We’ve lost the culture war

FRESH from observing the correction (and in my view destruction) of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, I found myself in Cambridge, walking to an early breakfast after a debate on stupid wars on Thursday night (my side won). And there I came across the hideous sight, left, of the once-elegant and austere Fitzwilliam Museum, its portico covered in what look like tatty posters and graffiti. But no, this grunge is officially permitted, promoting an exhibition called Defaced!, which I am told is ‘the first of its kind to examine the interplay between money, power and dissent over the last 200 years – with a key strand of the show exploring the role of the individual in protesting for rights and representation’. So much for high culture.

It took us centuries to gather, guard and protect the treasures our museums now contain, and to achieve grace and beauty in our buildings. It has taken us about 50 years to start slithering back into chaos.