Editor’s Note: The Persistence of Wallpaper

Abstract

“My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has got to go.” These are reported to be the last words of Oscar Wilde, delivered on his deathbed at the Hôtel d’Alsace in Paris. The quote came to mind as I admired the colorful statue of Wilde by Danny Osborne in Merrion Square in Dublin recently, where I traveled to take part in the annual meeting of the Renaissance Society of America. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the wallpaper story, but as the Italians say, se non è vero, è ben trovato, if it's not true, it’s well founded, and we can guess who the winner was of the duel. Art deserves our attention if only because it will survive us, even in its most pedestrian