At the time this came out, there was quite a bit of controversy about modern art (well, isn't there always?) in particular the 'Bricks' exhibit at the Tate. I think this is a pretty cynical song that reflects many people's opinion at the time that the artists were basically fleecing the public and making off with ridiculous sums for no effort. In addition, at the same time top rate tax was 98% or something, so there were a lot of very high earners becoming tax exiles, so it's also partially about that.
At the time this came out, there was quite a bit of controversy about modern art (well, isn't there always?) in particular the 'Bricks' exhibit at the Tate. I think this is a pretty cynical song that reflects many people's opinion at the time that the artists were basically fleecing the public and making off with ridiculous sums for no effort. In addition, at the same time top rate tax was 98% or something, so there were a lot of very high earners becoming tax exiles, so it's also partially about that.