InfoAnda - Art is world's greatest currency, says Hirst |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Iran suspends accreditation for | 30 March 2012
France asks U.N. council to sanction Ivory Coast's Gbagbo | | 26 March 2011
Analysis: New EU data laws command the tide but not the cost | | 25 January 2012

Indonesian clerics forbid TV gossip shows | 29 July 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Art is world's greatest currency, says Hirst |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Issues 2012 Candidates 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read REFILE-Oprah admits "101 mistakes" with OWN, vows to go on 11:23am EDT Wells Fargo opens business for the ultra-wealthy 10:20am EDT Top Obama aides hit back at Romney over Russia 01 Apr 2012 Obama takes a shot at Supreme Court over healthcare | 5:23pm EDT Gunman kills at least 3 at Oakland college, others wounded | 5:31pm EDT Discussed 261 Poll: Americans angry with Obama over gas prices 189 Supreme Court weighs all-or-nothing on healthcare law 169 Top Obama aides hit back at Romney over Russia Watched Urine eggs a delicacy in China Thu, Mar 29 2012 Horror hits the runway in Japan Fri, Mar 23 2012 Fishermen saved in Russian Far East Sun, Apr 1 2012 Wealth and Investing Center Art is "world's greatest currency", says Hirst Tweet Share this Email Print Related News "Lost" Lempicka set to fetch millions at auction Mon, Mar 26 2012 Marilyn Monroe meets angels at Warhol show in Asia Fri, Mar 16 2012 US painter Wyeth gets shows in Beijing, Hong Kong Fri, Mar 16 2012 Royal row and mystery crown in Queen's gallery show Thu, Mar 15 2012 Researchers say long-lost Leonardo may have been found Mon, Mar 12 2012 Analysis & Opinion “As a person I am not extra interesting” – Klimt Annals of art world skullduggery, Larry Gagosian edition Related Topics Entertainment » Fashion » Arts » Money » British artist Damien Hirst poses next to his painting ''I Am Become Death, Shatterer of Worlds (2006)'', at the Tate Modern gallery in London April 2, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Toby Melville By Mike Collett-White LONDON | Mon Apr 2, 2012 2:33pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - Some artists prefer not to talk about the value of their work. Damien Hirst clearly revels in it, going so far as to call art "the greatest currency in the world". On the eve of Hirst's first major retrospective in his native Britain, he hit back at a leading critic who dismissed him as a conman and advised anyone owning his work to sell it fast. Julian Spalding, a curator and critic who has just written a short book called "Con Art - Why you ought to sell your Damien Hirsts while you can", went on the attack last week with articles in at least two national newspapers. They were designed to coincide both with the release of his book and the opening this week of an exhibition at Tate Modern tracing Hirst's journey from a student at Goldsmiths College to the world's most commercially successful living artist. Spalding questioned whether Hirst, known for his shark suspended in formaldehyde, a diamond-encrusted skull, spot paintings and medicine cabinets, was an artist at all and described his works, which fetch millions at auction, as "worthless financially". Hirst, speaking on Monday to a small group of journalists at the Tate Modern gallery overlooking the river Thames, was clearly used to such jibes and brushed Spalding's criticism aside with a grin. "It's like, you say 'sell your Hirst'. I say 'don't sell your Hirsts, hang on to them.' If you look at the numbers ... "It's always healthy to have both views -- people love it, people hate it. I once said as long as they spell my name right I don't mind. As I've got older I don't really mind if they spell my name right either. "Andy Warhol said that great thing didn't he? 'Don't read your reviews, weigh them'." SMELL OF DECAY AND MONEY The fact that Hirst quoted Warhol was hardly surprising -- both artists have been commercially canny and saw the value of their works as inextricably linked to the art itself. Hirst's spot paintings, for example, are made by employees and untouched by the artist, a fact that did not prevent them becoming status symbols for the rich and famous. The artist has come to embody the spirit of 1990s London where his works, often given intriguing titles, appealed to hedge fund managers and oligarchs as well as an art world clamoring for new ideas. Championed early on by collector Charles Saatchi, Bristol-born Hirst personifies conspicuous consumption, yet the 46-year-old, with a fortune estimated at over 200 million pounds, insisted that the art came first. "I'm one of those lucky artists that makes money in their lifetime, and makes lots of money," he said. "I'm not afraid of that but I think the goal's always been to make art and not money. Making money is a by-product, a very happy by-product. "I think art's the greatest currency in the world. Gold, diamonds, art -- I think they are equal ... I think it's a great thing to invest in." The show itself focuses on some of Hirst's most important early works with a view to putting his later series into context. The first spot painting, for example, was made in 1986 and, instead of the precise grid of equally spaced, equally sized circles of different hues comes a slap-dash affair with paint dripping down a canvas of rows of irregular shapes. Two years later Hirst conceived and curated the "Freeze" exhibition of his work and that of fellow students, an early and important step towards establishing him as the leading figure in the influential "Young British Artists" (YBA) movement. By 1995 he was a famous artist, winning the coveted Turner Prize and, in his acceptance speech, reminding the world of his humble academic background and rebellious spirit. "It's amazing what you can do with an E in A-Level art, a twisted imagination and a chainsaw," he said. The chainsaw referred to "Mother and Child, Divided", a