A collection of essays that probes the condition and possible end of art, contrasting utilitarian and futurist dismissals of aesthetic value with defenses of artistic seriousness. The author examines public monuments, sculpture, and civic taste through concrete incidents and anecdotes—commission controversies, awkward or mediocre statues, and an incomplete obelisk—to show how placement, style, and mass opinion shape reception. Essays balance ironic observation with aesthetic argument, questioning whether artistic grandeur survives commodification and bureaucratic choice while reflecting on how monuments interact with their surroundings and public memory.