Tony and the Aztecs
From Sebastian Shakespeare Sir: Theodore Dalrymple notes that Jacques Chirac wrote an introduction to a catalogue of Ecuadorean baroque religious sculpture (`Escape from barbarity', 3 January) and wonders if Mr Blair would dare do such a thing. He has. In November 2002 Tony Blair wrote a commendation in the catalogue for the Royal Academy's Aztec art exhibition. 'The era of the Aztecs represents one of the great historic milestones in human history,' wrote the Prime Minister, 'contributing richly to the modern world we know today. The first European encounter with this civilisation can only have been one of awe.' Phoney cultivation or militant philistinism? As every skuleboy no, an appreciation of art was hardly an overriding concern of Cortes, the Spanish conqueror of Mexico.
Sebastian Shakespeare
London W8
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