iPod generation blamed for falling interest in contemporary art
Published on: 15-Jun-2007
Acclaimed British artist David Hockney has claimed the iPod generation is to blame for a lack of interest in contemporary art.Hockney, who has been one of the leading lights of British contemporary art since the 1960s, was speaking as he unveiled an exhibition of JMW Turner's watercolours at Tate Britain.
At the ceremony, however, Hockney complained that contemporary art was losing out to developments in portable music technology, which have made it too easy for people to tune out their eyes.
"We are not in a very visual age. I think it's all about sound," he said.
"People plug in their ears and don't look much, whereas for me, my eyes are the biggest pleasure.
"You notice that on buses. People don't look out of the window, they are plugged in and listening to something."
Hockney, a dedicated smoker, also took the opportunity to speak out against the new ban on lighting up in all workplaces, which comes into force on July 1st, claiming the government is "treating us like children".
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