bisected cow and calf which went on display at the Turner show and provoked widespread criticism. Another Hirst work featuring a rotting cow and bull was banned in New York because of fears it would "prompt vomiting among visitors". It was leading U.S. dealer Larry Gagosian who showcased Hirst in the United States, presenting the "No Sense of Absolute Corruption" show in New York in 1996. Hirst's mother encouraged his passion for drawing as an adolescent, but was less tolerant of his taste in music and fashion -- she melted one of his Sex Pistols albums into the shape of a fruit bowl, according to online biographies, and cut up his "bondage" trousers. INSECT-O-CUTOR Hirst's famous "pickled" shark, entitled "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" stands in the middle of the Tate show, a reminder of how death has been a dominant theme throughout Hirst's 25-year career. Also familiar will be cabinets filled with medicine and his "spin" and butterfly paintings, but new to many will be "In and Out of Love", a room in which butterflies hatch, live and die as the public passes through. Visitors are asked to check they are not unwittingly carrying a part of the art work with them when they leave. It shares some of the themes with "A Thousand Years" from 1990 in which maggots hatch inside a glass vitrine, develop into flies, feed on the severed head of a cow and meet their end on an "insect-o-cutor". A whiff of decaying flesh escapes from the glass container, to go with the odor of stale cigarette butts in his giant ash-tray "Crematorium" and the inescapable smell of money. That is strongest towards the end of the show in a gold wallpapered room dedicated to Hirst's record-breaking auction at Sotheby's in 2008 where he raised 111 million pounds ($177 million) from over 200 new works. Called "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever", it was a groundbreaking event, conceived as a single work of art that bypassed the dealers -- and their hefty fees -- altogether. The Golden Calf, a bull in formaldehyde adorned with horns, hooves and a disk above its head made of 18-carat gold, raised 10.3 million pounds alone. In the Tate's gift shop is a limited edition plastic skull decorated in "household gloss" paint priced at 36,800 pounds, while a roll of Hirst-designed wallpaper cost 675 pounds. There is also the chance to see his diamond-encrusted skull "For the Love of God" displayed in a blacked-out box in the cavernous Turbine Hall lit only by spotlights shining on the 8,601 flawless gems set in a platinum cast of a human skull. The sculpture fetched the then equivalent of $100 million in 2007, when it sold to a consortium of investors that included Hirst himself. The artist has long avoided a retrospective, deeming it "more OAP" (old age pensioner) than YBA and worrying that his life's work would "amount to nothing" once it went on display. But Hirst finally accepted the idea and the exhibition is one of the highlights of the Cultural Olympiad which is based around this summer's Olympic Games in London. "I feel honored to be given this slot and hopefully I've done it justice," he said. "I definitely hope that more people walk away liking it than hating, but I'm not under any illusions that everyone's going to love it." * "Damien Hirst" runs from April 4 to September 9 and is sponsored by the Qatar Museums Authority. Admission is 14 pounds. ($1 = 0.6259 British pounds) (Reporting by Mike Collett-White; editing by Philippa Fletcher) Entertainment Fashion Arts Money Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Annan says Syria agrees to April 10 peace deadline |
Argentina chides Britain on Falklands war anniversary |
Quake hits Mexico, no major damage reported |
France deports Islamist militants, imams amid crackdown |
Once cautious Brotherhood gambles on Egypt presidency |
News Corp faces proxy call for independent chairman |
Germany risks tax deal defeat after Swiss warrants |
Loeb's hedge fund launches site in war with Yahoo |
NYSE to open new CFD derivatives market |
Bruce Willis and second wife welcome baby girl |
Art is world's greatest currency, says Hirst |
Sandler's Jack and Jill goes downhill at Razzies |
Japan holds off on decision to restart reactors |
Colombian rebels free captives held for over a decade |
Netanyahu delays eviction of West Bank settler house |
Myanmar president says by-elections very successful |
China detains 22 after Inner Mongolia protest: group |
Annan says Syria agrees to April 10 peace deadline |
Obama, Mexico's Calderon vow more drug crime cooperation |
Blaze at Moscow skyscraper set to be Europe's tallest |
Mexican front-runner vows swift drop in drug violence |
Apple's iPad tops Consumer Reports' list despite heat issue |
Australian court rules Google liable for misleading ads |
Olympus may try to tough out scandal without help |
Google to grow display, mobile ad businesses in China |
U.S. investigates possible Internet threat to NYC |
DirecTV complains to FCC over Tribune dispute |
Trailer for Whitney Houston's final film debuts |
Iran says could hit U.S. if it came under attack: paper |
Saudi to maintain oil supply if U.S. draws stocks |
U.S. puts $10 million bounty on Pakistan militant; India pleased |
Russia's UTair grounds ATR 72-200 planes after crash |
France's Sarkozy seen losing runoff despite gains |
Rivals reach deal to end power crisis in Gaza |
Thailand fears further attacks after bombs in south |
RIM launches software to accommodate Apple users |
Apple shares to soar to $1,001, says analyst |
TripAdvisor complains about Google to EU regulators |
Web privacy rules turn poachers into gamekeepers |
Research in Motion sued by NXP over patents |
EU probes Motorola after Microsoft, Apple complaints |
Banking, shopping and job hunting online |
ARM, Gemalto and G&D tie up on mobile security |
Palin pans Julianne Moore in Game Change film |
Woman in Black horror film to return in follow-up |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01