‘Useless’ art.. and why Luke Syson loves it

TED talk by Luke Syson: ”Useless’ art.. and why he loves it

‘Luke Syson was a curator of Renaissance art, of transcendent paintings of saints and solemn Italian ladies — serious art. And then he changed jobs, and inherited the Met’s collection of ceramics — pretty, frilly, “useless” candlesticks and vases. He didn’t like it. He didn’t get it. Until one day …’

Draws attention to the question of what art is and what it is ‘for’. To explore imagination as well as what we can see?
What makes it mean something and why first impressions aren’t everything.