Artibus 010

How many Monet's and Picassos hang on the walls of even the most modest of suburbs? One can see great works through the windows of almost any street, displayed in framed splendour above the hearth or pinned at ragged corners to the bedroom wall. We can all be collectors now, for good reproductions may be had for the price of an indifferent meal. Between the covers on our bookshelves are whole galleries-worth of masterpieces.......One can hardly complain about this democratization of art. Philip Ball on reproductions in his book Bright Earth, The Invention of Colour.