John, (and all)
I agree with you.
There's gotta be some room for personal taste here, not just qualifying as "high art". Maybe you like modern architecture, maybe you like Victorian? Some people have a highly developed personal style, and that makes all the difference to them. Why is a Frank Lloyd Wright house worth 20 times as much as one the same size, in the same neighbourhood? Craftsmanship and design aside, it gets back to what Jim said earlier about pedigree, but on some level, you may just dream about living in a house designed by a great architect, and it costs big time. I read somewhere that only 10% of houses in America are even designed by an architect. I think the same can be said for the great designs of the influential bike master builders too. It's all in the details that make something extra special for the owner.
Grant toronto, canada
In the end, if someone were to say, "I don't understand why you value that Confente so highly." IT is rather like going in the Louvre and saying "I don't see the big deal about this Mona Lisa" Those persons just have to look longer and more carefully.. Study the topic more deeply... Learn about the form and what preceded it....In this case, look at Confente's work as well as that of the other fine bike makers and thereby learn about the systems that are in place that make some of us yearn for those bikes..."
To me, this is a polite way of saying that, if you don't agree that the Mona Lisa is the top of the heap or that a Confente is worth the outlandish prices that they bring, that you are simply ignorant. That you just don't know enough, and should put more time into the study of the fine things, because you obviously don't have enough knowledge and sophistication to appreciate these things. OooKaaay.
John Dunn in Boise