“It’s just as absurd as the banking crisis,” said the best-selling, beloved artist Gerhard Richter at a press conference for his Tate Modern retrospective, whose Kerze (“Candle”) is about to fetch $9-14 million at Christie’s in London. “It’s impossible to understand and it’s daft.” Is there an anti-art market movement a-brewing?

Since #OccupyWallSt is growing from being a hippie protest to a Populist movement and spilling into cities nationwide, it’s inevitable that the institution of art selling and speculation will be confronted as well.

The protestors from #OccupyWallSt have already crashed a Sotheby’s auction in solidarity with the locked-out art handlers and then there’s the Occupennial.

Then there’s @OccupyArtWorld, an anonymous baby of an internet presence, but its targeting art world all-stars already:

@jerrysaltz Is job security more important to you and your wife than helping out #occupywallstreet? This is the movement you’ve wanted.

Ooh, this one is good:

Art schools have become entertainment factories for the 1%. Brothels of culture. #occupyartworld #occupywallstreet

Now, let’s see that manifesto!

UPDATE: Oh, here comes the opposition to the opposition, dubbed @OccupyOccupyArt. Or something… and this one gives out quote-bites upon request and pronto, too:

@mfortki The revolution needs to ferret out the weasels in our midst. The 99% will not be divided. Are you counter revolutionary?

Welcome mete-meme war?