A huge fire in a warehouse has destroyed many key works of modern British art, including Tracy Emin's "Loitering Within Tent" and Damien Hirst's "Sliced Wombat Enjoying the Ineffable Boredom of Contemplation". Britain's towns have become strange, silent places. An eerie calm prevails, only broken by the sound of muffled sobbing. Small groups of people huddle at street corners, ashen-faced, whispering words of support to their fellows. The sad piles of wilting flowers grow, stacked against the railing outside art galleries. It is going to be a long time before the nation can achieve closure, and move on from this communal outpouring of grief.