Today I’m going to focus on a comment I’ve heard said may times when people look at abstract paintings ..... ‘my kid could do that’.

In particular I’d like to talk about a film released last year called ‘my kid could paint that’. It’s about a 4yr old girl called Marla Olmstead whose paintings were being sold in art galleries as the newest genius since Picasso.

Her paintings are colourful and expressive as all children’s artwork is – we’ve all had them on our private gallerys – the refrigerator door. The difference is that Marla’s parents were convinced that their daughter was gifted.... and they marketed her as `gifted ` with her 4 x 6ft paintings. They sold & sold well to the tune of $300,000 or so.

The film, made by Amir Bar-Lev was initially conceived in order to capture Marla’s creative genius on camera.... Ultimately it focuses on the controversy over the authenticity of the child’s artmaking skills..........did she really do it or did her father ?

More than that – the filmhighlighted a very nasty side of the business of art & dealing. A review quote by the BBC’s Neil Smith captures the distaste very well, he wrote:

A compelling documentary that leaves you wondering if there is nothing sacred in this stinking world.

Take a look at the film or google ‘my kid could paint that’ – decide for yourself