Chris Dercon, director of the ‘Tate Modern’ – an art power house which glances at St Pauls from across the south bank of the Thames – noted that during 2012 a trilogy of art exhibitions by David Hockney, Lucienne Freud and Damien Hirst provided London with a Cultural Olympics.

Comparisons are bound to be made. But who sets the criteria for the olympic arena? who is in the line up and who gets the gold medal?

Mirror mirror on the wall who is the greatest artist of them all….?

Old masters such as Lucienne Freud (b.1922 – recently died 2011) – David Hockney (b. 1937 – staring at the abyss) – and “yba” Damien Hirst (b. 1965…..) – is, like everything else, in the process of dying.

This holy trilogy of male painters are presented as three variants of “bad boys” of British Art…. Over a period of 80 years a common thread has been pulled through each one causing a tug of war between the intentions of the artist and the interests of the art market. All three have been sucked into the “commercial art” world – and painted on demand – though Hirst seems to have been sucked in the deepest. Most conversations with him refer to money rather than art – and his practice doesn’t seem to have divined wisdom.

Damien Hirst may like to consider that unlike the other two on the “olympian podium” his art is getting old and losing its value. This exhibition must be seen to its bitter and lurid end – but make sure you stand your ground and insist that entry is free!