Pop Art absurdists On Tuesday, a large painting by Jasper Johns, 57-year-old Pop Art absurdist, sold at Christie's, New

Yor , !or "#$# %illion$ This was an au&tion re&ord !or the wor o! a li'ing artist, a&&ording to %y !riend (eraldine Nor%an$ ) suppose it is the pressure o! the great A%eri&an !oundations whi&h eeps this parti&ular panto%i%e on the road$ They ha'e spent so %u&h %oney on the sa%e sort o! rubbish already that they ha'e to go on buying it or their pre'ious in'est%ent in '%odern art' will be seen to be worthless$ *ut then ) read o! an enterprising Austrian who has o!!ered +i& Jagger a 'ast su% o! %oney !or his ashes, hoping to sell the% e'entually in hour-glasses !or %any hundreds o! thousands o! pounds ea&h$ A spo es%an !or Jagger was ,uoted as saying ')t's going to be a hea'y thing !or +i& to !igure out and gi'e an answer$' -'en i! it is in death, what's he going to 'alue %ore . his body or his %oney/ 0ew o! us, ) i%agine, would be prepared to pay 51p !or the whole &olle&tion o! 2olling *ones$ *ut the !a&t that %oney is a'ailable !or this sort o! nonsense %ight %a e us re'ise +ar3's theory o! 4urplus 5alue$ Te&hnologi&al &apitalis% produ&es so %u&h %ore wealth than there are use!ul things to spend it on that we ha'e to spend it on rubbish$ The Sunday Telegraph 6*r-7