pictures are gradually changing colour, Jonathan Jones in The Guardian looks at five other works that are gradually decaying. Some waste away faster than others, such as Damien Hirst's shark, which has already had to be replaced once.
At the same time, the new Wallace Collection exhibition on Joshua Reynolds looks at that artist's notorious use of dodgy pigments - his pictures sometimes faded dramatically within his lifetime.
All of which makes me wonder - shouldn't art be classified as a 'wasting asset'? In other words, not subject to capital gains tax, in the same way that vintage wine is not taxed, even though it might go rocketing up in value? Spot the self interest here...
