Art From Europe

Re “ART/LA89 Draws Mixed Reviews From Local, Out-of-Town Dealers” by Suzanne Muchnic, Dec. 12:

I was amused by the Europeans’ dismay regarding local collectors’ lack of sufficient interest in European art--as if we should roll over and play dead for anything from Europe.

The fact is that most of what came over from across the Atlantic was just not that good or new, in the opinion of many attending ART/LA89. Just because something is esoteric and ugly does not mean that it should automatically qualify as art.

Could it be that local collectors don’t care for the hodgepodge of detritus that European galleries try to push off on what they think is an uneducated local public? Convincing us of the merit of the work that they represent should be more than hanging it and then criticizing us for not salivating at its very sight.

S. RICHARD HURWITZ

Blue Jay, Calif.