Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst (born 7 June 1965) is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists (or YBAs), who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist, with his wealth valued at £215m in the 2010 Sunday Times Rich List. During the 1990s his career was closely linked with the collector Charles Saatchi, but increasing frictions came to a head in 2003 and the relationship ended.
Death is a central theme in Hirst's works. He became famous for a series of artworks in which dead animals (including a shark, a sheep and a cow) are preserved—sometimes having been dissected—in formaldehyde. The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, a 14-foot (4.3 m) tiger shark immersed in formaldehyde in a vitrine (clear display case) became the iconic work of British art in the 1990s, and the symbol of Britart worldwide. He has also made "spin paintings," created on a spinning circular surface, and "spot paintings", which are rows of randomly coloured circles created by his assistants.
In September 2008, he took an unprecedented move for a living artist by selling a complete show, Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, at Sotheby's by auction and by-passing his long-standing galleries. The auction exceeded all predictions, raising £111 million ($198 million), breaking the record for a one-artist auction as well as Hirst's own record with £10.3 million for The Golden Calf, an animal with 18-carat gold horns and hooves, preserved in formaldehyde.
In several instances since 1999, sources for certain of Hirst's works have been challenged and contested as plagiarised, both in written articles by journalists and artists, and, in one instance, through legal proceedings which led to an out-of-court settlement.
Taken from Wikipedia
Death is a central theme in Hirst's works. He became famous for a series of artworks in which dead animals (including a shark, a sheep and a cow) are preserved—sometimes having been dissected—in formaldehyde. The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, a 14-foot (4.3 m) tiger shark immersed in formaldehyde in a vitrine (clear display case) became the iconic work of British art in the 1990s, and the symbol of Britart worldwide. He has also made "spin paintings," created on a spinning circular surface, and "spot paintings", which are rows of randomly coloured circles created by his assistants.
In September 2008, he took an unprecedented move for a living artist by selling a complete show, Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, at Sotheby's by auction and by-passing his long-standing galleries. The auction exceeded all predictions, raising £111 million ($198 million), breaking the record for a one-artist auction as well as Hirst's own record with £10.3 million for The Golden Calf, an animal with 18-carat gold horns and hooves, preserved in formaldehyde.
In several instances since 1999, sources for certain of Hirst's works have been challenged and contested as plagiarised, both in written articles by journalists and artists, and, in one instance, through legal proceedings which led to an out-of-court settlement.
Taken from Wikipedia
9,000 butterflies died for his 'art'
- 47-year-old's work In and Out of Love featured thousands of live butterflies
- Figures reveal more than 9,000 butterflies died during the 23-week exhibition
- Animal rights charity: 'Hirst’s quest to be edgy is as boring as it is callous'
- But Hirst says high quality environment meant many butterflies lived longer
October 14, 2012 - Daily Mail
If you’re an animal lover, he’s already unlikely to be one of your favourite artists.
But even shark-pickling Damien Hirst’s fans might flinch at his latest work.
An exhibition by the 47-year-old featuring live butterflies saw more than 9,000 of the beautiful insects die – around 400 a week.
Many were killed during the five-month run after being inadvertently trodden on or brushed off visitors’ clothing.
Thousands more died naturally during the exhibit, called In And Out Of Love, and had to be replaced.
Yesterday, animal rights charities criticised the artist, whose works include a shark preserved in formaldehyde and a severed cow’s head.
A spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said: ‘Damien Hirst’s quest to be edgy is as boring as it is callous.
‘It does not matter whether Hirst killed the animals himself or sat by while thousands of them were massacred for his own unjustifiable amusement.
‘Butterflies are beautiful parts of nature and should be enjoyed in the wild instead of destroyed for something predictable and unimaginative.’
An RSPCA spokesman added: ‘In this exhibition, butterflies are forced to exist in the artificial environment of a closed room for their entire lives.
‘There would be national outcry if it involved any other animal, such as a dog.
‘Just because it is butterflies, that does not mean they do not deserve to be treated with kindness.’
If you’re an animal lover, he’s already unlikely to be one of your favourite artists.
But even shark-pickling Damien Hirst’s fans might flinch at his latest work.
An exhibition by the 47-year-old featuring live butterflies saw more than 9,000 of the beautiful insects die – around 400 a week.
Many were killed during the five-month run after being inadvertently trodden on or brushed off visitors’ clothing.
Thousands more died naturally during the exhibit, called In And Out Of Love, and had to be replaced.
Yesterday, animal rights charities criticised the artist, whose works include a shark preserved in formaldehyde and a severed cow’s head.
A spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said: ‘Damien Hirst’s quest to be edgy is as boring as it is callous.
‘It does not matter whether Hirst killed the animals himself or sat by while thousands of them were massacred for his own unjustifiable amusement.
‘Butterflies are beautiful parts of nature and should be enjoyed in the wild instead of destroyed for something predictable and unimaginative.’
An RSPCA spokesman added: ‘In this exhibition, butterflies are forced to exist in the artificial environment of a closed room for their entire lives.
‘There would be national outcry if it involved any other animal, such as a dog.
‘Just because it is butterflies, that does not mean they do not deserve to be treated with kindness.’
Dr Martin Warren, chief executive of Butterfly Conservation, said: ‘It is very sad to hear of the death of so many butterflies.
‘We are very concerned that this work represents a throwaway approach to living creatures and encourages a lack of respect for the environment.’
The artwork, shown at the Tate Modern gallery in London between April and September, was part of a retrospective of Hirst’s work, which attracted almost half a million visitors.
It used tropical butterflies from the Owl and Heliconius species, which can live for up to nine months in their natural habitat.
Those used in the exhibition survived for between a few hours and several days, suggesting their lifespan was shortened.
Bowls of fruit, flowers and sugared water were left in the rooms to allow the butterflies to feed.
A spokesman for Tate Modern said: ‘The butterflies used in this work were all... selected from varieties known to thrive in the conditions created.
‘The butterflies lived out the final stage of their natural life cycle inside this room. Around 400 butterflies were introduced to the exhibition over the course of each week.’
In a statement, Hirst said: ‘A butterfly expert was employed at considerable cost.
‘Perfect living conditions were replicated and this resulted in many butterflies enjoying longer lifespans due to the high quality of the environment and food provided.’
Source: Daily Mail
‘We are very concerned that this work represents a throwaway approach to living creatures and encourages a lack of respect for the environment.’
The artwork, shown at the Tate Modern gallery in London between April and September, was part of a retrospective of Hirst’s work, which attracted almost half a million visitors.
It used tropical butterflies from the Owl and Heliconius species, which can live for up to nine months in their natural habitat.
Those used in the exhibition survived for between a few hours and several days, suggesting their lifespan was shortened.
Bowls of fruit, flowers and sugared water were left in the rooms to allow the butterflies to feed.
A spokesman for Tate Modern said: ‘The butterflies used in this work were all... selected from varieties known to thrive in the conditions created.
‘The butterflies lived out the final stage of their natural life cycle inside this room. Around 400 butterflies were introduced to the exhibition over the course of each week.’
In a statement, Hirst said: ‘A butterfly expert was employed at considerable cost.
‘Perfect living conditions were replicated and this resulted in many butterflies enjoying longer lifespans due to the high quality of the environment and food provided.’
Source: Daily Mail