Indisputably art

Asale of David Hockney’s Portrait of an

Artist (Pool with Two Figures) is set to break records: if it makes anything near to its $80 million estimate, it will be the most expensive work of art by a living artist ever sold at auction. That title is currently held by Jeff Koons, for his

Balloon Dog (Orange), which went for $58 million in 2013. It is what it says on the label: a giant sculpture of a balloon dog in orange.

No one could pigeonhole Mr Hockney’s work, which is incredibly varied, but one ingredient of his success is that all he does is visibly, indisputably art. The subject of Portrait is clear; the colour is explosive; the technique is perfect. Some may quibble with paying millions for any painting, but in the case of a Hockney, at least there is no denying that you get what you pay for.