Contemporary trends and tendencies

Artometer - ups, down, highs and lows of the art world

Matthew Day Jackson

With a sudden surge in auction prices, the chronicler of American Dreams appears to have hit the big-time.

Spaghetti Pop

Can the saucy irreverence of Italian Newbrow really hope to compete with the layered-lasagne complexity of establishment favourites? Or does it all just boil down to a question of taste?

We take a look at recent Italian art and a burgeoning neo-pop undercurrent that may or may not count as a new contemporary phenomenon.

Smart art

No more easy art rides; one-liners are out and intellect back in vogue.

The return of the art salon

In line with the growing accent on practice that matters, salon-style soirées are springing up from New York to Berlin.

Damien Hirst's return to the easel

Bacon painted by a total sausage.

Hirstian homewares

DH continues to amaze. Having pledged an end to former motifs, publishing arm Other Criteria continues to churn out pricey memoribilia for the masses. Not to mention 'spot' clocks, and UNlimited edition blankets at close to a £1000 a throw.

What's next - a classy line in cabinet storage units?

Arts funding

As governments deal with unprecedented debt, cost-cutting is bound to hit the arts hard. Further pain in store for those already feeling the pinch.

The white cubes

Those squeaky-clean commercial spaces are starting to lose their lustrous edge; time for a return to far more interesting alternatives. Viva the car park, bedsit, or broom cupboard.