Damien Hirst Sick of His Own Art

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Sep 2nd 2008 at 3:02PM

British art world bad boy Damien Hirst, probably the world's most successful living artist, says he's getting sick of his own work. Hirst says the upcoming major auction of his work at Sotheby's in London later this month, which is expected to bring in about $120 million, will mark the end of some of his signature techniques, including ones that brought him fame and fortune in the first place. (Some cynics say the pieces aren't selling as well as they used to).

Except for a few pieces he's currently finishing up, Hirst says he will no longer be producing any of his famed formaldehyde works, such as the shark and cow series, nor will he continue with the spot and spin paintings he's so well known for. Explaining the change, Hirst credits his friend Joe Strummer, late frontman of The Clash: "It's like [Joe] once told me about writing songs," the artists says. "If you can guess what the rhyme's gonna be in the next line, then it's shit and you've gotta change it."

Gallery: Hirst's Last Work

Tags: Damien Hirst, DamienHirst, Joe Strummer, JoeStrummer, Sothebys, The Clash, TheClash

Filed under: Auctions, Art

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Greg Sep 2nd 2008 6:52PM

Good old Damien, lagging the rest of us by only about five years or so.

Graffitimonkie Sep 2nd 2008 6:52PM

A true classic never gets boring, but if your art is based on dead skulls than I guess it would make you sick quickly.

http://www.graffitimonkie.com/

mshock35 Sep 2nd 2008 8:41PM

"Hirst says he will no longer be producing any of his famed formaldehyde works, such as the shark and cow series, nor will he continue with the spot and spin paintings he's so well known for. "

So in other words, Damien Hirst is going to start actually making art again.