Damien Hirst. Scientist, Artist or con-artist?
Discussion
For someone who's sole big claim to fame is putting animal autopsy's into formaldehyde much in the same way as many bearded professors of zoology in every educational institute around the world, an expected £8-12 million pound auction sale of his latest at Sotheby's tonight certainly raises a few eyebrows here. With 223 other Hirst lots rumoured to be worth £65million in total on sale.
Anyone here actually appreciate his "art" ?
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_an...
Still you have to respect the guy for making a huge amount of money from dead animals. The ultimate in recycling profitability.
Anyone here actually appreciate his "art" ?
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_an...
The Times said:
Eight years old and four feet tall, Sasha Coulson stared with wonder at the price tag for Damien Hirst’s gold-accessorised bullock in formaldehyde yesterday.
“Eight. . . million to. . . twelve. . . million pounds,” she read out loud, scarcely able to believe her eyes. She looked hard at The Golden Calf again before reaching a verdict on the art world’s question of the moment. “It is quite cool.”
The calf is expected to be the most expensive lot out of 223 set to go under the hammer at Sotheby’s tonight and tomorrow afternoon in a pioneering auction made up entirely of new work by Hirst. Whether the sale meets its expected £65 million take or not, whether it enhances or damages Hirst’s reputation and whether any other artists could dispense with their dealers will remain matters of fierce debate until the bids start.
What is no longer in doubt is that the sale, entitled Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, has captured the imagination of an audience far bigger than the usual art-collecting crowd, with rock stars, Wall Street traders and the general public all keen to share in a moment of history.
Sasha was one of a record 19,000 visitors to Sotheby’s New Bond Street headquarters in Central London over the past nine days. Yesterday the queues were so long that Sotheby’s opened an hour early and on Saturday did not shut until midnight.
Cheyenne Westphal, chairman of contemporary art for Sotheby’s, Europe, said the show was the biggest exhibition of Hirst’s work. “We wanted to show it as an exhibition because although Damien has had lots of offers he has never agreed to a major retrospective. He doesn’t feel old enough.”
She estimated that up to 3,000 prospective buyers had seen the work. On Friday night a private party to mark the sale was attended by the rock stars Bono from U2 and Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the actor-director Kevin Spacey, and Daria Zhukova, the girlfriend of Roman Abramovich, who has just opened a gallery in Moscow.
The demand is a fillip for the auction house after its share price fell 8 per cent on Thursday, fuelled by fears that the sale will flop because the artist has saturated his market. The stock recovered on Friday.
Hirst has been a regular presence at Sotheby’s in the past week, meeting potential buyers. He has admitted, however, to nightmares about the gamble he is taking, telling one interviewer: “I imagine it going: ‘Lot 9 — no bids. Lot 10 — still no bids.’”
The world will find out tonight.
I can predict one thing though, few bids will be received by Investment bank speculators.“Eight. . . million to. . . twelve. . . million pounds,” she read out loud, scarcely able to believe her eyes. She looked hard at The Golden Calf again before reaching a verdict on the art world’s question of the moment. “It is quite cool.”
The calf is expected to be the most expensive lot out of 223 set to go under the hammer at Sotheby’s tonight and tomorrow afternoon in a pioneering auction made up entirely of new work by Hirst. Whether the sale meets its expected £65 million take or not, whether it enhances or damages Hirst’s reputation and whether any other artists could dispense with their dealers will remain matters of fierce debate until the bids start.
What is no longer in doubt is that the sale, entitled Beautiful Inside My Head Forever, has captured the imagination of an audience far bigger than the usual art-collecting crowd, with rock stars, Wall Street traders and the general public all keen to share in a moment of history.
Sasha was one of a record 19,000 visitors to Sotheby’s New Bond Street headquarters in Central London over the past nine days. Yesterday the queues were so long that Sotheby’s opened an hour early and on Saturday did not shut until midnight.
Cheyenne Westphal, chairman of contemporary art for Sotheby’s, Europe, said the show was the biggest exhibition of Hirst’s work. “We wanted to show it as an exhibition because although Damien has had lots of offers he has never agreed to a major retrospective. He doesn’t feel old enough.”
She estimated that up to 3,000 prospective buyers had seen the work. On Friday night a private party to mark the sale was attended by the rock stars Bono from U2 and Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the actor-director Kevin Spacey, and Daria Zhukova, the girlfriend of Roman Abramovich, who has just opened a gallery in Moscow.
