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Original poster

Damien Hirst - need I say more?

84 replies

JoolsToo · 16/09/2008 09:22

£70 million for his 'art' work at yesterday's auction

Emperor's new clothes anyone?

I find it quite nauseating that people spend vast amounts of money on a stuffed shark. Look around the world and see where you can spend it to better use please.

OP posts:
Original poster
JoolsToo · 16/09/2008 10:39

willself - come on the art IS nauseating and quite frankly I wouldn't put it under the heading of 'art' either.

I mean, you could call the work of a surgeon or a carpenter 'art', in fact those two are far more worthy of attaining those sorts of fees.

I do agree tho, its the idiots with more money than sense who are loop de loop. He's laughing all the way to the bank.

OP posts:
bloomingfedup · 16/09/2008 10:44

The value is in the eye of the beholder.

anniemac · 16/09/2008 10:45

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TheCrackFox · 16/09/2008 10:49

Well something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it. Personally, I wouldn't want to pay more that £5 for Hirsts stuff but if some overly rich fool will cough up that kind of cash good luck to them.

Hirst is a genius at making money but I feel that is where his talent begins and ends.

anniemac · 16/09/2008 10:56

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thomsc · 16/09/2008 11:12

The 'working out what sells' argument is tenuous too, in that when Hirst and his contemporaries first came to prominence, their stuff was new and exciting, not 'what was selling' at the time.

That it still sells perhaps says more about the strength of the concepts than the ability to sell it. Perhaps not.

Personally, I'd rather have an exploded shed than a pickled cow, but both are interesting concepts.

Philpot · 16/09/2008 11:24

At times like these I find myself applying the soothing balm of Wilde -
'Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital.' or
'The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless.'

I still reckon Oscar would have thought Hirst's stuff was utter pants though. He would have put it just like that, too.

Sorry, just taking the Duchamp.

thomsc · 16/09/2008 11:41

Philpot - A sense of humour, that's what Mutt-ers

suey2 · 16/09/2008 11:49

I think he is the biggest plagiarist of his generation. Can't knock him for his success, though- more fool the buyers.

BitOfFun · 16/09/2008 11:50

Can Damien Hirst paint like this ? I don't think so . Yet this is my DP's work, and he is battling every month to not lose his house. It's not about art, it's about high finance - Hirst just happens to be one of the rare ones who was in the right place at the right time. In a way his work has to be weird and wacky, because if it was all about skill and passion, there would be many more talented artists who could take his place, and make the big moneymen's investments worthless.

anniemac · 16/09/2008 11:56

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GooseyLoosey · 16/09/2008 11:58

Part of the problem with Hirst for me is that I see art as recreating life out of life (as Joyce put it). However, as far as I can see, Hirst creates nothing, he simply displays things and this is not really enough for me.

HollyGoHeavily · 16/09/2008 12:00

well - i guess 'skill and passion' are subjective.

No offence to your DP, but i'd rather have a shark in formaldehyde.

MaryAnnSingleton · 16/09/2008 12:01

I 'm with WilfSell on this..

Philpot · 16/09/2008 12:02

Thomsc - I did my best to 'Turner' the tide, but to no avail...
Does Hirst get on your Titians too?

WendyWeber · 16/09/2008 12:03

Has anybody mentioned this?

TheDuchessOfNork · 16/09/2008 13:11
Original poster
JoolsToo · 16/09/2008 13:18

"he simply displays things and this is not really enough for me."

much in agreement with that statement

Wendy

OP posts:
pigleto · 16/09/2008 13:20

What really irks me is that he made 280 pieces in a year. So he is not even trying. If he is such a bloody brilliant artist does he not owe it to his talent to take at least a week designing one of his pieces?

Folk who buy his shit deserve exactly what they get. Mind you it is probably a better investment than shares at the moment.

onceinalifetime · 16/09/2008 13:21

I do actually like a lot of his stuff and if people want to pay vast sums that's fine too but it's becoming difficult to define if he's about art or money - surely having made so much already, it should now be all about the art and it seems to be the other way round.

Almost bought a spot print for £1,500 a few years ago but wasn't sure.....bugger.....that was about a £15,000 'not sure' loss on what they're worth now.

WendyWeber · 16/09/2008 13:34

Another quote from Wiki (re the spot prints)

"But the only difference, between one painted by her and one of mine, is the money."

Er - hello?

donnie · 16/09/2008 13:34

Art does not have to be 'traditionally' beautiful to be art, but in my opinion real art is thought provoking and emotive, inspiring and edifying. It shows real talent and skill. DH's work has none of these.

Maybe the spot paintings are 'mesmerising' - yeah well, dd has a pair of spotty leggings like that. From Asda - which is about the value of a DH painting, IMO.

I would really like someone defending DH on here to sell one of his 'works' to me as art - go on, prove it.

However, in the final analysis I do think it is incredibly funny that so many people with too much money are buying this tripe. Emperor's new clothes indeed! the last laugh is probably on them.

donnie · 16/09/2008 13:36

I hear he is planning to sell his own excrement actually.

They are queuing up as we speak, cheque books at the ready. What credit crunch?

jeanjeannie · 16/09/2008 13:43

Reckon his stuff will probably plummet just like property. Estate agents giving away a 'spot painting' with every 2 bed flat! Hopefully folk who've bought it will end up with stuff that's as worthless as an Athena poster.

Art? Marketing more like.

onceinalifetime · 16/09/2008 13:47

WW, exactly - it's all very well making so much money but he then goes on to effectively insult the people who buy it. It's all a bit Gerald Ratner, saying his products were shit and then wondering why people stopped buying them.

Also, the value is normally heightened by the fact that the artist has died and cannot create any more work. DH would probably create another 3,000 spot prints for a joke, rendering the existing ones less valuable, (presumably).

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