In The Mona Lisa Curse, art critic Robert Hughes subjected present-day commercialisation of art to a withering criticism. It's a damning indictment of the general tendency of art to degenerate into flashy triviality to the degree that it subordinates itself to money-making and capitalist market economics. It condemned the British artist Hirst for "functioning like a commercial brand" and destroying any true understanding of art in the public's mind by placing importance on the price tag alone. (Alan Woods)