Editor's Letter: Issue 25

With the arrival of spring (at some point) comes Spear’s Art & Collecting Special. As prices at the very highest end are still defying economic sense and those at auction are nothing compared to those on the private market we take a look at the closest thing the art world has to currency, Picasso’s works

WITH THE ARRIVAL of spring (at some point) comes Spear’s Art & Collecting Special. As prices at the very highest end are still defying economic sense — and those at auction are nothing compared to those on the private market — we take a look at the closest thing the art world has to currency, Picasso’s works. In almost as busy a circulation are the hundreds of Damien Hirst’s Spot paintings, many of which are on show at the global Gagosians; he talks to Anthony Haden-Guest about why it doesn’t really matter that he doesn’t paint them himself.

Along with the other renewals of spring, Spear’s renews its acquaintance with Godfrey Barker, who explores the burgeoning market in royal correspondence. A card from the Queen can go straight into the bank, it seems. If you don’t have one of those to hand, you might want to learn how you can use your artworks as collateral for loans.

Back in December I enjoyed a trip to Australia with a twofold purpose. First, I interviewed David Walsh, the owner of Hobart’s sex-and-death-obsessed Museum of Old and New Art and a man prone to thrilling if cryptic pronouncements about art and the universe. Second, I investigated how Sydney’s Contemporary art scene has come to be one of the best in the world; the answer, unsurprisingly, depends on philanthropy and the daring it allows.

SPEAKING OF PHILANTHROPY, it is well worth your time reading about our 1 Per Cent Campaign: we are encouraging our readers to give of their time, expertise and, yes, money to a range of good causes. Don’t let the heckling voices of the 99 per cent be proved right.

I HAVE WORKED for Spear’s for almost five years now, and there have been plenty of highlights. We have established the Spear’s Book Awards in literary London’s calendar, had dispatches from Mustique and Baghdad, published a wonderful range of young and established writers and somehow not been thrown out of a good number of restaurants. All of this is by way of looking back as we arrive at our silver issue, our 25th. Adam Dant has commemorated this with his cover and we dispatched Nick Foulkes to the London Silver Vaults.

Thanks are due to William Cash, founder and editor-in-chief, our long-standing contributors, our dynamic editorial and sales teams and our parent company, Progressive Media Group, for helping Spear’s to survive and, I hope, flourish.

Josh Spero
josh.spero@spearswms.com
Nominated for Editor of the Year and Fiona Macpherson
New Editor of the Year at the BSME Awards 2011