I wonder....is there anyone on the planet who hasn't at least heard his name? To say, "Damien Hirst is famous" might have been enough in the 90's but he has since joined the ranks of those the world deems icon worthy. And like so many who reached this status before him it was controversy that drove him to such heights. But unlike some, Madonna, Damien's got real talent. Unfortunately, not everyone gives the man his due. Many of his fellow artists got turned off by his dead animals in formaldehyde works. I haven't figure it out yet, perhaps someone in cyberspace can explain it to me, but this work drew huge crowds. He simply preserved a 14 foot dead shark and the art world loved him for it. The sale of the dead creature made him the second most expensive living artist in the world!All dead sharks, sheep and cows aside -- the man is an artistic genius. In 1995 Damien was awarded the Turner Prize for his work, 'Mother and Child Divided' which I won't describe because to be honest it makes me a bit nauseous. But for every piece of Damien's work that nauseates me there is a piece that makes me stand in awe. One of my favorites is, 'Beautiful I've Been Spirited Away Painting'. And I'm sure everyone loves his, 'Kaleidoscope VII'. It's a massive amount of butterfly wings on canvas. And my all time Damian Hirst favorite to date shares the same theme -- butterflies. He has entitled it appropriately, 'Devotion'. The beautiful arrangement shows his expertise with color.
So for those of you who have been turned off by his obsession with death I encourage you to take another look. I believe Damien has finally discovered that which he has been searching for all along...harmony. He just had to work his way past some abandonment issues first. Unfortunately for us, artists, all of our emotional issues show up in our work.