The demand is a fillip for the auction house after its share price fell 8 per cent on Thursday, fuelled by fears that the sale will flop because the artist has saturated his market. The stock recovered on Friday.
Hirst has been a regular presence at Sotheby’s in the past week, meeting potential buyers. He has admitted, however, to nightmares about the gamble he is taking, telling one interviewer: “I imagine it going: ‘Lot 9 — no bids. Lot 10 — still no bids.’”
The world will find out tonight.
Still you have to respect the guy for making a huge amount of money from dead animals. The ultimate in recycling profitability.
FourWheelDrift said:
For someone who's sole big claim to fame is putting animal autopsy's into formaldehyde much in the same way as many bearded professors of zoology in every educational institute around the world, an expected £8-12 million pound auction sale of his latest at Sotheby's tonight certainly raises a few eyebrows here. With 223 other Hirst lots rumoured to be worth £65million in total on sale.
Anyone here actually appreciate his "art" ?
.
is it that time of the week again --- the philistine's anti art thread Anyone here actually appreciate his "art" ?
.
surely all art is subjective?
I read a lovely article in the Telegraph. Apparently Hirst is turning his hand to painting. The comment was "finally we may be able to see if he's actually any good" 
All art is subjective. Art is propagation of an experience in the viewer's mind. The artist either makes an object or a sound designed to make the viewer/listener/toucher react emotionally. Most objects are designed to be seen, of course, and stimulate a pleasurable experience. Others are meant to annoy, shock etc.
Hirst's stuff is "art" alright. As to whether or not the experience is meant to be pleasurable varies, I reckon.
I loved his skull. If I had the money I'd build the Indiana Jones cave to house it and have traps/ropes to swing on/climb etc and have the whole Tomb Raider experience...
No idea if he can draw...
All art is subjective. Art is propagation of an experience in the viewer's mind. The artist either makes an object or a sound designed to make the viewer/listener/toucher react emotionally. Most objects are designed to be seen, of course, and stimulate a pleasurable experience. Others are meant to annoy, shock etc.
Hirst's stuff is "art" alright. As to whether or not the experience is meant to be pleasurable varies, I reckon.
I loved his skull. If I had the money I'd build the Indiana Jones cave to house it and have traps/ropes to swing on/climb etc and have the whole Tomb Raider experience...
No idea if he can draw...
GreatGranny said:
Probably one of the most influential artists in the last 20 years.
His work isn't just dead animals.
No, but the rest isn't up to much...His work isn't just dead animals.
GreatGranny said:
I'm not a big fan bit can appreciate what he has done for art in this country.
What..? Expose it as a huge con trick, you mean..?The idiots who part with huge sums of money for this mediocre stuff must be head cases.
Vesuvius 996 said:
Man's a magician.
Draw a postcard, sell it for £50,000.
The Emperor has no clothes.
He's not a magician, he has no special powers, he just has the ability to judge the art world for the collection of pin brained morons they really are and the balls to take them for every penny their stupidity allows. Draw a postcard, sell it for £50,000.
The Emperor has no clothes.
Still a prize cock, produces nothing but s
te but you've got to admire him for his ability to rape the art world senseless without them even noticing.
Yep, got to agree there.
Not a fan of much of his stuff, especially when you realise that he doesn't even touch most of it.
He's not a con artist, he's not tricking anyone out of their cash. Anyone who pays £12million for a pickled cow is an utter moron and deserves to be ripped off left right and centre.
My mother is an artist most of her friends are artists, many of them relatively well known in that world and you know what. It's all bo11ocks. "Oh darling I love that" when it is some piece of guff that was knocked up in 10 minutes.
Emperors new clothes.....That is exactly what it's like.
Not a fan of much of his stuff, especially when you realise that he doesn't even touch most of it.
He's not a con artist, he's not tricking anyone out of their cash. Anyone who pays £12million for a pickled cow is an utter moron and deserves to be ripped off left right and centre.
My mother is an artist most of her friends are artists, many of them relatively well known in that world and you know what. It's all bo11ocks. "Oh darling I love that" when it is some piece of guff that was knocked up in 10 minutes.
Emperors new clothes.....That is exactly what it's like.
mybrainhurts said:
GreatGranny said:
Probably one of the most influential artists in the last 20 years.
His work isn't just dead animals.
No, but the rest isn't up to much...His work isn't just dead animals.
GreatGranny said:
I'm not a big fan bit can appreciate what he has done for art in this country.
What..? Expose it as a huge con trick, you mean..?The idiots who part with huge sums of money for this mediocre stuff must be head cases.
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