And what about those wanting to make a shrewd investment? As the world economy began to tank about five years ago, a curious thing happened at the top level of the international art market: it started to boom. Galleries and auction houses are seeing record prices every few months. Art is becoming increasingly monetised as investors shy away from less stable sectors. Banks are actually lending on this. There is an ever-increasing supply of money and a fast-decreasing supply of available art. The sad thing is, as sales continue to rocket, art gets further and further out of reach for the vast majority of us. We’ll soon see the first billion pound price tags and the art selling for three grand will jump up to 12.

Art will continue to be a thing for the elite. Ironically, it is most often produced by those at the opposite end of the economic scale. Another familiar story?

Some say it is cheapening the art world and turning it into a brand-driven industry rather than one where artists of true value are given just attention. Art is on cool shopping lists after Gucci and before Ferrari. It is simply another must have. On the other hand, it could also be said that the fact art is bringing in billions internationally, in terms of exhibition tickets and private sales, means there is more to go around. The widening interest in art, the popularisation of it, might just mean that it starts to reach more ordinary people. Of course they will never be able to afford to actually buy it, but this has always been the case.

Art has long been a status symbol, though. Artists have been commissioned to paint rich and famous subjects throughout history. There have always been certain artists who were the flavour of the month and in demand by the dukes and duchesses of the time, so they could say ‘look at my lovely portrait by Velazquez or Van Dyck’. So, what is different now? Art has always been used to say something about how important we think we are, to show just what we can afford and the power we exert in society.