The Mona Lisa is really just a tired

The Mona Lisa is really just a tired old brand that refuses to die. And its creator, Da Vinci, was really the biggest pop artist that ever lived.

Leonardo painted celebrities and pandered to the rich. He was terrible at meeting deadlines — was a bit of a freelance freeloader. Very 21st-Century. His work has outsmarted the market, and now the little Mona Lisa (it’s smaller than you think) is worth a billion dollars. No surprise there.

I really don’t go hunting for old prints, but the whole thrifting thing is so very trendy that you can’t help but hit a charity shop, at least once a year.

When I got to the land of chipped cups and unmatched saucers, there was a print of Tretchikoff’s Chinese Girl. But it had already been booked.

And so, I watched two old junk collectors have a complete meltdown about who saw the thing first. It was about the same price as pair of second hand shoes — and I felt a pang of sadness for everyone.

These days I’m crying for Tretchikoff and for the Chinese model who landed up being the world’s most kitch household item, painted blue. I’m also crying — although not too loud — for the people who stood to make enough out of the print, to buy a pair of shoes. I should’ve offered to get a pair for them; I really can’t understand why I didn’t. #fringetheartist