Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis
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It’s a little hard to tell the context of this comment by one of the art world’s luminaries. One way to read it is another slam at popular artists and critics simply because they’re popular. It comes from yet another story in the big press build up to Damien Hirst’s ‘comeback’ show opening in Venie this weekend:Continue Reading
The Financial Times is gleefully participating in the hype surrounding Damien Hirst’s latest comeback event opening in Venice next month. A reporter was taken on a junket to help create the backstory to Hirst’s new body of works. Continue Reading
The New York Times’s Robin Pogrebin wraps the news that Damien Hirst is holding a selling exhibition during this year’s Venice Biennale in some interesting market news and commentary.
First up is the way the work is being sold. Gagosian Gallery is managing the sales by having their specialists meet with potential buyers and show them work on an iPad so the images cannot circulate in advance of the show at Francois Pinault’s two Venice spaces.
The second is the idea that this is Hirst’s “third prong” in a scheme to create a “second act.” The first and second were his private museum opening in London and return to Gagosian.
In truth, since the Beautiful Inside My Head Forever sale in 2008, Hirst has made several attempts to move on with new art work—there was the ill-fated attempt at painting like Francis Bacon sponsored by Victor Pinchuk and shown at London’s Wallace collection—and revive his market with stunts like the global Gagosian show of spot paintings.Continue Reading
Damien Hirst, or his business advisor, has submitted plans for the 750-home, 3,000-resident real estate development in Devon, near the artist’s estate:
However, residents have said the project is the latest example of “Damien domination” of the area and that the new town will invade their privacy and swamp local services.
Last October, Verity, Hirst’s controversial 67ft bronze statue of a pregnant woman, was erected in Ilfracombe despite protests.
The artist, who is believed to be worth £215million, is believed to have won some support within North Devon council and local business leaders for the 187-acre project called the “Southern Extension”.
The site covers much of Winsham Farm, a wildlife haven which Hirst bought for £900,000 10 years ago. He is one of four landowners in the project and owns just over half the site.
However, residents said they were shocked by the town’s size and feared that the 10-year construction project would cause disruption for Ilfracombe’s 12,500 population.
Pictures show artist Damien Hirst’s first impressions of town dubbed ‘Hirst-on-Sea’ (London Evening Standard)
